# Why do panties have cotton crotches?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-panties-have-cotton-crotches/206760
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [October 11, 2003, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-panties-have-cotton-crotches/206760 "2003-10-11T00:17:36Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@jljiraffe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jljiraffe)
#### Post date: [October 11, 2003, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-panties-have-cotton-crotches/206760/1 "2003-10-11T00:17:36Z")
Why do girl’s and women’s panties have cotton crotches? If cotton is needed for breathability, isn’t a layer of nylon right below the cotton going to ruin any breathability? And why do cotton panties still have an extra cotton layer in the crotch?
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### Author:  [@The\_Griffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Griffin)
#### Post date: [October 11, 2003, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-panties-have-cotton-crotches/206760/2 "2003-10-11T00:25:37Z")
To soak up stuff.
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### Author:  [@whiterabbit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whiterabbit)
#### Post date: [October 11, 2003, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-panties-have-cotton-crotches/206760/3 "2003-10-11T01:00:56Z")
What **The Griffin** said, and I don’t wear underwear that has nylon over the cotton part except for special occasions. I don’t want to encourage anything horrible to start growing up there.
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### Author:  [@Astroboy14](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Astroboy14)
#### Post date: [October 11, 2003, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-panties-have-cotton-crotches/206760/4 "2003-10-11T01:02:31Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by The Griffin \*
> \*\*To soak up stuff. \*\*
Could you be more descriptive?
**wipes the sweat from his forehead as he leans closer to the screen**
😛
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### Author:  [@whiterabbit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whiterabbit)
#### Post date: [October 11, 2003, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-panties-have-cotton-crotches/206760/5 "2003-10-11T01:36:40Z")
Well, there’s the times when your pad slips and your undies get bloody…
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### Author:  [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)
#### Post date: [October 11, 2003, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-panties-have-cotton-crotches/206760/6 "2003-10-11T01:54:21Z")
Not to mention all the non-bloody days when you have the normal juicy secretions which normally colorless but snot-like
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### Author:  [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)
#### Post date: [October 11, 2003, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-panties-have-cotton-crotches/206760/7 "2003-10-11T02:25:40Z")
Women are advised to wear cotton or cotton lined panties to discourage yeast infections. Yeast infections are NASTY.
From [http://www.yeastinfectionresource.com/yeast/faq.asp](http://www.yeastinfectionresource.com/yeast/faq.asp)
> [@](#):
>
> What are the symptoms of yeast infections?
> Symptoms of yeast infections can include any or all of the following:
> Itching
> Irritation or soreness
> Burning during urination
> Pain with sexual intercourse
> Vaginal discharge (ranging from white to yellow in color with a “cheese-like” consistency)
> Rash or redness
> Odor
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### Author:  [@InternetLegend](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/InternetLegend)
#### Post date: [October 11, 2003, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-panties-have-cotton-crotches/206760/8 "2003-10-11T02:31:14Z")
Don’t forget the white cottage-cheese kind of stuff that dries solid!
_Is that descriptive enough for you, **Astroboy**?_
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### Author:  [@Sock\_Munkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sock_Munkey)
#### Post date: [October 11, 2003, 6:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-panties-have-cotton-crotches/206760/9 "2003-10-11T06:23:04Z")
T…
M…
I…
!
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### Author:  [@Duderdude2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duderdude2)
#### Post date: [October 11, 2003, 7:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-panties-have-cotton-crotches/206760/10 "2003-10-11T07:32:15Z")
InternetLegend, oh god why did you say that?! Holy crap - I mean, damn…
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### Author:  [@The\_Griffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Griffin)
#### Post date: [October 11, 2003, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-panties-have-cotton-crotches/206760/11 "2003-10-11T14:45:42Z")
I’m not a fan of cottage cheese.
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### Author:  [@whiterabbit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whiterabbit)
#### Post date: [October 11, 2003, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-panties-have-cotton-crotches/206760/12 "2003-10-11T16:36:58Z")
Sorry, **Sock Munkey** , but he asked.
