Wool is one of the most popular and widely used fabrics in the world and with good reason. It comes with a wide range of benefits that make it a much better choice than other fabrics.
However, let’s be honest, there’s nothing more annoying than a woolen sweater that irritates our skin and makes us scratch. While most scientists claim that the itchy nature of wool is therapeutic, there are very few people that enjoy the discomfort it brings.
Therefore, finding a way to make wool less itchy is the only solution we have. Luckily, there are a variety of different ways to make wool less itchy. Today, we’re going to show you the best.
In this post, we’ll discuss what makes wool a good fabric, what makes it itchy, and how to remove the itchy nature of this popular fabric.
Let’s get started!
What Makes Wool A Good Fabric?
So, if most people don’t like the itchy feeling that often comes along with wool, why do so many of us wear clothes made out of it? Well, the answer to that question is simply because of how many benefits it comes with.
The itchiness of wool might be a problem sometimes but this issue doesn’t outweigh the many benefits associated with the fabric. To give you a better idea of how good wool is, we’ve listed some of the key benefits below.
These benefits are why so many people wear wool, even if it feels itchy.
- Wool is a natural material.
- Wool is believed to offer one of the most effective forms of weather protection.
- This fabric is biodegradable. It can be decomposed in soil.
- Wool is a renewable resource.
- Its breathable nature makes it much more comfortable and lightweight to wear.
- It reacts to the changes in our body temperature.
- Wool is easy to clean.
- It has anti-wrinkle properties.
- It is odor resistant.
- Wool is eco-friendly.
Why Does Wool Feel Itchy?
Wool has a lot in common with human hair. They are both scratchy and can irritate the skin. Like hair, wool doesn’t bend or flatten. Even when worn, the wool fibers stay quite bouncy.
However, it does tend to split. It is these split ends that make wool itchy. These split ends rub and tickle the skin which creates an itchy sensation on our skin.
For obvious reasons, this isn’t something we want to deal with, but unfortunately, it is far too common.
Can You Make Wool Less Itchy?
Luckily, you’ll be very pleased to hear that we can make wool less itchy. There are a variety of different things we can do to make wool feel a lot softer.
By making wool softer, we eliminate the split ends and reduce the irritation of our skin.
We’ll now show you some tips and the best methods to make wool less itchy.
Useful Tips You’ll Want To Know
We’re going to show you the best methods you can use to make wool less itchy but we’d first like to start by giving you some useful tips that might solve your problem quicker.
The tips we’ve got for you are simple things you can do to quickly and almost effortlessly stop wool from feeling itchy on your skin.
1. Be Patient
It may sound like a strange thing to say, but being patient can help make wool less itchy. This is because wool is a natural fabric that adjusts to our body temperature and when it heats up, it becomes less itchy.
Therefore, simply waiting five minutes after putting a piece of woolen clothing on could see the itchiness fade away.
The itchiness might not go away but it’s always worth giving it time.
2. Wear The Finest Wools
The finest wool might be more expensive but they are also less itchy. The itchiness of wool is caused by the scaly surface of the fiber. As a result, the more fibers there are, the higher the chance of irritation.
This means, the finer the fiber the less itchiness, which is exactly what we’re after.
3. Wear More Layers
A super quick fix is to simply wear more layers. If you can’t tolerate wool, simply wear something else underneath your sweater. Stylish options include a turtleneck, blouse, or long-sleeve T-shirt.
This will still give you all the benefits of wearing wool without the itchiness.
4. Wash Your Woolen Items In Wool Detergent
Wool detergent is designed to keep all the wool fibers in place. Using it to wash your woolen items will prevent split ends. In turn, this will reduce the itchiness of your items.
The Best Methods To Make Wool Less Itchy
If you have more time on your hands, there are a variety of things you can do to make wool less itchy. We’re now going to show you each method you can try to make woolen fabrics less itchy.
All of the methods we have for you are great so feel free to choose whichever one you like.
1. Wash The Wool In Shampoo And Hair Conditioner
You don’t necessarily need special products to make wool less itchy. A simple combination of shampoo and hair conditioner can do the trick.
Using one of the two is great but the combination of both works wonders. We prefer to use dry hair and split ends shampoo and conditioner as this has the biggest impact. This method helps soften the wool, while also making it smell excellent.
Follow the steps below to use this method!
1. Wash your wool item using cold water for five minutes.
2. Press the item to remove the water and cover the wool in shampoo and conditioner on each side.
3. Leave the conditioner on for five minutes.
4. Rinse out your shampoo and hang your wool item to dry.
2. Steam Your Wool
A super simple way to make wool feel less itchy is to steam it. The only things needed to steam a piece of woolen fabric are a steamer, an ironing board, a large cloth, and a citric solution.
The citric is used because it helps soften the fabric. Meanwhile, the steam will make the wool softer.
Follow these steps!
1. Place your wool item on an ironing board.
2. Set your steamer to a high temperature.
3. Prepare the solution using one pinch per liter of water.
4. Place your wool item into the citric solution.
5. Put your wool item under the cloth.
6. Press the steamer against the wool.
7. Carefully steam your wool item to avoid stretching it.
8. Flip the wool and the cloth over and do the other side.
9. Leave your wool item to dry.
3. Freeze Your Wool Item
It may come as a surprise but you can make wool less itchy by freezing it. We’d say that this is one of the easiest ways to make wool less itchy because you don’t need to do much.
We’ve listed the necessary steps below!
1. Fold your woolen item up and seal it in a plastic freezer bag. Squeeze as much air out as possible and make sure the bag is tightly sealed.
2. Place the freezer bag in the freezer overnight or for at least 8 hours.
3. Take your item out of the freezer and enjoy a less itchy wool piece.
4. Use A Salt And Vinegar Solution
A solution that consists of salt and vinegar is a great thing to use. It makes wool feel softer and more comfortable.
Here are the steps required to wash your wool item in vinegar and salt!
1. Start by preparing the salt and vinegar solution. To do this, mix one teaspoon of vinegar and one teaspoon of salt with approximately 5 liters of water.
2. You can now rinse your wool item in the salt and vinegar for 30 minutes.
3. Rinse the wool thoroughly with running water to remove the strong smell.
4. Hang your wool item up to dry.
Final Thoughts
In this post, we’ve shown you what makes wool a great fabric, what makes it itchy, and how to solve the itchy problem.
We’ve provided you with a variety of different tips and methods that can be used to quickly make wool less itchy. All of the methods on our list are relatively easy to try, so you should have no problems making your fabric more comfortable to wear.
Now you have all this information at your fingertips, why don’t you make your woolen items less itchy?
Frequently Asked Questions
Wool is a natural fabric that adjusts to our body temperature. Therefore, it will become less itchy the longer we wear it.
Yes, wool is also itchy for children. In fact, children may be more sensitive to wool than adults. This is because their skin isn’t as thick or as tough as an adult’s skin.
My whole life, I have always been a little bigger than my friends. I was always a bit taller, wider and just bigger built. From my late teens, I would say that I was curvy. I really struggled to find clothes that fitted me, as my hips went out, but my chest didn’t really.
I created WarningCurvesAhead.com because I wanted other women to feel the sense of empowerment I have felt since changing up my wardrobe and finding out what clothes suit my body shape, skin tone and style.
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