When it comes to regulating your body temperature, keeping you warm and dry, or just looking stylish and breathable, merino wool is an ideal choice. The material is a hygroscopic fiber that draws moisture away from the skin and evaporates it quickly, allowing you to stay cool in hot weather and warm in cold.
Its small and tightly coiled fibers are also incredibly pliable, allowing it to move with your movements and adapt to your needs. This makes merino wool the perfect fabric to wear for multiple activities and seasons, including hiking, climbing, skiing and yoga.
The crimped fibers of wool also create air pockets, which trap air and keep you cooler in the summer as well. This is because when you sweat, the vapor that escapes from your body actually absorbs the wicking properties of the wool and is transported away from your skin to the outside.
In addition, a merino wool garment will naturally pull odor-causing bacteria from your body and neutralize the smell before it can leave. That means you’ll be less likely to stink when wearing merino wool, and will need to change your clothes less often when on a tour or an active adventure.
This type of fiber is sourced from New Zealand and Australia, where the sheep are raised on highland farms and given a natural, grass-based diet. Every year, these animals produce a new fleece that is both renewable and sustainable.
These sheep have been selectively bred over centuries to create an excellent wool fiber that is lightweight, soft and breathable with excellent insulating properties. The wool is then spun into a durable yarn that is used to make clothing.
It is a great base layer and can be worn under other layers to regulate your body temperature and keep you comfortable in all kinds of environments. It is a natural, renewable resource that is incredibly durable and versatile.
You can buy merino wool canada in many different colours from white (natural wool colour) to grey, pink, yellow and light blue. It’s available in a variety of styles, from tank tops and long sleeve thermal shirts to leggings for men and women.
The best merino wool is made from 100% Australian and New Zealand-sourced merino. This is a more expensive fabric but it will last longer and is much less likely to smell.
It is best to handwash your merino wool products as dry cleaning solvents and enzyme-containing detergents will degrade the yarns. However, if you don’t have time to handwash, machine wash your clothing in cold water and turn it inside out before putting it in the dryer.
When you do have to wash your merino wool, it is important to choose a mild detergent as bleach and other harsh detergents will cause the wool fibers to degrade. This will reduce the elasticity of the wool, making it less effective at regulating your body temperature and managing your moisture.
When washing your merino wool, it is also essential to remove any metal tags and labels as they can degrade the quality of the fabric. It is also a good idea to wash your merino wool in the drier, as this will help prevent the formation of odor-causing bacteria.