So many items in our environment are composed of synthetic fabrics, whether they are warm sweaters or light skirts, our favourite athletic leggings or shaping undergarments. They may feel cosy and attractive, but they can be harmful to your skin and overall health. From unpleasant smells to smelly skin, rashes, nausea, or even worse. Synthetic materials contain chemicals that aren’t the healthiest for our skin.
We looked into this issue further and learned how wearing materials like polyester, rayon, or spandex can affect our health. The list is below!
1. Polyester
One of the most well-liked and frequently used synthetic materials is polyester. Although it can be made with a mixture of natural materials, such as cotton, to stop wrinkling and tearing, its impact on our health could still be detrimental. Your skin struggles to breathe when wearing polyester. Additionally, as your body temperature rises, chemicals from this cloth are released and later absorbed by your skin.
Numerous issues and irritations, including rashes, itching, redness, eczema, and dermatitis, can result from this. Therefore, it is best to stay away from polyester in both your clothing and your linens.
2. Rayon (Viscose)
Cellulose from wood pulp is chemically transformed to create rayon, a fibre. Not only is it risky to produce this material, but it can also be harmful to wear. Toxic compounds that rayon fabric emits have been linked to nausea, headaches, vomiting, chest pain, and insomnia. In addition to all of that, it produces a lot of environmental pollution.
3. Nylon
Nylon is used to make a wide variety of everyday items, including socks, lingerie, undergarments, pantyhose, and so on. It is well-liked since it is reliable and inexpensive to create. Nylon is not the best material to wear next to bare flesh, though. Nylon clothing does not absorb sweat from the skin, which can result in unpleasant odours and skin diseases. The fabric is bleached or coloured with various chemicals during manufacture. A number of irritations might also result from wearing it on your skin.
4. Acrylic
Fabrics manufactured of acrylic include the mutagen and carcinogen acrylonitrile. Various health issues can arise as a result of exposure to this chemical. They include a headache, nausea, dizziness, trouble breathing, limb weakness, and numerous other symptoms. You run the danger of absorbing some of the acrylonitrile into your skin if you wear acrylic textiles.
Additionally, the production of acrylic contributes significantly to environmental degradation.
5. Spandex/Lycra/Elastane
These textiles have a great deal of elasticity, making them ideal for making tight clothing like sports bras, leggings, T-shirts, shaping undergarments, tights, and bikinis. These are created from hazardous chemicals, such as polyurethane, which is also regarded as a carcinogen, just like other synthetic fabrics. Prolonged contact with these materials might irritate the skin and lead to dermatitis.
Which fabrics are safe to wear
- Cotton is breathable, absorbs moisture from the skin, insulates against the summer’s heat and the winter’s cold, is hypoallergenic, and is long-lasting. It’s one of the best materials you can wear to provide maximum comfort for your skin.
- Merino wool is a natural fibre that regulates temperature and moisture and doesn’t sag or lose its shape over time. Instead, it provides a natural UV shield and is soft and lightweight. Alpaca wool can also be a nice alternative.
- Cashmere is a highly rare and expensive material. Cashmere has a smooth, silky texture that is created naturally; it is wonderful and pleasant to touch on the skin.
- Hemp has been used as a textile for thousands of years. It is renowned for being strong and long-lasting. When it comes to maintaining shape and resisting stretching, it is the best natural material. Additionally, it gets softer the more you wear it.
- Silk offers many health advantages in addition to being a soft fabric with a lovely touch. It has anti-fungal properties, can slow down ageing, treat eczema and asthma, prevent allergies, and enhance sleep!
- Bamboo is a novel and intriguing replacement for conventional natural materials. In addition to being equally as smooth and soft as other natural materials, bamboo textiles are also highly breathable, hypoallergenic, and thermoregulatory. It shields you from UV rays like merino wool and can absorb skin moisture even better than cotton. It is also biodegradable.
- Very comfortable and long-lasting material is linen. Additionally, it requires little maintenance and is appropriate for all seasons. It has hypoallergenic qualities, will feel extremely cosy, and will let your skin breathe, just like some other natural materials.
Which types of clothing and materials do you favour wearing? Do you have a lot of artificial clothing? Comment here and let’s exchange!
Preview photo credit depositphotos.com
