What fabric is best for sensitive skin?
Long-staple cotton, silk, and Tencel - smooth fibers, no chemical finishes, washed before first wear.
Irritation comes from fiber ends poking skin, chemical residues (dyes, formaldehyde wrinkle-free finishes), and trapped moisture. The smooth natural fibers minimize all three: long-staple cotton (Pima/Supima) has few protruding ends; silk is the smoothest of all; Tencel's round fiber cross-section is engineered to be non-irritating. Avoid: wool directly on reactive skin (the scales that make it warm can itch), acrylic, and anything labeled 'wrinkle-free' or 'stain-resistant' without OEKO-TEX certification. Whatever you buy, wash before wearing - finishing chemicals, not fiber, cause a large share of first-wear reactions.