I have a black sweater which I have to wear next week for a formal purpose; given that it’s the summer here and along with my previous experiences wearing the sweater, I know it will definitely be uncomfortable.
I was wondering if there’s anything besides fabric softener to make it feel softer in the short/long term? Any other chemicals I could use or any professionals to take to?
Is it normal sheep wool, instead of soft wool like alpaca or mixed special wool? I’ve worn quite a lot of wool pullovers, and I almost always found them scratchy, so I wore a blouse underneath to avoid direct skin contact. (And if you want to look official, a plain white blouse or button down shirt if male with the collar peeking out looks even better than just a black sweeter, I would say).
I never tried fabric softener, because I read enough warnings from enviroment groups that it’s a waste of money to dump a lot of chemicals with little effect, and I never had those hard-as-board towels they showed for effect in the ads. Maybe because I used seperate anti-calc as recommended for our hard water.
I do know that the usual cheap trick of “a splash of white vinegar in the last rinse cycle as replacement for softener” SHOULD NOT BE USED on animals fibers = wool and silk, because the acid would damage them.
From my experience with knitting, if the wool is coarse, like sock wool, nothing can be done, because the wool is soft due to special treatment at the factory (and starting with special breeds of sheep or other animals before spinning). But I can ask my knitting circle tomorrow evening, maybe one of the spinners who work with raw wool knows a trick.
Update: so far, the Consensus was “there’s no easily available chemical way to make rough wool soft”
I may have the Chance to ask our expert (out-of-town) spinner on the Holiday tomorrow, but don’t know if she has a working solution.
The suggestions for People with sensitive Skin re wool were:
buy only soft wool products, like alpaca, Special Baby wool/ Merino, or blends of wool and silk, specially treated. (I don’t like scratchy wool, either, so I test on the inside of my arm before I buy; and since I wear wool Sweaters only in winter, I always wear a blouse or thin smooth Long-sleeve underneath)
The really sensitive knitters in our Group skip wool in favour of silk, Cotton or acrylic.
If you want to wear Sweaters/ Pullovers in warm weather, skip wool altogether and use Cotton / cotton-acryclic or Cotton-silk blend. (If you want to look professional, I’d recommend a jacket/blazer instead of a Sweater, which come in different weights /thickness for winter and summer, and are worn with a blouse/ button Shirt underneath anyway.)
Okay, I asked my Spinning expert yesterday, and she confirmed that there is Little to be done. She recommened if you have it, try a hair repair shampoo.
Some of the causes on why a wool Sweater scratches:
too much Lanolin (wool fat naturally occurring), and you react to that*
not enough Lanolin making the fibres brittle and thus scratchy
wrong washing before (a good detergent brand has not only “fine wash” for delicate laundry, but a seperate “wool wash”, that contains a bit of Lanolin because that helps the wool Regenerate. Since wool is a natural fibre, it still has some “living Qualities” (for a certain value of living) compared to pure Polyester. (Similar to how a wooden box is different from a plastic box)
You also Need a seperate cycle on your washing machine only for wool.
Thick wool that is spun too hard turns scratchy
cheap wool can start to pill.
Good wool washed wrong can start to felt.
Mostly, it’s the type of wool and how it’s treated during Spinning that determines the scratchiness, and that can’t be undone later.
Wash in Eucalan. Dont rinse, Hang dry.