Cushions and pillow cases are a serious business in my family. When I moved out of home for college, as a little adult-child hybrid — my parents sent me off on my way with two things: a very serious admonishment to “be safe” and a set of matching set of monogrammed bed and pillow cases.
Of course, I rubbished and disregarded any and all advice regarding personal safety immediately, but a solid amount of years later, these sheets and cases are still trucking on like the real heroes. A few of them were stolen by my ex-laundry person (seriously, who steals monogrammed pillow covers?) the others are perfectly useable — albeit a little dingy and threadbare.
The fact that my folks didn’t skimp on this set got me thinking that sometimes, you DO get what you pay for. Replacing them has been horrid, and after a few months of poking my head around in endless displays of products that are “just not good enough” I ended up buying a matched set with a thread count fit for a princess. If they last me even half as long as the ones my family gifted me, I’ll be a senior with assisted living when the time comes to replace them.
You see, I’m of the opinion that absolutely NO pillow cases are good enough for your precious face to lie on. This is coming from a long, semi-triumphant battle with acne, and the fact that I’ve noticed that pillow cases make a HUGE difference to how my skin is feeling that particular week.
You spend a LOT of time with your face essentially glued to a swath of fabric every night, which are hotbeds of dirt, oil and makeup that I was too lazy to take off properly. Additionally, chemicals like bleach used during the manufacturing processes don’t make for a happy slumber. It’s not to say that you need to splurge on fancy thread counts, but be aware of the fabrics your pillowcases are made of. Stick to natural fibres, which breathe better and transfer less oil. If you’re sleeping with oil on, wrap your head in a microfibre towel so it doesn’t transfer everywhere.
When I don’t sleep on a clean pillow, I usually wake up with a little surprise whitehead that was nonexistent when I went to bed. So if there’s anything I have learnt so far: it’s to do your laundry regularly (I change my cases every week) and disinfect your phone. I’m not asking you to move in next to your washing machine, and I hate to be the one to break this to you — but your pillow is probably super gross. Alternatively, you could place a clean towel or even a t-shirt over your pillow every night. Waiting to hear from all my sensitive skin beauties if this worked!
Saumya R Chawla
@pixie.secrets
The writer loves to over-share, drink wine & watch period dramas