Pillowcases have a major impact on your daily comfort. Some sleepers may love silky smooth fabrics while others prefer breathable, textured options. Comparing pillowcase materials can be difficult without first-hand experience with your preference.
Peacock Alley offers a wide range of pillowcases. We achieve the highest level of luxury comfort with our bedding and will guide you towards your perfect dream-like pillowcase.
→ Shop Top Recommended: Soprano Sateen Pillowcase
What kind of pillowcase is best?
Cotton is commonly named the best pillowcase material, but other options are worth considering. Not all cotton pillowcases are created equal. Egyptian long-staple cotton, also called Pima or Supima® cotton, is deemed the highest quality for the softest texture with breathability.
There are many reasons to look beyond cotton for your sleeping experience, too.
Compare Pillowcase Materials
The most popular pillowcase materials are silk, linen and cotton in either a percale or sateen weave. These options are all fairly different with their own unique factors and sleeping benefits.
Silk Pillowcases
Silk has risen dramatically to the spotlight among the best pillowcase materials. Mulberry silk, used in Peacock Alley silk pillowcases, offers numerous benefits to skin and hair health. Mulberry silk is antimicrobial, known to aid in reducing facial wrinkles, and benefits hair and eyelash health by reducing frizz and breakage while sleeping. The texture of silk is cool, smooth and fast drying with a luxury feel.
Linen Pillowcases
Linen pillowcases offer excellent breathability and moisture-wicking. The style of linen is classic and familiar as you may feel linen often in shirt materials. However, linen is a tougher fabric with a rough texture compared to other pillowcase materials. Linen softens gradually with time and through washings. We offer washed linen pillowcases for a softer than expected sleeping experience with linen.
Cotton Percale Pillowcases
The cotton percale fabric used in Peacock Alley percale pillowcases contains 100% long staple cotton. Percale is a plain weave that offers a matte finish and crisp touch for lightweight, cool comfort along with the softness of high-quality cotton. Our percale bedding is made with high-end cotton for the highest quality experience sleeping with percale.
Cotton Sateen Pillowcases
The cotton sateen fabric used in Peacock Alley sateen pillowcases also contains 100% long staple cotton. Sateen is a silky smooth weave, very different from a percale weave. Cotton sateen bedding is thicker with a luminous sheen and is incredibly soft to the touch. Sateen pillowcases offer unmatched superior quality, balancing the softness in touch and breathability in material.
How do I choose a pillowcase?
Start by considering what it means to feel the ultimate comfort during rest. Much of your comfort factors will come down to temperature and smoothness.
Do you prefer cold temperatures, light bedding and breathable textures?
- You are likely a hot sleeper. You may experience sweating at night and have trouble feeling comfortable when there are too many layers on the bed. You likely need temperatures turned down at night, may sleep with a fan running and might even keep one leg out of your bed covers during sleep.
Do you prefer warmer temperatures, fluffy bedding and smooth textures?
- You are likely a snuggly sleeper. You are less likely to overheat and care more for burying yourself in fluffy textures. You are likely ok with cooler temperatures, so long as you have an extra blanket or pillow to snuggle up to. You might sleep entirely under the covers at times and indulge in smooth textures when falling asleep.
Cooling Pillowcases for the Hot Sleeper
Hot sleepers need light fabrics and are not as concerned with the texture of their bedding. The highest priority for a hot sleeper is to combat overheating. Avoid fabrics similar to flannel, which trap heat. Cotton and linen are the best options with a stronger preference towards percale when choosing cotton.
Recommended Pillowcases:
- Cotton Percale: Lyric Percale Pillowcases
- Linen: Washed Linen Pillowcases
Comfortable Pillowcases for the Snuggly Sleeper
Snuggly sleepers enjoy soft and smooth fabrics. They may feel annoyed if the texture of their pillowcase is not soft to their liking. Avoid fabrics similar to linen, which are rougher on the skin. Silk and cotton are the best options with a strong preference towards sateen. Snuggly sleepers may not appreciate the breathability of percale as it is a plain weave and does not have the smooth surface of sateen.
Recommended Pillowcases:
- Mulberry Silk: Silk PIllowcase
- Cotton Sateen: Soprano Sateen Pillowcases
How to Choose Bedding for Opposite Sleeping Types
A very common scenario couples come across when sharing a bed is when one side feels entirely too hot to sleep and the other feels entirely too cold. Negotiations ensue, and you could be searching for the perfect fit for the best of both worlds.
1. Two Different Pillowcase Fabrics
Your pillowcase fabrics do not need to match! In fact, having different pillowcases on your bed can create a layering effect, enhancing the visual appeal of your bed while achieving your perfect sleeping arrangement. Explore our variety of pillowcases to help bring a unique style to your bedding. You might find the snuggly sleeper would like to sleep with a silk pillow while all other pillows can fit the hot sleeper in cotton percale.
2. Compromise with Cotton
To say cotton is a compromise is an understatement. Cotton is commonly known as the best choice for bedding. Whether you negotiate for a percale or a sateen weave, cotton is the simplest compromise for pillowcase material. Our Soprano Sateen Pillowcases are a best seller and enjoyed by many for their supreme quality and buttery soft feel. Soprano Sateen is closer to the cozy than the cool side of our temperature meter, but made with 100% extra-long staple cotton for breathability.
3. Separate Duvets
If your different sleeping styles go beyond pillowcases, consider split bedding. You may compromise on a shared sheet and different pillows, but still find one feels too hot and the other too cold. Consider if the snuggly sleeper could enjoy a smaller sized duvet while the hot sleeper enjoys a light throw blanket. We offer many bedding options to help bring you both a great night’s rest.
Peacock Alley offers luxury bedding for everyone. Whether you prefer a snuggly and warm night’s rest, or a cool and crisp experience, we have exactly what you’re looking for.
