When it comes to creating a dreamy bed, the material you sleep on matters just as much as the mattress or pillows. From keeping you cool through summer nights to giving you that buttery-soft, hotel-luxury feel, your bedding fabric sets the tone for your entire sleep experience. But with so many options on the market—cotton, linen, bamboo, silk, and more—it can be hard to know which is right for you.

Whether you love to stay cool, crave softness, or want something that gets better with every wash, there’s a bedding material that fits your vibe. In this post, we’ll walk you through 5 popular bedding materials and help you figure out which one is best for your sleep style.

01. Cotton

Arguably the most common type of bedding material, with the most variations in quality and price. 

Cotton is a great material as it's breathable, forgiving in the wash, and highly durable. There are some key differences between the types of cotton, and not all cotton is made equal. That will warrant a separate journal post, but for now know that generally speaking looking for 100% Egyptian cotton would be your best bet on the highest quality, silky bedding - if that's what you're after. 

But you can't generally go wrong with 100% cotton bedding in general. There's a good reason it's one of the most popular bedding materials. 

02. Linen

Linen bedding is extremely durable, has great cooling properties, and is hypoallergenic. The biggest downside to linen (depending on preference), is it's roughness. Some may hate it, some may love it, but it's not a material to buy if you like a silky-smooth feeling in the bedsheets. It does soften up with washes, but it never quite gets to the same level of softness as some of the other bedding. 

The other downside with linen is in our opinion, it just misses that cozy feeling for Winter bedding. It's great for Summer, but in Winter personally we want to feel cocooned in bed, which linen doesn't deliver on. 

03. Silk

Silk is arguably the most luxurious bedding material - and either your best friend or worst nightmare, depending on how you like your bed to feel. Personally, it's way too slippery and damp feeling for us (why does all silk always feel slightly damp?). However, if you like the feeling of silk, you may love a full bed made out from it!

There are key differences in different types and quality of silk bedding, so ensure you're checking if you're getting a higher quality set or not. 

04. Bamboo

A lesser-used counterpart to the bedding material repertoire, but a lovely option none-the-less. Bamboo grows really quickly, and can be used to create some great bedding. 

This material is cooling, similar to linen, hypoallergenic, breathable, highly durable, and generally tends to feel even softer than cotton. 

It's a great option if you have sensitive skin as well, as the material is antimicrobial.

It's slightly surprising this material isn't more popular than it is, as it has some great features over cotton & linen. 

05. Polyester

There's a reason we listed this material so far down the list - it's (in our opinion) the worst, and should generally be avoided. Polyester (when not a blend with other materials) is rough, not breathable. It also soaks up all the grease, oil and sweat it touches and holds on to it even through hot washes. It also tends to run really hot, which depending on if you're a hot or cold sleeper may be a blessing or a curse. Polyester has little redeeming qualities, and to top it off it's extremely slow to biodegrade so is shockingly bad for the planet as well. 

Polyester can give other fibers a slight edge if a small amount is blended into them. However generally speaking, stay away from this material. 

06. Flannel

A lovely material for Winter if you tend to get cold and really want to amp the Winter vibes during the colder months. We would never use it in Summer however, this is truly an example of seasonal bedding. 

One word of warning with this material - make sure you buy a set made from cotton, not polyester. There is a huge variety of quality in these sets, so check the label!

 

We hope this guide has given you some great tips and info on how to choose your bedding, and if you have any questions pop them in the comments!