We’re sending along our favorite products and practices to create your planet-happy, cortisol-curbing repose from it all. Not just because it’s nice to unwind, but also because taking this time for ourselves helps us to show up for the people who need us (even if that person is, well, you).
A typical spa experience is a blow to your bank account – and you can’t ensure that the spa is applying eco-friendly practices behind those paper panels.
Plus, who knows who else has been in that hot tub *instantly pictures an old man peeing while the jets swish it around.*
Yeah… best to stick to your comfortable, clean abode when you need an evening of stillness.
Ease yourself into the week with a sustainable evening-for-one (or two, a spa buddy is never a bad idea).
The most sustainable products are the ones you make yourself. And you get to tap into the chemist, mixologist, and creator in you, so it’s a win-win.
Most of these self-care products can be made with items you may already have in your home. If you find yourself having to buy any ingredients, make sure to look for options with minimal packaging (especially plastic) that you can find nearby, rather than having to ship them.
This bath salt recipe pairs well with your favorite essential oils and that novel you meant to read for the last six months.
The ingredients below will make about five cups. For one hot bath you’ll want to use ½ to one cup.
Ingredients
Directions
Get a little rough with it. When making a body scrub, you’ll usually see one of three bases: sugar, salt, or coffee grounds. We’re opting for coffee grounds because they’re gentle on the skin while doing the most to remove dead cells and leave you glowy.
Ingredients
Directions
We love this face mask for its healing and soothing properties – and the fact that it comes recommended by Mona Gohara, M.D., a board-certified dermatologist and professor of dermatology at Yale School of Medicine.
Remember that everyone’s skin is different, so if these ingredients might irritate your skin, opt for another recipe.
There’s just one ingredient in this mask: Manuka honey, which comes from bees that pollinate the flowers of the New Zealand–native Manuka bush. This honey is known for its antibacterial benefits, even more than traditional honey.
To use, apply a thin layer of Manuka honey to your skin. Leave on for 15 minutes, then rinse off and follow with your toner and moisturizer.
For those products you can’t make at home, we love these because they’re natural, sustainably sourced, and add a little love to your spa routine.
Choose between rose quartz or jade for this Gua Sha, both sustainably sourced. Gua Shas have been used in Chinese medicine and around the world for thousands of years. They’re known to reduce puffiness, ease tension, stimulate blood flow, sculpt and reinvigorate skin, and allow your skincare products to penetrate deeper.
Get yours here.
This luxurious face oil by Honey is the perfect accessory to your gua sha ritual. Put it on your nightstand – you’re going to want to reach for this antioxidant, non-comedogenic (doesn’t clog pores), breathable formula every day.
Snatch yours here.
Good hair days always. This hair oil by Hinu is lightweight yet ultra-nourishing, made for all hair types using the most natural ingredients.
Stock up (you’ll want to) here.
No spa night is complete without a crackling candle. But single-use vessels and wax riddled with palm oil are not the move.
Find a reusable vessel for your candle in this Etsy shop – there are dozens of colors and each one is unique.
Refill your vessel with 100% soy wax in every heavenly scent you can dream up. Each refill even comes with a wooden wick. Find it here.
Bring that sustainable, cozy feeling of your at-home spa to all the areas of your life with our hemp underwear (because magic isn’t just for self-care nights). Shop here.
Sources:
]]>But it isn’t.
Until the 1930s, hemp was living to the fullest as the most used crop in the U.S. That was until Harry Anslinger, U.S. Representative to the United Nations Narcotics Commission, used racist messaging to try to make the plant illegal.
Hemp did experience a renaissance during WWII, when the U.S. government supported its use for uniforms, canvas, parachutes, and other military supplies.
But like Mean Girls 2, hemp’s sequel quickly faded into the background – and by 1945 it was banned again.
Fast forward to The Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (also referred to as the Farm Bill), which authorized the production of hemp and removed it from the Drug Enforcement Administration's (DEA) schedule of Controlled Substances. Yay.
After a 70+ year (forced) hibernation, hemp is making a comeback, stocking more shelves and making our habits more sustainable, one thoughtful purchase at a time.
Let’s explore some of the best products that can be made from hemp – starting with our favorite: hemp fabric.
Hemp fabric
*Cracks knuckles* Hemp. Fabric. Being a hemp underwear brand, we could talk all day about the magic of those little fibers hugging your goods all day. But we’ll be brief because, well, we have to share the spotlight with hemp’s other jobs (she’s booked and busy!).
Almost any fabric-based item in your home could be made with hemp. Jeans, tees, towels, sheets, socks – you name it, hemp can be it.
Hemp up against cotton? That’s like making a national league team play in the premier league. It’s almost cruel. But, for the sake of this blog, let’s show how many goals hemp can get.
Just one acre of hemp produces as much fiber as two or three acres of cotton. Goal.
Hemp is stronger and softer than cotton (and gets softer with every wash). Goal!
It’s antimicrobial (bye bye bacteria). GOAL!
It lasts a loooooong time. While that pair of cotton underwear you have will probably run threadbare in less than a year, hemp hangs on like a desperate ex. Hemp fiber imprints were even found in 10,000 year old pottery shards in China. GOAL!!!!!
Ok, so that’s hemp, 4 – cotton, 0.
For all your lucid musings and unfinished to-do lists, hemp also makes great paper. Hemp paper is stronger than wood-based paper and can take fold after fold, crease after crease, without losing quality (any origami wizards out there?). Hemp paper that is found in museums has still not yellowed.
While not a soft fabric per se, hemp also makes a mean pair of shoes. Sneakers like these ones from 8000 kicks are acing the test. While your typical pair of running shoes will have a sneaker-shaped footprint of 14 kg of CO2, these babies tread a little more lightly – producing just 4.1 kg. That’s a 70 percent decrease.
Hemp seed oil
Much like olive oil, hemp seeds are cold-pressed to extract the oil from the plant. Hemp seed oil is rich in omega-6 and omega-3, with a fatty acid ratio of 3:1, which healthcare experts agree is ideal for humans.
Hemp seed oil is stacked with health benefits, helping:
If you’re also furiously searching for the nearest place to get your hands on hemp seed oil – same, girl, same.
Hempcrete
Hempcrete is one of the most promising innovations in hemp technology. Hempcrete is carbon negative because it absorbs more CO2 when it’s growing than emitted when it’s processed.
It’s also resistant to fire, mold, and weather, and insulates buildings better than concrete.
Sonia Sifflet is the lead architect on the Pierre Chevet Sports Hall, the first commercial project in France to be constructed almost exclusively from hemp blocks. She believes that “in five years, it will be normal to use hemp blocks. There is no limit to what can be built.”
Beyond the environmental perks, hemp blocks also simplify the construction process. The read-to-use hemp blocks can cut the typical production schedule by 20 to 30 percent, due to the lack of need for cement joints or the drying time concrete requires.
