If there is one reason to hate summer, there is only one - sweating!
When I sweat a lot, my clothes stick to my body, and when I enter the air-conditioned room, I am blown by the cold wind, and my clothes stink after half a day.
Underwear, socks, etc. are the hardest hit areas of sweating, and the wet and soaked skin is not to mention how uncomfortable it is, and there will be small rashes every three or five days.
After complaining a few words to the textile expert, he sent a sentence lightly:
I:???
Image source: Network + Author Production
At first, I also refused, but then I was still kind and difficult to place an order. After receiving the goods, I found: Huh? Why is it completely different from what I imagined, where does this look like a woolen sweater?
I wore it when I went out to travel, it was not stuffy at all, it didn't become wet and sticky to my body when I sweated, and I didn't feel ice because of sweat evaporation when I entered the air-conditioned room.
What's even more amazing is that at the end of the day, there is no obvious smell of sweat, and it doesn't seem to be a big problem to fight for another day......
It feels like wearing a layer of close-fitting air conditioner with deodorization.
The door to a new world has been opened, wool socks, underwear, and sportswear have been in the bag one after another, and I never thought that wool locked with warmth would be so suitable for summer.
Why is wool suitable for summer?
The expert woke me up with a word: sheep don't only live in winter.
As a natural animal fiber, its function seems miraculous, but it is actually the result of adaptation to nature in a long period of evolution.
Most sheep live in a variable climate, with temperatures ranging from -20 °C to 35 °C. If wool can't cope with temperature changes, we'll only see it in fossils.
The complex structure of wool Image source: Wikipedia
We are equivalent to picking up millions of years of natural evolution and wearing them on our bodies.
In winter, the main advantage of wool is warmth. In summer, wool is sweat-absorbing, temperature-conditioning, odor-proof, and sun-protecting, and it can be said that the buff is stacked full.
1
Moisture-absorbing and sweat-absorbing, it is not sticky at all
Whether the fabric is stuffy or not, it depends on the moisture regain rate. The higher the moisture regain rate, the stronger the moisture absorption and sweat absorption of the fabric, and the more comfortable the body feel.
Among various fibers, the moisture absorption capacity of wool (moisture regain rate of 15%~19%) is unbeatable, which is more than 70% higher than that of cotton (moisture regain rate of 8.5%).
Image source: Nominal moisture regain rate of textile materials (GB/T 9994-2018)
Wool absorbs moisture, and the main one is an active attack!
It was holding a group of hydrophilic groups waiting to be fed, and the sweat secreted by the skin had not had time to gather into water droplets, so it was captured in the air.
This not only reduces the stickiness of sweating, but also prevents the rapid proliferation of microorganisms in humid environments.
Image source: Sheep friends share
2
Temperature control and lock temperature, wear it is neither cold nor hot
Thanks to the curly and fluffy form of wool, it has a strong ability to store air and form a buffer layer with the external environment, which can not only block high temperatures, but also prevent the cold air of the air conditioner from hitting the skin directly, which can avoid chills after sweating.
In addition, due to the ability to absorb sweat and store water, sweat mainly evaporates from clothing, not from the skin, so that the skin temperature remains relatively stable.
Image source: Sheep friends share
3
Absorbent and deodorant, it will not stink if you sweat for a day in summer.
Clothes are sour and smelly after wearing, mainly because of the peculiar smell caused by bacteria decomposing sweat and oil. Wool can absorb and lock in odor molecules produced by bacteria, and it is good to replace it and dry it.
Some researchers have also specifically compared the sweat odor of wool, cotton, and polyester fabrics, and found that after two days of continuous wear, the odor intensity of wool fabrics is the lowest.
This performance makes it especially suitable for traveling, outdoor hiking, lazy and other times when it is inconvenient to change clothes frequently. (No wonder there is a saying that outdoor dressing despises wool at the top of the chain.) ）
Image source: Sheep friends share
4
Built-in sun protection to protect the skin from UV damage
Wool has its own sun protection factor, and the aromatic amino acids in the fiber can absorb ultraviolet rays below 300nm, which is the highest sun protection performance among natural fibers.
An extra layer of UV protection outdoors is really an extra little surprise for summer.
Image source: The boss's impression after wearing
Many people may ask, since the characteristics of wool are so suitable for summer, why was it so locked with winter in the past?
This is mainly because the previous technology could not make the wool fabric very light and thin, and it was easy to get stuffy; And when worn close-fitting, the skin-friendliness of the wool is also hard - prick.
