Silk Sleep Masks

What a silk sleep mask is

A silk sleep mask is a flat eye mask covered in silk. Most have a thin layer of padding inside and a strap at the back. It blocks light at your eyes, the same as any sleep mask, because darkness is the main job. The NIGMS, part of the NIH, says light and dark have the biggest influence on circadian rhythms, the body's daily clock.

The silk is about feel. It's smooth, it's light, and it slides on the pillowcase instead of catching when you turn your head. People who want a silk mask usually already know they like silk. This page is here to make sure that's what they get.

This page keeps only masks whose stated material is silk. Satin masks aren't silk and aren't here. Momme and grade show only where the maker states them.

Silk is a fiber, satin is a weave

The shiny mask in the photo could be either one, and the photo won't say which.

Silk is a natural protein fiber spun by silkworms. Mulberry silk is the common kind in bedding and masks; it comes from silkworms that feed on mulberry leaves. Researchers who study silk quality note that silkworms obtain their nutrients from those leaves.

Satin is a way of weaving. It gives fabric a glossy face and a dull back. Satin can be woven from silk, but most satin masks are woven from polyester. That's perfectly fine. It's just a different product, with a different care tag.

The fiber line on the label settles it. The FTC requires US textile labels to list fibers by their generic name and percentage by weight. "Silk" is a fiber name. "Satin" isn't, so a satin label still has to say what it's made of, often polyester. Titles are another story. Words like "silky", "silk-like" or "vegan silk" describe a feel, not a fiber.

My opinion for this page: if you know you won't hand wash, buy satin and be happy. The reason is the care tag. Many silk masks say hand wash, and satin usually doesn't. A silk mask washed wrong is a satin mask's worst week.

How to read the silk sleep mask table

Every field shows only when the maker or the Amazon listing states it. A dash means it isn't in writing.

Material: mulberry silk only as stated

The material field names the face fabric as the maker gives it. "Mulberry silk" appears only when the maker says mulberry silk. If a title says silk but the fabric row says polyester, it's not silk, and it's not on this page. The padding and the strap can be other materials; when the maker lists them, they're in the listing details.

Silk weight (momme)

Momme is a weight measure for silk. A higher number means denser, heavier fabric. It's the silk version of a fabric weight, and it's the number to compare between two silk masks. Thread count isn't: some listings show a thread count on silk, but momme is the measure silk is sold by, so we don't use thread count here.

There's no official momme a mask has to reach. Makers choose. Many silk masks don't state a momme at all, and then the field is blank. We never fill it in with a typical number.

Silk grade (as stated)

Grades like 6A are the maker's description of fiber quality. They aren't a standard certification with a public test. When only the Amazon listing states a grade, we show it as listed. If neither the maker nor the listing gives one, the field is blank.

Strap

Silk masks come with adjustable elastic straps, silk-covered bands, hook-and-loop closures or fixed bands. A silk-covered band is gentle on hair but can't be adjusted, so it has to fit as made. An adjustable strap is safer when you're buying for someone else.

Care and OEKO-TEX

• Care. Hand wash, gentle machine wash in a bag, or spot clean, as stated.
• OEKO-TEX. Shown only when the maker states it. OEKO-TEX STANDARD 100 means the textile was tested for harmful substances. A certificate number can be checked on the OEKO-TEX Label Check, and when no number is given, we show the claim as the maker words it.
• Pieces in pack. Sets may add a pouch, a scrunchie or a pillowcase.

Light blocking and lash wording

Any "blackout" claim, and any wording about lashes or skin, is the maker's. We show it as stated and don't rate it.

Choose a silk mask by shape and sleep position

Silk masks are flat masks, and flat masks rest on your eyelids. That's comfortable for most people and not for some.