Hemp plastics
As sustainable as we try to be, you can’t go through one day without interacting with plastic.
But all these items don’t have to be made with petroleum-based compounds.
Hemp reshapes the plastic space, creating 100% biodegradable, lightweight yet sturdy materials that rival the plastic out there today.
A Harvard University study evaluated the many uses of hemp as plastic. The findings put hemp in a new echelon of sustainability.
They found that because hemp plastic is lightweight, it can dramatically lower the weight of cars, airplanes, boats, and trains, which in turn cuts fuel consumption.
Being light on its feet doesn’t make hemp a weak candidate for plastic products. Hemp plastics are 5 times stiffer and 2.5 times stronger than conventional plastic.
While hemp grows, it absorbs 4 times as much carbon dioxide as trees. The carbon that the hemp absorbs then gets used to make the plastics. When they are no longer usable, they will biodegrade and deposit carbon back into the soil – making the whole process carbon-negative.
Our mission at Magi is to bring back the magic of hemp – not just in our sustainable underwear, but in all the products that could be made better with hemp.
Want to discover why hemp makes the best underwear? Shop Magi today.
Sources:
https://www.webmd.com/diet/health-benefits-hemp-seed-oil
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/21/business/hemp-construction-buildings.html
https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2018E3SWC..5103002M/abstract
]]>But if we gave it a chance, it might just make climate change tap out.
The plant? Hemp.
With fewer emissions, water, and a carbon-negative* footprint, hemp can be made into almost anything.
It can be the walls of your home, stronger than concrete and absorbing carbon dioxide with the lungs of an opera singer.
It can shape the curves of a race car – and be the fuel that carries it to the checkered flag.
It can be your favorite sundress and the undies you wear underneath (more on that later) – all while using far less water than cotton.
Hemp proteins even boast the same amount of protein as beef with a fraction of the emissions (no methane-filled cow burps here).
Hemp’s uses are endless, and so are the ways it outshines other materials in the fight against climate change. There’s almost no industry where hemp can’t kick common materials to the curb, and smile doing it.
Could hemp be the key to solving climate change? Let’s talk.
A study published in the National Library of Medicine did a deep dive into hemp’s applications – and found over 40 unique products it can make.
Each part of the plant is valuable in its own right. The fiber can be used to create everyday items like clothing, shoes, plastics, carpets, and more. The hurd is important in materials such as soil, insulation, and “hempcrete,” while the seed can be an alternative in skincare, food, and even oil paints (new creative venture, anyone?).
A myriad of uses is one benefit – but if we want to scale up the production of hemp, we need to know it’s inherently more sustainable to do so. Lucky for us (and the planet), it is.
Hemp is a magical material with practical benefits. It’s not just versatile – it’s good for the environment at every stage of life.
One hectare of industrial hemp can absorb 22 tonnes of CO2. Hemp also grows rapidly – around four meters in 100 days – making it one of the fastest CO2-to-biomass conversion tools available.
Even when hemp finishes growing and finds a new life, it continues to absorb CO2. Take the De Leertrommel school, 10 miles northwest of Brussels, that underwent a €2 million renovation to become the first Flemish school to ever be built with hemp.
Belgian company IsoHemp led the project, constructing the new alma mater out of hempcrete, a cocktail of hemp fibers, water, and clay or lime (because what cocktail is complete without lime?).
But this makeover wasn’t just for looks. The hempcrete will drastically reduce the carbon footprint of the school, and here’s how:
Hemp always has an extra benefit up its sleeve: the hempcrete used to rebuild the school is also fire-resistant, soundproof, and mold and pest-proof.
Like true love, hemp will find a way. Extreme heat and unpredictable weather (which is only going to worsen with climate change, *sigh*) don’t affect the plant’s ability to grow and thrive. It doesn’t need pesticides or fertilizer and consumes significantly less water than other crops.
In Switzerland, researchers have crafted a beer that replaces three-quarters of the hops with hemp flowers. The taste is completely indistinguishable from a beer made with 100 percent hops, and provides an important use for hemp flowers that may otherwise be lost in the production process.
Then there’s factory farming. We know that mass agriculture is responsible for 10% of greenhouse gas emissions.
Hemp is a more sustainable, nourishing alternative to fill our plates. It has loads of protein, along with valuable amino acids, fiber, and omega-3 fatty acids, making it perfect for vegans or anyone who wants to cut meat consumption.
Researchers are even working on pasta, tofu, and meat substitutes made from hemp.
We don’t have to tell you that burning fossil fuels in cars, planes and oversized cruise ships isn’t great for the planet (read: it’s very bad). But there are lots of biofuels out there, so why is hemp better?
Hemp is a powerhouse when it comes to fuel. It can produce more than 800 liters of biodiesel per hectare per year – more than crops such as soybean, sunflower, peanut, or rapeseed.
When compared to conventional diesel, hemp outperforms it in all categories except oxidation stability (which is easily mitigated by adding antioxidants to the fuel).
From blue jeans to bedding, hemp is an ideal fabric for a variety of textile items. Between growing and processing, hemp uses four times less water than cotton, and needs very little land to grow.
Got curves? Hemp is a perfect fit – it’s three times stronger than cotton and will last much longer, which means you can buy less.
We could go on forever about hemp’s potential as a weapon against climate change. Between its water-saving properties, durability, and carbon-sucking lungs, it’s a perfect replacement for hundreds of products and materials we use every day.
One of which, of course, is those undies you’re wearing.
Discover the magic of hemp for yourself – shop Magi.
*Carbon-negative here means that in the process of growing, hemp absorbs more CO2 than is released to grow, process, and manufacture it.
Sources:
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/article/surprising-ways-hemp-helps-the-planet
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8819531/
https://reasonstobecheerful.world/hempcrete-construction-us-building-code-sustainable/
https://goodonyou.eco/material-guide-hemp/
Here are six plants that prove magic exists.
Say hello to the lillipad’s cooler, slaying-at-the-family-function cousin: azolla. This aquatic fern goes way back – 52 million years back. During the Azolla Event, azolla contributed more than any other plant to pulling 3,000 parts per million CO2 out of the atmosphere over 800,000 years. Busy bee.
Today, azolla floats on the surface of wetlands, but it’s not just catching rays. It’s also soaking up atmospheric nitrogen and converting it into an ultra-effective fertilizer, which humans have used for millennia.
Azolla has been used to increase agricultural productivity in China for more than a thousand years, particularly with rice.
When rice paddies become flooded with water in the spring, the azolla quickly multiplies, doubling in size every other day. A patch of azolla can quickly cover the water on top of the rice, keeping weeds at bay. As the azolla dies off, it releases nitrogen into the water, providing much-needed fertilizer for the rice.
As livestock feed, it can provide up to nine tons of protein per hectare per year.
Before we put algae under the microscope, let’s talk about what algae are. They aren’t technically plants, but they are the most important photosynthetic organisms on the planet. They can range in size from tiny single-cell organisms to enormous kelp.
