What is the difference between silk and satin?  I'm so glad you asked.  

Let's start with the basics.  Silk is a natural protein fiber made by silk worms and dates back thousands of years to ancient China.  It has long been known as a luxury fabrication because of it's natural strength, soft hand feel, smooth texture, and ability to take dye brilliantly. 100% silk is naturally hypoallergenic and temperature regulating.  It also has anti-microbial properties which mean less ickies for your little bean!  

Satin is a general term used to describe the weave of the fabric, not the raw material.    While satin has some of the same aesthetic properties of silk, mainly it's glossy shine and smooth hand feel, it is typically made from synthetic (man-made) fibers like rayon and polyester.  This means it visually looks beautiful, but does not have same natural properties of 100% silk.  Satin made from synthetic fibers is not hypoallergenic or temperature regulating.  

When I began the concept of Coco Beans, I was on a mission to find the best possible solution for Cora's naturally curly hair.  Cotton is lovely, but it is super absorbent and strips hair and skin of it's natural oils and moisture.  Bamboo is super soft to the touch, but it's still very absorbent and wasn't doing anything for Cora's tangles.  Satin wasn't an option for us because I knew I wanted a natural fiber content.  As I did more research, it became clear that silk was the answer.  Not only does it's naturally smooth texture reduce friction which means less tangles, it can even help reduce pesky baby bald spots! 

So what about maintenance... conventional wisdom will tell you that silk is high maintenance and must be dry cleaned (read: not exactly what any new parent has time for).  It's simply NOT true... and that's why I spent over a year testing the Coco Beans prototype in real life.  I'll let you in on a little secret,  the sheet used in all of our pre-sale campaign photography... it was 16 months old!!!!  It still looks just as beautiful after countless spit ups, machine washing, drying and miscellaneous other messes that life with an infant presents!   Head over to our post for the specific details about how I recommend washing and drying your Coco Beans silk crib sheets, pillowcases, and blankets.