More wool!! We have just received our order of organic wool bedding. We now carry a wool mattress, 3 brands of wool toppers, wool mattress pads, wool comforters, wool dog beds, and various wool pillows. So what's up with wool?
The properties of woolWool has a very complex chemical and physical structure, which accounts for its uniqueness and versatility as a textile fiber. The fibers are made up of more than 20 amino acids, which combine to form long chains (polymers) of protein.
It's the internal structure of each woolen fiber — a three-dimensional corkscrew pattern, or helical 'crimp' — that gives wool its elasticity. The coiled springs of these molecular chains, with their permanent built-in 'memory,' makes the woolen fibers themselves coil-shaped and accounts for their enduring resilience.
Wool is superior to all other fibers in its ability to handle body moisture in both warm and cool environments. The porosity of the cells in the outer layers of wool fiber allows them to quickly and efficiently absorb and evaporate moisture. In fact, the fibers can absorb up to 30% of their own weight in moisture — ten times as much as any synthetic fiber — without feeling damp or clammy. The porous structure also explains why wool is such a good thermal insulator, not to mention the mesh of the fibers, which creates millions of air pockets that further help to regulate temperature and humidity.
Wool is a naturally strong fiber. It can bend back on itself 20,000 times without breaking. Compare this to cotton at 3,200 times, silk at 1,800, and rayon at only 75 times.
Due to its unique chemical structure and natural moisture content, wool is naturally fire-resistant. And despite its natural moisture content, wool's dry, porous nature repels mildew and dust mites
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Did you know?A wool mattress pad on your bed will eliminate dust mites, which can't survive in the natural lanolin of the wool.
A wool blanket can also help you sleep better. Tests have shown that the heart rate under a wool-filled comforter was always significantly lowered, while the humidity next to the skin was significantly lower 71% of the time.
What are other uses for lanolin?
Because it's an excellent water-repellent, lanolin is used on oil rigs as a corrosion inhibitor (an agent that slows down the rusting process). For the same reason, spare auto parts are sometimes coated in lanolin when they're put into long-term storage. And, of course, because it's chemically similar to many of the oils naturally produced by human skin, it's widely used in the pharmaceutical industry. In fact, when lanolin is mixed with suitable vegetable oils or soft paraffin, it makes a cream so good at penetrating the skin that it has been used as a 'carrier' to deliver pharmaceutical drugs subcutaneously (meaning just below the skin).
Lanolin can also be used as a lubricant and a leather finish and preservative. You'll even find lanolin in some varnishes and paints.