Algae aren’t just slimy green outerwear for rocks. They provide over 70% of the oxygen we breathe. They’ve been used to treat wastewater and reduce polluting runoff from farms. They can even create jet fuel, blue food coloring, yoga mats, and bus stops that filter dirty city air.
Of all its uses, algae’s forte is biofuels. Algae grow easily, breezily, and beautifully in shallow or even salty water. They grow so quickly that they can be harvested weekly.
According to the U.S. Department of Energy, algae has the potential to create at least 30 times more energy than land-based crops currently used to make biofuels. The Environmental Protection Agency has another staggering stat – algae biodiesel can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by more than 60 percent compared to petroleum diesel.
In short, she’s green, she’s mean, and she’s a climate change fighting machine.
Peyote is a short, button-shaped cactus native to Mexico and the southern parts of the US. It’s been used by Indigenous people in the Americas for thousands of years, especially in religious contexts.
The plant contains a naturally occurring drug called mescaline. When ingested, it has psychedelic properties and can give someone intense visions or the ability to feel colors and see music.
People have reported receiving profound philosophical insights and having a mystical experience. Sounds like a concoction Professor Snape cooked up in his Potions class. Anecdotally, it’s been said to heal several mental and physical illnesses like addiction and diabetes.
For Indigenous peoples, peyote represents their cultural survival. When colonists came to the Americas, they were afraid of its power and tried to wipe out the plant. Its existence today is a testament to the resilience of Indigenous people.
For some tribes, peyote is a gift from the Earth Goddess to humans to help us connect to her in the mystical realms.
While peyote is a magic plant, it’s important not to appropriate important cultural experiences. We can admire the plant’s abilities while respecting the Indigenous historic right to the plant.
Bamboo is everywhere – toothbrushes, toilet paper, clothing, you name it. But what’s so great about it?
Bamboo is that alt girlie for hundreds of products, including wood, fabrics, paper, and even biodegradable “plastic.” This plant is pedal to the metal when it comes to growing, shooting up two to three feet per day (fun fact: it was named the fastest-growing plant by Guinness World Records). It can regrow from its roots without the need for fertilizer or replanting and absorbs carbon at the same time. Talk about self-sufficient.
Tough as nails, bamboo is an ideal substitute for conventional hardwoods, acting as a stand-in for construction materials, furniture, and even steel reinforcement in concrete. As a fabric, bamboo is less expensive to produce than cotton, requires less water, and grows without pesticides.
Bamboo is a bit of a shapeshifter. It’s more durable than steel (as far as tensile strength) and twice as strong as timber. Harvested bamboo is very light, which means its carbon footprint during transportation is lower than heavier materials.
Three cheers for bamboo.
Much like that seedling you see poking through the mortar of a brick wall, some plants have the grit to grow in unlikely places – and if that’s not magic, we don’t know what is. Bracken ferns are one of those determined little specimens, thriving in soils polluted with heavy metals like lead and arsenic. Yuck. The ferns absorb these metals as they grow, removing them from the soil and storing them in their tissues.
Scientists have found this superpower most useful in removing heavy metals from contaminated construction sites. Once they grow to full size, the ferns are harvested and destroyed, leaving behind ash packed with precious metals that can take on a new life.
Our personal favorite is hemp. She’s a many-splendored thing: a cloud-soft fabric, a durable bioplastic, a clean-burning fuel, a concrete alternative. Hemp can replace thousands of everyday items, saving water, energy, and other precious resources.
Hemp is sustainable even as it’s working to get big and strong. It grows rapidly – around four meters in 100 days – and sucks up CO2 in the process. One hectare of industrial hemp can absorb 22 tonnes of CO2.
No part of the plant is wasted, and all the products it can replace will be higher quality than if they were created with conventional materials. That means a slower buy-use-replace cycle.
And if you want to break that cycle, here’s a good starting place: choose Magi undies for your next underwear drawer refresh. Thank us later.
Sources:
https://inhabitat.com/7-plants-that-may-save-the-world/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Azolla
https://archive.bio.org/articles/biofuels-promise-algae
https://microbialcellfactories.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12934-018-0879-x
If it wasn't for corporate interests, your home would likely be full of hemp products today, and we might have avoided the worst effects of climate change.
Hemp is one of the most versatile and downright magical plants on the planet.
Because the plant has so many different parts and can be grown pretty easily, it's a sustainable resource for making a really wide range of products, from clothing and paper to food and biofuel.
However, for many years, hemp has been demonized and prohibited due to its association with marijuana and cannabis.
This is largely due to the efforts of corporate interests, such as the cotton and paper industries, which were threatened by the competition that hemp would pose to their bottom line.
If it weren't for corporate interests, hemp would likely be used to make a wide range of everyday objects. It's safe to say that over 90% of the things you currently own would have been made from hemp if not for the suppression of this plant.
Here are just a few examples:
Concrete
Hempcrete is a sustainable alternative to concrete that is made from hemp fibers and lime. Hempcrete is just as strong as concrete, but it is much lighter and more environmentally friendly.
The production of hempcrete absorbs carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, making it a carbon negative building material.
Plastic
No one needs a water bottle that lasts 400 years.
Hemp plastic is a biodegradable alternative to petroleum-based plastic. It can be used to make a wide range of products, including water bottles, packaging materials, and even car parts.
Instead of extracting fossil fuels to make plastic, we could have used hemp
Paper
Because of hemp's incredible strength (it's stronger than steel), hemp paper is stronger and more durable than conventional paper. It is also more environmentally friendly, as it requires less energy and water to produce.
Instead of cutting down trees for paper, we could have used hemp and left the trees that give us oxygen alone.
Bedding
Hemp bedding is soft, breathable, and temperature-regulating. That means it keeps you warm when it's cold and cools you down when it's hot.
It is also resistant to dust mites and mold, making it a great option for bedding.
Another great benefit of hemp bedding is that it's antimicrobial and anti-odor, so your bedding can stay fresh for longer even if you skip a wash that week (we all do it).
Medicine
The healing capabilities of the hemp plant can first be found in the oldest known herbal encyclopedia, dating from around 2637 BCE. Ancient Egyptians would use hemp in suppositories to relieve the symptoms of hemmorhoids, and Chinese surgeons would use it as an anaesthetic.
Since hemp was banned in the early 20th century, research on the medicinal uses of the hemp plant has stopped. But there is emerging research that shows hemp is an effective pain reliever, can treat mental health disorders like anxiety and depression and even neurological disorders like epilepsy.
Body oils
Hemp seed oil is a non-comedogenic oil that can be used to treat a variety of skin conditions, including acne, eczema, and psoriasis.
When you use it on your skin, it doesn't clog your pores, making it an amazing option for people with oily skin who also suffer with acne.
It is also a good source of essential fatty acids and antioxidants, which protect the skin from environmental pollutants and can keep skin looking firmer and more youthful.
