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5 Reasons To Switch To Natural Fiber

Clothing

Natural fiber clothing detox

When buying clothes, I used to consider the following four points: appearance,

comfort, size and price. I never considered the fabric of the clothing – as long as it

fit my style, body and bank account balance, I was a happy camper.

Recently, I’ve added one more condition that my clothes must meet: they must be

made of natural fiber such as cotton, linen, wool or silk. On my journey to a natural

lifestyle in order to holistically address my autoimmune disease, I’ve adjusted many

aspects of my life including my diet, my skin/hair/body care products, supplements,

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the quality of my drinking/bathing water and even my mattress. But until a few

months ago, I didn’t think about detoxing my closet.

I don’t have the means to revamp my whole wardrobe, as limited as it is, with

natural fiber pieces. As of 3 months ago, however, I made the vow to only purchase

clothing made with at least 90% natural fiber. Slowly, I’m transitioning my closet to

natural fiber pieces.

Natural fibers vs. synthetic fabric

Natural fiber clothing is made from natural materials that have been used to make

clothing for thousands of years. Natural fibers include:

Cotton

Linen (made from flax)

Silk

Wool

Cashmere

Hemp

Jute (a very coarse fiber used for things like carpets, not clothing)

Synthetic fabrics could be considered plastic fabric. In a process called

polymerization, chemically-derived fibers are joined together to create fabric. It

requires a numerous chemicals and solvents to create any type of synthetic fabric

(see #2 below). Common synthetic fabrics include polyester, rayon, modal, spandex

and nylon.

Bamboo fabric, which is referred to as bamboo rayon or bamboo viscose, may

sound like a natural fiber but it is produced more like a synthetic fabric which is

why I avoid it. Bamboo fibers are extremely coarse and rough. As a result, it must

undergo extensive processing with caustic chemicals to create a soft material.

According to Patagonia, these are the steps required to produce bamboo rayon:

Cellulose material (such as bamboo) is dissolved in a strong solvent to make a thick,

viscous solution that is forced through a spinneret into a quenching solution where

strands solidify into fiber. This is sometimes called hydrolysis alkalization or

solution spinning because the fiber is “spun” in a chemical solution. The solvent

used for this process is carbon disulfide, a toxic chemical that is a known human

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reproductive hazard. It can endanger factory workers and pollute the environment

via air emissions and wastewater. The recovery of this solvent in most viscose

factories is around 50%, which means that the other half goes into the

environment. Other potentially hazardous chemicals are also used in the viscose

process, including sodium hydroxide and sulfuric acid. (Source and read more)

The choice to purchase natural fiber clothing reduces your toxic burden and the

toxic burden on the environment. Here are 5 reasons why I’m transitioning my

closet to natural fibers!

1. I intuitively favored natural fiber clothing

The revelation that spurred my switch to natural fiber clothing happened just a few

months ago. One day, I realized that I was reaching for the same clothing items over

and over again while avoiding newer, nicer clothes that were just as comfortable.

Why did I choose my threadbare cotton bathrobe over my fluffy fleece bathrobe?

Why did I ignore the stretchy Athleta leggings that I had recently splurged on?

I realized that the items I obsessively wore were made from 100% cotton (plus my

one and only 100% cashmere sweater). The clothing options that I intuitively

ignored – even though they felt comfortable – were made from a blend of synthetic

fibers such as rayon, polyester and nylon. This led me to research how synthetic

fiber is made and how it may affect health.

2. Natural fiber clothing is less toxic than synthetic fiber

When it comes to body care products and cosmetics, we know that 60% of what

we put on our skin is absorbed into the bloodstream. If clothes are treated with

chemicals, and then we put the clothes on our skin, will our skin absorb some of

the chemicals? That’s my theory!

According to BodyEcology.com, these are some of the chemicals utilized in the

production of synthetic fabric:

1. Polyester is the worst fabric you can buy. It is made from synthetic polymers that

are made from esters of dihydric alcohol and terpthalic acid.

2. Acrylic fabrics are polycrylonitriles and may cause cancer, according to the EPA.

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3. Rayon is recycled wood pulp that must be treated with chemicals like caustic

soda, ammonia, acetone and sulphuric acid to survive regular washing and wearing.

4. Acetate and Triacetate are made from wood fibers called cellulose and undergo

extensive chemical processing to produce the finished product.

5. Nylon is made from petroleum and is often given a permanent chemical finish

that can be harmful.

6. Anything static resistant, stain resistant, permanent press, wrinkle-free, stain

proof or moth repellant. Many of the stain resistant and wrinkle-free fabrics are

treated with perfluorinated chemicals (PFCs), like Teflon. (Source and read more)

While we need more research to understand how wearing toxic fabrics can affect

health, we do have hints of the dangers of the chemicals. This Canadian study found

that women working in acrylic textile factories had seven times the risk of breast

cancer than the normal population. Women working in nylon factories had double

the risk of breast cancer.

