Why You Should Wear Pure Natural Fibres - Wool

Wool is the hair that grows on sheep and goats. There are different types of wool, such as Merino wool and Lambswool. Before we dive into the nuances across classifications, let’s understand the general benefits and advantages of wool. 

Like Cashmere, wool is natural and has a significant impact on well-being and the environment. It is an eco-friendly and renewable fibre that biodegrades much quicker than synthetic fabrics as it naturally decomposes into the soil, releasing valuable nutrients back into the earth and as long as there’s grass to graze, sheep will grow, producing a woolly fleece, a renewable fibre source. It’s breathable and regulates temperature, helping you stay warm when it’s cold, and cools you when it’s warm. This makes it the perfect material throughout the year.

Here are some other unique benefits of wool fibre worth mentioning:

It’s static-resistant: As wool can absorb moisture from your body or the surrounding air, it rarely creates static electricity like synthetic fibres do, keeping you cosy and comfortable and avoiding any awkward clinging.

It’s easy to clean: As its primary function is to protect the body of a sheep from the surrounding environment, wool fibres have a natural protective outer layer. This helps to prevent any marks or stains from being absorbed, so the dirt sits on the surface and is easily removed.

It’s anti-wrinkle: Each wool fibre is structured much like a coiled string, allowing it to return to its natural shape after being bent, so woollen items tend not to crease or wrinkle. This makes them the perfect addition to your everyday bag or great items to pack when you’re going on holiday.

It’s odour-resistant: As wool can absorb the moisture from your skin, and therefore the sweat when you perspire, wool can even help to absorb any odour from sweating that is only released upon washing. So wool clothing is great for layering up post-workout when you need to brave the cooler air outside.  

As mentioned at the beginning, you may get confused by different names of wool, for example, Merino wool and lambswool. Let’s make this clear:

1. Merino Wool vs ‘regular’ Wool:

Merino wool is simply the wool that comes from that particular breed, not related to quality rating or textile techniques. The primary difference between Merino wool and other sheep wools is that Merino can grow finer fibres. This characteristic leads to some distinct advantages over coarser wool. Such as:

Merino clothing isn’t itchy: All wool fabric is made of yarns that have protruding fibres that rub against the skin. The coarser wool fibres are wider and stiffer causing irritation whereas Merino’s fine fibres are much softer.

Merino wool dries faster than coarser wool: All types of wool are moisture-wicking and extremely absorbent. But, coarse fibres soak up so much water that they take longer to dry. In apparel, Merino’s lighter weight creates the advantage of superior moisture management that both wicks vapour off the skin and releases the moisture into the air at a faster rate that keeps the wearer dry.

In these cases, many customers prefer Merino wool over regular/coarse wool.

2. Lambswool vs ‘regular’ wool

A lamb is a young sheep of any breed (including Merino sheep). Lambswool is the wool from the animal’s very first shearing (usually around the age of 7 months) and can be no longer than 50mm. The difference between Merino lambswool and that of an adult sheep is that it is finer, softer, lighter and is produced in very small quantities making it rare and more expensive.

3. Cashmere vs Merino Wool

Cashmere wool is derived from the undercoat of the Cashmere goat. The annual volume produced is much smaller than that of Merino making it significantly more expensive. The reasons for the scarcity are A) there are fewer Cashmere goats than Merino sheep B) the goats are smaller than the sheep C) the wool used in clothing is only from the undercoat making the yield per animal many times smaller than the yield from a sheep D) gathering the undercoat is an extremely laborious process.

In addition to being rarer, cashmere is:

Lighter & softer: the average micron in cashmere fabric is smaller than that of Merino wool.

Warmer: cashmere has been measured to be 7-8 times warmer than comparable Merino fibres and fabrics.

Silkier: cashmere has a luxurious hand-feel and slightly silky appearance which elevates its style factor to the highest level.

But, as has been pointed out in previous sections, there is a trade-off with lighter fabrics: durability. Some customers might find wearing and caring for the more durable Merino offers greater value for money.