Fuel
Hemp biodiesel is a renewable fuel that can be used to power vehicles and machinery. It can produce a greater yield per hectare than other biofuels like sunflower or soybean, with the added benefit of not replacing food production or destroying soil.
When hemp grows, it actively cleans soil and provides food for pollinators. When other crops are grown, they can create harmful monocultures, but that's not the case for hemp.
It also needs much fewer resources to grow than equivalent biofuels. The plant can be grown for multiple different uses, with none of the plant being wasted.
Clothing
Image credit: Jungmaven
Humans have used hemp in clothing for thousands of years. One of the earliest uses of hemp was for making textiles and fabrics.
Hemp clothing is strong, durable, and soft. It is also resistant to wrinkles and shrinking. The first Levi jeans in 1873 were made from hemp
In addition to these everyday objects, hemp can also be used to make a variety of other products, such as food, cosmetics, and animal feed.
Why was hemp banned?
Hemp was banned in the United States in 1937 as part of the Marihuana Tax Act. This act was passed largely due to the efforts of Harry Anslinger, the commissioner of the Federal Bureau of Narcotics. Anslinger was a staunch opponent of marijuana and hemp, and he used his position to spread propaganda about the dangers of these plants.
Anslinger's propaganda campaign was successful in demonizing hemp and leading to its prohibition. However, there is no scientific evidence to support the claims that hemp is dangerous or addictive.
The bad reputation of hemp is down to a smear campaign, orchestrated by industry giants who only had their own monetary goals in mind. Hemp is a largely safe and sustainable plant with a wide range of potential uses.
The future of hemp
The good news is that hemp is now making a comeback. In recent years, there has been a growing interest in hemp and its many potential applications. As people become more aware of the benefits of hemp, it is likely to become a more common part of our everyday lives. If more people support hemp products, more hemp gets planted, and we can all benefit.
Hemp is a sustainable and renewable resource that has the potential to revolutionize a wide range of industries. It is a time for us to embrace hemp and its many potential benefits.
Want to support a hemp clothing brand and benefit from everything hemp has to offer? Shop our hemp underwear collection here.
]]>When it comes to our underwear, we often overlook the environmental and social impact of our choices. People who want comfortable and simple underwear often opt for multipacks from a department store, and people who want lingerie head to SavageX Fenty or Victoria's Secret.
Though the styles of both options are different, the production of these types of underwear is considered fast fashion.
The production of cheap and low-quality underwear not only harms the environment but also exploits workers in developing countries.
Investing in high-quality sustainable underwear is worth the cost, as it not only benefits the planet but also your health and comfort. Let's explore some of the benefits of sustainable underwear and why hemp underwear in particular is a great option for those looking to make a conscious choice.
Sustainable underwear is made from environmentally friendly and ethical materials that minimises the negative impact on the planet and workers in the supply chain.
Some examples of materials that sustainable underwear brands use include organic cotton, bamboo, recycled polyester, and hemp. Sustainable underwear is often produced using planet-friendly manufacturing processes, including water and energy-saving technologies and ethical labor practices.
High-quality sustainable underwear is made from natural and renewable materials that require less water and energy to produce. For example, hemp removes around 22 tonnes of carbon per hectare grown, and uses up to 90% less water than traditional cotton.
If you choose sustainable fabrics, you send a message to the fashion industry about the kind of manufacturing practises you consider acceptable as a consumer.
Sustainable fabrics for underwear also reduces the amount of waste and pollution produced during the manufacturing process. By choosing sustainable underwear, you can do your bit to help protect the environment.
Cheap and low-quality underwear often contains harmful chemicals and synthetic materials that can irritate and damage your skin. For example, traditional cotton is often grown with pesticides and herbicides, which can contribute to irritation or allergies. It's also harmful for farmers who sometimes deal with lifelong effects of pesticide poisoning.
Underwear made from polyester, like those used for brands like Victoria's Secret and Parade, are unbreathable and can increase the likelihood of yeast infections.
Sustainable underwear, on the other hand, is often made from natural and organic materials that are free from harmful chemicals, making it gentler and safer for your skin. Hemp in particular is antimicrobial and anti fungal, highly breathable and never grown with pesticides.
High-quality sustainable underwear is designed to last longer than cheap and low-quality alternatives. Hemp and bamboo in particular are some of the strongest plant materials, and they wear in rather than out, meaning they don't lose their shape over time.
This means you won't have to replace it as often as cheaply made cotton or polyester, saving you money in the long run.
Sustainable underwear is more comfortable, breathable, and durable, which means you get more bang for your buck.
Hemp is a sustainable and eco-friendly material that, thankfully for our planet, is becoming increasingly popular in the fashion industry. Hemp requires less water and pesticides to grow than cotton and is naturally resistant to bacteria and odor, making it ideal for underwear. Hemp is also a durable and long-lasting material that gets softer with each wash, ensuring your underwear remains comfortable and stylish for years to come.
Investing in high-quality sustainable underwear is worth the cost, as it not only benefits the planet but also your health and comfort. By choosing sustainable underwear, you can reduce your carbon footprint, support ethical labor practices, and enjoy the benefits of natural and organic materials.
Hemp underwear is a great option for those looking to make a conscious choice, as it is sustainable, durable, and naturally resistant to bacteria and unwanted smells. Make the switch to sustainable underwear today and start making a positive impact on the world and your own health.
]]>Hemp clothing has been used by humans for thousands of years, with evidence of its use dating back to ancient China and Egypt. Hemp fabric is made from the fibers of the hemp plant, which is a strain of the Cannabis sativa plant.
Not to be confused with its cousin, hemp that's grown for clothing is planted and processed entirely differently. Where cannabis plants are grown to be short and sprout flowers, hemp is grown for its stems - the taller, the better.
Hemp clothing has a long and interesting history, and it's inextricably tied with human development. It's been an extremely important fabric for humans throughout the years.
In ancient times, hemp clothing was used primarily for its durability and strength. It was used to make rope, sails, and even paper. It was also used to make clothing for working-class people, as it was affordable and long-lasting. Hemp clothing was particularly popular in regions where cotton was not readily available, such as Europe and Asia.
During the Middle Ages, hemp clothing became more widespread, particularly in Europe. It was used to make a variety of clothing items, including shirts, pants, and shoes. Hemp clothing was particularly popular among sailors, as it was resistant to salt water and could withstand harsh weather conditions.
In the 18th and 19th centuries, hemp clothing became less common as cotton became more readily available. But still, the first Levi jeans were made from hemp. Up until the 1920's, over 80% of clothing in the US was made from hemp fabric.
Hemp was the most used crop in the US until the 1930's, when Harry Anslinger, U.S. Representative to the United Nations Narcotics Commission, used racist messaging to try to make the plant illegal. This garnered the support of the timber, cotton, petrochemicals industry, who all lobbied to abolish the plant. They knew their products didn't stand a chance against hemp.
