General Questions about Linen Fabric

Linen VS Cotton. What’s the difference?

Linen

Linen is the world’s strongest natural fiber and is often regarded as the best quality material to sleep in. It is made of the flax plant that goes through a lengthy production process to become an end-product for your bed. Linen has a lot of benefits and is famous for its balance between its strength and the ability to become softer after each wash. Linen is one of the best breathable fabrics, it can keep you cool in summer and won’t let you get cold in winter. The top flax-growing countries in the world are Ukraine, France, Belgium, Italy, and Lithuania. They have the perfect climate conditions to grow it. They produce the highest quality natural fibers that will be then turned into cozy linen sheets, duvet covers, pillow shams, curtains for your bedroom.

Cotton

Cotton is the other kind of natural material that is commonly used for bedding. Cotton is a soft natural fiber that gets its strength from spinning the fiber into yarn and then weaving the yarn into fabric. Cotton is a breathable and moisture-wicking fabric, also because of the softness, it’s a comfortable material to sleep in. The process of producing cotton is relatively easy compared to the linen process so that cotton textiles tend to be lower priced. The most common delusion about cotton is that the higher the thread count is, the higher the quality is. But what is actually the best thread count? The thread count itself only contributes up to 10% of a finished bedding product. Other factors that are much more important to measure the quality of the fabric include the species and quality of the source cotton, the country of origin, the yarning technique, and finishing materials.

Why choose linen?

Durable and strong

Linen is known to be the world’s strongest natural fiber. Not only is linen thicker than cotton, but it is also 30% stronger than cotton, which makes the linen bed sheets being more durable and last a lot longer.

Able to soften after each wash

High-quality cotton is inevitably softer than linen, especially within the first six months of purchase. However, high-quality linen becomes softer and more absorbent after each wash without losing its durability. Most linens that are used for bedding products (like Scottie’s) are high quality and are also ‘stonewashed’, which makes linen look more elegant and be even softer than usual.

Highly breathable

Linen is a natural insulator. It has natural heat and moisture-wicking properties that make linen a good conductor of warmth and a popular fabric to use for clothing or bedding in the summer.

More environmentally friendly

The cultivation and manufacturing of flax are environmentally friendly and require less irrigation, pesticides, and energy than most other fibers, including cotton. For example, the flax plant, from which linen is derived, requires only 1/5 of the pesticides and fertilizers that cotton requires.

Naturally hypoallergenic

Because linen is a natural fiber (so is cotton too) it is hypoallergenic, meaning that it is great for people who suffer from allergies or have sensitive skin, so they won’t need to worry about having an allergic reaction when touching the fabric or sleeping on it.

Absorb moisture

Linen has an incredible ability of moisture absorption and can absorb up to 20% of its weight before beginning to feel damp.

Why is linen fabric good for health?

Being resistant to fungus and bacteria, flax is found to be an effective barrier to some diseases. According to Japanese researchers, studies have shown that bed-ridden patients do not develop bedsores where linen bed sheets are used. Sleeping on linen bedding helps to decrease some skin diseases – from common rash to chronic eczemas. Linen is highly “hygroscopic” meaning it rapidly absorbs and gives up moisture. Adsorbing water as quickly as a pond surface, before giving a feeling of being wet, linen cloth can absorb as much as 20% of its dry weight. This explains why linen fabric always feels fresh and cool. Linen does not cause allergic reactions and helps treat several allergic disorders. Linen is effective in dealing with inflammatory conditions, reducing fever, and providing a healthy air exchange. It does not accumulate static electricity.