If You Hate Laundry & Germs, This Pillowcase With "Pages" Will Turn Your Life Around

Is it just me, or does literally everything cause acne? From cellphones to keyboards to subway poles and beyond, it seems like no surface is safe to touch for fear of transferring impurities to your skin. Which is why the Déja page pillowcase, which helps ensure your face stays totally fresh and clean for around eight or so hours a day, is such a genius invention. A product that helps you fight acne in your sleep and requires no application or refilling at the pharmacy? Count me in.

Until now, I had never even considered the possibility that my breakouts were caused or worsened by simply laying my face on my pillowcase each time I went to bed. I have a strict nightly skincare regimen that I follow religiously (at its baseline it involves Cetaphil’s Daily Facial Cleanser, a prescription topical acne treatment called Epiduo Forte, and Olay’s Active Hydrating Cream) and think of my time spent sleeping as a window for my skin to absorb healing products, regenerate, and become its best self. But evidently, my pillowcase might have been preventing it from effectively doing that.

I wash my sheets about once a month which, to me, seems like a hygienic and appropriate amount. I always shower before bed (except for those drunken nights when it is just not happening) so I figure if I’m getting into my bed squeaky clean each night it pretty much stays that way throughout the month. Sounds logical, right? Wrong!

According to an interview Huffington Post did with Dr. David E. Bank, director and founder of The Center for Dermatology, Cosmetic & Laser Surgery, pillowcases should be changed every two to three days in order to ensure it remains void of anything that could irritate your skin or clog your pores. “Acne mechanica is any type of acne that is the result of material or objects touching your face. When your pillowcase isn’t laundered or changed regularly, a build-up of dirt and oil from the environment as well as your skin and hair touching the pillow is transferred back to your skin. This can clog pores and cause blemishes,” explains Dr. Bank. So basically, oils are naturally found in skin and hair can still build up, no matter how recently you’ve showered.

Which is why the Déja pillowcase is actually brilliant. Made from 100 percent cotton, the pillowcase features eight “pages” of fabric, one of which can be flipped each night to ensure a fresh surface to lay your head on each night. Each time a new fabric leaf is turned, the pages can be secured with a ribbon to ensure they don’t move while you rustle around in your sleep. After eight nights of impurity free sleep, you just have to throw the pillowcase in the washer before it’s ready to use again. Yes, weekly laundry is still more than I’m used to, but if that’s the price for healthier and cleaner skin, it’s one I am more than happy to pay.

As Déja’s website points out, the aforementioned oils that can build up on a normal pillowcase “makes a great breeding ground for bacteria. Some bacteria are good, but some are acne-causing. You don't want to allow them to multiply on the surface where you will rest your face.” It also notes that dust in the air can settle on pillowcases and anytime someone even brushes up against one dirt could potentially be transferred. In other words, no pillowcase is safe from pimple-prompting contamination!

At $44, the Déja pillowcase is definitely more expensive than your average run-of-the-mill version. But it’s a one-time investment that pretty much guarantees a lifetime of better skin, so...yeah, I am in.