Got silk? It makes for a wonderful pillowcase

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My grandma told me a lot of things growing up, including never wear black stockings with white shoes, go out of the house in pajamas or bother your husband until at least 20 minutes after he gets home from work.

I'd like to think these lessons in beauty and, er, love served me right through the years.

The other tidbit from grandma: Use a silk pillowcase!

This one I never quite understood or cared to investigate. Silk pillowcases seemed too old-fashioned for me. Sort of like putting cold cream on at night and rolling my hair.

But when a Charmeuse Case by Branche showed up in my mailbox at work, I was intrigued.

Silk pillowcases have long been used to prevent wrinkles and keep curly hair from frizzing. And the Branche silk pillowcase is like the Cadillac of pillowcases, so I decided to give it a test drive for a few nights.

My hair is thick and coarse, so that means guarding it from the ravages of a cotton pillowcase at all times. My nighttime routine involves tying a satin scarf on my head -- much to my husband's chagrin.

Oh well, I tell him. It's the scarf or a matted nest in the morning. Which would you prefer?

The great thing about having a silk pillowcase was that I could forgo the scarf.

The not-so-great thing about having the silk pillowcase is that it tends to cause your head to slip around a bit. If you're not careful, your head can slip right off the pillow at night -- which mine often did.

It's still a little too early to tell if I've warded off wrinkles with this pillowcase -- but I'm hopeful.

In all, the silk pillowcase is a keeper. I've enjoyed not having to worry about a scarf on my head, and it's also just plain soft and comfy. My husband has even tried to swipe it a time or two (and he has no hair).

I have to confess: When my hair is looking especially good, I still put on a satin scarf. I think they call this scarf withdrawal. An idea for a new "Intervention" series, perhaps?

The Branche pillowcase is a little steep in price. The standard pillowcase retails for about $75. But if you really want a quality product, I'd say it's worth it.

For a less expensive option, Williams-Sonoma makes a nice silk charmeuse pillowcase for $26. And some of my friends swear by Tenderheaded Accessories' satin (not silk) pillowcase for only $9.90.

(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service www.scrippsnews.com)

Must credit St. Petersburg Times