Déjà Pillowcases May Prevent Breakouts and Acne in a Whole New Way
So, you're struggling with acne. You cleanse diligently, apply spot treatments chock full of salicylic acid, and perhaps you've even cut dairy and other common dietary culprits from your diet, but the blemishes won't budge. Now what? When all else fails, paying attention to your pillowcase isn't a bad idea.
After all, you spend a massive amount of time with your face essentially glued to this rectangular swath of fabric every night. And according to New York City-based dermatologist Dendy Engelman, lying face first on said fabric could cause a certain type of breakout known as "acne mechanica." This type of acne occurs, quite simply, as the result of "materials or objects touching your face."
By that same logic, the object touching your face while you sleep can be quite impactful on your skin. When you don't wash your pillowcase enough, you put yourself at risk for this form of acne. You "risk buildup of hair product residue, dirt, makeup residue, dead skin cells, oil, and anything else from the environment that could have come in contact to transfer to your skin," says Engelman.
So, what are we to do as busy people who most certainly don't have time to wash our pillowcases every day? A new company, Déjà, and it's sole product (thus far) works to solve this problem with one, simple, classic ingredient — a 100 percent cotton pillowcase, with an ingenius new feature. This pillowcase has pages. That is to, say each night, the only thing your skin touches is a fresh "sheet" of the pillowcase, which can be turned over every night (and tied back with a ribbon).
At the end of the week, you can toss the pillowcase in the washing machine and begin again the next day. According to Engelman, being concerned about the cleanliness of your pillowcase is merited, explaining that it's especially salient if you are "sleeping on a dirty pillowcase or without washing your face at night." Going to sleep with a clean face is half the battle, she says, but she likes the Déjà concept. "This is a great option for those struggling with acne," she says. "While you do not need to change your pillow every night if you've cleansed your skin, this could help on nights that you forget."
In recent years, silk pillowcases, or fabrics treated with antimicrobial properties, have gained popularity in part for helping fight acne, but Déjà takes a different approach. "We chose not to use silver ions or essential oils on our fabric, as these elements wash out over time, and we were concerned with potential health and sustainability issues," the brand wrote on its website. "Instead, we stuck to a completely natural approach."
Silk, cotton, or something else entirely — sleeping on a clean pillowcase is one of the best things we can do for our skin, and Déjà makes it possible to do just without living at the laundromat.
The Déjà Pillowcase is $44 at getdeja.com.
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