I have become a huge fan of wool. My love affair began after sleeping under an organic wool comforter and waking up feeling like I had been touched with bliss, I was so calm. (Some research says that sleeping under wool will lower the heart beat, among other things.) The more I get to know wool’s wide range of attributes, I am loving wool for a number of different reasons, including how warm it is, and how active it is because it constantly responds to temperature and moisture change in the same way that it did on the sheep. (Wool is the fleece from sheep.) And because it repels dust mites making it much easier to keep a dust-sensitive family members bed dust-free.
Best of all, I’ve learned that not all wool is scratchy. Much of it is very soft, like merino.
Here are 14 Wonderful Reasons to Love Wool!
Wool:
1. fleece boasts 56,000 fibers per square inch. These fibers are called scales and they shed water and dirt away from the body;
2. is very elastic, which gives it an excellent drape factor;
3. is very strong, it can bend 20,000 times without breaking;
4. can absorb 50 percent of its weight in water without dripping;
5. can absorb 30 percent of its weight in water without feeling damp;
6. is resistant to mildew;
7. helps to evaporate moisture by wicking it from the body;
8. it cools as well as warms the body;
9. it breathes, insulating without overheating;
10. it resists dust mites;
11. is an excellent wind barrier;
12. is flame resistant;
13. it doesn’t attract a static charge;
14. some research has found that it regulates and slows the heart beat.
You can cocoon yourself with wool at night by having a wool comforter, pillow, mattress, and blankets. You can stay warm all winter by wearing wool slippers, sweaters, coats, and hats. Many are now wearing wool for professional sports attire, such as for biking. This is because wool breaths so well, and works so well to help regulate your body temperature and as a wind barrier.
Buy organic wool. Many sheep are “dipped” in pesticides to ward off ticks and other pests. Wool can be shorn from the sheep without harming the animal.
By Annie B. Bond, best-selling and award-winning author of five green living books, thousands of blogs, and all the tips in the Greenify Everything app. Called “The Godmother of Green” by Martha Stewart Sirius Radio.
