Silk Hijabs

I have so many Hijabs ,that I feel really guilty for spending so much money on buying just Hijabs .When I reverted to Islam ,I had no idea ,what proper Hijab is .I used to buy different scarves from department stores and Online stores ,and most of them just don't stay right on my head or the fabric just feels irritating.
So finally after trying so many scarves I just finally found the Hijabs that feel best on the head and feel really light and look truly beautiful ..There are silk Hijabs .But not just 100% silk ..The ones I really love that I recently got are 50% Silk 50% viscose, made in Italy...
Those feel the best ..

If anyone just reverted and reading this blog or if anyone planning to start wearing Hijab,I advice to start with Silk/Viscose Hijabs ..
My advice is ,no polyester .It feels most irritating ,especially in the summer its not breathable at all...
I also like Chiffon , or Silk /Chiffon combination...
The only thing is that the Silk/viscose scarves or silk/chiffon scarves are very light and see through ,so you will need to use 2 scarves ,or plain Amira under it with under scarf ...
Underscarf is another issue ...make sure you feel comfortable in it ..I just use small cotton underscarf ,or silk scarf ...
My recommendation is no Satin scarves or underscarves .They look beautiful and shiny ,BUT you can't hear anything in it ...
Try to find some Silk scarves and you will see how truly beautiful silk is ...Silk is also great for Hair . It is also god to use silk pillowcases ...

Many people with experience and an interest in growing long hair suggest the use of natural silk to cover your pillow. This allows your hair to glide easily over the pillow as you move during the night. The friction caused with normal pillow covers leads to static electricity being created in your hair making it vulnerable to breakage.

SubhanAllah the prophet (pbuh) suggested to the women of his household to cover their hair with natural silk. An easy way to maintain this sunnah without having to throw away all your old pillow cases and buying others is to buy a meter or so of pure silk and cut it to make small bandanas which you can wear during the day under your hijabs or at night before you go to sleep.

SubhanAllah
This is so true .Silk feels great for the hair and its truly the most beautiful fabric. Allah Subhana wa Taala says in the Quran ,that inhabitants of Jannah will be wearing Silk garments ...

"And their recompense shall be Paradise, and silken garments, because they were patient. ..........Their garments will be of fine green silk and gold embroidery. They will be adorned with bracelets of silver, and their Lord will give them a pure drink." [76:12-21]

Some interesting Information about Silk

HOW SILK IS MADE
For centuries silk has rightfully enjoyed a reputation as a luxurious and sensuous fabric, one associated with wealth and success. It is one of the oldest textile fibers known to man.



Cultivation is a difficult process that begins with the silk moth.

The moth lays hundreds of eggs about the size of a pinhead that are examined and discarded if they are diseased. The eggs are then put in cold storage for six to ten months until the mulberry trees bud.

After incubation, the eggs hatch into larvae. For about a month these larvae live in a carefully controlled environment eating cleaned, chopped mulberry leaves. They grow quickly and become caterpillars called silk worms. The silk worm is quite discerning about its environment. If the conditions are less than ideal, the silkworm produces inferior silk, or no silk.

The silkworm then starts to spin a cocoon for itself to protect it while it transforms into a moth. A single cocoon yields 1,600 - 5280 feet of continuous filament. It is this length of fiber that makes silk fabric unlike any other type of fiber.

SILK

* Is the strongest natural fiber. A steel filament of the same diameter as silk will break before a filament of silk will.
* Is porous, which allows it to breathe and absorb moisture. Therefore it’s cool in the summer, and warm in the winter.
* Is easy to dye and takes on deep colors beautifully. Often silk is dyed in bright or iridescent colors. Depending on the weave, silk prints often look almost as good on the back side as on the front.
* Reflects the light because of its smooth fiber. This creates luster and beauty.
* Silk is tough. Tougher than cotton and fine wool. It also has a natural resistance to mold.
* Retains its shape, drapes beautifully, and has a silky feel all its own.