I’m not the only one who gets the cottage-cheese kind of stuff? Phew! 😃
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### Author:  [@galen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/galen)
#### Post date: [October 11, 2003, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-panties-have-cotton-crotches/206760/13 "2003-10-11T16:40:47Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by jljiraffe \*
> \*\*Why do girl’s and women’s panties have cotton crotches? If cotton is needed for breathability, isn’t a layer of nylon right below the cotton going to ruin any breathability? And why do cotton panties still have an extra cotton layer in the crotch? \*\*
Are you serious?
Could you really _not_ know the answer to your own question? You don’t _know_ what goes on down there and that cotton is very absorbant?
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### Author:  [@picunurse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/picunurse)
#### Post date: [October 11, 2003, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-panties-have-cotton-crotches/206760/14 "2003-10-11T18:03:03Z")
Kiddies, It’s because cotton “breathes” while synthetic fabrics don’t. Air circulation keeps the area dryer, discouraging fungal and bacterial growth. Bacteria causes foul odors, fungus cause itching, burning & swelling, and IS contagious.
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### Author:  [@ParentalAdvisory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParentalAdvisory)
#### Post date: [October 11, 2003, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-panties-have-cotton-crotches/206760/15 "2003-10-11T18:27:48Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by InternetLegend \*
> \*\*Don’t forget the white cottage-cheese kind of stuff that dries solid!
>
> _Is that descriptive enough for you, **Astroboy**?_ \*\*
:eek: Whoa… What?
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### Author:  [@jljiraffe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jljiraffe)
#### Post date: [October 13, 2003, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-panties-have-cotton-crotches/206760/16 "2003-10-13T16:22:13Z")
As I mentioned the very first time, the claim is that this is for breathability. This was reiterated by Lynn Bodoni and picunurse. (Granted their’s something to be said for absorbability. But, I’ve never heard that to be a health claim.)
However, a Google search of “site:www.yeastinfectionresource.com cotton” yeilds no results.
And, my original question still has not been answered:
How does a layer of cotton on top of a layer of nylon provide more breathability than just the layer of nylon?
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### Author:  [@Uncommon\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uncommon_Sense)
#### Post date: [October 13, 2003, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-panties-have-cotton-crotches/206760/17 "2003-10-13T17:23:35Z")
The cotton acts as a whick.
It absorbs any moisture and also helps the area breathe by keeping it dry. Nylon would not absorb and the moisture would just get pushed around, not removed.
Nylon is the support material and the cotton is the helper material.
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### Author:  [@toadspittle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/toadspittle)
#### Post date: [October 13, 2003, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-panties-have-cotton-crotches/206760/18 "2003-10-13T17:51:06Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by whuckfistle \*
> \*\*The cotton acts as a whick.
>
> It absorbs any moisture and also helps the area breathe by keeping it dry. Nylon would not absorb and the moisture would just get pushed around, not removed.
>
> Nylon is the support material and the cotton is the helper material. \*\*
So you’re saying that the cotton wicks moisture from the top of the cotton layer to the bottom of the cotton layer, where it can evaporate through the nylon membrane?
Or are you just saying that the cotton acts as a storage reservoir (like a pad), so that the moisture doesn’t leak out and/or sit in a soggy puddle (instead of an only slightly soggy layer of cotton) atop the bare nylon?
Sigh. There need to be scientific studies done …
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### Author:  [@rhinostylee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rhinostylee)
#### Post date: [October 13, 2003, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-panties-have-cotton-crotches/206760/19 "2003-10-13T18:10:04Z")
Ahhhh panties . . .
Man’s greatest creation. I would like to express my true love for fashion’s most becoming compliment to the female form . . .
Ahhhhh . . . panties . . .
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### Author:  [@Uncommon\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uncommon_Sense)
#### Post date: [October 13, 2003, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-panties-have-cotton-crotches/206760/20 "2003-10-13T19:56:24Z")
**toadspittle** -
> [@](#):
>
> So you’re saying that the cotton wicks moisture from the top of the cotton layer to the bottom of the cotton layer, where it can evaporate through the nylon membrane?
Yes.
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