Pillowcases are often made from nylon, which is easy to wash and often cheap enough to replace. Polyester is commonly found in all bed-linens, and cotton is soft and absorbent, but Business Insider notes it will shrink in the wash. But when we go pillowcase shopping, have we been overlooking the best fabric for our hair and skin? Turns out we have, and silk may be the answer to better skin, and hair that is kept hydrated with fewer tangles.

Silk is a natural protein fiber, and although most of us view it as an expensive fabric that requires a lot of care (you won’t be throwing these pillowcases into the washer, instead you’ll be handwashing), in recent years it has been celebrated in the beauty industry for the benefits it has for our skin and hair. We know what you’re thinking, surely something as simple as a pillowcase cannot do this much damage to the skin, right? But according to beauty guru Nurse Jaime, the third biggest cause of aging is sleeping with a traditional pillowcase, W magazine reports—then again, we are asleep for a large portion of our lives.

After years of using cotton pillowcases, the friction against the face could cause wrinkles on sensitive areas of facial skin, and the friction against the hair results in frizz and tangles, Women’s Health reports. By contrast, silk pillowcases allow the face and hair to glide over it easily (therefore not causing as much friction) reducing sleep creases, and potentially wrinkles over time.

"Your skin can't slide against cotton like it can with silk, so cotton pillowcases can actually create crepe-ing on your face due to traction,” licensed aesthetician Brit Lanier told Cosmopolitan. "Plus, sleeping on silk helps retain moisture in both your hair and skin.”

One of the major drawbacks regarding silk pillowcases is the price (no one wants to be spending hundreds of dollars on a pillowcase) but there are a few affordable options on the market, and we mean really affordable. And most beauty publications have already done the hard work for you, creating lists of the best silk pillowcases on the market.

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