History of silk

According to legend, the production of silk began accidentally. The story states that in the 27th century B.C. a Chinese empress dropped a silk cocoon into her cup of tea. As she retrieved the cocoon from the cup, it unfolded into a shimmering thread. The empress, enchanted by the raw beauty of the thread, had a loom created so that the silk could be woven into a fabric.

No one will ever know if this story is truth or myth, but we do know that around that time the Chinese began cultivating silk worms and producing silk as a fabric.

Initially, silk was a luxury. Only the Emperor and his court were allowed to wear silk clothing. Before long, though, sericulture (the cultivation of silk worms and the production of silk fiber) was spread throughout the entire empire. Silk was woven for clothes, fishing lines, bowstrings, rag paper, and musical instruments. Silk became a form of currency. Farmers paid taxes in silk. Servants were paid in silk. Silk became an important commodity in Chinese trade.

For almost 3000 years the emperors of China, in order to keep a monopoly on sericulture, strove to keep it a secret from other countries. This was mostly successful, although Chinese settlers did bring sericulture to Korea and Japan around 200 BC, and by 300 AD India was producing silk.

An Egyptian mummy dating 1070 BC shows evidence of ancient silk trading. At first, trade was held to neighboring countries, but as time went on, more regions gained

access to silk, until it spread all the way to Northern Africa and Western Europe, creating what is known as the Silk Road.

It took until the 6th century AD before the Western World began silk production, when the Roman Emperor Justinian sent two monks to Asia. When the monks returned

to Constantinople, they hid silk worm eggs and mulberry leaves in their canes. Thus, the Byzantines now were able to begin silk production.

Byzantium was as determined as China to retain a monopoly over the silk trade. Weavers and looms were not allowed outside of the Imperial Palace and their fabric was worn almost exclusively by political and military leaders. What little silk wasn’t worn by them was sold at exorbitant prices. Silk cultivation then spread throughout Asia Minor and Greece.

In the 7th century, the Arabs conquered the Persians, and with them, the magnificent Persian silks The Arabs then spread silk throughout Africa, Spain, and Sicily as they expanded their empire. Marco Polo’s journeys to China, The Crusaders, and the formation of the Mongol Empire led to even more development of the silk trade between East and West.

By the 12th century, Italy became the silk capital of the Western World, thanks to the Venetian merchants. Presently, most Italian silk is made in Northern Italy near the city of Como, where the white mulberry trees are planted for the silk worms.



In the 15th century, King Francois I started a silk production monopoly in Lyon, France which challenged Italy’s leadership in silk production. In 1685, though, Louis XIV reversed the Edict of Nantes, which had given Protestants (Huguenots) a number of rights in France. Many Huguenots were textile weavers and they fled France establishing silk mills in Great Britain, Germany and Switzerland.

The silkworm, however, did not flourish in these cool climates, nor has it ever done well in the United States. In 1804, Joseph-Marie Jacquard developed a complex loom that weaved complicated floral or figured patterns onto a simpler background. This weave is still very desirable and expensive.

King James I introduced silk growing to the American colonies around 1619, but only the Shakers in Kentucky adopted the process, and it did not become an industry. In the 1800’s a new effort to produce silk in the United States began in New Jersey with European born weavers and in 1810 the first silk mill in the U.S. was established. High tariffs against imported textiles during the American Civil War and the onset of the power loom allowed a period of growth of the silk weaving industry in the United States. The silk itself was produced mostly in China, Japan and to a lesser extent, France and Italy.

The 20th century heralded in a new era in textile working. Now, man began to create fibers. These man-made fibers quickly became cheap to produce and distribute. Production of natural fibers, like silk, began to reduce.

The Second World War had a tremendous effect on the production of silk. Japan’s raw silk supplies were cut off from the Allied countries and the price of silk rose dramatically. Countries began using alternative synthetic fibers for traditional silk products like parachutes and stockings.

In the last 30 years, world silk production has doubled. The allure and appeal of this remarkable luxury fabric continues to grow and be appreciated.