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Some Silk Facts
Health & Beauty Benefits of Silk; Discover the healthier alternative
Most people think of silk as an expensive fabric that is the ultimate in luxury, smoothness and normally associated with the sexiest lingerie and bedding, but everyone should know how it could also benefit your health too.
If you are serious about giving yourself, family or children one of the healthiest night's sleep possible; then pure silk duvets and pillows must be an important choice. Here's how...
Breathing
Silk is naturally hypoallergenic and resitant to dust mites, unlike duvets and pillows made from down, feather or polyester. The droppings from dust mites contain left-over enzymes which the mites use to digest the skin dust. It is these enzymes which are the most important part of mite dust in causing asthma and other allergic diseases.Consequently, silk duvets and pillows will help both asthma & dust allergies.
Sensitive Skin
Silk works in two ways to assist sensitive skin.
Firstly, silk is 100% natural, and contains many amino acids in common with the human body, these acids help moisture penetrate the skin (aid in absorption) and aid in skin healing.
Secondly, silk is fine, durable, light and has 75% stretch, which means that 10 cm (4') will stretch to 17.5 cm (6 1/2"). The individual fibres are approximately a half a mile long, which is what gives the fabric its lustre and ultra smooth surface so beneficial to sensitive skin.
Together these benefits will help:-
Eczema
Sensitive Skin
allergic rash
skin inflammations (psoriasis)
shingles
post-chemotherapy sensitive skin
post surgery sutures
Reynaud's Disease
sunburns
vascular sclerosis
Thermal and Humidity Control
Unlike cotton, which retains moisture, silk wicks moisture away from the skin. This helps with all wetness troubles including;
Light Incontinence
Excess Perspiration
Night Sweats
Menopause
Circulation Issues
Arthritis
Silk is a natural protein fibre, some forms of which can be woven into textiles. The best-known type of silk is obtained from the cocoons of the larvae of the mulberry silkworm Bombyx mori reared in captivity (sericulture). The shimmering appearance of silk is due to the triangular prism-like structure of the silk fibre, which allows silk cloth to refract incoming light at different angles, thus producing different colors.
Silks are produced by several other insects, but only the silk of moth caterpillars has been used for textile manufacture. There has been some research into other silks, which differ at the molecular level. Silks are mainly produced by the larvae of insects that complete metamorphosis, but also by some adult insects such as webspinners. Silk production is especially common in the Hymenoptera (bees, wasps, and ants), and is sometimes used in nest construction. Other types of arthropod produce silk, most notably various arachnids such as spiders.
The cultivation of silk is called sericulture. Over 30 countries produce silk, the major ones are China (54%) and India (14%). ilk moths lay eggs on specially prepared paper. The eggs hatch and the caterpillars (silkworms) are fed fresh mulberry leaves. After about 35 days and 4 moltings, the caterpillars are 10,000 times heavier than when hatched and are ready to begin spinning a cocoon. A straw frame is placed over the tray of caterpillars, and each caterpillar begins spinning a cocoon by moving its head in a "figure 8" pattern. Two glands produce liquid silk and force it through openings in the head called spinnerets. Liquid silk is coated in sericin, a water-soluble protective gum, and solidifies on contact with the air. Within 2–3 days, the caterpillar spins about 1 mile of filament and is completely encased in a cocoon. The silk farmers then kill most caterpillars by heat, leaving some to metamorphose into moths to breed the next generation of caterpillars.
Harvested cocoons are then soaked in boiling water to soften the sericin holding the silk fibers together in a cocoon shape. The fibers are then unwound to produce a continuous thread. Since a single thread is too fine and fragile for commercial use, anywhere from three to ten strands are spun together to form a single thread of silk.
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