Natural fibers do not interfere with our own human cooling and/or warming system. Wearing clothing from cotton, organic cotton, hemp, linen/flax, silk, ramie, wool, rayon, tencel and/or blends of these fibers, is therefore a much more healthy and more comfortable choice (which  may sometimes require proper layering in extreme weather conditions.

Those of us who are at the stage of life where we are often experiencing “our own personal summer”, or “hot flashes”, truly appreciate the comfort of natural fibers perhaps more than most. Individuals who have undergone chemotherapy and/or radiation treatments find natural fibers much more comfortable to wear next to their extremely sensitive skin.

Based on newly assessed lifestyle priorities, many of us also feel that human beings were never meant to be wearing by-products of long dead creatures. (Petrochemical fibers made from oil products, consisting of remains from long-decayed dinosaurs and other ancient animals.) Some would also agree that no products from animals that harm them should be worn by human beings who are conscientious about their place in the natural scheme of things in our role of stewardship of the earth.

The availability of newly combined, woven and knitted natural fibers allows for an amazing realm of choice as to texture, weight and colors. Also, whether or not the fibers were organically grown is another choice along the way to wearing more healthful garments. Organically grown fibers put much less stress on the natural environment than those grown using chemical herbicides, pesticides, and fertilizers. Organic cotton can also be ‘color grown’, which means that it is grown naturally in several muted shades of green, gold, brown and cream. Access to natural dyeing processes is yet another positive option available to those who experience allergic reactions to synthetic dyes and/or prefer not to wear them.

All natural fibers can be washed and dried by non-polluting methods, which means no dry cleaning.

On a personal note, I find the lovely textures of natural fibers much more attractive, comfortable and complementary to wear, and like the fact that little care is necessary beyond washing and drying. It does work best to use warm water for washing and cool rinse cycles, use non-polluting laundry products, use delicate or permanent press wash and dry cycles, and to remove the clothing while a bit damp to hang out the remaining wrinkles. Some steam ironing may be required, but that is a personal choice as the natural textures are part of the ‘look’ of natural fiber garments. (Anyhow, I refuse to wear anything less wrinkled than I am !! …and have always ‘resisted’ the need for ironing whenever possible !! ) The wearing of natural fiber clothing is another simple conscious choice we can easily make toward maintaining a more natural, more comfortable and more healthful lifestyle. 

There has been some confusion about what really are natural fibers used in textiles.  In some people’s opinion, natural fiber clothing is the same as organic clothing.  In conversations, “natural clothing” is sometimes used to refer to organic clothing because the clothing is completely natural and was grown and manufactured without toxic chemicals. But natural fiber clothing simply refers to clothing made from fibers found in nature, such as cotton, wool or hemp, which may not be grown or manufactured under conditions which would allow them to be certified as organic.

Natural fibers fall into three main groups:

Vegetable fibers which come from plants such as cotton, hemp, and flax;

Protein fibers such as wool, alpaca, and cashmere which come from the wool and hair of animals;

Strong elastic fibrous secretion of silkworm larvae in cocoons which is used to create silk.

The main ingredient in all vegetable fibers is cellulose, a carbohydrate found in all plant life. The most common natural fibers used to make clothing are: cotton, hemp, ramie, linen, wool, and silk.

The use of natural fibers extends back beyond recorded history with archaeological evidence indicating that wool and flax had begun being woven into fabrics by the sixth century BC. Man-made fibers, however, which are fibers chemically and structurally altered to an appreciable extent during their production, were not developed until after the Industrial Revolution. The earliest of these fibers, including rayon and acetate, were comprised of the same cellulose polymers found in many natural fibers, though in a drastically modified form. Later man-made fibers, such as nylon and polypropylene, were created through purely artificial means and came to be classed in a separate category of fibers known as synthetics.

Technology marches forward and has given up a new category of fibers called “natural man-made fibers”, which does sound like an oxymoron.  The most common and best known of these new natural man-made fibers is lyocell, also known by its brand name Tencel.  Lyocell is made from the cellulose in wood pulp so it is “natural”, but the wood pulp has been dissolved with a solvent and the wood pulp solutions is then squirted into fibers so it is actually man-made from reconstituted wood pulp.  Lyocell has been given a reputation as being eco-friendly because it is made from trees, which are a renewable resource, and the solvent used to dissolve the wood pulp is reclaimed and recycled to be used again.  There is very little air or waste water pollution created by the manufacturing processes to create the lyocell fiber.

Natural Fibers vs. Organic Fabric

Most garments that are produced from natural fibers such as cotton are not organic. Conventionally grown cotton is the most chemically treated crop in the world.  One fourth of all toxic chemical pesticides produced each year are used on cotton crops. Both the fiber growing and the fabric manufacturing must be free of harsh, toxic chemicals to quality the garment as being organic and healthy for the consumer and the environment in which it was produced and manufactured. 

go to www.angelenajosephsboutique.com to find clothing that is made for the natural woman.