Different Natural Fibers Used to Make a Scarf
- Pashmina is made from the hair on the neck and chin of the Himalayan goat.
- Cashmere is made from the hair on the rest of the goat’s body (except the neck and chin).
- Wool usually comes from various breeds of sheep.
- There are also prestigious wools like alpaca, angora, vicuña, camel, yak, etc.
- Silk is a natural protein fiber of animal origin. There is also silk made from plants or shells.
- Threads can also come from plant fibers such as cotton, linen, etc.
Different Chemical Fibers Used to Make a Scarf
- Artificial fibers made with chemical treatment (from natural raw materials).
- Viscose (wood cellulose), rayon, modal, etc.
- Synthetic fibers made with chemical treatment (polyamide (nylon), polyester, elastane, acrylic, etc.).
Natural or Chemical, How to Tell Your Scarf?
It is difficult to tell if a scarf is natural or chemical. Moreover, some chemical fibers can be softer than some natural fibers. However, it remains chemical, and it’s much less warm around the neck, but it’s easy to be fooled.
Want to be sure? You want to know yourself if your scarf is natural or chemical, without going through a lab or a specialist? It’s simple! You need to cut a small thread from your scarf (from the fringes for example) or a loose thread, and get a lighter.
What’s remarkable about the lighter test is that all natural fibers react the same way when you burn your thread. It should produce a flame that almost immediately goes out and forms a small black ball at the end of the thread. You must immediately check if this black ball can be crushed between your fingers. If so, the fiber is natural.
To summarize:
if it doesn’t form a black ball that can be crushed and disappears leaving some black residue on your finger, then it’s chemical.
About chemical fibers:
- They produce a flame that lasts without forming a ball,
- The thread burns without forming a ball,
- A hard ball that does not crush,
- And if a chemical smell is released, it’s definitely a chemical product.
