What Fabrics Are Best For People Who Sweat

If you feel like you struggle with sweating more than the average person, you may start to think that there is no cure for your constant sweating. In fact, many people have the very same issues, whether it's because of a hormonal imbalance, illness, certain medications or even menopause. You can cut down on the discomfort by wearing breathable, lightweight clothing that doesn't irritate your skin or make sweating worse. Here are the fabrics we recommend here at Cool-jams™, in the order we would actually recommend them.

1. Moisture-wicking microfiber. This is where real wicking happens. Natural fibres absorb sweat and hold it, which is why they feel damp once you are genuinely sweating. An engineered microfiber does the opposite: it moves sweat off your skin and spreads it across the surface of the fabric where it evaporates. Kottinu, the technical synthetic we use at Cool-jams, was engineered for exactly this, and it dries in minutes rather than hours, so you stay cool and dry all night.
2. Bamboo. We use viscose from bamboo in many of our products, such as bedsheets and pillowcases, because it feels silky and cool to the touch and is gentle on the skin. It is an absorbent fibre rather than a wicking one, so it is lovely for bedding and light wear, but it will hold moisture rather than move it once you sweat heavily.
3. Cotton. Because it's an all-natural fabric, cotton won't interfere with your skin's natural processes or make sweating worse. Cotton absorbs sweat readily, so it takes moisture off your skin at first. The drawback is that it doesn't dry quickly, so it stays wet against you once you have sweated through it.
4. Linen. Because linen is another natural fabric, it helps to absorb sweat away from the surface of the skin and retain it within the weave. There's no worse feeling than being covered in sweat with nowhere for it to go, so a material like linen that draws it away will help to keep you comfortable. Because linen comes in a number of different weights, however, you'll want to be careful to choose a lightweight style that won't feel too hot or itchy in the summertime.
5. Chambray. If you're going to wear denim in the summer, you might want to choose a chambray, its more lightweight counterpart. Chambray is made of cotton and feels lightweight and breathable, unlike stiff, sturdy denim that could make sweating worse. It will absorb sweat but won't dry quickly.

The pattern worth noticing: how a fabric is engineered matters far more than whether the fibre is natural or synthetic. A dense, badly built fabric traps heat whatever it is made from, and a well-engineered one moves moisture whatever it is made from.