How often do you try to wear and buy natural material clothing such as cotton, linen and wool?
December 7, 2025
I have been doing some 'window shopping' online, and it seems to be really hard to find stuff that is made out of natural materials completely.
44 comments
100% of time, only my undergarments and a few bodysuits have 2% to 8% elastane. Otherwise, I only wear natural fabrics. Maybe some of coats have polyester lining but only 1 or 2 and not 100%.
I try as much as possible but yeah, it’s so difficult! š It has definitely brought down my consumption by a lot which is nice. I’ve found some natural fibers clothing at TJ Maxx and Marshall’s in wealthier areas.
Every time.
It can be hard to find things made out of natural fiber, which is why I do a lot of my shopping at resale or second hand stores. You have a larger selection from more brands, and of course it’s cheaper.
Like never, except the one time for underwear. I donāt feel any difference. I can barley find natural materials anyway, even too expensive clothes arenāt natural anymore
Always. I rarely buy anything not that anymore. Me and the planet deserve better than plastic.
Always…?
All of my clothing except rain jacket and the wind breaker I wear for running. Everyday clothing is all natural fibres.
I stopped shopping at some brands because of how synthetic their clothing got.
I buy clothes mostly cotton. Underwear 100% cotton, socks as close to 100% as possible (lately it’s 70/30 or 60/40 cotton/polyester but still have some 90% cotton as well), bras vary but either polyamide that are seamless, or mostly cotton/viscose/elastane. T-shirts 100% cotton, jeans are regular jeans, pants in summer are fully cotton or viscose, while in winter I’m wearing 60% cotton 40% polyester sweatpants. For sweaters I like the same ratio but have a few acrylic sweaters as well as for long sleeved shirts I like viscose/elastane blend as well as cotton/elastane. I do have some partially wool hats but I don’t live in a nearly cold enough climate to have more wool items. Personally I hate how linen feels and it isn’t necessary for the climate I live in and can get away with pure cotton and viscose clothes during summer.
I try to wear cotton as much as possible, especially for underwear. Synthetic materials just arenāt very comfortable.
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As often as possible.
It’s so difficult that I make around half my clothing nowadays.
I am trying to buy only natural or at least natural blend. Itās surprising how quickly just 100% cotton items are harder to find. I did find some cotton bras and workout bras. I like the breathable factor of natural fabrics.
I do have synthetic blankets and what really started to bother me is thinking of all the plastic dust in the air.
Most of the time. Im all cotton rn. I would never pay hundreds of dollars for polyester leggings!
On that subject, I abhor poly and poly-blend sheets/bedding āhintāāmicrofiberā is poly. 100% cotton all the way. Does not have to be fancy and expensive. I rarely stay at shirt-term rentals for this reason. Your body cannot regulate body temp under that garbage, especially our age.
The few non-cotton or wool tops I haveāquickly notice the pit difference. Yuck.
I donāt mind blends or synthetic for things like running gear, bras, or merino blend socks, and do like a bit of spandex in some things as well, but primarily natural fibres, yes
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I try, but itās hard because 1) hard to find 100% natural and to be honest, I do prefer some elastane in some of my stuff and 2) expensive in my experience and 3) larger sizes are harder to source without ordering online.
Iām somewhere where ordering online and returning can be a pain in the ass, but at the same time, regular retail may not have the things I want. Additionally, I kind of pick and choose. In my experience, I have some kind of a thing that 100% cotton underwear just makes me feel bad. Idk Iāve washed it with special laundry stuff even and it just seems to keep the smell and not get clean, feels also damp when wearing it. So my underwear is not natural fibers and Iām fine with it. I wear a lot of tights and leggings which are mostly non natural fibers as well.Ā
My tank tops usually have some elastane in it too.Ā
But other than those, I try to source natural fibers within my means.Ā
But itās harder and harder in my opinion. Some fully cotton or linen stuff is something my grandmas or great-grandmas would wear (especially underwear) and itās just not appealing to me, even though I know itās better for the environment and for my health too.Ā
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Only my workout pants and my seamless undies are synthetic.Ā
Otherwise natural all the way. It is really hard to find and expensive, but natural fibres wear so much better and they’re so much more comfortable.Ā
This has just recently become important to me as Iām trying to build a more sustainable and lasting wardrobe with less fast fashion. Man itās expensive.
