Wool Allergy

[Robert M.]

hello all,



I have been trying to get into reenacting but My girlfriend has a severe wool allergy so I was wondering if 1) has anyone heard of this and know the specific compound in the wool that is triggering the allergic reaction(i.e cat dander) and if so can you a) treat the wool in a way that would reduce the compound in the wool to the point where she would not have the reaction or, b) is there a modern material that is indistinguishable from wool and,that is hypoallergenic.

Thank you for any help, she already has enough allergies without bringing wool into the household.

also if it helps at all shes also allergic to dogs, cats, small rodents, and pollen that I know of, the allergy to dogs seems mild, cats and small rodents make her face break out and her eyes water even if she takes Allegra.

[FAVENTIANVS]

Use linen, also accurate and easier to wear.

[Gaivs Antonivs Satvrninvs]

Hi,Robert,
I understand this problem all too well. As a child I was allergic
to wool. As a result,all my wool clothing was lined. It didn't touch
my skin and the problem was (sort of) fixed.
Yes, linen is probably your best alternative. There are also wool blends
(though maybe not acceptable in your group) or worsted wool which isn't
itchy at all,and used,I believe, by several groups.
I really feel sorry for your girlfriend.It must be tough.
Good luck.

[Musivarius]

Robert,
It could be that she is allergic to the lanolin in the wool, this I believe is fairly common in wool allergies. I only found this out as I became allergic to the latex gloves we use at work and the allergy to wool loanolin came as part of the package.
Lawrence

[Emeraldweapon7d]

Ahh, alergies. nature's sick, sadistic joke. :?

[Lepidina]

It could be that she is allergic to the chemicals used to process wool, which is pretty common. The cheaper the wool, the more crap that is put into it to make it useable. Also, a lot of wool "allergies" are actually intolerances to wool. If she breaks out into hives or a rash, that's an allergy. If she's really itchy and doesn't like the feeling but there's no rash, it's just an intolerance.

You can try thoroughly washing wool with a neutral soap like Eucalan and see if that takes the chemicals out of it. Never use Woolite as that contains bleach and will eat your wool.

Something else that might help is "organic" wool which are processed naturally without chemicals. Those might be hard to find tho'.

And lastly, lining wool with linen or cotton should also help. All my clothing is linen, even though my palla should technically be wool. Oh well.

[Magnus]

I'd go with Linen myself too...I have a wollen tunic, and in fact my subarmalis is wool...can't stand it. lol