• Back sleepers. Any silk mask works. Pick for strap and nose shape.
• Side sleepers. A thin flat silk mask is one of the better shapes for you, because there's no cup to push sideways. Look for a slim strap that doesn't dig in above your ear.
• Stomach sleepers. Thin and flat is the only kind that works. Silk is a reasonable choice here.
• Pressure on the eyes bothers you. A flat silk mask isn't your shape. Try a contoured sleep mask, which keeps cups off your eyes. Some come with a silk cover.
• Lash extensions. Flat masks touch lashes. Contoured cups don't.

Light usually gets in at the nose. Look at how the mask is cut under the bridge. A deeper cutout leaves less of a gap.

What a silk mask can and can't promise

Silk mask listings often say things about skin, lashes or hair. Some say the fabric is gentle on the skin around the eyes, or that it won't crease your face the way cotton might. We show that wording as the maker's, in quotes, and leave it there. We don't have a public source that backs a skin or hair claim for a sleep mask, so we don't make one.

What a silk mask can do is plain:

• Block light at your eyes, as well as its shape and nose cutout allow.
• Feel smooth against your face, which is the reason most people buy one.
• Slide on the pillowcase instead of dragging when you turn your head.

That's enough reason to want one. It doesn't need a promise on top.

When to replace a silk sleep mask

Silk is delicate, and a mask worn every night works hard. There's no fixed lifespan, but a few signs say it's time.

• The strap has stretched and the mask slides up your forehead by morning.
• Light leaks at the nose or sides where it didn't before.
• The padding has flattened or bunched after washing.
• The silk has snagged or worn thin at the edges.

A worn mask still feels nice. It just stops doing the dark part. Keep the old one for naps on the couch, where a little light at the edges doesn't matter much, and buy the new one for the bedroom.

Silk sleep mask sets and gifts

Silk masks are popular gifts in December and January, and many come in sets. A set might include a silk mask with a matching silk pillowcase, a silk scrunchie, a travel pouch or ear plugs.

Read the set the way you'd read a packing list:

• Is each silk piece stated as silk? A silk mask can come with a satin pillowcase.
• Is there a momme for each piece? Makers sometimes state one number for the set.
• Do the care tags match? If the mask is hand wash and the pillowcase is machine wash, plan for both.

If you're giving one, a set with an adjustable strap is the safer guess. The sleep gifts page has more ideas.

Care: treat it like a silk blouse, not a dish towel

Read the care tag first. Silk masks are small enough that hand washing takes a minute, and that minute is usually what the tag asks for.

• Hand wash in cool water with a mild detergent, if the tag says so.
• Don't wring. Press the water out between two towels.
• Dry flat away from direct sun and heat.
• Machine wash only if the tag allows it, usually on a gentle cycle in a mesh bag.
• No hot dryer. The padding inside can clump or lose its shape.

Margo, who works at a fabric store on Grand Avenue, says the most common silk question at the counter is "can I put it in the dryer". Her answer has never changed, and she doesn't let customers leave until they repeat it back. The silk pillowcase washing guide covers the same steps in more detail.

Have two masks if you wear one every night, so one can dry while you wear the other.

Who should skip a silk sleep mask

A silk mask is a nice upgrade, not a requirement.

• You won't hand wash. Buy a machine-washable satin or cotton mask. Same darkness, less fuss.
• You don't use animal fibers. Silk comes from silkworms. A satin or cotton mask does the same job.
• Pressure on your eyes bothers you. A flat silk mask presses on your eyelids. A contoured mask fits better.
• Your room is already dark. You don't need a mask at all.
• You want the darkest possible mask. Shape and the nose cutout decide that, not silk. A blackout sleep mask listing at least makes the claim in writing.

Silk is a feel, and you either care about it or you don't. (I'm told the radio station's old green-room couch was also described as "silk" once. It was vinyl. Nobody checked the label.)

Related pages

• Sleep masks, the parent page with all six kinds of mask
• Contoured sleep masks and weighted sleep masks
• Silk pillowcases and satin pillowcases, for the other half of the pillow
• How to wash a silk pillowcase
• Best sleep masks, ranked by a written rule