LL bean is really good with 100% cotton and 100% wool, if you donāt mind paying $80 for a shirt. They last, so the upfront investment is worth it to me. I also live in a climate that gets really cold during the winter.
I like quince for wool and linen as well.
That’s all I buy. It involves a lot of thrifting, eBay and vinted to get reasonable price points and my wardrobe is sometimes a bit of a mishmash as a result.
Cotton is widely recommended by many gynecologists. I use it every day and for most of the time, especially for sleeping.
I really try but find it almost impossible to find items I like that fit my budget, look cute and fit this criteria
I try to as much as possible however my bottoms tend to be polyester as my thigh chub run will eventually ruin all of them and polyester seems to hold up the best for me. For shirts and underwear, I try for cotton and linen most of the time for comfort.
I just purchased some beautiful denim button up shirts from Uniqlo that are 100% cotton and I can’t wait to wear them.
I mostly wear cotton only clothing (maybe some elastane on the waist band, and I also try to get ones where you can easily replace it if it wears out or whatever, for longevity).
It’s fairly easy to find clothing like that here in Finland. For example right now Lidl (which also happens to be a short walk from me) is selling 100% cotton women’s “winter” night shirt for 8ā¬, 100% cotton men’s long sleeve shirt for 6ā¬, 100% cotton men’s long pants for 8ā¬, and so on. They have new clothing almost every week, and they also have a lot of products that didn’t sell out in discount bins that get heavily discounted from the already super cheap prices! A few months back I bought myself a casual shirt and pants for 8ā¬ total… They’re even “Finnish winter” thick, and have a very smooth inner side to them as well, extremely comfortable home wear. If there’s a Lidl near you, check what they’re selling in your country.
90% of time. Only time I use non-organic is gym wear, swimsuits and bras. The moment I find natural fabric options that suit me I’ll ditch those too.
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As much as I can!
I do, however, thank God that most jeans these days have 2% spandex in them. So jeans that are 98% cotton and 2% spandex are de rigueur!
I absolutely LOVE 100% cotton towels, summer quilts, and sheets. There’s nothing like high thread count, soft Egyptian, or Pima cotton sheets.
Also, I will purchase “The Big One” brand of sheets (60% cotton & 40% polyester) at Kohlās; they are very affordable, comfortable, and wear forever wash after wash.
I only try to buy natural materials because they breathe and feel nicer.
I hate hate hate acrylic sweaters and have replaced and thrifted them for cashmere ones. Keep me actually warm in sweater weather.
Polyester clothing is disgusting especially these days. They look cheap and feel cheap.
I’d rather buy classy items that last than waste money on shit that gets discolored and unreparable in a year.
Zero respect for anyone buying ultrafast fashion from Shein/Temu/Amazon etc.
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All the time.
I rarely ever wear or buy synthetic materials – only for gym wear and costumes, I reckon. I just hate how they feel on my skin, especially in the summer.
Almost always. I love fashion, and cotton or cashmere pieces are my favorites. But for winter, I only wear waterproof jackets made of polyester or nylon.
Depends. On my bike in the winter wool keeps me warm even if i sweat. Synthetics are fine to start but then I get cold.
Sweaters – I just bought a bunch of wool sweaters because the blends aren’t warm enough. I hope they last!
Socks – wool, mostly. I rarely wear socks in the summer.
Shirts – synthetics hold odor. Lots of cotton here.
Gym attire – synthetic. Wicking is key.
Loungewear – whatever.
