Is cashmere as itchy as wool?

[Lillith Fair]

I was reading that cashmere is from goats.

I can't wear a wool sweater, even if I have something on underneath it, because it really irritates my skin.

Do you think cashmere would be the same? It is too expensive to find out by experience.

[China Guy]

cashmere is a different animal (literally)/ IIRC cashmere is 14-18 microns whereas sheeps wool is 3-4x thicker. Cashmere comes from the underarms of special goats that live at high dry elevations (Mongolia, Kashmere, Tibet) and require the warmth that comes from such thin wool.

Chances are you won't find it itchy but only your body can tell you that. I love cashmere. It's warm and really soft.

You also might want to check out a cashmere/silk blend.

[CookingWithGas]

As mentioned, cashmere is finer than sheep's wool and is much softer. If the source of your itchiness is mechanical (scratchiness of the wool) then you'll be more comfortable in cashmere. (Then again, there are different kinds of wool, too. I have a "rag wool" sweater, whatever that means, that is itchy as all get-out but I have a "merino wool" shirt, whatever that means, that I wear with nothing under it and it's very comfortable. Avoid any clothing labeled "steel wool." )

If you are getting an allergic reaction to the wool, that's a different story, and cashmere may or may not treat you differently

[WhyNot]

Cashmere can come from nearly any goat, except Angora goats. Cite.

Cashmere goats are a type, not a breed. Most goat breeds,
except Angora, can produce this down in varied quantities and may
be called cashmere goats. There is no such thing as a "purebread"
cashmere goat.

Many, many people are sensative to lanolin, a type of oil found in sheep's wool. Lanolin is a stubborn bugger, and will persist for apparently hundreds of washings. Generally, if you itch even with a shirt underneath the wool sweater, it's the lanolin you're reacting to, as opposed to a mechanical scratchy issue.

The good news is that there's no lanolin in goat hair. (Well, good news for you. It's a little harder on the goatherders - they have to work harder to protect goats from the cold.) So chances are good that you'll do fine with cashmere.

Suggestion: why not pillage your local thrift shop to find a cashmere piece? Even if it's not your style, you can wear it at home for a day and see if it's comfy. Then you won't have spent a lot of money on your experiment.

[WhyNot]

Sensitive, sensItive, dammit!

[Zsofia]

FYI, there is a lot of difference between good cashmere and cheap-ass cashmere, and I do sometimes find bargain basement cashmere to be a little itchy - not like wool, but a little itchy. This is not a problem with good cashmere, or cashmere blends with silk or cotton. Cashmere is a wonderful fabric but you do get what you pay for.

[MaddyStrut]

I've had the same experiences as Zsofia, most quality cashmere is very soft and not irritating at all. However, I have some cheap-ass cashmere that's itchy.

Hijack: what the heck is "virgin" cashmere (or "virgin" wool for that matter)? All my high priced cashmere says it's "virgin." I don't see that on most of my cheaper sweaters. The virgin cashmere is soft. The "slutty" cashmere, not so soft.

[Zsofia]

Virgin cashmere, like virgin wool, is unrecycled wool right off the sheep, goat, or what have you. Slutty cashmere can be made of, you know, sweepings. Or other garments redone. Or who knows. Of course, you can still have crappy cashmere that's "virgin", and you can definately have crappy cashmere that's expensive!