Fortunately, some wool varieties and current craftsmanship allow everyone to wear comfortable and cost-effective wool products in summer.
Close-fitting wool
There are requirements for thickness and craftsmanship
Many woolen garments feel prickly and scratchy when they come into contact with the skin, mainly because of the thickness of the wool fibres and the scales that cover them.
When it comes to skin-friendly, cashmere is definitely superior, but the production is low and the price is expensive.
In contrast, the advantages of merino wool are outstanding.
Merino (also known as Merino) is a breed of sheep that lives mainly in Australia and New Zealand, and its wool is characterized by its fineness.
Merino is less than 20 microns in diameter, fine wool, thinner than a third of a hair, and much softer and skin-friendly than the wool we remember.
SEM images (1 on the left is coarse wool, 2 on the left, and 4 on the left is cashmere), and fine wool can be almost as thick as cashmere.
Image source: Reference[3]
Wool summer clothing and intimate clothing are mostly made of merino wool, with enough fine fibers + peeling cuticle process to tame the rough wool to a very light and soft skin-friendly body.
In addition, the production is large, the price is not so expensive, and the cost performance is very high, and it is very common for a 100% merino woolen sweater to sell for more than 200 yuan.
In addition to this, this wool is lazy friendly and can be machine washed, packed in a laundry bag, with a few drops of acidic/neutral detergent (do not use laundry detergent containing protease), washed in cold water, and shaded dry in a ventilated place.
With so many benefits said, doesn't wool have any disadvantages at all? Of course.
1. Compared with man-made fibers, wool is less wear-resistant, and the life span is about 2~3 years if worn regularly;
2. Natural protein fiber, easy to be eaten by insects (now living conditions are less encountered);
3. Pilling, which is a natural shortcoming of wool. However, the fabric of the summer dress is thin, and the pilling is not obvious, so it can be ignored;
4. Compared with other materials of the same category of products, the price is still higher.
However, even if the disadvantages are considered, woolen clothing can still be worn in summer.
Wool blends are also a great choice.
Blending is a logic of complementing each other's strengths, such as wool blend lyocell, the fabric is more perpendicular; Wool blended nylon, spandex, nylon, nylon, make the fabric more resistant and stretchy, especially suitable for socks or leggings.
This allows wool to be used in a wider range of scenarios and saves costs. This is as pure and expensive as 999 gold, and as 18K gold is available in more colors and finishes.
Wool purchase advice
If you're not allergic to wool, congratulations, you're ready to start dressing!
The front row reminds that this market is still relatively new, and at present, the product design is relatively basic, which is more suitable for friends who pursue performance rather than beauty.
Family members who have just entered the "pit" can try underwear such as socks and underwear first, because these parts sweat a lot, and secondly, the price of these small things can also be relatively helpful; Then slowly try T-shirts, pants and other external clothing, especially for family members who like outdoor and hiking, it is especially recommended to start with a complete set of close-fitting bottom, sweaty clothes for a long time are not sticky, and there will be no gust of wind to cool the heart, and even if you wear it for two days, it will not be rancid; If you go further, you will enter the category of "die-hard fans", and you can choose daily clothes and pajamas.
Generally speaking, there are three factors that determine the function and value of merino wool: thickness (diameter), content, and grammage, and the finer the diameter, the higher the content and the heavier the grammage, then the higher the price.
Try to choose a diameter of less than 19.5 microns to make the skin feel less rough. In addition, after you get your hands, put it on the skin of your arm and thigh and pull it a few times, and if you feel a little prickly and itchy, you can ignore it.
Washing and care recommendations
It is recommended to machine wash cold water in a laundry bag, add a few drops of acidic/neutral detergent, and do not use laundry detergent containing proteases. The washing machine is better if it has a wool pattern. Hand washing is not recommended, but it may be vigorously rubbed.
The ventilated place can be dried in the shade, and the high temperature and ultraviolet rays will damage the hair, so there is no need for sun exposure and no need for a dryer.
bibliography
[1] 姜怀. (2012). 影响纺织品紫外线防护性能的因素. 见：功能纺织品开发与运用（第428-430页）. 化学工业出版社. [2] McQueen, R.H., Laing, R.M.,Brooks, H.J.L, and Niven, B.E., Odour intensity in apparel fabrics and the link with bacterial populations, 2007,Textile Research Journal, 77, 449.
Source: Lilac Life Research