Originally Posted by MichiganKyle I can't tell you the mechanism for the irritation, but I discovered the wonders of alpaca socks a while back when I realized I was getting red itchy painful rashes from my sheep's wool socks. It also dawned on me at the time that that's why my forehead was always red and itchy after I wore my wool hats. For me, it very well could be an acquired allergy - I've got a bunch of weird allergies, mainly to foods. But I've never had a problem with my alpaca socks. Only downside I've found is that the alpaca gear I have is all spun very loose, which is great for warmth but tends to get a little frizzy between wearing and washing. But they are by far the warmest socks I've ever had. That said, if anyone does make an alpaca kilt or alpaca hose, please PLEASE let me know. I would love to try them. When I worked for a merino wool clothing companies I had the pleasure of meeting one of the ranchers. He explained that wool allergy is actually an allergic reaction to lanolin oil. In the absence of lanolin oil, irritations caused by wool fibres are actually sensitivities to the rough microscopic scales inherent in wool strands. There is a trick he says works for about 1 in 10 people that is sensitive to wool scales. Start wearing wool in the summer (in less sensitive areas of the body), make sure skin in contact with the wool are well moisturized, and wear them for small periods of time. For some people, he claims, this can decrease the sensitivity over time. Can't tell you for sure if the trick works unfortunately, as I never had a problem with wool.
pofloyd1
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