Why is Mulberry Silk Superior to Other Fabrics?
In short, mulberry silk is simply the best silk manufactured in both natural and artificial environments. Every strand of this opulent fabric is smooth and unbroken, and when woven together, they are simply heavenly.
One of the most critical characteristics of mulberry silk is that is it hypoallergenic. This is due to the presence of sericin, which reduces the possibility of an allergic reaction. In addition, it is 100% natural and odourless. Finally, the silk has a uniform colour not seen in any other fabric due to its unique nature.
How Do You Identify a Real Mulberry Silk?
Identifying a real mulberry silk sleep mask is challenging since many online retailers have aced the fake market. However, you can identify the mulberry silk with a bit of information and keen eyes.
To start with, mulberry silk is pretty expensive. It is ten times costlier to produce mulberry silk than a synthetic fibre. So, if the price of your silk eye mask looks too good to be true, the chances are that it is probably polyester or other low-quality silk.
Here are some simple tests by which you can identify mulberry silk.
Bleach test
You’ll need:
- A small piece of silk fabric
- Chlorine bleach
- Tweezer
Test:
Take a tiny amount of bleach in a small ceramic or glass bowl. Then, soak a small piece of silk in bleach. In about 5-10 minutes, you should see bubbles forming, and the fabric starts to dissolve slowly. The material completely dissolves in the bleach solution in an hour and a half.
The polyester fabric, however, doesn’t react to the bleach solution.
Burn test
You’ll need:
- A small piece of silk fabric
- Burning candle
- Tweezer
Test:
Burn a small piece of silk in the burning candle. Since silk is made of protein, it catches fire and burns quickly. The resultant ash is brittle, and when taken in your hands, it becomes charcoal powder. And the odour is similar to that of burning hair.
The polyester fabric, when burnt, melts into plastic and hardens when cooled down.
Luster And Smoothness Test
Another crucial visual test you can perform is the lustre and smoothness test.
Silk has an iridescent sheen and lustre, which occurs due to the reflection of light from different angles. The colour of the fabric also changes depending on how you are holding it.
On the other hand, an artificial fabric like polyester has a flat white sheen, regardless of the light and the angle.
Silk is smooth to touch and has a sleek feel. The fabric also tends to fall naturally, draping along the contours. On the other hand, Artificial silk is relatively stiffer and not as smooth.