Shearlife

Shearlife t1_iz43qfk wrote

Reply to comment by melanthius in Did sheep fur always just endlessly grow or was that something that was selectively bred? Were they originally naturally adapted to be going through a lot of foliage and thickets and stuff that would keep their coat relatively trimmed? by EuroTraschBozos

Well, the theory goes that any wool fibre larger than 25 micron in diameter will not bend when in contact with your skin. Hence the distinction between finewool and strongwool. Ultrafine Merino is somewhere around 15 micron, while a Scottish blackface is 28 to 38. https://domesticanimalbreeds.com/scottish-blackface-sheep-breed-everything-you-need-to-know/ https://www.woolmark.com/fibre/what-is-merino-wool/

Finewool feels soft, strongwool itchy - but everyone is different so it's not set in stone -.-/

Synthetic fibre is indeed incredible, but carries the not so small problem of microplastic: https://www.plasticsoupfoundation.org/en/2021/03/the-invisible-threat-microplastics-from-your-clothes/

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Shearlife t1_iz12pzr wrote

Reply to comment by Transmatrix in Did sheep fur always just endlessly grow or was that something that was selectively bred? Were they originally naturally adapted to be going through a lot of foliage and thickets and stuff that would keep their coat relatively trimmed? by EuroTraschBozos

True, but wool allergy is in the 1,7% of the population, so it's more likely one is sensitive to coarse fiber than actually allergic to lanolin https://www.woolmark.com/fibre/are-you-allergic-to-wool/ https://www.healthline.com/health/wool-allergy#causes https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11453903/

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Shearlife t1_iz0hbba wrote

Reply to comment by RareBrit in Did sheep fur always just endlessly grow or was that something that was selectively bred? Were they originally naturally adapted to be going through a lot of foliage and thickets and stuff that would keep their coat relatively trimmed? by EuroTraschBozos

Shedding breeds are becoming more popular also to cut costs of shearing, since wool as a fibre - particularly strongwool - has been fetching lower prices in the past years.

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