Always
Definitely very important but some clothes are more important to get natural than others for health reasons. They had studies done on underwear and exercise clothes and a lot of women have started developing reproductive health issues due to the fibers used in underwear and workout clothes.
Always – I heavily research and do a lot of thrifting. I do buy certain items with elastane or spandex as a small percentage but otherwise try to stick to cotton, linen, wool, etc. I try to get leather or cotton canvas shoes.
80% of the time because I need to wear all natural fibers for work š„² (electrical work)
Thatās all I buy now. Itās hard, but that also limits consumption. I refuse to spend money on cheap plastic thatās killing the environment
As often as I can. Polyester and lyocell break me out. This winter, Iām just renting some clothes for my wardrobe because those pieces would be so expensive otherwise.
99% of the time. Whenever I can find it. Iām not a fan of the way synthetic fabrics feel or the lack of airflowā¦but I have also noticed how difficult finding clothes made with natural fibers is online. You can look at 30 or more listings before you find one made with 100% natural fibers. Particularly if youāre shopping on Amazon, Shien, or Temu because most of the stuff listed is cheap fast fashion made in sweatshops with the intention to maximize profits rather than quality. (And even when you find a listing made with natural fabrics, youāre not guaranteed that what they ship to you will actually be as described on the listing.)
I would wear nothing but if I had the option. Unfortunately my budget does not support it at this time.
I definitely prefer cotton or a cotton blend for most things. 100% cotton is super hard to find. I have some linen or linen blend shorts that are pretty great. I don’t mind a cotton or linen blend with something to make it softer because my skin is particular, haha.
I can’t wear wool at all. Even if it’s a wool blend, even if it’s soft, even if it’s the merino wool that everyone swears won’t make you itchy – I can’t wear any of it.
I buy cotton leggings, and either cotton or wool socks, cotton underwear. Pants/dresses/tops not as often although I’ve been more aware of it in the last year or so because it feels better on my skin. I am a knitter and exclusively knit with natural fibers, cotton, wool, linen, silk. I hate knitting with acrylic.
44 comments
100% of time, only my undergarments and a few bodysuits have 2% to 8% elastane. Otherwise, I only wear natural fabrics. Maybe some of coats have polyester lining but only 1 or 2 and not 100%.
I try as much as possible but yeah, it’s so difficult! š It has definitely brought down my consumption by a lot which is nice. I’ve found some natural fibers clothing at TJ Maxx and Marshall’s in wealthier areas.
Every time.
It can be hard to find things made out of natural fiber, which is why I do a lot of my shopping at resale or second hand stores. You have a larger selection from more brands, and of course it’s cheaper.
Like never, except the one time for underwear. I donāt feel any difference. I can barley find natural materials anyway, even too expensive clothes arenāt natural anymore
Always. I rarely buy anything not that anymore. Me and the planet deserve better than plastic.
Always…?
All of my clothing except rain jacket and the wind breaker I wear for running. Everyday clothing is all natural fibres.
I stopped shopping at some brands because of how synthetic their clothing got.
I buy clothes mostly cotton. Underwear 100% cotton, socks as close to 100% as possible (lately it’s 70/30 or 60/40 cotton/polyester but still have some 90% cotton as well), bras vary but either polyamide that are seamless, or mostly cotton/viscose/elastane. T-shirts 100% cotton, jeans are regular jeans, pants in summer are fully cotton or viscose, while in winter I’m wearing 60% cotton 40% polyester sweatpants. For sweaters I like the same ratio but have a few acrylic sweaters as well as for long sleeved shirts I like viscose/elastane blend as well as cotton/elastane. I do have some partially wool hats but I don’t live in a nearly cold enough climate to have more wool items. Personally I hate how linen feels and it isn’t necessary for the climate I live in and can get away with pure cotton and viscose clothes during summer.
I try to wear cotton as much as possible, especially for underwear. Synthetic materials just arenāt very comfortable.
