I am R, a director and chairman of the Silk Mania Association.
As it's the height of summer, I have many opportunities to talk to customers who come into the store about sweat and odor!
The people I have talked to have told me how easily synthetic fibers adsorb bacteria, and how once they do, they do not let go.
Because it is a synthetic fiber made from petroleum, it easily blends with oil and protein, and easily absorbs sebum and dirt.
There are various types of chemical fibers
Synthetic fibers include polyester, nylon, acrylic, and polyurethane.
Regenerated fibers include rayon, cupra, and polynosic.
Semi-synthetic fibers include acetate, triacetate, and promix.
Among them, polyester is the material that is used most often in clothing.
This is the material that nearly brought me to heat stroke the other day! Polyester is the main material used in sauna suits.
If you are a customer who is worried about odors that won't go away even after washing, your clothes are probably made of polyester.
The smell is partly due to bad bacteria, but it's also apparently due to the properties of polyester, which is a synthetic fiber!
Polyester is a fairly common material for sportswear.
This is because the fabric has extremely low moisture absorption, meaning that the fibers do not absorb moisture but let it pass through! Therefore, even if the material gets wet with water or sweat, it evaporates quickly!
The selling point here is that it has excellent quick-drying properties, which is one of its selling points; it doesn't absorb sweat, so it doesn't feel sticky or wet, and it maintains a smooth feel when worn!
Furthermore, polyester is highly durable because the fiber itself is stronger than other fibers, and it hardly shrinks or loses its shape even after repeated washing. This may be something that some people like or consider to be an advantage.
The fact that it is not affected even when roughly handled is probably why it is used as sportswear.
Since it is dyed at high temperatures, the color does not fade easily and it is also a material that does not deteriorate easily due to exposure to sunlight! It's strong!
And best of all, it's lightweight.
As mentioned above, polyester is quick-drying, but it has low moisture absorption, so it gets stuffy and retains odors.
Therefore, the skin cannot absorb the steam that remains on the skin contact surface, and the skin remains steamy, which becomes food for bacteria from dirt, which then multiply and cause odor together with the skin's own sebum.
And the problem is that if you wash it with synthetic fibers (made from petroleum), dirt from other clothes will transfer to it.
Like a Möbius strip, the absorbed sebum and dirt easily become food for bacteria, which then causes the bacteria to multiply and cause even more odor.
Kyaaaaah
I know I'm being persistent, but polyester easily absorbs sebum and dirt, which cannot be completely removed by washing and remain in the fibers. The worst part is that if you bring it in while it's still damp, bacteria will grow and the smell will get worse.
I washed it but why? This is it
In this day and age, chemical fibers are not going to disappear, so we have to learn to live with them. If we get too nervous about them, it will not be healthy for our mental health, so let's live with them.
However, it's still not too late to make a conscious effort to use natural fibers as much as possible!
And above all, I think natural materials are best as they are gentle on the skin, so I highly recommend silk!
That's because silk is the material closest to human skin and is so unique that it is often referred to as a second skin.
Silk is the best! Love Silk
Silk maniac
R