After the excesses of the festive season, make looking after yourself your New Year’s resolution! A simple change that can make a big difference to your skin and hair, your quality of sleep, and your overall health, is switching to silk.
Silk isn’t just luxurious; it offers a host of beauty benefits and is a natural, allergen-free alternative to traditional down, feather and synthetic duvets and pillows. Don’t believe us, here’s what the experts say:
Sarah Chapman, London’s most sought-after facialist, raves: “Gingerlily’s silk has serious beauty benefits. Naturally hypoallergenic, silk helps to regulate body temperature, keeping skin calm, cosseted and comfortable. And because silk is less absorbent than cotton, sleeping on it means your skin retains its natural moisture to stay hydrated and healthy.”
Alison Telfer, Aesthetic Director and founder of The Glass House Clinic says: “I highly recommend using Gingerlily’s silk pillowcase as part of your daily skin care regime. Sleeping on silk helps skin retain its natural moisture, keeping it soft, supple and reducing fine lines and wrinkles.”
Dr Rabia Malik, Cosmetic Doctor, SkinW1 and Grace Belgravia says: “Gingerlily silk pillowcases are a pleasure to sleep on and their friction reducing properties make them a great addition to any beauty regime.”
Michael Cimino, previous Artistic Director at Michaeljohn and Umberto Giannini is a huge advocate for Gingerlily’s 100 per cent silk pillowcases; he says: “The hair doesn’t stick to silk in the same way that it does to cotton; the hair shafts remain smoother and glossier.”
What’s the difference? The facts:
Silk | Conventional bedding | Silk bedding |
Beautiful skin & hair | There is such thing as beauty sleep! Having a good night’s sleep with traditional bedding will reduce dark circles and help you to look refreshed.However, cotton bedding absorbs moisture which can leave your face dry and dehydrated – not to mention that it will soak up your religiously applied night cream! | Silk contains the same proteins and amino acids which are naturally found in hair and skin. This helps skin to retain moisture and means that after sleeping with a silk duvet and pillow, your skin looks plumped and revitalised. The amino acids in silk bedding can also provide welcome relief for those who suffer with eczema and dry skin.Silk is also anti-static; silk bed linen reduces wrinkles and bed-head hair by decreasing friction while sleeping. Your skin has a memory, so by decreasing the every-night impact of traditional bed linen rubbing on your face, you can see long-term benefits. |
Controls temperature | Synthetic and traditional feather and down duvets can make you uncomfortably hot; they trap air around the body causing you to overheat and wake-up feeling clammy. | Silk bedding works to regulate the body’s temperature while you sleep, keeping you cool in summer and warm in winter. It will adjust the temperature under the duvet to the ambient temperature of the room so that you sleep comfortably through the night. If you and your partner tend to have differing body temperatures, a silk duvet will easy adapt to keep you both sleeping soundly.Silk bedding is also naturally breathable which again helps to regulate temperature by drawing excess heat away from the body. |
Beating the bugs | Feather and down duvets attract dust mites. The mites burrow into duvets and pillows to feast on dead skin cells. As the average person sheds two to three pounds of skin each year, there is no shortage of food for them!The weight of the average pillow increases by around 10 per cent each year, thanks to dust mite infestation…yuck!!But that isn’t just disgusting – dust mites are a huge trigger for allergies, and up to 80 per cent* of allergy sufferers in the UK are affected by them. | Silk is inhospitable for dust mites because there is nothing for them to live on. Silk is also a naturally hypoallergenic fibre, making it an ideal alternative to synthetic bedding for allergy sufferers. |
Gingerlily uses only the finest ‘A’ Grade long fibre mulberry silk in its pillows, duvets and mattress toppers, as well as for its 100 per cent silk bed linen. Independently graded, mulberry silk yarn is the purest; clean and free from adulterated materials and chemicals. Cheaper silk bedding may seem like value for money, but only Grade ‘A’ mulberry silk offers a host of benefits that lesser silks don’t; it is breathable, hypo-allergenic and less abrasive to your skin and hair. This focus on quality is what makes Gingerlily products so special and with prices starting at just £39 for a silk pillowcase they aren’t as expensive as people may think – especially given the proven benefits!