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As often as possible.
It’s so difficult that I make around half my clothing nowadays.
I am trying to buy only natural or at least natural blend. Itās surprising how quickly just 100% cotton items are harder to find. I did find some cotton bras and workout bras. I like the breathable factor of natural fabrics.
I do have synthetic blankets and what really started to bother me is thinking of all the plastic dust in the air.
Most of the time. Im all cotton rn. I would never pay hundreds of dollars for polyester leggings!
On that subject, I abhor poly and poly-blend sheets/bedding āhintāāmicrofiberā is poly. 100% cotton all the way. Does not have to be fancy and expensive. I rarely stay at shirt-term rentals for this reason. Your body cannot regulate body temp under that garbage, especially our age.
The few non-cotton or wool tops I haveāquickly notice the pit difference. Yuck.
I donāt mind blends or synthetic for things like running gear, bras, or merino blend socks, and do like a bit of spandex in some things as well, but primarily natural fibres, yes
[removed]
I try, but itās hard because 1) hard to find 100% natural and to be honest, I do prefer some elastane in some of my stuff and 2) expensive in my experience and 3) larger sizes are harder to source without ordering online.
Iām somewhere where ordering online and returning can be a pain in the ass, but at the same time, regular retail may not have the things I want. Additionally, I kind of pick and choose. In my experience, I have some kind of a thing that 100% cotton underwear just makes me feel bad. Idk Iāve washed it with special laundry stuff even and it just seems to keep the smell and not get clean, feels also damp when wearing it. So my underwear is not natural fibers and Iām fine with it. I wear a lot of tights and leggings which are mostly non natural fibers as well.Ā
My tank tops usually have some elastane in it too.Ā
But other than those, I try to source natural fibers within my means.Ā
But itās harder and harder in my opinion. Some fully cotton or linen stuff is something my grandmas or great-grandmas would wear (especially underwear) and itās just not appealing to me, even though I know itās better for the environment and for my health too.Ā
[removed]
Only my workout pants and my seamless undies are synthetic.Ā
Otherwise natural all the way. It is really hard to find and expensive, but natural fibres wear so much better and they’re so much more comfortable.Ā
This has just recently become important to me as Iām trying to build a more sustainable and lasting wardrobe with less fast fashion. Man itās expensive.
LL bean is really good with 100% cotton and 100% wool, if you donāt mind paying $80 for a shirt. They last, so the upfront investment is worth it to me. I also live in a climate that gets really cold during the winter.
I like quince for wool and linen as well.
That’s all I buy. It involves a lot of thrifting, eBay and vinted to get reasonable price points and my wardrobe is sometimes a bit of a mishmash as a result.
Cotton is widely recommended by many gynecologists. I use it every day and for most of the time, especially for sleeping.
I really try but find it almost impossible to find items I like that fit my budget, look cute and fit this criteria
I try to as much as possible however my bottoms tend to be polyester as my thigh chub run will eventually ruin all of them and polyester seems to hold up the best for me. For shirts and underwear, I try for cotton and linen most of the time for comfort.
I just purchased some beautiful denim button up shirts from Uniqlo that are 100% cotton and I can’t wait to wear them.
I mostly wear cotton only clothing (maybe some elastane on the waist band, and I also try to get ones where you can easily replace it if it wears out or whatever, for longevity).
It’s fairly easy to find clothing like that here in Finland. For example right now Lidl (which also happens to be a short walk from me) is selling 100% cotton women’s “winter” night shirt for 8ā¬, 100% cotton men’s long sleeve shirt for 6ā¬, 100% cotton men’s long pants for 8ā¬, and so on. They have new clothing almost every week, and they also have a lot of products that didn’t sell out in discount bins that get heavily discounted from the already super cheap prices! A few months back I bought myself a casual shirt and pants for 8ā¬ total… They’re even “Finnish winter” thick, and have a very smooth inner side to them as well, extremely comfortable home wear. If there’s a Lidl near you, check what they’re selling in your country.