Another point to keep in mind is the toxicity of chemicals used in dry cleaning.

During the dry cleaning process, garments are doused with the toxic chemical

perchloroethylene, or PERC, for short.

According to the EPA’s Chemical Fact Sheet on PERC:

Breathing PERC for short periods of time can adversely affect the human nervous

system.[…] Breathing

perchloroethylene over longer periods of time can cause liver and kidney damage

in humans. Workers exposed repeatedly to large amounts of PERC in air can also

experience memory loss and confusion. Laboratory studies show that PERC causes

kidney and liver damage and cancer in animals exposed repeatedly by inhalation

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and by mouth. Repeat exposure to large amounts of PERC in air may likewise cause

cancer in humans. (Source)

I avoid purchasing clothes that require dry cleaning to avoid exposure to PERC.

Often, clothes that say Dry Clean Only can be hand washed carefully and laid flat to

dry.

3. Natural fiber clothing is more sustainable

Why I detoxed my closet with natural fiber clothingWhen it comes to the

sustainability of clothing, natural fiber clothing is generally more sustainable than

synthetic fibers which require high energy use and crude oil (source).

Additionally, because natural fibers are plant materials, they decompose quickly.

Because synthetic fibers are essentially plastic, they are not quickly biodegradable.

When it comes to cotton, organic cotton is significantly more eco-friendly than

conventionally-grown cotton. Conventional cotton uses more pesticides than any

other crop, accounting for 10% of world-wide pesticide use (source). Further,

almost 90% of non-organic cotton is genetically modified (source), which

contributes to the high levels of pesticides and poses further environmental

damage. Other plant fibers such as linen and hemp use very little pesticides and are

not genetically modified.

4. Natural fiber clothing is a better investment

Have you ever noticed how well your favorite cotton t-shirt holds up over the

years? I’ve found that my 100% cotton clothes hold up much longer than my

synthetic clothes. The few items of linen clothing I have also seem to last forever in

beautiful shape. On the other hand, synthetic fabric begins to break down much

more quickly, especially with frequent washing. I’ve noticed that the fabric begins

to “pill” – the fabric breaks down and gets fuzzy.

Natural fiber clothing may be more expensive up front, but I’ve found that it’s a

better investment in the long run. Not to mention a better investment in the

environment!

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5. Natural fiber clothing has a “natural” vibration

Many of my readers demand, “show me the studies” whenever I discuss health and

nutrition. While controlled, peer-reviewed studies often have an important role to

play in our understanding of health, they will not provide answers or insight in all

situations. This point is (as yet) non-scientific in the sense of Western science and

may seem like an esoteric concept to some of you. However, it makes a lot of sense

to me!

Do you remember from biology class that the atoms making up anything are always

vibrating? Everything has a unique vibration. From each organ in your body to the

chair in which you are sitting, everything resonates with a specific frequency. Bruce

Tainio, who build the first frequency monitor, found that a higher vibration

correlates to better health – a concept that has been accepted for thousands of

years in Chinese medicine. The idea of supporting the body’s vibration has been

around for thousands of years in Eastern medicine, although it is newer in the

Western world. Some people misinterpret this concept of vibrational medicine as

woo-woo or a religious concept. It is neither – this is purely biology, and a biology

that we are learning more and more about as our measurement technology

improves.

This point, to me, provides the most probable explanation for my intuitive

transition to natural fiber clothing. As a highly sensitive person (a blessing and a

curse!), my body has been very receptive to various types of vibrational medicine

such as acupuncture. It makes sense that my body “asks” for the more natural

vibration of natural fibers rather than synthetic fibers.

Where I’ve found natural fiber clothing

Fair Indigo – Fair Indigo calls their clothing “style with a conscious” for a good

reason. They ethically source their materials, paying workers a living wage. They

offer a wide selection of 100% organic cotton blouses (I like the Circle Neck Organic

T-Shirt). Their gorgeous selection of scarves are a blend of cotton, wool and/or

linen.

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Alternative Apparel – Many of their items contain recycled synthetic materials,

which I still choose to avoid. However, they have some 100% cotton and linen items

that I’ve enjoyed. Some of their clothes are made with organic cotton and natural

dyes. Everything I’ve got there has been from the Sale section, which usually has a

wide selection. The 100% linen blouses that I purchased are amazing – lightweight,

super soft and wrinkle-free!

Blue Canoe – Blue Canoe uses organic cotton and/or bamboo rayon for their pieces.

I’ve not tried a wide range of their clothes, but I do like their 100% organic cotton

bras and panties. Much of their clothing is made from bamboo rayon, which is

highly processed with chemicals as I explained above. I only stick with their 100%

cotton options.

Department stores – Although the fabric will likely not be organic, you’ll be able to

find 100% cotton blouses at most department stores, as well as some 100% linen

pieces. Another option that you can find in your favorite department store is pure

cashmere or wool cardigans/sweaters.