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Bouclème silk pillowcase review: Who doesn’t want smooth hair and skin for under £30?

We see if just one piece of bedding can make every day a good-hair day

Helen Wilson-Beevers
Wednesday 29 September 2021 15:40 BST
We tested whether Bouclème’s silk pillowcase could really help hold our hair’s natural wave overnight
We tested whether Bouclème’s silk pillowcase could really help hold our hair’s natural wave overnight (iStock/The Independent)

Bouclème are famous for their natural curl collection, delivering products which define, detangle, and add bounce to curly hair. The range spans across everything from curl cleansers and exfoliating shampoos, to curl towels and scalp massagers. You’ll find all you need here for curls, kinks, and waves.

Within the hair care accessories range, is this mulberry silk pillowcase. The smooth surface reduces frizz commonly caused by friction. As a result, it’s intended to make curly hair feel more manageable the next morning.

Silk pillowcases are a beauty trend known for protecting hair condition overnight. Tossing and turning is known for making strands more prone to breakage on normal pillowcases. The sleek texture is meant to prevent any pulling, minimising potential damage.

Smoothing skin as well as locks, the natural material is both hypoallergenic and temperature controlling too. Not to mention super hydrating, because silk isn’t absorbent like cotton.

We tested whether Bouclème’s silk pillowcase could really help hold our hair’s natural wave overnight. We used their grey silk envelope pillowcase (£29, Boucleme.co.uk), to explore its hair softening and skin soothing potential.

Read more:

How we tested

We used the pure mulberry silk pillowcase across two months, with different bedding and during both warm and colder periods. We wanted to see how soft the case remained after regular washing, and whether our hair retained its wavy style, not forgetting any potential skin smoothing benefits. Finally, we looked at value for money and its overall design aesthetic in our bedroom.

Bouclème grey silk envelope pillowcase

Boucleme pillowcase

Buy now £29, Boucleme.co.uk

  • Size: 66 x 51 cm
  • Colour: Grey
  • Momme: 22
  • Rating: 9/10

The first thing we noticed about this mulberry silk pillowcase was how purse friendly its price is, particularly at a momme level (the silk weave thickness) of 22. In a market where the average cost can be anything from £50 upwards, bagging this one for £29 feels like a real steal. Our tester was already impressed by not having to fork out a fortune for pure silk.

We chose the grey silk envelope pillowcase, but a white version is also available if that fits better with your décor. At 51 x 66cm, the envelope style fitted our standard pillow snugly. A light metallic shade, the grey tones work well with both light and darker bedding. The design is minimalistic with simple stitching and an embroidered “b”.

The material doesn’t feel delicate or flimsy, so we weren’t worried about it being too fragile for regular use. Laying our head on this pillowcase at bedtime, we could feel the comfortingly cooling composition and still do, after two months of sleeping on it. Not at all slippery, the case is temptingly strokable without creating any static.

Read more: The White Company’s pure silk pillowcase looks the part, but is it a skin and hair saviour?

We could see there hadn’t been any excess pulling or fluffing up of our hair while we slept, because it was super smooth the next morning. Across the two-month testing time, we trialled sleeping on this pillowcase with both naturally wavy and styled hair.

In each scenario, we didn’t experience much of our usual bedhead, which saved us time when getting ready. Additionally, our waves held a reasonable amount of bounce and curl. We also found a reduction in flyaway frizz, and hair which is less fuzzy when waking up, while also looking a bit more springy too.

While undoubtedly smoothing our hair, the pillowcase has also felt calming on our skin. As a cooling layer, it brings refreshment, both at bedtime and in the middle of the night. It’s very gentle on the face, and we think it helps us fall asleep more easily.

The pillowcase being grey is also a bonus, as any excess drops of skincare or makeup marks aren’t overly visible. Our night-time skincare regime usually involves masks, serums, and creams that we’ve noticed have nourished our face effectively since sleeping on this silk. Waking up, we’ve seen hydrated skin, because the pillowcase hasn’t absorbed what was meant for our face.

Read more: Does the £85 silk pillowcase from Slip really improve our hair and skin?

The instructions told us to machine wash this case cold on a delicate cycle with non-bio detergent, and we took that to mean at 30C. As advised, we didn’t risk tumble drying the silk, instead hanging it out to dry, before ironing on a cool heat. Because of the material composition, the silk pillowcase does air dry fast. Which makes it easy to put back on your pillow in time for bed the same day.

The verdict: Bouclème grey silk envelope pillowcase

We can’t fault this silk pillowcase’s price, coming in at a bargain cost of under £30. The minimal design and classic grey or white colour options looked stylish in our bedroom, while the size was a perfect fit for our standard pillow.

Overall, we were seriously impressed with Bouclème’s silk pillowcase and how well it reduced flyaway frizz, retained our hair’s wave, and noticeably hydrated our skin.

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