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Wool Why It's So Special

Signal Rock Farm wool

Animal Friendly

  • Buying wool supports raising sheep for their fleece. Every year a new fleece grows on the sheep's back, and is removed without harm to the animal. 

 

Environmentally Sustainable

  • Using wool products supports local farmers throughout the world, especially those letting their sheep graze on pesticide free pastures. Wool is a sustainable resource. The processing of wool requires very little environmental impact compared to other natural fibers or man-made fibers.

 

Hypoallergenic

  • Dust mites don't like wool. They prefer hot humid environments that are more common in synthetic or down products. Dust mites are the major cause of allergy and asthma suffering. 

 

Fire Resistant

  • When subjected to flames, wool just smolders and extinguishes itself. That's why our military wear wool underwear and uniforms and why everyone should have a wool blanket to wrap around themselves in case of fire. Wool has the highest natural fire resistance of all commonly encountered textile fibers.

 

Regulates Temperature

  • Wool is renowned for its warmth but it has also been worn for centuries by Bedouin tribes of the Sinai desert where there is extreme heat. It keeps you warm when you’re cold, and cool when you’re hot. Wool fabrics reduce the rate of heat transfer to the environment because they offer superior insulation to most textiles. You can wear wool from the coldest temperatures up to 80+ degrees and be comfortable.

 

Machine Washable

  • Our wool blankets, scarves, and wristies can be machine washed on cold wash/cold rinse on the gentle or wool cycle in front load washers. Hang to dry

 

Water Repellent

  • While the core of the wool fiber is capable of absorbing up to a third of its dry weight in moisture, the surface or wool fibers has a waxy coating that repels liquids. This surface layer is not easily removed by washing or processing. Water droplets on the surface of wool will bead and roll off instead of being absorbed into the fabric. 

 

Ultralight Insulator

  • Wool is an excellent insulator and has one of the highest insulation to weight ratios of any natural or man-made fiber. New developments in spinning technology have produced wool fabric that is 30% lighter than was possible before. 

 

Long Lasting

  • Wool can be bent 20,000 times before breaking. By comparison, a cotton fibre will break after 3,000 times and silk after just 2,000. This means wool garments not only last longer, but also retain their appearance for a longer period.

 

Colorfast

  • Wool holds dyes better than many other natural fibers. Wool also is available in a variety of natural earth tones that require no added dyes.

 

Mildew Resistant

  • Wool fibers have a natural water wicking property that prevents moisture from being retained in the fabric. Besides keeping the skin dry, this quality also naturally inhibits mildew. Wool also has natural anti-microbial properties because bacteria tend to be attracted to smooth positively charged surfaces like those of synthetic fibres rather than the scaly, neutrally charged surface of the wool fibre. Hospital studies have shown that bacterial colonies are common in cotton sheets while not present on wool blankets subjected to the same environmental conditions.

 

Diminishes Body Odor

  • Most synthetic fibers actually increase body odor because they create a breeding ground for bacteria. Sweat itself has no odor, but over time bacteria develop and create unpleasant odors. Wool reduces the opportunity for odors to develop because it quickly absorbs sweat and evaporates it into the air. Unlike synthetic fabrics, wool does not retain odors and will freshen just from airing out. In addition, the outer layer of wool fibers have a high concentration of fatty acids, which have anti-bacterial properties. The internal layers of wool fiber actually bind with acidic, basic and sulphurous odors that are components of body odor. 

 

Insulates When Wet

  • The inner core of wool fibers can absorb 35% of its own weight in moisture. Not until wool is saturated with 60% of its own weight will it feel wet to the touch. Because of this, even wool is moderately damp, the insulating air pockets are still intact. Furthermore, the wicking properties of wool fibers draw moisture away from the skin helping to keep the body warm.

 

Stain Resistant

  • The thin waxy coating on wool fibers makes wool water resistant. This allows time for liquid spills to be wiped from a wool fabric before they can cause permanent staining. Even if they are not wiped before drying, wool is less prone to stain than many other fabrics. Wool also has a very low degree of dry-soil pick-up compared to most other fibres. One method for cleaning wool clothing is to simply brush the fabric. This is effective because of wools ability to easily release soil. 

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