The humble pillow case… and why the right one can make a BIG difference to your skin

Brought to you by Cara Pharmacy. 

Let's be honest, most of us are pretty obsessed with the quality of our skin.

Pores, dark circles, wrinkles, dryness, spots... there's a lot to fixate on. However, it turns out there is a simple secret to achieving a great glow: yes, apparently your choice of PILLOW is the key to good skin. Here's how the humble pillow can actually affect your face in a pretty big way...

1) It may be clogging your pores

Oil, sweat, and bacteria... it's on your skin in bucketloads and that pillow case is like a sponge - absorbing it all. While your pillow might look clean, trust us, it probably isn't. Your lovely skin will spend the hours you sleep soaking in all the stuff your pillow has to offer, so a good pillow case is an absolute must. It's also super important to cleanse that beautiful skin of yours too. At Cara Pharmacy you can nab the gorgeous Clarins One-Step Gentle Exfoliating Cleanser 125ml (€30). It’s quick, effective AND within budget, gently removing makeup, exfoliating and detoxing the skin. There's also the glorious e.l.f. cosmetics Gentle Peeling Exfoliate (€12.65). (The brand's a cult favourite!) This gentle cleanser peels away dead skin while ensuring the skin stays hydrated and glowing. They’ve popped in papaya, tangerine and licorice extracts too for a further nourishing effect. E.l.f. is vegan and cruelty free too! (Woohoo!)

2) Those pesky wrinkles

The wrong pillow case could even be making you look older. In 2016, a study published by Oxford University reported that when people sleep on their sides or on their stomachs, sleep wrinkles can develop over time. Think about it; for seven or eight hours in every 24 your skin is in contact with your pillow - so certainly it's not something to disregard.

3) You might be wasting money

You know before you go to bed, when you put on all your creams and stuff? Yeah, not necessarily the best idea. As soon as your face hits the pillow, your pillow case will start absorbing all your products, making your night-time skin routine fairly redundant if you're not also considering the quality of what your face is resting on.

4) Irritation, anyone?

Have you ever woken up with red, itchy skin? That'd be your pillow, hun. If your pillow case isn't clean or isn't of good quality to begin with, you'll inevitably begin to irritate your skin. Not ideal. Still, all is not lost. Indeed, a few simple tweaks and tricks will ensure that numerous potential skin issues are kept at bay. Firstly, make sure you wash your pillow cases every week. Oh, and flip them over every night. If you're worried about wrinkles, consider investing in a good-quality silk offering; the silk material alone will pull at your skin less. As for recommendations, our personal favourite at the moment is the one that those gorgeous folks at Cara Pharmacies have created. The popular LUNA Pure Silk Pillowcase is available in both White and Ivory... and having giving it a whirl ourselves we can confirm that the product works wonders. You can grab one online for a wholly reasonable €39. If you ask us, this divine silk creation would make a really lovely Christmas present! Side note (and not to state the obvious): be sure to clean your face before you go to bed - to wash off as much badness as you can. You (and your skin) will thank us. Brought to you by Cara Pharmacy.