Even though the "anti marijuana" laws were passed, the hemp plant experienced a resurgence during the Second World War, when the United States government encouraged the production of hemp for use in the war effort.
Hemp was used to make uniforms, canvas, parachutes, and other military supplies. The US government used the slogan "hemp for victory" to encourage the use of hemp. But by 1945, the plant was banned again.
Today, hemp clothing is becoming increasingly popular once again, particularly among those who are interested in sustainable fashion. Hemp is a highly sustainable crop, as it requires little water, no pesticides, and can be grown in a variety of different climates. It also cleans soil as it grows and absorbs carbon faster than trees.
Hemp fabric is also very durable, and can last for years without showing signs of wear and tear.
The entire plant can be used for many different applications, including animal bedding, garden mulch, construction (hempcrete), seeds, and oil.
Unfortunately, the hemp industry lost out on decades of possible research and improvements to technology, so the plant is quite expensive to produce today. But it's a truly incredible plant for our planet and our bodies.
There are a variety of different types of hemp clothing available today, including shirts, pants, dresses, and underwear. At Magi, we make sustainable thongs, briefs, and bralettes from a blend of hemp and organic cotton. Many designers are now incorporating hemp into their collections, as they recognize the benefits of this versatile and sustainable material.
Hemp clothing has a long and interesting history, and has been used for a variety of purposes over the years. From its use in ancient China and Egypt to its popularity among sailors in the Middle Ages, to its resurgence during the Second World War, hemp clothing has played an important role in human history. Today, as we become more concerned about sustainability and the impact of our actions on the environment, hemp clothing is once again becoming a popular choice for those who are interested in ethical and sustainable fashion.
]]>But not all period underwear is made equal, some are far more sustainable than others.
In order to catch and hold blood, period underwear brands use absorbent fabrics to wick away and make sure blood doesn't leak. These fabrics are usually made from polyester or nylon, both of which are plastic-based synthetic fabrics.
It's usually best to avoid buying plastic-based fabrics, because they can be unbreathable and release microplastics when washed - not great for body or planet. We have a list of the most sustainable fabrics if you're curious.
There are a few period underwear brands who are dedicated to sustainability in all aspects. Here are three of the best ones we found:
Canada-based brand Aisle is a certified B-Corporation that's been selling period underwear products since 1993. The company is woman-owned and has won multiple awards for being great for the environment.
Their period underwear technology uses Truetex™ fabric, which absorbs up to 4 tampons worth of menstrual fluid. Their period underwear has multiple layers, which uses Tencel™, recycled polyester, organic cotton, and other materials.
Tencel™ is a more sustainable wood-based fabric that is highly breathable.
Their pads are manufactured in a local woman-owned facility in Vancouver, and their underwear is made in a factory in Cambodia which has been vetted for worker and environmental safety. Overall a great choice if you're looking for an ethical and sustainable period underwear brand.
Saalt is another B-Corp woman-owned brand, started by founder Cherie who wanted to reduce the dependence of people who menstruate on disposable period products.
The company sells both menstrual cups and sustainable period underwear in different absorbencies and cute colours and styles.
Their moisture-wicking technology uses both recycled polyester and Tencel™ Modal fabric.
Saalt is definitely a company with social impact in mind, because they donate 2% of their sales towards initiatives that reduce period poverty and increase menstrual education around the world.
WUKA is a UK-based period brand that believes "in breaking down taboos and that periods and sustainable living are not a luxury."
They use fabrics like organic cotton, Tencel™ Modal and Econyl fabric (which is made from regenerated ocean waste). They are also vegan and use plastic-free packaging.
They have period underwear in almost every style you can think of, and four flow strengths to choose from. A great choice if you want maximum customisation abilities for your time of the month.
We hope you like some of these options for your next period underwear buy. If you're looking for sustainable underwear to get you through non-bleeding days, check out our hemp underwear which is four times more breathable than cotton and uses up to 80% less water to grow.
]]>Everyone who has a vagina knows the feeling. It can be terribly itchy, uncomfortable and even painful. Yeast infections are more common than you might think - 3 out of 4 women will experience one at some point in their lifetimes.
Some treatments for yeast infections include topical creams, gels and lotions designed to stop itching. And when it comes to prevention, a lot of us are told to wear breathable fabrics or eat certain foods like gut-friendly yogurt and kimchi.
For a long time, cotton was seen as the solution for yeast infections, because of its breathable fabric.
But conventional cotton is less than ideal for being so close to your intimate areas - it's often grown with pesticides. It's also not great for the planet because it's so water-intensive and can destroy soil significantly while growing.
So if conventional cotton isn't the solution, what is? Let's find out.
Hemp is 4x more breathable than cotton, and it's antimicrobial and antifungal. There's almost no competition when it comes to how healthy this fabric is for your skin and intimate health.
On top of that, hemp is miles ahead of conventional cotton in terms of sustainability - it requires much less water and land to grow, and is one of the strongest fibres on the planet, so it'll last.
Try a pair of hemp undies here!
Organic cotton is a close second when it comes to sustainability and preventing a yeast infection. It's not as breathable as hemp, but it comes very close in terms of sustainability.
Organic cotton is almost always fed with rainwater, and no pesticides are used in the process of growing. Farmers are also paid quite well usually, and there are much fewer health concerns for the farmers working with the cotton every day.
Make sure it's GOTS certified cotton and you're good to go.
Far from being just a very strong building material, bamboo can be made into pulp and buttery soft, breathable fabric. Like cotton, bamboo wicks moisture away from the skin, making sure you stay cool. It's actually 40% more absorbent than cotton.
It's important, however, to make sure the bamboo fabric you're buying is made responsibly. Viscose bamboo uses a vast amount of chemicals in the process to make it into a soft fabric. Make sure the fabric OEKO-TEX certified to make sure no harmful chemicals were used in the production.
So there you have it. The best underwear fabrics to buy for your vaginal health. There are some fabrics you should definitely avoid, and this includes synthetic fabrics like polyester and polyamide which don't allow your vagina to breathe. If you stick to natural fibres, your skin and the planet will thank you!
]]>On top of the clothing industry being extremely polluting, most underwear on the market is made from polyester which is essentially plastic, or super water-thirsty and pesticide-ridden cotton.
These fabrics have been normalised because they're cheap and widely available, but they're not the healthiest for our bodies. Especially when they're used to make clothing that's always in close proximity to our most intimate areas.
On top of that, why should huge underwear brands be allowed to make giant profit margins on underwear made by unprotected and exploited workers?
We've compiled an ultimate guide to sustainable and ethical underwear brands, grouped by the fabrics they all use, so you can be informed about what you're buying. Because an educated consumer is a powerful consumer.
Location: Australia
Size range: XS-XL
Boody uses rayon made from organic bamboo mixed with nylon for their underwear. They have men's ranges as well, and each item comes with statistics for the amount of energy and water saved by purchasing from them.
