After researching and testing the attributes of various brands across different price points, we’ve arrived at this shortlist of the best silk sheets to slumber in. Our top pick, the Lilysilk 19 Momme Seamless Silk Sheets Set, is constructed to last with breathable, moisture-wicking fabric. Here are the best silk sheets for cool, sumptuous comfort while sleeping. Available in a wide palette of pleasing solid shades such as Rosy Pink, Lavender and Taupe, they add a dash of opulence to your bedroom. These silk sheets are Oeko-Tex Standard 100 certified, meaning they’re free from potentially harmful chemicals. The material is breathable and moisture-wicking, keeping you cool and your bed dry while you sleep, no matter the temperature in your bedroom. While the default price is of a twin-sheet set, you can mix and match and splurge on covers, sheets, pillowcases, and comforters to bring hotel-style luxury home. However, silk bedding can get slippery; customers recommend getting sheet straps to keep the linens from sliding. While you can wash the sheets on the gentlest machine cycle or hand wash them, Lilysilk recommends professional dry cleaning to keep them spiffy clean and shipshape for the long term. The buttery-smooth set includes a flat sheet, a deep-pocketed fitted sheet, and a pair of pillowcases. The seamless sheets are durable, with a reported lifespan of up to 10 years, and they are less prone to cracking and wrinkling. Select from half a dozen shades like classic Ivory and a dreamy Smoky Gray to sink into blissfully. Thanks to their thickness and durability, the sheets can be machine washed. Just make sure to use a delicate detergent, tumble dry cool, and iron on the inside when a tad damp. The long stranded high-quality mulberry silk is breathable, skin-friendly, and moisture-wicking. It can help with temperature regulation, so you stay comfortable in hot and cold weather. Available in soft shades such as Rosy Pink and Bright Coffee, it’s well worth the investment once draped on your bed. The flat sheet is available in queen and king sizes, with a range of color choices in staple shades of beige, pink, silver, navy blue, and chocolate. While 19 momme silk is seamless, smooth, and affordable, it is lighter in comparison to heavier momme silk alternatives. But with proper care, these sheets can stay lustrous and last for a long time. For tougher wrinkles, you may need to break out your iron. Moisture-wicking, naturally hypoallergenic, and odorless, these 22 momme sheets have a 600 thread count, caressing you like a baby when you lay down to sleep. They’ll keep you cozy year-round, too, thanks to their breathable weave; the material wicks away sweat in summer and keeps you warm in winter. To keep the sheets shiny, and the colors fast, dry cleaning is, and it’s best to avoid washing them too frequently. Nix the bleach and sunlight to keep them glossy and shiny. Made from fine-quality bamboo viscose, these sheets allow you to sleep cool without tossing and turning thanks to their temperature-regulating and moisture-wicking ability. Our tester said the sheets felt cool to the touch when climbing into bed, and they remained cool five minutes later. What’s more, the special weave prevents the sheets from pilling, making them more durable against daily wear and tear. This silk-like sheet set gets better with time. According to our tester, the sheets remained nicely soft after washing, and there’s no need to worry about wrinkles. They come out of the laundry completely wrinkle-free, even when it comes to the pillow cases. These 300 thread count sheets are sustainably sourced, lightweight, breathable, and made with a mix of different hardwoods, including eucalyptus. When it comes to cooling and temperature control, our tester said that the set is a step above normal sheets, helping to keep you cooler than usual. However, if you’re a sleeper who runs hot, they might not keep you cool during the hottest months of the year. When it comes to the construction of this sateen sheet set, the details make the difference. Our tester noted that the stitching was beautiful and that the little extras built in – like an extra flap to provide full pillow coverage – enhanced the quality. However, while these sheets are easy to care for and easy to get into place on your bed, they do tend to wrinkle easily. In testing, they remained quite wrinkled and did shrink a bit. The sheet set can develop further wrinkles as you sleep each night. Worried about staying cool? Eucalypso’s sheets are specially treated with proprietary DreamWeave technology, which helps make the fabric extra silky, significantly more cooling, and ultra-breathable, details that are key in helping to regulate your body temperature at night. They’re about 70 percent more moisture-wicking than your typical cotton sheet set. The snuggle-worthy sheet set fits 18” deep pocketed mattresses and includes pillowcases along with a fitted and a flat sheet. To clean, simply machine wash on a gentle cycle, and watch them become even silkier with every wash. These sheets are antibacterial and antimicrobial, too. Cheap and cheerful, the sturdy sheet set comes with a fitted sheet, a flat sheet, and pillowcases and is easily machine washable. However, it’s recommended you add them to a laundry bag to prevent them from getting yanked and scratched in your machine. Customers say these sheets can be soft and slippery once your bed is made, so you may need straps to hold them in place. What’s more, the cover is Oeko-Tex Standard 100 certified, free of harmful substances in its fibers. We like the nifty envelope closure that keeps your pillow snug and tight, instead of popping out of the case when you plop your head on it. Easy to clean, you can wash it on cold in your machine. However, the case is sold as a single piece, which means it can be a bit of an investment to purchase a pair for the snooze of your dreams.
Material
Shopping for silk sheets is an investment for a great night of sleep. Yoselin Castro, Senior Interior Designer at Mackenzie Collier Interiors, says, “Always make sure the sheets are made out of 100 percent mulberry silk, as this is the highest quality of silk.” While shopping online, you can set the filter to only “silk” while researching a product to find high-quality picks like our choice for best overall, the Lilysilk 19 Momme Seamless Silk Sheets Set, or avoid sheets made with a combination of materials. You’ll want to make note of key certifications. “Make sure the silk sheets have been tested free of harmful chemicals; look out for the Oeko-Tex Standard 100 certification,” Castro advises. Beyond mulberry silk, there are other options. One of the most popular materials used for silk sheets is charmeuse silk. Charmeuse, which means “charmer” in French, is characterized by a weave with luster on one side and matte on the reverse. Gentle on your skin and hair, charmeuse silk is temperature-regulating and moisture-wicking.
Density and Weave
Another important factor to consider is the density of the silk and its quality, details that are measured by a unit called “momme.” In a nutshell, the higher the momme, the heavier and denser the weave – and the better the quality. Midweight silk ranges between 20 and 28 momme, and anything above that is considered heavyweight and of superior quality. “I recommend handmade 22 momme Grade 6A mulberry silk if you can afford it,” says Nina Edwards Anker, architectural designer and director and founder of nea studio.
Silk Alternatives
The traditional way of making silk is to kill silkworms before they break through from their cocoons, to prevent the silk filament from being damaged. However, there are cruelty-free alternatives, such as peace silk or ahimsa silk, where moths emerge from the cocoons, and then the filaments are harvested. Another option is wild silk harvested from open forests. For vegans, alternatives to silk can come from plant-based sources, such as bamboo or eucalyptus. When it comes to selecting plant-based silk alternatives, Edwards Anker notes, “Bamboo sheets can feel brittle in comparison to cotton or silk. I would recommend 100% Tencel Lyocell.”
Why Trust The Spruce?
Neeti Mehra is a researcher and consultant and is committed to living mindfully. She has edited three magazines during her career, covering a broad range of topics. She writes on sustainability for The Spruce. To understand what to consider before buying the best silk sheets, Neeti spoke to Yoselin Castro, Senior Interior Designer at Mackenzie Collier Interiors, a full-service residential and commercial interior design firm specializing in sustainable, functional design, and Nina Edwards Anker, architectural designer, director, and founder of nea studio, whose practice revolves around sustainable design. Researching different brands, Neeti also read customer reviews and explored The Spruce’s extensive database to shortlist the best ones to snuggle up and go to sleep in.
