Treating wool to make it softer?
March 24, 2017 8:33 AM Subscribe
I love my new cardigan, but it's just a tad bit itchy. It's 50% viscose, 25% polyamide, and 25% wool. Will washing it make it softer, or should I just return it? I'm disappointed that such a low percentage of wool would bother me, but here we are. Is there any way to treat wool-containing fabrics to make them softer?
This is what I've heard, so take it with a grain of salt --
Hand-washing in shampoo, rinse, squeeze-don't-wring, then use hair conditioner, rinse, squeeze-don't-wring, and lay out to dry naturally. Hair and wool can be treated the same way (I've been told) for the same results. Cheap shampoos and conditioners are just fine, but rinse thoroughly.
Get a second opinion about putting the cardigan in a white pillowcase, fastening the top with a hairband, and putting it through a short, warm delicate cycle in the dryer. I am a crocheter and would be interested in that information also.
posted by TrishaU at 8:48 AM on March 24, 2017
Hand-washing in shampoo, rinse, squeeze-don't-wring, then use hair conditioner, rinse, squeeze-don't-wring, and lay out to dry naturally. Hair and wool can be treated the same way (I've been told) for the same results. Cheap shampoos and conditioners are just fine, but rinse thoroughly.
Get a second opinion about putting the cardigan in a white pillowcase, fastening the top with a hairband, and putting it through a short, warm delicate cycle in the dryer. I am a crocheter and would be interested in that information also.
posted by TrishaU at 8:48 AM on March 24, 2017
My skin is super sensitive to scratchy fabric (Icelandic wool feels like a torture device on my skin). Have personally tried the conditioner option, and it only helps a little. Don't expect an elimination of itchyness, but if you really want to keep it, it is worth a try.
posted by troytroy at 10:26 AM on March 24, 2017
posted by troytroy at 10:26 AM on March 24, 2017
It doesn't necessarily follow it's the wool that's causing the problem. It could be the way the viscose was processed.
I would would probably return it if I were you rather than try out the conditioner route. What conditioner does is smooth down any guard hairs that may be on the surface of the fibres and you would need to continue treating the cardigan with conditioner. What a faff.
posted by kariebookish at 10:31 AM on March 24, 2017 [1 favorite]
I would would probably return it if I were you rather than try out the conditioner route. What conditioner does is smooth down any guard hairs that may be on the surface of the fibres and you would need to continue treating the cardigan with conditioner. What a faff.
posted by kariebookish at 10:31 AM on March 24, 2017 [1 favorite]
Nthing it might not be the wool. I thought clothing manufacturers had reached unsurpassable lows a few years ago, and then itchy man-made fabrics started arriving. It could definitely be the viscose.
It could also be a mix – they tend to use the cheapest sorts of wool, which have the shortest fiber lengths and/or coarser diameters = itchiness. This can happen with any fiber. Thus my grumbling about man-made fiber quality continuing to take a dive.
Wool is indeed hair. Sheep hair. It's processed to death for manufacturing; otherwise it's actually very soft. (People allergic to natural wool are actually allergic to lanolin. Few indeed are allergic to hair.)
posted by fraula at 10:56 AM on March 24, 2017 [2 favorites]
It could also be a mix – they tend to use the cheapest sorts of wool, which have the shortest fiber lengths and/or coarser diameters = itchiness. This can happen with any fiber. Thus my grumbling about man-made fiber quality continuing to take a dive.
Wool is indeed hair. Sheep hair. It's processed to death for manufacturing; otherwise it's actually very soft. (People allergic to natural wool are actually allergic to lanolin. Few indeed are allergic to hair.)
posted by fraula at 10:56 AM on March 24, 2017 [2 favorites]
Put it in the freezer for a week or two. Old trick, works like a charm on itchy wool items.
posted by fshgrl at 10:17 PM on March 24, 2017
posted by fshgrl at 10:17 PM on March 24, 2017
This thread is closed to new comments.
If you decide to keep the sweater, definitely try doing a soak with hair conditioner, I've found that it does seem to help with softness. On the other hand, there's a certain amount of scratchiness intrinsic to the fiber diameter, and conditioning won't change that baseline, it'll just help the particular garment be the best it can be.
posted by aimedwander at 8:48 AM on March 24, 2017 [4 favorites]