Their factory is in China, and their bamboo is also sources from China.
Location: Australia
Size range: XS - 5XL
Hara is an Australian brand that creates bras, undies and other loungewear. They use bamboo lyocell, which is a closed loop process of creating fabric from bamboo and results in a soft fabric.
Their factory is in Australia and their bamboo is sourced from China. They also used plant-based dyes.
Location: UK
Size range: XS-XXL
Magi creates hemp underwear made in Portugal, in comfy and stylish designs. Hemp underwear is antimicrobial, more breathable than cotton and better for the planet, as it requires very little water and can grow anywhere.
The hemp is sourced from China, from the same supplier Patagonia uses.
Location: USA
Size range: XS-XXL
WAMA underwear is a men's and women's hemp underwear brand based in the US.
They have plenty of different styles of underwear ranging from bikinis to briefs, hipsters and bralettes.
Their fabric is sourced from China, and their manufacturing is also done in China.
Location: USA
Size range: XXS - 3XL
Parade is a new Gen Z sustainable underwear brand that uses 85% recycled polyester for their underwear.
The colours are super expressive and bold and fun, and they have lots of different styles of underwear in a size-inclusive range.
The manufacturing is done in China.
Location: USA
Size range: XXS - XL
Knickey is a US-based sustainable underwear brand that creates comfy undies from GOTS-certified organic cotton.
Their undies are free from toxic chemicals, which is great considering the proximity of underwear to your intimate areas.
They also manufacture in Fair Trade certified facilities in India and they have a recycling program.
Location: USA
Size range: XS - 6X
Tomboy X is a gender-inclusive underwear brand that's also ethical and sustainable.
The majority of their cotton underwear and swimwear are Oeko-tex 100 certified, and their manufacturing is in China.
They have endless options for different underwear styles so there's a style for everyone's tastes.
Location: USA
Size range: XS - 2X
Pact is a Colorado-based brand that makes sustainable underwear made from Fair Trade Certified organic cotton.
They have a clothing recycling program, and also offer the option of carbon offsetting the shipment when you buy from them.
Location: Denmark
Size range: XS - XL
Organic Basics started off making men's undies but have recently expanded into women's - with an emphasis on sustainability.
They use mainly organic cotton and TENCEL, which is made from wood pulp from responsibly sourced forests.
Their manufacturing is done in several places around the world from Turkey to Portugal.
Location: USA
Size range: S - 3X
Proclaim has bralettes and briefs in different nude colours to suit different skin tones. As a bonus, they use TENCEL, and their undies are made in Los Angeles.
Location: UK
Size range: UK 6 -16
Lara Intimates is a UK-based brand that uses deadstock fabrics to make size-inclusive underwear.
Deadstock fabrics are essentially fabrics that other factories have deemed as waste - making clothes from them diverts the fabrics from landfill. They have a great bra size calculator too, with sizes ranging from 26A to 36GG.
We hope you enjoyed this guide to the sustainable underwear brands we love! If you want to know what the most sustainable fabrics are, click here.
]]>What's sustainable, and what's not? We wanted to put together a handy material guide for the fabrics which are the best for the environment, and in turn, better for you. So next time you go shopping, hopefully you'll be armed with a few more facts to make it easier.
You know we love hemp! Hemp can be grown anywhere around the world, requires very little water and naturally fertilises the soil it grows in.
It's also one of the strongest fibres in the world and naturally gets softer with each wash. It's a natural fibre, so if you buy a piece of clothing with 100% hemp, it biodegrades very easily.
Hemp on its own feels a bit like linen, but when mixed with organic cotton it becomes silky soft and quite pliable.
The whole supply chain of organic cotton has a lower environmental impact, from how it's grown to how it's processed and dyed.
It also biodegrades easily and can be a great source of cash for small farmers. When buying organic cotton, make sure it's GOTS certified to rest easy that it's actually organic.
Linen is a natural fibre derived from the flax plant. It doesn't need much water to grow, doesn't use pesticides and can even grow in poor soil.
It also breathes very well and is highly absorbent without breeding bacteria.
Bamboo can be a sustainable fibre depending on how it's processed. Bamboo rayon is highly chemically treated and the toxic waste it produces goes directly into the environment, so it's best to steer clear of this type of bamboo.
Look for bamboo lyocell if shopping for bamboo fabric, and make sure there are certifications on the website you're shopping from.
Recycled polyester, cotton or nylon are all good options for recycled clothing. They save plastic and clothes from going to landfill and take less energy to produce than virgin fabrics.
Recycled polyester, for example, is usually made from plastic bottles instead of crude oil, which is what virgin polyester is made from.
Recycled polyester and nylon still shed micro plastics, though. So make sure to get a laundry bag that catches these tiny pieces of plastic so they don't pollute the ocean!
Have you tried any of these sustainable fabrics? Which one is your favourite?
]]>And this idea really did revolutionise the fashion industry. Clothes were now cheaper, and you could buy the trendiest clothes of every season without breaking the bank. But we have to step and think: who had to pay the price?
The reality is that fast fashion companies took advantage of cheap labor that women in developing countries would do. In countries like Bangladesh and Myanmar, women often have to choose between feeding their children or sending them to school, even after working 60 hours a week.
Fast fashion companies also have to rely on cheap fabrics - often unsustainable polyester fabric or water-thirsty cotton that relies heavily on pesticides. The result is a flimsy garment which lasts only a couple of wears before falling apart.
So why is sustainable fashion more expensive?
Synthetic fabrics like polyester are made from crude oil, which means they're readily available and cheap to produce. The oil has already been extracted for other means, so it just needs to be made into fibres.
Natural fibres like hemp, organic cotton and linen are grown from plants, so they need to be harvested and processed into fibres. The plant itself needs to be watered and grown properly, and there can be some variance year to year with how much fabric yield there is depending on the weather.
For Magi, we use hemp and organic cotton to make our hemp underwear, and we source our fabrics from the same supplier Patagonia uses for their hemp fabric. It's high quality and durable, which is reflected in the price of the fabric we buy to make our underwear.
We're so used to buying clothes that are made by underpaid garment workers, that anything made by well-paid employees will seem expensive in comparison.
When brands make sustainable clothing that is also ethical, they need to factor in the cost of paying their garment workers a living wage. This drives up the cost of the final garment, which means sometimes the price is higher.
Buying eco-friendly clothing is still not the norm in society. This means brands who made sustainable clothes don't benefit from the discounts that come with placing large orders at factories.
Fast fashion companies have economies of scale - they can order hundreds of thousands of units of fabric and therefore each unit is cheaper. A small, ethical brand will pay more for placing smaller orders.
We often buy clothes from fast fashion companies thinking it's an absolute bargain, but if you take into account cost-per-wear then sometimes sustainable clothes can be cheaper.