90% of time. Only time I use non-organic is gym wear, swimsuits and bras. The moment I find natural fabric options that suit me I’ll ditch those too.
[removed]
As much as I can!
I do, however, thank God that most jeans these days have 2% spandex in them. So jeans that are 98% cotton and 2% spandex are de rigueur!
I absolutely LOVE 100% cotton towels, summer quilts, and sheets. There’s nothing like high thread count, soft Egyptian, or Pima cotton sheets.
Also, I will purchase “The Big One” brand of sheets (60% cotton & 40% polyester) at Kohlās; they are very affordable, comfortable, and wear forever wash after wash.
I only try to buy natural materials because they breathe and feel nicer.
I hate hate hate acrylic sweaters and have replaced and thrifted them for cashmere ones. Keep me actually warm in sweater weather.
Polyester clothing is disgusting especially these days. They look cheap and feel cheap.
I’d rather buy classy items that last than waste money on shit that gets discolored and unreparable in a year.
Zero respect for anyone buying ultrafast fashion from Shein/Temu/Amazon etc.
[removed]
All the time.
I rarely ever wear or buy synthetic materials – only for gym wear and costumes, I reckon. I just hate how they feel on my skin, especially in the summer.
Almost always. I love fashion, and cotton or cashmere pieces are my favorites. But for winter, I only wear waterproof jackets made of polyester or nylon.
Depends. On my bike in the winter wool keeps me warm even if i sweat. Synthetics are fine to start but then I get cold.
Sweaters – I just bought a bunch of wool sweaters because the blends aren’t warm enough. I hope they last!
Socks – wool, mostly. I rarely wear socks in the summer.
Shirts – synthetics hold odor. Lots of cotton here.
Gym attire – synthetic. Wicking is key.
Loungewear – whatever.
Always
Definitely very important but some clothes are more important to get natural than others for health reasons. They had studies done on underwear and exercise clothes and a lot of women have started developing reproductive health issues due to the fibers used in underwear and workout clothes.
Always – I heavily research and do a lot of thrifting. I do buy certain items with elastane or spandex as a small percentage but otherwise try to stick to cotton, linen, wool, etc. I try to get leather or cotton canvas shoes.
80% of the time because I need to wear all natural fibers for work š„² (electrical work)
Thatās all I buy now. Itās hard, but that also limits consumption. I refuse to spend money on cheap plastic thatās killing the environment
As often as I can. Polyester and lyocell break me out. This winter, Iām just renting some clothes for my wardrobe because those pieces would be so expensive otherwise.
99% of the time. Whenever I can find it. Iām not a fan of the way synthetic fabrics feel or the lack of airflowā¦but I have also noticed how difficult finding clothes made with natural fibers is online. You can look at 30 or more listings before you find one made with 100% natural fibers. Particularly if youāre shopping on Amazon, Shien, or Temu because most of the stuff listed is cheap fast fashion made in sweatshops with the intention to maximize profits rather than quality. (And even when you find a listing made with natural fabrics, youāre not guaranteed that what they ship to you will actually be as described on the listing.)
I would wear nothing but if I had the option. Unfortunately my budget does not support it at this time.
I definitely prefer cotton or a cotton blend for most things. 100% cotton is super hard to find. I have some linen or linen blend shorts that are pretty great. I don’t mind a cotton or linen blend with something to make it softer because my skin is particular, haha.
I can’t wear wool at all. Even if it’s a wool blend, even if it’s soft, even if it’s the merino wool that everyone swears won’t make you itchy – I can’t wear any of it.
I buy cotton leggings, and either cotton or wool socks, cotton underwear. Pants/dresses/tops not as often although I’ve been more aware of it in the last year or so because it feels better on my skin. I am a knitter and exclusively knit with natural fibers, cotton, wool, linen, silk. I hate knitting with acrylic.