itchy itchy baa baa baa

September 18, 2009 7:33 AM

Woolrich stuff has actual wool in it. I have received a gift of a lovely sweater and a very nice coat that are from Woolrich. I can wear a long sleeve thin shirt under the sweater, but what about the coat? i don't always wear long sleeves and the coat is a 3-season. Is there something I can put over the wool part inside, like iron-on felt or nylon or something?

I received this coat.

On the inside, there is some wool right where your arms go into the sleeves, but not the whole way down the inside of the sleeves. It's super itchy. I've always found wool to be super-itchy and some other threads on here lead me to believe it's an allergy, that wool is not really itchy (?!).

So, hive mind, what would you recommend I wear under the sweater that won't make super super hot? Some sort of wicking layer, like for running or skiing?

And for the coat, is there anything I can put over it or some way to make it less itchy when wearing short sleeves?

posted by sio42 to clothing, beauty, & fashion (15 comments total)

wool breathes and wicks as well as fabrics engineered for that purpose. Wear something like a long-sleeve silk undershirt underneath to cut skin contact, or a synthetic meant to keep you dry. only wear cotton if you want to be soaked in sweat.

as for the coat, take it to a tailor and have it lined.
posted by peachfuzz at 8:08 AM on September 18

a tailor!

that's brilliant. i can't believe i didn't think of that.

i haven't worn silk in years because it used to make me sweat horrendously.
maybe i can find a nice under armour shirt or something.

thanks for the tip on cotton - i hadn't thought about that making me sweat as a layer.
posted by sio42 at 8:15 AM on September 18

What do you mean you'll be soaked in sweat wearing cotton? Only if youa re sweating, which would mean you are too hot. So why are you wearing a wool jumper anyway? take it off.

I wear cotton shirts almost exclusively - and i'm only ever 'soaked in sweat' when its 30-40C out.
posted by mary8nne at 8:24 AM on September 18

it's not a super heavy sweater.

and it was a gift, it's pretty, i don't own a lot of sweaters and i'd like to wear it.

sorry if my question offended your sensibilities, geez.
posted by sio42 at 8:33 AM on September 18

I am allergic to wool. I was in denial about this for years, and tried all kinds of ways to wear it, yet not have it touch my skin, such as the silk undershirts, other undershirts, collars, etc. But only because "it made me itch" - not because I thought I was allergic. And yet, I always had eczema. Finally I just decided to never wear wool ever again in any form, and my eczema has disappeared. So yes, you could be allergic to wool. And if you are, well, you can't only touch the lined inside of a garment. You will inevitably be touching a lot of wool if you wear something made of wool. And then you will itch.

What I am saying is, I love wool so much, but I can't wear it. At all. Consider whether or not your body is trying to tell you something about wool, and if it is worth trying to do an end run around that message.
posted by Rumple at 9:13 AM on September 18

i hear ya rumple. i just got the coat and sweater yesterday, so i haven' really had a chance to do much wearing.

it's honestly been at least 20 years since i've had anything wool except smart wool socks. i just remember my mom trying to bundle me all up in wool stuff when i was little and being horrendously hot. but i think she used to make me put on turtle necks and then a sweater over it so that wasy probably why.

i guess the litmus test will be if i'm still itchy with a liner-type shirt.
posted by sio42 at 9:21 AM on September 18

I too am allergic to wool.

(My current nemesis is a wool throw pillow that mr. crankylex loves. What kind of sadist makes a wool pillow? It boggles the mind.)

Anyway, I just wanted to point out that while you're going to be able to line the sleeves to prevent skin to wool contact, the edges of the sleeves and more importantly, the collar of the coat is going to be constantly brushing at unprotected skin. The neck is always the worst for me, hives form seconds after contact occurs. I have to be diligent with scarf wrapping in order to wear the one wool coat I have (also a gift) for any length of time. I also wear longish gloves to protect my wrists. Mainly I just avoid any wool at all.
posted by crankylex at 9:29 AM on September 18

The "horrendously hot" feeling may in itself be a symptom of allergy, though. And if you try to mitigate that feeling by abandoning the turtleneck and letting the wool touch your skin, then it becomes a vicious circle. What I am saying is, it is possible your question amounts to "I am allergic to wool. I want to wear these nice wool clothes. Help me be not allergic to wool while wearing wool".

Wearing a long sleeved shirt with a collar under a wool sweater was the least bad solution when I was woolin' -- the sleeves needed plenty of length in the cuffs, and the collar physically held the wool off the skin of the neck. But in the end, it was pointless, and I went cold turkey on sheep.
posted by Rumple at 9:44 AM on September 18

actually i was about 8 years old the last time i wore wool and had a mother who made me wear what she wanted regardless of how much i liked it or how hot i "claimed" i was. so i haven't the done turtleneck/sweater thing in a while :)

i'll keep a look out for any rashes etc when i try all this out.

if i was allergic to wool, would i aslo be allergic to the smart wool socks? or are those not sheep wool?
posted by sio42 at 9:49 AM on September 18

Not necessarily --- I never had a problem with wearing wool work socks over cotton socks, even though the wool would touch my calves some. Maybe allergy is the wrong word precisely speaking, maybe it is a kind of skin sensitivity that ended at the knees. But same effect.

The "rash" may be a second order symptom. Keep an eye out for the prickly-heat feeling, and the itch. The rash can be produced by scratching in response to those symptoms.

Anyway, you will probably will be fine. The linng with some kind of smooth, non-wool material may be enough for you. Though remember that, when you mention felt lining, that true felt is itself made of wool! And I mention my own case just because I, personally, was in denial to the wool=bad for me connection for many years during which I had a lot of horrible symptoms, from which I am now relieved.
posted by Rumple at 10:02 AM on September 18

gotcha! thanks Rumple!
posted by sio42 at 10:45 AM on September 18

the part about the sensitivity ending at the knees did make me giggle, i must say :)
posted by sio42 at 10:45 AM on September 18

sorry if my question offended your sensibilities, geez.

I think mary8nne was responding to peachfuzz, especially since you didn't say anything about being soaked in sweat in cotton.
posted by oneirodynia at 4:00 PM on September 18

Slightly OT, but has anyone noticed that many woolen items (I'm speaking of women's clothes, haven't looked at men's) are now usually some blend instead of pure wool? E.g., "40% merino wool, 30% rayon, 20% rabbit hair, 10% cashmere," or "60% lambswool, 20% alpaca, 20% nylon." A cheaper brand might be a mixture of wool and acrylic.

Is this to soften the texture, protect the wool from being eaten by moths, which can't digest artificial fibers, or to save money? I have noticed older pure wool sweaters being eaten by moths, but they seem to leave the blends alone.
posted by bad grammar at 5:31 PM on September 18

I suspect it would be to improve the washability and dryabilty, though I can't explain the multiple wool source components. Wool is pretty shrinkable on its own.....
posted by Rumple at 7:55 PM on September 18