If you buy clothing made from a good quality fabric by skilled artisans, that garment can sometimes last decades and for many wear. Yes, it's more of an upfront investment and some can't afford this, but there are companies like Klarna or AfterPay which make investing in sustainable pieces more affordable for people.
So what's the solution? We need to go against this notion of needing all the latest, most fashionable pieces. We need capsule wardrobes. This is a wardrobe that caters to your personal style and fashion needs, not fast-changing trends.
Creating a timeless wardrobe with a few statement pieces you've invested in will not only be better for the planet, but for your wallet in the long run too!
]]>When was the last time you read the label of a piece of clothing you were buying online or in the store? For most people, the answer is never - and here's why that should change.
The same way we read labels on beauty or food products, we should be reading clothing labels to know what we're putting on our bodies and the effect of the materials on the planet.
The material your clothing is made from impacts both the environment, your skin (which is the body's largest organ) and the quality of the garment.
It determines how long your clothes will last after you wear them over and over again. It determines how well the clothes hold up to multiple washes, how comfortable they are and how much they allow your skin to breathe.
Most of us wear plastic on our skin which doesn't hold up well to endless use and doesn't biodegrade at the end of its lifetime. It also poses a problem because demand for plastic only means more plastic gets produced which then pollutes our oceans and harms wildlife.
Here are some other names for plastic in clothes:
Synthetic fabrics like polyester are plastic, and that means they shed microplastics when they're washed. Did you know there are more microplastics in our oceans than there are stars in the Milky Way?
A study conducted for Patagonia estimated that for every 100,000 people, up to 110kg of microfibres are released into local waterways daily – equivalent to the pollution caused by approximately 15,000 plastic bags.
These fabrics are treated with harmful toxic chemicals and they don't allow the skin to breathe.
What's worse is that when you wear this kind of clothing when you work out, your pores open up and absorb the chemicals in the fabric.
Sustainable activewear is a huge culprit for this - and it's not talked about enough. It's better for the planet, but is it better for your body?
Most plastics in clothes are also byproducts of crude oil, which means we increase the demand for oil products when we buy clothes made with these materials.
In 2015, more than 330 million barrels of oil were used to make polyester and other synthetic textiles (the equivalent of 21,000 olympic swimming pools).
Then there are clothes made with natural fabrics, which means they're made from plants. Natural fabrics are almost always a better choice, but they still have their pros and cons.
Here are some examples of natural fabrics:
Natural fibres are generally healthier for you and your skin, as they allow it to breathe and some even have antibacterial qualities. For example, hemp clothing is shown to be anti-odor and antimicrobial.
But it's important to inquire how and where the fibres are grown, as well as how the fabric is processed and dyed. Certified organic fabrics are your best bet.
For example, organic cotton and hemp don't need pesticides to grow and use up vastly less water than traditional cotton.
There are other fabrics like rayon and viscose which are made from wood pulp (sourced from trees).
This fabric is a tricky gray area as the fibres are highly processed and can have a lot of chemicals added to make them feel like fabrics. It's also important to know if the trees used are from a sustainably managed forest.
If we want the fashion industry to change, we must educate ourselves and become consumer activists.
If we don't demand change from our governments and the companies we buy from, they'll keep going on business as usual. In the meantime, let's make sure we read and understand clothing labels before we buy.
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Have you ever come home after a long day and been super relieved to take off your underwear? Or had to throw out a bra because it was falling apart after just a few months of use?
The fashion industry has been relying on synthetic fabrics because of how cheap they are to produce. But they trap heat and moisture down there and are treated with harmful chemicals that make them less-than-ideal to be close to our most intimate regions.
They are also difficult to recycle and don’t biodegrade in nature. Enter: hemp underwear. Here are a few reasons your next underwear purchase should be hemp:
If you want a fabric that you know is safe for your sensitive areas, look no further than hemp.
Hemp has naturally antimicrobial properties, which means nothing synthetic is added and you get an amazing benefit, au naturel.
There are some studies (inconclusive as of yet) that indicate hemp underwear can reduce the duration and occurrence of yeast infections. Sign us up, please!
Lots of companies have begun infusing silver into their underwear to make them antimicrobial, but there is evidence that this can be harmful when leached into the water supply.
Stand aside, cotton. Hemp is more breathable than cotton and can absorb more sweat while still feeling dry to the touch. This makes it a great option for the sporty among us who still want to feel fresh and dry while working out.
Polyester, which is a common underwear fabric, traps moisture, which increases the likelihood of yeast infections. Big no-no from the gyno for polyester. Big yes-yes for hemp.
The hemp plant doesn’t need pesticides or fertilisers to grow, meaning there is very little soil pollution. In fact, it regenerates the soil, so farmers can plant on the same area of land many times over. The same cannot be said for cotton.
It also grows densely which uses up less land, and isn’t a very thirsty plant. For 1kg of cotton, farmers use up to 20,000 litres of water. For 1kg of hemp, you only need 1,200 litres of water. Hemp grows really quickly - harvests are ready in about four months, which is also great for farmers who are cash-strapped.
Hemp can grow anywhere around the world in almost any climate. If hemp becomes more mainstream, the world can have many local hemp farms that supply hemp fabric without the carbon-intensive process of long distance shipping, with a bonus of creating jobs for local farmers.
Hemp also absorbs large amounts of CO2 in the growing process (more than traditional forests!), making it a carbon-negative fabric.
Every time hemp is washed, it reveals new fibres, so it gets softer and more comfortable with each wash. We love this fabric for this reason alone - it actually gets better with time. Say goodbye to throwaway culture and say hello to hemp.
Forget about flimsy and sagging underwear that loses its shape after a few washes. Hemp is the strongest natural plant fibre in the world - up to 5 times stronger than cotton and holds colour well. Your undies will be beautiful for years - guaranteed.
Lingerie and underwear is notoriously difficult to look after well, but you don’t need to give hemp fabric any special treatment for it to last years and still look and feel great.
There are so many more reasons why hemp is such an amazing fabric. At Magi, we make our underwear with a hemp and organic cotton blend, meaning you can rest easy knowing your privates are safe and the planet hasn’t been harmed in the process.
Head to your underwear drawer and you’ll probably find that most of your undies and bras are made with polyester. For fast fashion underwear makers, polyester is kind of a miracle fabric - it’s super cheap to produce and convenient for consumers because it doesn’t wrinkle or fade much.
But that cheap polyester comes with a hefty price tag in the form of pollution. Polyester is essentially a form of plastic. It’s cheap, so it doesn’t last long, and once you’re done with it, it takes hundreds of years to break down.
The best green alternative is recycled polyester, which uses plastic bottles and makes those into a fabric. In terms of health though, it definitely doesn’t tick the boxes, with studies showing its potential to leech toxic chemicals into your skin.
For a long time, cotton was the best alternative for people wanting a natural fabric for down there.
Cotton underwear has long been gynaecologist-recommended. But traditional cotton is the world’s dirtiest and thirstiest crop - it needs a lot of pesticides and water to grow, so it’s not an ideal fabric for the planet-conscious among us.
