Will Sleeping on a Silk Pillow Stop Me Losing My Hair?'

Jon

Question: My girlfriend bought herself a silk pillowcase because she read it was good for her hair - should I get one too? Would it stop me from losing my hair? I am 24 and starting to thin on top.

Answer: Hi Jon. Whilst sleeping on a silk pillowcase is said to help to prevent wrinkles and is gentler to hair than cotton weaves, it will not stop hair loss.

Many women use them to help to prolong their hairstyle or blow dry between washes as the smooth surface of silk, or satin, pillowcases means that the hair glides over it. The texture of cotton, linen or poly-cotton weaves, can be more coarse in comparison.

Although this is nothing to worry about in terms of damaging your hair, they can 'ruffle' hairstyles slightly overnight by prickling the surface of the hair shaft. This can sometimes make the hair appear fluffy so women, particularly those with intricate hairstyles such as braids, may choose to either wrap their hair in a silk or satin covering before going to bed, or sleep on a smooth pillowcase to preserve their style.

The texture of your pillowcase will in no way affect Male Pattern Baldness which is the most likely cause of your thinning hair.

Male hair loss occurs when the testosterone by-product DHT attacks the hair follicles, causing them to gradually weaken. As the follicles deteriorate under the skin, this causes the classic, visible signs of thinning - whether on top, at the crown or as a receding hairline.

The type of pillow you use will have no bearing on this but there are clinically-proven male hair loss treatment options available. These work by combating the root cause of this type of shedding in order to prevent further hair loss and actively promote regrowth.