These items were received as a gift. The following review expresses my own honest experience and opinion.
Bamboo is often compared with cotton, touted as a more sustainable alternative that is fast growing, doesn’t have a need for pesticides or herbicides, and requires significantly less water than other natural materials to make a garment or other textiles. Many of us are aware and actively taking steps to mitigate our own impact when it comes to clothing choices, with new habits ranging from buying pre-loved, or buying garments less frequently and with more sustainable materials. But what about other textiles in the home?
Bamboo textiles are now more widely available. If you’ve had a chance to get hands on with towels or bedding before, you’ll certainly have noticed how soft they are. But how do they hold up after several washes? Are they comfortable to sleep in, does it keep you warm enough? You may have looked at bamboo bedding and towels and wondered how they compare off the shelves. Well, we put the Pretty You London Home Collection to the test to find out.
First impressions
As my Pretty You London gift arrives, I am amazed and fascinated by the packaging. I am seriously impressed. Delivered in a textile bag that can be returned to them for re-use, it’s clear that Pretty You London’s choice to market bamboo products is not an opportunity to jump on a sustainability bandwagon. Instead, it is clearly taking a thoughtful sustainable approach across all aspects of their service offering.
The bedding – a Kingsize bedding set that encompasses a fitted sheet, 2 oxford pillowcases and king size duvet cover, comes in its own bag to help you keep everything together. Again, this is another thoughtful detail; it not only elevates the luxury quality of the set, but helps you to keep your bedding organised. The set has a silky texture to it but as someone with dry hands, it doesn’t feel scratchy but rather has a softer feel than other silky materials.
The towel set I have, a bath towel, hand towel and face cloth, feel exceptionally thick, soft and luxurious. I am genuinely excited to try these as they feel so cosy. But I am also curious to see how soft and luxurious they feel after several washes!
As first impressions go, this collection, every aspect of it, is thoughtfully designed and all with sustainability at the heart of what they do.
Bamboo towels
The Pretty You London towels are made from a blend of 35% FSC Certified Bamboo and 65% sustainably sourced long-staple cotton, with a weight of 600GSM. Towels with this makeup are considered luxury, generally more absorbent, a thicker, softer quality and more durable than towels that are made from a lesser GSM quantity.
After several washes, the towel set continues to feel thick, soft, absorbent and generally luxurious.
One thing that really surprised me though was how fast the towels dried – both after wash and after use.
These towels are easy to care for, requiring a low temperature wash and dry. I do use a dryer and my towels usually need several rounds to get them cupboard dry. However, do take much more care with these. Because they are quick-drying with a thick pile, you could singe them if you dry them on a high setting or for too long. They really don’t need it. Instead, follow the instructions of drying on low and run smaller loads or only the same items together.
Also, as someone who washes their hands a fair amount through the day, I was particularly surprised by how dry the hand towel felt. Most of my other towels struggle to dry out fast enough and often feel damp. But these towels were more than up to the task. They always felt dry and soft.
Speaking of dry and soft, it really did make showering feel just that little more luxurious. I knew getting out I would be enveloped in a lovely soft, perfectly sized towel that made drying and getting ready that next level comfortable.
My only preference, and it’s such a minor one really, is that I do wish the face cloth had a hook like the bath and hand towel as it makes it just a little easier to wash my face at the end of the day. Instead, I just place it over the hook and it holds just fine so it’s a non-issue really.
Bamboo bedding
Crafted from 100% sustainably sourced bamboo, the bedding has a silk-like texture to it that feels sumptuously soft. There are many exceptional qualities to bamboo bedding: it’s temperature regulating – more so than cotton, which helps you to have a comfortable night’s sleep; it’s hypoallergenic, it has antimicrobial and antibacterial properties which boasts a more hygienic sleep, and because of its silky composition and moisture wicking abilities, it will reduce the appearance of fine links and wrinkles in your skin (which, the older I get, the more I notice with my bedding!)!
Firstly, let’s talk about the fitted sheet. Now, initially I was a little daunted by the Pretty You London fitted sheet. It has a huge strip of elastic across each of the corners which did give it a ‘smaller’ appearance and I genuinely thought, like with most fitted sheets, it was going to be a huge fight to get it over the mattress. Or that there would be a lot of excess material and give the sheet a baggy appearance. But boy was I wrong and so pleasantly surprised. In fact, I am in love with this fitted sheet. Finally, there is a brand that understands that you don’t just need a sheet to go over the edge of the now thick mattresses, but it allows plenty of room and flexibility. Not only is it a perfect fit but it is just so easy to work with! It is honestly the best fitted sheet I have ever come across.
As for the duvet cover, it has a great weight to it. It falls over the bed beautifully and is spacious enough that it doesn’t cause the duvet to bunch up inside – as I use a hypoallergenic duvet which is made from synthetic materials, it is generally harder to get a smoother appearance, but because these covers have been made intentionally and with design in mind this is not as much of a problem. Speaking of thoughtful design and detail, Pretty You London have nailed another particular bedding bugbear for bunching duvets: There are ties internally so if your duvet has ties (as their own Bamboo Duvet has), you can ensure the duvet will not be shifting around!
The soft-silky feeling of the entire set does make for a more comfortable experience and generally getting to sleep that little bit easier. You can also really notice the temperature-regulation differences this particular set offers, compared with cotton or linen. I don’t feel like I overheat or get chilly in the night and I wake up feeling comfortable. It really does offer an unparalleled and comfortable night’s sleep.
I just want to comment on the colour too… I went for Smoke Grey which has a gorgeous mocha hue to it. It compliments my room’s design and I think adds to the luxurious feel of the bedding (as Mocha Mousse is the Pantone colour of the year too, it’s very much on trend as well).
The bedding has easy care instructions, but does require a bit of attention. The bedding, like the towels, should be washed and dried in low temperatures. However, in the dryer, the bedding does take quite some time to dry. You need to make sure the buttons on the duvet set are secured before drying and check on it several times to make sure it dries thoroughly. Line drying is the easiest method for this bed set.
I also struggled to get a crease-free appearance. I don’t have much patience for ironing (and generally don’t iron at all) but I did preserve with ironing the sheet and pillowcases, though I am not sure it was worth my time. So, when it came to the duvet cover, I tried a tumble dry hack: I placed the duvet cover in the dryer with a couple of ice cubes for 15 minutes and this did significantly reduce the appearance of wrinkles but didn’t eliminate them. In all honesty, this isn’t off putting for me. I don’t generally care about creases in fabrics and especially bedding, unless it’s a special occasion. The ice cube hack is good for items that have been stored in a cupboard after washing. But for best results, the bedding should be put on your bed soon after washing for the best chance of a wrinkle-free appearance.
The creases caused only slight irritation because I wanted to really show this gorgeous set off in the pictures. But I personally and honestly don’t care about that kind of thing. The comfort-levels; the feel, the temperature differences this set offered made for an exceptionally luxurious night’s sleep – I can’t wait to jump in at night!
Overall, I am seriously impressed by the thoughtful design details, the high quality of the materials and the exceptionally soft quality of both the towel and bedding sets. The combined absorption ability and quick drying properties of the towels are stellar in my opinion. I’ll be looking to add to my collection for sure.
Imagery: Samantha Clark
