Linen is a woven fabric made from flax plants. It’s a highly breathable material that doesn’t trap heat, so it keeps you cool during warmer nights. It’s great for people who sleep hot. It’s rougher at first than a simple cotton sheet set, but it should soften up the more it’s washed. Linen is often more expensive than other sheets, but it’s generally more durable than percale or other cotton weaves, so a good sheet set should last a long time.

It does tend to be more expensive since flax is more time-consuming to harvest and process into sheets, but high-quality linen should last you for years to come, making it an investment in both staying cool (which is very important for sleep quality) but also in gorgeous bedding you can enjoy for years. The structure of linen always lends a nice-styled look to even the messiest of beds, too. I love sleeping on linen so long as it isn’t too scratchy, which is one of the many things I looked for while testing and searching for the best linen sheets.

It’s not for everyone, but if you love linen apparel, you’ll probably love linen sheets. If you’re unsure, start with a single piece (like a duvet or flat sheet) and see what you think. Most of the options we recommend come in a linen set, but you can also buy many of these pieces separately, allowing you to try a linen pillowcase or fitted sheet before wading into a full-on linen bed.

You’ll often see terms like “Belgian flax” and “European linen” used to describe various linens. Some of these are in the name, some aren’t—Pottery Barn’s sheets are named Belgian flax, while The Citizenry’s sheets mention that they’re French flax but sustainably made in Portugal. So what does it all mean? Which is best?

Europe has a long history of growing flax and making linen. It’s a preferred source, particularly Belgium and France, which is why some sheets will call out those countries specifically. But according to World Linen, there isn’t a huge difference among European countries—it’s mostly a marketing tactic. You’ll likely be just as happy with any European source of linen, and there is a European Linen certification sheets can receive to confirm that’s where they’re sourced from.

Having Europe in the name doesn’t necessarily mean it was made there, though. After the flax is grown, it needs to be processed, spun, and woven into sheets, which may or may not happen in Europe. Some companies use the term “Belgian flax” or “European flax” to signify that the flax is from that area, but it wasn’t processed there. Some companies make sheets in other European countries, like The Citizenry’s Portugal-made sheets, while other makers might do production outside of Europe, like Quince, which processes its sheets in China and India.

If you want your linen to last for years, you have to take care of it. Our preferred way is to wash with cold water and mild detergent. Line-drying is recommended for getting the longest life. Be sure to check the tag, since some makers might have specific washing instructions. You should wash any sheets you buy before you sleep on them, and washing linen will start to soften them up—remember, it takes a while for softening to happen!

I actually break one of these rules. Since I don’t have space for a drying line, I tumble dry all of my linen, and I’ve done so for years with fine results. But if you use a dryer, expect to clean up a lot of lint. With every set I’ve tried, the lint tray gets super full, and some sheets like Quince’s filled the lint trap so much that it started to overflow.