Your 411 on wool and allergies

When my grandmother gave me a hand-knitted wool sweater for my 12th birthday, I stripped down an hour later – covered in red welts. I thought I was allergic and swore off wool for years. But it turns out I was having a common reaction to the prickly fibers.

Wool fibers are a complex overlapping of scales (like fish scales) that interlock and tangle when rubbed together. In one inch of wool fiber, there may be more than 2,000 overlapping, prickly scales brushing across your skin.

The more I scratched, the redder my skin got. Had I donned a turtle neck under the wool sweater, my skin would have felt the other great qualities of wool – and none of the prickle effect.

The truth is, wool allergies are rare
It’s unlikely you’re truly allergic to wool, but you may have an allergy to lanolin.

It’s secreted by the sheep’s sebaceous glands and gives raw wool its greasy feeling. It has a lot of healing properties and is used widely in cosmetics, toiletries and pharmaceuticals because it’s so easily absorbed by our skin. Medical grade lanolin provides a moist, healing environment that speeds the healing of open wounds and chapped skin.

Lanolin allergies are rare though and usually diagnosed at a young age. A wool sweater or blanket will be the least of your worries.

But back to the wool allergy – if the prickle effect of wool annoys human skin so much, why is it such an integral part of human history. And why does Natura use it in almost everything – mattresses, pillows and bedding?

Simple – those prickly shingles that twist and tangle make a great insulator. They trap air and conduct heat through the core of the fabric – regulating temperature with very little weight. In China, wool blankets are still used to keep ice frozen during transportation from the caves, and Bedouin desert tribes wear wool clothing for the same reason – it insulates them from the extreme heat.

And since NaturaWool is sealed in a luxurious cover, the prickle effect isn’t an issue.

Encased within a pillow, mattress or comforter, wool works its magic.

• It excels at taking moisture into the core of the individual fibers, processing it (along with the air) and releasing it back into the environment.
• Wool can absorb 30% of its weight in moisture before it feels wet to the touch (cotton can only absorb 8%).
• Because of its moisture wicking properties (and the presence of lanolin), wool is slower to ignite than other fibers.

A mattress, pillow or comforter with a wool core works hard to insulate your body from outside temperatures so you can rest in temperature-controlled comfort. As it wicks moisture from your skin, your heart rate steadies and you reap the rewards of a deeper, more restful sleep.

If you’ve been avoiding wool because of the prickle effect, it’s time to reacquaint yourself. Find a Natura Dealer near you and learn why we love wool so much!