Although the natural fiber wool in the outdoor world something out of fashion wool is in the form of merino wool straight for Base layer excellent. It combines the advantages of a natural fiber with those of synthetic materials, but without the respective disadvantages. The wool is said to be a bit tricky in the care. Of course that's true - in part - but it's half as bad. With this guide, we show you how to maintain your precious merino wool parts unproblematically.

The benefits of merino wool

Merino sheep were probably bred by the Berbers in North Africa, from where they arrived in the Middle Ages to Spain and eventually made there prosperity. Incidentally, the export of Merino sheep was prohibited on death penalty. This underscores the importance of merino wool at the time for the Spanish Kingdom. In the 19th century, the sheep then came to Germany, where they were crossed with native breeds. Here in Bavaria, the proportion of Merino sheep is still about 70% today. However, the main suppliers of wool today are almost 100% Australia and New Zealand, where the sheep were imported by European settlers.

Merino wool has very thin fibers, which is why it does not scratch the skin. Merino wool is therefore also lighter than, for example, virgin wool, which has significantly thicker wool fibers. Wool cools when it is warm and warms when it is cold. When it comes to sustainability, wool scores points: it is growing.

Merino wool t-shirts and underwear can be washed in the washing machine, breathe well, dry quickly, repel water, regulate body temperature in many climates and temperatures, and most importantly, they do not stink as fast as their counterparts made of synthetic material.

Merino socks are not only popular with hikers, but also trail runners, skiers, touring skiers, climbers, and so on have now recognized the benefits of merino wool. Merino wool caps keep your head warm, the snow outside, and look great too.

Proper care of merino wool

But frequent wear, the sweat and salt and the regular laundry dry out the wool after a while and make it brittle. The odor-inhibiting properties are also lost over time. The naturally contained in the wool lanolin (Wool wax) ensures their elasticity, water repellency and odor neutrality. It surrounds the fibers and makes them supple and prevents matting of the wool fibers. Lanolin can also be bought for wool care. In many Organic shops There is lanolin to buy, for example, it is also found there for natural and gentle skincare.

Whether you treat your woolen things with lanolin or not, depends on which properties you want: should it be water repellent or dry, so that it can absorb moisture better. Wool can absorb up to 30% moisture without feeling wet! In order for the wool to keep the body warm and dry, even during breaks, lanolin should not be used. Therefore, a Lanolin Wollkir is perfect for the outer layer or the midlayer, in Baselayer and underwear, it depends on what you want. Here's just a try. You can not break anything, because the lanolin slowly washes out again.

Care cure for wool clothing

In another article we already have some more proven care tips for functional clothing described.