Silk Comforter Guide

closeup of silk material

Silk is a natural fiber made from the cocoon of a silkworm. Silk largely comes from Asia, mainly China. It has an extremely soft feel and is naturally hypoallergenic. A silk comforter is light weight, breathable, soft, and requires no chemicals for processing. A silk comforter can be the perfect addition to your bed.

A silk comforter or duvet is basically a bag filled with with silk threads. The outside of this bag is usually also silk or cotton. Other materials can be used too. This is used as a bed cover, the same way a blanket, quilt, sheet or other type of comforter/duvet is used. The purpose of a silk comforter is to keep the sleeping person warm at night.

Why Buy A Silk Comforter?

Silk is a great material. It is soft to touch making it amazing for those with sensitive skin. Using silk for your bedding has other advantages.

Light-Weight

Silk is naturally light-weight. Like down, silk covers your body without crushing you. When you sleep under silk you are sleeping under covers that allow you to fully relax.

Breathable

The silk filling allows the comforter to trap heat and keep the body warm. Like down, silk is very breathable. This allows moisture to escape the comforter. A silk comforter is great for those of us who sweat a lot during the night.

Hypoallergenic

Silk is especially recommended for those who are sensitive to dust and other impurities. Because silk is so breathable it rarely traps much dust. It is difficult for impurities to find a home inside of silk filling.

Also, silk is naturally used by the silkworm to protect itself from mites, molds, parasites and other menaces. Silk is naturally great at resisting these types of impurities. It is exactly these types of impurities which cause allergic reactions for many people.

When you buy silk, you buy a natural allergy repellent.

Chemical Free

Silk does not rely on chemical treatments to produce it. Unlike other materials, silk can be processed in a completely natural way with zero harsh chemicals. This is important for those with sensitive skins.

If you have allergies, sensitive skin, sweat a lot, worry about impurities in your bedding, or simply want a light-weight comforter, silk is a great choice.

Types of Silk

Top of the line silk is called Mulberry silk. It is named after the mulberry leaves that the silkworms eat. A silkworm with a pure mulberry diet will create silk that is more refined than any other type of silk. The silk strands will be a uniform color and texture and will produce longer strands.

The least refined type of silk is called Tussah silk. This is silk fabric collected from wild silkworms. This type of silk results in uneven textures, thread lengths and colors.

There are other types of silk, such as Charmeuse silk, which refers simply to the weave pattern of the silk and not the origin of the threads. If you want to ensure the highest quality silk, get 100% mulberry silk.

Be aware that lower quality silk bedding will mix in other materials with the silk. You may come across silk mixed with cotton and other materials. These types of comforters will be cheaper, but you are not getting the benefits of pure silk.

Comforter Size

Be sure to measure your bed and to see how large the comforter actually is. When purchasing a mattress, sizing is standard. However, when purchasing comforters and other bedding, the lengths and widths might vary. Some people prefer to have longer or shorter covers on their beds. Be sure to keep this in mind when purchasing any sort of bed cover.

Shell Type

Not all silk comforters have silk shells. Some manufacturers use cotton or other materials for the outside shell of a comforter. Generally, to get the full advantage of silk bedding, you should look for the outside shell to also be silk.

As with most comforters, you will want to use a duvet cover. The duvet cover and be any material, color or style that you want. Because the silk comforter will be inside of the duvet cover, the only reason to get a cotton outer shell is price.

Weight

The best thing to do is to see what temperature range the manufacturers recommend. There is no industry standard for temperature to weight ratios. A six pound bag should be good to at least 60 degrees Fahrenheit, while a one and a half pound bag would probably only be good to about 70 degrees. Generally a three pound silk comforter is a good all around weight. Get heavier if your bedroom is cold, and lighter if it is warm. This also depends on how warm or cold you sleep.

The nice thing about silk is that it is naturally good at regulating temperatures. Again, see what the manufacturer recommends, if possible. Generally speaking silk is cooler than down but warmer than wool.

Mommes

Mommes are a traditional measure of the heaviness of a certain size of silk fabric. This is not the heaviness of the comforter as a whole, but of a given size of the silk. The higher the mommes, the more durable the silk will be. A higher Momme value will mean that the silk will last longer and you will be able to wash it more often before it begins to break down.

The Best Silk comforter

Buying the best silk comforter for your needs is very possible. There is no such thing as a single absolute best silk comforter. It all depends on what environment you enjoy sleeping in. As long as you consider all of the above you should be able to find a great quality silk comforter which will last you for many years.