Sleep With Benefits
How Your Pillow Affects Your Beauty Game: Celebrity Skincare Specialist Drops Knowledge
If you follow Mario Dedivanovic on social media, you’ve seen his A+ selfie game…which often features him resting on a certain black silk pillow. You guessed it—that’s the NIGHT Pillow. He’s a huge fan and obviously we are huge fans of him. And since we know that legit AF people roll with fellow legit AF people, we had to reach out when Mario featured his go-to for all things skincare, Laura Dyer. Laura is the Physician Assistant with Dr. Amy Wechsler and a celebrity skincare specialist. She put the NIGHT Pillow to the test and (spoiler alert) she loves it!
We asked Laura for her expert advice on a few questions we are asked on the reg so she could shed light on how your pillow affects your beauty game…big time.
Can your pillow really affect your skin and hair?
Laura: Absolutely. You spend 8 hours a night on your pillow. That is 1/3 of your day or 1/3 of your life. Cotton pillows pull moisture out of your hair and skin leaving you looking dry and dull. The moisture pulled into the pillow can also draw in allergens and bacteria causing damage and reactions to your hair and skin. The moisture in the cotton fibers cause significant friction of the hair and skin leading to unwanted hair breakage, hair loss, split ends, facial wrinkles, acne, and dull skin.
Can your pillow affect the efficacy of face cream you apply at night?
Laura: Because cotton draws in moisture, it will do the same with your face creams. Therefore, anything you're putting on your face at night, you're putting onto your cotton pillow. Sleeping on a silk surface allows the moisture to stay on your face and allows the creams to penetrate your skin and work instead of penetrating the pillow.
Can you tell us why deep sleep in general is crucial to upping your beauty game?
Laura: Deep sleep is important for a number of reasons. When you are sleeping, that is when your body resets hydration levels and when growth hormones repair cells to restore beauty. A deep sleep allows hydration levels to properly rebalance giving your skin moisture, making wrinkles less apparent and giving skin a nice glow. Increased moisture to hair follicles can lead to healthier hair. Not enough deep sleep causes the stress hormone cortisol to be released. Increased cortisol increases inflammation which can worsen skin conditions such as acne or eczema, and can also prematurely breakdown collagen and hyaluronic acid causing skin to lose laxity and become dull. If hydration levels do not rebalance, this can lead to puffy eyes and the dry skin which can make wrinkles more visible.
How often should you wash your pillowcase?
Laura: Cotton pillowcases need to be washed every 2-3 days because they pull so much moisture, bacteria and allergens. The Night pillowcase can be washed every 1-2 weeks because it does not collect bacteria and allergens.
What is your best anti-aging night time advice?
Laura: Stay hydrated. Use a reparative night cream and eye cream. Sleep on your back when possible. Always sleep on a silk pillowcase and use the NIGHT Pillow. You spend 1/3 of your life sleeping, you should take advantage of this time and get a better night’s sleep, better skin and better hair.
