Here is a riddle for you to answer. What is cool in the summer, warm in the winter, naturally hypoallergenic and smooth as silk? If you're answer is silk you are correct! Silk bedding is a perfect cooling choice in the hot summer months and a warm cozy choice in the winter. How can it be both? Silk is breathable so it wicks away the moisture from sweat, keeping a person cool and comfortable. It is also a naturally draping fabric that gently hugs the body, eliminating air pockets and thereby holding in body heat better which will keep a person warm in the winter. It is a self adjusting fabric that seems almost magical.

What are some other notable benefits of silk bedding?

Hypoallergenic

Silk is made from the cocoons of silkworms. Like nearly anything in nature, there are natural occurring substances in the cocoon of the silkworm that protect from various threats. Because the process of turning those cocoons into silk is a gentle one that does not strip away those natural substances, the benefits of them are still in the silk when you purchase silk bedding. Dust mites, mold, and funguses all do not like those substances and stay away from silk. This means that silk bedding is a perfect choice for people suffering from asthma and from certain types of allergies such as being allergic to dust mites.

That means a silk comforter, unlike a down filled comforter, is not a haven for dust mites.

Silk is also mold and mildew resistant because of the sericin, a naturally occurring protein in silk, as well as several kinds of amino acids.

Good For the Skin

I don't know if there is any scientific proof to this but it has been said on more than one occasion that the amino acids in silk are good for a person's skin and help delay wrinkling in the skin as well as being good for a person's hair. They are also said to be helpful to the central nervous system helping to calm a person.

So even if you cannot afford to splurge on a whole set of silk bedding, invest in at least one pair of silk pillowcases. Anything that can help me avoid wrinkles for as long as possible and that may help me avoid having any more bad hair days is something I want.

Durability

A fiber of silk that is of the same diameter as a fiber of steel is said to be stronger than the steel. That is pretty durable, although it is important to know that all silk is not equal. Cultivated silk is more durable than wild silk because silkworms grown in captivity are fed an exclusive diet of mulberry leaves and care is taken to ensure the cocoon each of the silkworms weaves is kept intact to that when it is softened and unwound into a silk thread filament it stays in once piece. And as amazing as it sounds, a single cocoon of a cultivated silkworm can be up to 1,600 yards long!

Wild silk, while still very nice, is typically called spun silk because the fibers in it are not naturally very long but instead the filaments are spun together to create length.

One silk thread is typically four to eight of the silk thread filaments twisted together. And because silk naturally tends to adhere to itself, the silk filaments bond themselves making them less likely to pull apart even after years of use.

Silk will not deteriorate over time because of its natural fungal repellency and because chemicals are not used in processing, but this only holds true if you buy bedding that is 100 percent silk and not a blend of silk blend that contains silk plus other fibers that may or may not be chemical based or have been processed using chemicals.

Safety

Silk is a naturally fire retardant material which makes it a wonderful choice as bedding. It is a highly recommended bedding choice for babies and children.

Easy to Care For

Although silk sheets should be hand washed for the first few times, most can then be machine washed on the gentle or hand washable cycle of your washing machine using a gentle soap and cool water. Then they should be air dried out of direct sunlight which won't take long because silk dries fast.

Silk comforters are even easier to care for, so much so that they are nearly maintenance free. A silk comforter should always have a duvet cover on it to protect the comforter. Wash the cover regularly and air out the silk comforter periodically. The silk comforter should not need to be cleaned because it naturally repels mold, mildew, and dust mites.

Other Benefits

There are some benefits to silk bedding that are hard to quantify. If you have never slept on silk bedding it is hard to describe how luxurious and sensuous it feels. Think of it this way, when someone tells you something has a silky feel what thoughts instantly come to mind. Do you imagine something soft and pleasant to the touch? That is what silk is. It caresses your body in softness. It is a wonderful feeling that makes silk bedding far superior to any other bedding choice on the market.