When you purchase through data link on our site , we may pull in an affiliate commission . Here ’s how it work .
A knitted fleece sweater may be one of the warm pieces of clothing to snap up when temperatures turn chilly , but this insulating stuff can often be downright itchy when tire out it .
So , what is it about wool that triggers us to rub uncontrollably ?
Why does wool make people’s skin itch?
One of the master reasons an otherwise cozy objet d’art of clothing can go from being easy to intolerable is the thickness of the wool vulcanized fiber used to make the detail .
" The stocky the fiber , the itchier the wool will be,“Ingun Grimstad Klepp , an ethnologist and professor of wear and sustainability at Oslo Metropolitan University in Norway , told Live Science . " That ’s one factor . Another is the balminess of the fiber used to make the yarn . "
In other words , a heavyset fibre spun by humans will in all likelihood be more scratchy and less flexible , which can lead to itchiness and annoyance on theskin , while thinner , softer fibers , such as merino sheep woollen and downy - like alpaca fleece , can serve " dump the itching . "
Why does wool make people’s skin itch?
Related : How many animals have ever existed on Earth ?
While it ’s sluttish to assume that all wool is derived from one source — sheep — the word " wool " really applies to shorn creature fibre that are waver into yarn to make article of clothing . So goats , alpacas , camel and cony can also provide fleece , harmonise toScience Norway , an on-line science news magazine . The underhair that makes up wool , which is soft , thin , curly and flexible , never break off growing , which is why these wooly animals take to be sporadically shorn .
Another less common cause of itching is the presence of lanolin , a waxy nitty-gritty secrete by the oily secretory organ of woolen - bearing animal . Also promise fleece wax or wool grease , lanolin is great for repairing ironical , chap skin , but it can also have an allergic reception in some people , agree toHealthline .
" Wool is n’t an allergen in and of itself , but it is possible to be allergic to lanolin , " Grimstad Klepp said . " However , most fleece today does n’t contain much lanolin because the majority of it has been rinse and dye out during production , so there ’s not much lanolin leave in the narration . "
— Can spicy drunkenness help you cool down ?
— Is anything hard than a diamond ?
— Who really wore togas ?
Despite the occasional discomfort , fleece is one of the best textile to don when it ’s cold and wet outside . That ’s because it has natural capabilities that can wick away fret and moisture from the surface of our skin , harmonize to Science Norway .
" The difference between cotton wool and wool is that when cotton fibers get pie-eyed , they tend to get damp and collapse , " Grimstadd Klepp say . " you could see this happening with people at the gym who are outwear cotton T - shirts that cling to their bodies as they sweat . Wool T - shirts have more breathability and are able to suck up quite a bite of sweat and force it away from your consistence . "
