The bedding you have at home can feel like a cheap motel or a luxurious five-star resort – it all depends on your sheets and the quality of fabric they are made from. You may not have paid much attention to the material of your bedsheets, but once you experience a luxurious material like Tencel lyocell, you’ll wonder how you slept with anything else.
Bedding has come a long way! Once made from scratchy, poorly made cotton or linen, many bedding textiles are now technologically enhanced, expertly designed, and developed to provide users will optimal comfort and hygiene for that fresh-clean-sheets feel every night of the week. Just as there is for clothing, there are bed linens that can help you stay cool, wick away sweat, and even make your skin softer. One of these revolutionary fabrics is Tencel.
Tencel has plenty of sleep-inducing benefits while also being sustainable and environmentally responsible. Believe it or not, comfortable, soft Tencel sheets are made from wood. Yes, wood. Through a unique process combining Tencel fibers, you get these delightful bed linens.
Tencel sheets are made from branded modal and lyocell fibers taken from sustainably sourced wood. The combination of the fibers is a match made in heaven. The Tencel lyocell fibers bring extra comfort. They are incredibly versatile and are often combined with a wide variety of textile fabrics like silk, polyester, and cotton. Lyocell is used to enhance the appearance of the material as well as its functionality. Further, it is excellent for absorbing moisture and extremely gentle on your skin.
The other fiber found in Tencel sheets is modal fibers. These are comfort-enhancing fibers because of the soft and pleasant feeling they provide. In addition, these fibers are naturally smooth and enhance textile flexibility. Although Tencel is the brand name of the fabric, it has quickly become synonymous with fibers lyocell and modal.
According to Good Housekeeping, “…the super-soft fiber is a favorite amount sustainable fashion brands”. And if it’s good enough for fashion designers to use in their clothes, it’s certainly good enough to sleep in!
The Making Of Tencel
Although it may initially seem strange (and uncomfortable) to have sheets made from wood, the manufacturing process does wonders to make these the softest sustainable sheets you will find. The production process starts in a sustainable forest. The trees, like eucalyptus, are chopped down, and the wood is turned into pulp. A chemical solvent is then used, and it is turned into a fiber which is weaved into yarn to make the fabric. This fabric is then used to make the famous Tencel sheets as well as clothes.
The chemical solvent is one of the least toxic chemicals used when it comes to textile manufacturing, and it is recycled in the process to reduce waste. Impressively, the solvent-spinning process recycles water and reuses the solvent, recovering more than 99%.
There are two main benefits to this process. First, it is a low-waste, sustainable manufacturing process, and secondly, it is certified compostable and biodegradable! This is a massive win in the textile industry, with an increasing amount piling up in landfills. As Tencel states on their website, the “fibers help maintain environmental balance by being integrated into nature’s cycle.”
The Benefits of Tencel
So, why all the hype? Arguably the most significant reason Tencel sheet sets are so high in demand is because of how soft they are. With Tencel sheets and a buckwheat pillow, you’ll be having the sleep dreams are made of! Plenty of consumer tests have rated them the softest when compared to other popular fabrics. Not only is it soft to touch, but it is gentle on your skin as well. When the fabric is looked at with an electron microscope, it displays a smooth surface area, making it perfect for sensitive skin.
Softness isn’t the only benefit either. They look great too! If you struggle with getting your sheets out of the dryer fast enough before they start wrinkling, you need Tencel sheets. They do not wrinkle easily (much less than other fabrics), drape beautifully, and hold dye well, making colors rich and vibrant. For sheets that look as great as it feels, Tencel will do the trick. Again because of its highly absorbent qualities, it is efficient at dye update. This allows the colors to penetrate deep into the fiber resulting in intensely pigmented color that last! Further, because it is so smooth is exhibits a luxurious sheen.
Fabrics that don’t breathe are a nightmare when it comes to sleeping. It doesn’t matter how cool your room may be; you can wake up hot, sweating, and dehydrated. Tencel is very breathable and helps manage moisture. It is also inhospitable for bacteria growth which is great for nighttime perspiration. When compared to textiles like polyester, synthetics, and cotton, there is less moisture on the surface. Additionally, there is a lower growth rate of odor-relevant bacteria types compared to cotton and polyester in moderate humidity conditions.
If you live in a dryer climate or deal with dry air in the winter, you likely experience static in your bedsheets. The fabric's ability to absorb moisture means less electrostatic charging and no more static shocks! With proper care, these sheets will last you too! The fibers are flexible and robust so that they will withstand plenty of nights and washes.
Although these benefits are incredible, sometimes it can be more effective if you hear it from real people who have used them. For example, Tencel sheets have been compared to many leading bedding fabrics like cotton, bamboo, and silk and come out on top every time. A quick search online will show hundreds of rave reviews.
You will quickly see shared sentiments and trending remarks, like “feels luxurious,” “super soft,” and “the best sheets I have ever bought.” Many have even compared them to pricey linens like Egyptian cotton and pure silk, and Tencel was still the favorite. For example, one review stated, “If you want to upgrade your bedding with something luxurious but don’t want to spend a ton on it, these are your go-to sheets.”
Should you buy Tencel Sheets?
If the reviews aren’t enough and you are still on the fence about getting yourself a Tencel sheet set, here are the cold-hard facts. You’ll soon see with the following list of pros and cons that the benefits outweigh the drawbacks.
The Pros
- They are likely the softest sheets you’ll ever find
- Tencel sheets are great for those with sensitive skin
- You won’t need to worry about wrinkling, and they’ll beautifully drape over your bed
- Durable thanks to the strong fibers
- Eco-friendly and sustainable
- It offers excellent temperature control and is the best choice for those who get hot at night
- Hypoallergenic
- Absorbs moisture
- Prevents bacterial growth
The Cons
- The manufacturing process is more expensive, and therefore these can cost more than some other bed linens.
- They cannot be washed in hot water or on a regular wash cycle, making them more high maintenance
You will likely agree that when it comes to buying a Tencel sheet set, the pros are far greater and are definitely worth it!
Sustainability is at the Heart of Tencel
These sheets have quickly become the favorite of environmentalists and those who are trying to be more eco-conscious. Tencel prides themselves on their sustainability and has the certification to back it up.
Tencel’s revolutionary fabric is a USDA certified biobased product. Because the wood pulp is from sustainably managed sources, it is considered a renewable resource. Therefore it has earned the United States Department of Agriculture’s BioPreferred designation.
Certification and accolades also come from Europe. Tencel’s modal fibers are certified with the internationally renowned EU Ecolabel. This environmental quality certification is only awarded to products that have significantly lowered their environmental impact through their entire lifecycle. Further, they must be independently assessed to ensure compliance with strict ecological criteria.
Their patented production process, known as Lenzing’s closed-loop, has received the European Award for the Environment. This is because of their low ecological impact and high resource efficiency, winning the award in “The Technology Award for Sustainable Development” category.
Bedding made from natural materials versus synthetic is a favorable choice for those who want to get a good night of sleep that will benefit their health. So whether it’s a Tencel sheet set, a natural sleep aid, or a pillow made with organic filling like a buckwheat pillow or millet pillow – natural is best when it comes to sleep!
Our high-performance Tencel sheet set will give you all the benefits here with a fitted sheet, flat sheet, and two pillowcases. For the ultimate sleep situation, pair with our millet pillow filled with 100% the US grown organic millet hulls.
All mattresses aren’t created equal, and neither are your sheets. So slip into soft, sustainable sheets for better quality sleep.
