How to distinguish silk from synthetics?

Since the fiber is really difficult to extract and production resources are quite limited, silk becomes an extremely luxurious material, difficult to obtain and very expensive. However, it is very popular in some circles of society. Such a demand, unfortunately, encourages the creation of alternatives to silk, in other words, the counterfeiting of this wonderful material. So, in order not to be fooled, you need to know how to distinguish real silk from its fakes. This is what we will dedicate this blog post to today.

How to recognize real silk?

Real silk is a very strong, durable and resistant fiber, but also elastic and flexible. Silk stands out from all other materials above all for its softness, lightness, smoothness and shine. People who have experienced the delicacy inherent in this fabric will certainly find it easier to distinguish natural silk from fake silk. Of course, here we are talking about the touch of silk, when we can feel its extraordinary softness and smoothness with our fingers, because at first glance the artificial material can in no way be repelled from the real one.

But what to do for people who have never encountered silk in their life? Then the best way to verify the naturalness of the material is to simply wear the garment. Silk clothes are roomy and let your skin breathe and do not emit unpleasant odors even after wearing them for the whole day. Additionally, natural silk can only be hand washed, so if an item comes out of the washing machine completely damaged, chances are you’ve just ruined the real silk product, as the fake will likely remain intact. So, in other words, if washing clothes in the washing machine or ironing them with an iron does not destroy their fabric, then it is not silk, but real synthetics. Most often these are polyester products, which at first glance may seem like silk to the untrained eye.

Anti-allergic properties of natural silk

Natural and artificial silk differ in their anti-allergic properties. As mentioned above, the fabric obtained from silkworm cocoons is characterized by high air permeability and the ability to effectively remove moisture. For this reason, for example, silk blankets or sheets do not develop mites, bacteria and fungi, making them an excellent choice for allergy sufferers. People with health problems will be able to sleep comfortably and peacefully.

However, if you have gotten your hands on fake silk, you may notice that your nights become restless, you are more likely to suffer from a cough, runny nose or dry throat, so it is very likely that the goods you purchased were made of artificial silk.

Furthermore, since we have already talked about comfort during the night, it is good to remember that silk blankets or related covers are extremely light and able to guarantee the right body temperature regardless of the time of year outside the window. Artificial silk, on the other hand, is much heavier and, due to its poor air permeability, can cause profuse body sweating.

A drastic decision: testing the silk with fire

Another effective way to verify the naturalness of silk is to perform a fire test. On the one hand the method is considered by many to be unacceptable and too drastic, but on the other hand it is one of the most reliable. But why? Natural silk will burn slowly, often dying out. And when it burns it will emit an unpleasant odor characteristic of burnt hair. Additionally, burned silk turns to black ash and is not sticky, unlike burned synthetics. Meanwhile, the silk fake will burn or melt much longer, emitting an unpleasant smell of rotten plastic.

Silk price factor

To purchase a silk product without having ever dealt with it in your life, the first thing you need to pay attention to is the price of that product. On the market you can pay several hundred and sometimes even several thousand euros for a 100% silk product, depending on the type of garment and brand. So if the product you find, which at first glance seems like silk, is too cheap, we can bet that it is a fake, or contains only a tenth, or perhaps even less, of real silk.