At magi, we believe we’ve found a better option to both polyester and cotton, not only for your intimate areas - but the planet as well.
Enter: hemp. Hemp has been illegal for a long time because of its association with cannabis and marijuana, but its legalisation has brought to light multiple benefits of using the fabric.
We believe consumers should be equipped with enough information to make responsible choices for their bodies and for the planet. We’ve compared the three fabrics, so you can know which choice is right for you:
Polyester is a pretty strong fabric and is known for having strong fibers that don’t wear down very quickly.
Hemp is one of the strongest and most durable natural fibers in the world - it holds its shape and doesn’t become distorted or worn out if it’s washed and worn many times.
Cotton is not as strong - it quickly loses its shape and is prone to shrinking.
Without doing a test of the fibers, it’s safe to say polyester is a strong synthetic fiber, whilst hemp is a strong natural fiber.
Strength is a really important fabric quality to take into account when buying underwear especially because underwear needs to be washed and worn often.
Choosing a strong fabric can determine how long you wear your clothes for and the lifetime of the fabric after you’re done with it - i.e. when it’s resold, recycled or upcycled.
Gynaecologists have long preferred cotton underwear to polyester, but because hemp isn’t really a mainstream fabric, it hasn’t entered the conversation in terms of health.
Cotton is breathable, but hemp actually has antibacterial and antimicrobial properties, which means it works to reduce the bacteria which underwear is usually a breeding ground for.
Polyester, on the other hand, traps heat, moisture and bacteria (yuck), making infections much more likely.
There are a few brands emerging in the market who have infused their fabrics with silver as an antimicrobial technique. Silver is a biocide and kills germs, but more studies need to be done on its effectiveness and whether or not it kills good bacteria as well.
Cotton and hemp are the best options in terms of pure comfort because of their breathability. But hemp has a great advantage over the others - it gets softer and more comfortable the more you wash and wear it. So in terms of long term comfort, hemp is the clear winner.
As the world heats up, the supply of clean water will slowly diminish. Cotton is a highly water-intensive crop, needing almost 10,000 liters of water to grow and process just 1kg of fabric.
By contrast, hemp needs 2,000 liters of water for 1kg of fabric. The difference, though, is that hemp can be grown anywhere in the world, meaning it doesn’t need as much irrigation and can rely more on rainfall.
Polyester is a little harder to compare, as it’s a synthetic fiber and doesn’t use water in the processing stage. In a hypothetical situation, polyester would need 0.1% of the water cotton needs to be produced.
With activewear, “moisture-wicking” fabrics are often promoted as an advantage of the product. Most activewear is made with polyester, which has the ability to wick moisture from your skin - but it’s not all it’s hyped up to be.
This process actually tricks your body into sweating even more, because it removes the sweat from your skin before the sweat can cool your body down.
Polyester fabric also has toxins that your body can take in when your pores are open during sweating. So it’s safe to say polyester isn’t the best choice for underwear breathability.
Cotton is a breathable fabric by nature and is a great option for keeping your body cool. There’s a caveat, though - unless you’re opting for organic cotton, your cotton underwear probably isn’t the healthiest for your body, regardless of the breathability. Hemp has similar breathability properties to cotton - but it’s up to four times more absorbent and still feels dry to the touch.
Hemp hasn’t been a mainstream fabric in fashion thanks to the illegal status of cannabis in most places. However, it’s being legalised - and this is great news for the sustainable fashion industry.
In sustainable fashion, it’s always important to do research and weigh up all the options - with fabrics or otherwise. Read the fine print of sustainable underwear brands, and decide which one is best for you and your needs. We hope this helps.
So many of us walk around with plastic on our bodies and we don’t even know it. Worse still, we wash them in the washing machine and they shed tiny plastic particles called microplastics. They then go into our water supply, oceans, fishes stomachs, then back to us… it’s not ideal. In fact, it’s pretty horrifying.
We don’t want to name names, but most big name lingerie brands are using plastics to make their bras and undies. All that demand for polyester fabric just puts money in the pockets of oil companies.
Most new fabrics are made from plastic - in fact, 64% of them are. It’s popular because polyester is super cheap to produce and convenient for consumers.
But it comes at the high cost of the planet and even our own health. Some brands are now looking into using recycled polyester, which is a good step. But it’s important to note that even recycled polyester releases micro plastics into the water supply.
The most important tool we have as consumers is to read our labels and educate ourselves on what those labels mean. If we want to buy sustainable clothing and live sustainable lifestyles, we have to consume responsibly.
Plastic fabrics come in so many different names that they can be hard to spot. So what are the different names for plastic in our clothes?
Polyester is a plastic fibre made from a chemical reaction between coal, petroleum, air and water. In the 1970s it was advertised as “a miracle fibre that can be worn for 68 days straight without ironing, and still look presentable,”.
There are a lot of advantages to using polyester. It doesn’t really wrinkle and it’s pretty stain-resistant. But for the more eco-conscious among us, it’s best avoided. Polyester is second only to acrylic in the amount of micro plastics it releases when washed.
Nylon is pretty synonymous with tights or leggings, but what exactly is it? Nylon, like polyester, is extracted from crude oil or petroleum.
It’s one of the most energy-intensive fabrics - you’d have to keep it 62.5 times longer than linen if you wanted to neutralise its carbon footprint. What’s more, producing nylon emits nitrous oxide, which is 300 times more damaging to the atmosphere than CO2.
Polyamide is essentially a type of nylon. Some brands will label their clothing with more “scientific” names. For now, it’s up to us as the consumer to understand what kind of fabric we’re buying when we buy it.
Acrylic is made in a similar way to nylon and polyester - from crude oil. It’s essentially a bunch of plastic threads made into a “synthetic wool”. The only difference between polyester and acrylic is the “feel” of the final fabric that comes out.
The fabric can last up to 200 years and releases the most amount of microplastics than any other synthetic material when washed.
We were more disappointed than anyone to hear this, but just because something is vegan, doesn’t mean it’s good for the environment. The majority of vegan leather is made from plastic-based polyurethane chloride (PVC) and polyurethane (PU). There are some new innovations making it out of cork or pineapple leaves - so it’s important to read the label!
Faux fur is made of plastic - usually either with acrylic or polyester. We think it’s time the fur fashion trend stayed where it belongs - in the past.
Spandex is a super stretchy fibre with a polyurethane plastic base. The only difference is - spandex is not made from petroleum or coal. It’s made from chemicals that are synthesised in lab settings. It’s only after the lifecycle of the fabric that spandex begins to have a harmful effect on the environment (it doesn’t biodegrade).
It’s so important to know what we’re wearing on our bodies, and to know what will happen to these fabrics after we’re done using them. Plastics are some of the worst offenders in terms of affecting the environment, especially after being disposed of. We hope you found this guide useful, and remember to read your labels.