Bamboo Socks and What the Fabric Actually Is

FASHION · GLOBAL

Bamboo Socks and What the Fabric Actually Is

Viscose from bamboo, comfort claims, sizing and washing

Bamboo socks are comfortable and popular, and the fabric involves a manufacturing step that the marketing frequently skips. It is worth knowing what you are buying.

Bamboo viscose is a processed fibre

Almost all bamboo fabric is viscose or rayon made by dissolving bamboo pulp in chemicals and regenerating it as fibre. The plant is bamboo; the fibre is a manufactured cellulose.

Regulators in several countries have acted against labelling it simply as bamboo, which is why careful brands say viscose from bamboo.

Lyocell processing using a closed-loop solvent system recovers most of the chemicals and is the better environmental option where a brand uses it.

Why they feel good

The fibre is smooth and round in cross-section, which is why it feels soft against skin. It also absorbs moisture readily, which suits socks and sensitive feet.

Claims about bamboo being naturally antibacterial do not reliably survive the manufacturing process, and regulators have challenged them.

Blends

Check the composition. Pure viscose socks stretch out and wear through, so a good sock blends it with elastane for recovery and sometimes with nylon at the heel and toe for durability.

Sizing

Socks that are too small cramp toes as effectively as shoes that are too small. Check the stated shoe size range rather than assuming one size fits.

Washing

Cool wash, no fabric softener, and air dry. Viscose is weaker when wet and tumble drying is what shortens the life of these socks.

Turn them inside out, which reduces pilling.

Feet and socks

Change socks every day, dry your feet properly between the toes, and rotate shoes so each pair dries out fully. Most foot odour and athlete's foot come from damp rather than from the sock fibre.

Anyone with diabetes should check their feet daily and avoid tight elastic tops, and should see a podiatrist about any sore that is slow to heal.

Repairing socks

Darning a hole takes about ten minutes and keeps a good pair in use for another year or more.

Buying socks that last

Reinforced heels and toes, a blend with some nylon, and a ribbed top that holds without cutting in. Buy several identical pairs rather than singles, since one hole then does not lose you a pair.

Check the composition label rather than the marketing, since the actual bamboo content varies enormously between products.

Charity and cause products

Ask how much of the price actually goes where, and to which named organisation it goes. A stated percentage or a fixed amount per item is checkable; general language about supporting a cause is not.

WHERE TO BUY

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