Sweater Care Tips: How to Condition Woolens For Softness

As we progress further into sweater season, laundry is essential, but the way you wash your woolens affects much more than just hygiene. Adding one simple step to the washing process has made my sweaters softer and much more enjoyable to wear. Every once in awhile I see this recommendation, but it almost never comes up when people complain that wool is itchy or uncomfortable to wear. Realistically, some wools are coarser than others, but your sweaters should not be causing major discomfort. In this article, I'll explain the mechanics behind itchy wool and show you the easiest way to soften a sweater.

Why is wool itchy

When you feel itchy wool against your skin, Most of what you're feeling is the pokey ends of fibers and broken, craggy scales. Coarse fibers do not bend as easily, so they feel itchier. When they poke you, they are less likely to yield than finer fibers which are more flexible. Obviously, the construction of the yarn and other various traits will also affect how the little fibers poke you. Animal fibers also have microscopic scales on the surface. When the fiber is dry or damaged, these scales can create uncomfortable friction. When we look at these causes for itchiness, a hidden sweater softness hack is revealed!

Wool Care is Hair Care

I've long suspected that a critical instruction is missing when we talk about caring for wool and other protein fibers. Let's take a look at hair care for humans as an example. The fibers are still attached to our own head, but they're made from keratin like any other animal fiber.  First, hair is thoroughly wet. Next, shampoo is used to loosen and remove any dirt and impurities. When you add shampoo to something, you're lowering the surface tension of water and allowing it to mix with and dissolve oils. Scrubbing then manually loosens all of those dirt particles that were stuck in place, untouched by water alone. But when you rinse the fabric, you are also rinsing away any oils that were keeping your hair moisturized. It's common to replace them with something like lotion or conditioner. Conditioner also helps the scales on the hair lay flat, reducing surface friction. If your hair is dry, conditioner will make it smoother, springier, and more resilient once it's fully moisturized.

I'm actually not a hair expert, so here's a free, peer-reviewed article about the biology of hair and an article from NPR explaining the science behind different hair products to laypeople.

Remember, fiber itchiness comes from inflexible fibers poking directly into the skin and rough surfaces. If you make those fibers more flexible by moisturizing them, they don't poke you as much even though they're just as coarse as they were before laundering. They also feel smoother to the touch because conditioners smooth and fill in cracks in the cuticle of the fiber.

How to Condition Woolens For Softness

The next time you wash anything made of wool, use these steps.

1. Submerge the fabric in warm, soapy water (I use a basic unscented shampoo). Do not agitate it vigorously, but make sure there are no trapped air bubbles
2. Drain the water. If it was very dirty, repeat step one again. If the water was only slightly brown and cloudy, the piece is clean enough for the next step.
3. Fill the sink with warm water and dissolve 10 ml of hair conditioner for every 100g of fiber. *At this step, I also add 1-2 drops of cedar oil as a natural moth repellent.
4. Once the conditioner is dissolved, add your woolens. You do not need to be as careful about felting with the conditioner in the water, but it's still best to gently agitate. Leave everything to soak as the water cools to room temperature.
5. Drain the sink, pressing excess dirty water from the fabric. 
   
6. Fill the sink with clean room temperature water for the final rinse. This ensures that any excess products are removed, but the fibers are properly softened and hydrated.

Wring out and dry everything as you usually would. Once dry, you should notice a distinct difference in the feel of wool washed with and without conditioner. 

By following these steps and conditioning your woolens, you can enjoy the luxurious warmth and comfort of wool with less of the scratchiness. Treat your wool garments with care, and they will reward you with softness for years to come.