When people think of wool, they tend to think of long winters and itchy socks. This is because there are many kinds of wool, all of which are coarse and fibrous – except, that is, for Merino wool. Merino wool is made of very fine hairs that only the sheep in the mountainous regions of New Zealand and Australia produce. It is very soft and gentle to the touch, and it’s also highly elastic and durable.
Beat The Summer Heat With Merino Wool Clothing
The itchy wool that often comes to mind was likely woven from the coarse fibres of Shetland, Melton, Loden, Lambswool, or even Mohair – these are a world apart from Merino wool. Nowadays, clothing companies like Unbound Merino make lightweight, sophisticated garments from Merino wool that are a far cry from the itchy, bulky wools you might remember.
The Merino wool trade was formerly dominated by Spain, until the British took over the trade as a keystone to the development of the Australian economy. It has been popular for centuries, because Merino wool is unusually warm for its weight when the warmth is needed. It is also effective at cooling the body and self-regulating to adapt to body temperatures when your body needs cooling, so it’s particularly good in the summer heat. This is because the fibres act as a breathable layer of organic matter, a second skin if you will. It wicks away water to aid in sweat evaporation when you are overheated, and it then retains the consistent temperature of your body when the outside temperatures are freezing. People marvel at how efficiently Merino wool magically absorbs and evaporates the summer sweat. The other wonderful part of Merino wool is that you can go for weeks or months without washing it (yes, really). This is due to several key factors: the material is so good at wicking away moisture that it remains dry to the touch even if you are sweating like a pig; also, the breathable fabric and scaly fibres of the Merino wool make it difficult for stinky microbes to colonize.
Not only that, but Merino wool is a wrinkle-free fabric, making the breathable fabric perfect for traveling. You will not have to pack mountains of luggage when you go on vacation, since Merino wool beats the heat, without smelling or wrinkling – just a few choice garments will do.
Most travelers find Merino wool perfect for traveling due to the low maintenance. It is not easy to wash clothes in many foreign countries, and in certain remote and third world nations it can be seen as wasteful to wash clothing as often as you might be used to. You may be forced to hand wash small amounts of clothing in the shower each day, risking your health by doing the wash-and-wear routine in unpredictable microclimates. And that is the beauty of Merino wool: it is ideal for such rapid changes in the weather.
From hot to cold, and everything in-between, Merino wool is the one-stop-shop that has you covered from head to toe this summer.
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