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Choosing the right material to sleep on is a final step in making your bed really comfortable. Even once you’ve decided to go for natural fabrics you still have an important decision to make – to choose among two of the most common natural bedding materials: linen and cotton.

Both of these fibers have their own distinctive feel and benefits, so how to choose one over the other? Here are some of their key differences that will help you make the right decision.

Linen VS Cotton. What’s the difference?

Linen

Linen is the world’s strongest natural fiber and is often regarded as the best quality material to sleep in. It is derived from the flax plant that goes through a lengthy production process to become an end-product for your bed.

Linen has a lot of benefits and is famous for its balance between its strength and the ability to become softer after each wash. Linen is one of the best breathable fabrics, it can keep you cool in summer and won’t let you get cold in winter.

The top flax growing countries in the world are France, Belgium, Italy, and Lithuania. They have the perfect climate conditions to grow it and produce the highest quality natural fibers that will be then turned into cozy linen sheets for your bedroom.

Cotton

Cotton is the other kind of natural material that is commonly used for bedding. Cotton is a soft natural fiber that gets its strength from spinning the fiber into yarn and then weaving the yarn into fabric. Cotton is breathable and moisture-wicking fabric, also because of the softness it’s really comfortable material to sleep in.

The process of producing cotton is relatively easy compared to the linen process so that cotton textiles tend to be lower priced.

The most common delusion about cotton is that the higher the thread count is, the higher the quality is. But what is actually the best thread count? In fact, the thread count itself only contributes up to 10% of a finished bedding product. Other factors that are much more important to measure the quality of the fabric include the species and quality of the source cotton, the country of origin, the yarning technique, and finishing materials.

We will get to these factors in our upcoming posts.

Why choose Linen?

Durable and strong

Linen is known to be the world’s strongest natural fiber. Not only is linen thicker than cotton, but it is also 30% stronger than cotton, that makes the linen bed sheets being more durable and lasts a lot longer.

Able to soften after each wash

High-quality cotton is inevitably softer than linen, especially within the first six months of purchase. However, high-quality linen becomes softer and more absorbent after each wash without losing its durability. Most linens that are used for bedding products (like Scottie’s) are high quality and are also ‘stonewashed’, which makes linen look more elegant and be even softer than usual.

Highly breathable

Linen is a natural insulator. It has natural heat and moisture-wicking properties that make linen a good conductor of warmth and a popular fabric to use for clothing or bedding in the summer.

More environmentally friendly

The cultivation and manufacturing of flax are environmentally friendly and require less irrigation, pesticides, and energy than most other fibers, including cotton. For example, the flax plant, from which linen is derived, requires only 1/5 of the pesticides and fertilizers that cotton requires.

Naturally hypoallergenic

Because linen is a natural fiber (so is cotton too) it is hypoallergenic, meaning that it is great for people who suffer from allergies or have sensitive skin, so they won’t need to worry about having an allergic reaction when touching the fabric or sleeping on it.

Absorb moisture

Linen has an incredible ability of moisture absorption and can absorb up to 20% of its weight before beginning to feel damp or wet.

Linen bedding is widely considered to be luxurious. Why is that? Why many celebrities, 5-star hotels, and restaurants choose linen bed sheets, pillows, and duvets? Why linen is considered by many to be the ultimate material for bedding?

Made from flax fibers, linen has been grown for thousands of years and is one of the world’s oldest fabrics. For many decades before people have known and appreciated the unusual qualities of linen. So what are they?

The Advantages of Pure Linen Bedding:

– Because of its unique filtering, bacteria resistance, ventilating, moisture absorbing anti-static and evaporating capabilities, linen bed sheets are known as anti-allergic and are recommended for people with allergies and skin diseases.

– A linen sheet has the capability of resisting dirt and other microbes.

– Linen bedding has a light massaging effect because of the microscopic breaks throughout the fabric.

– Linen is a highly breathable fabric – makes you warm in the winter and keeps cool in the summer.

– Linen can absorb as much as 20% of its weight before beginning to feel damp or wet and always having a pleasant, fresh, cool feeling when touched or slept on.

– It is anti-static and can even help soften and preserve the skin due to its naturally low pH balance.

– Linen sheets a nice feature of becoming softer after each wash without losing its durability and strength.

– Linen bedding is twice as durable as cotton bedding and can last the decades (an investment).

– It is environmentally friendly – the cultivation and manufacturing of flax don't cause a lot of harm to the planet and all the flax used to make linen is can be reused in other ways.

– To own bedsheets of pure linen is certainly a status symbol… a choice and reflection of a more prestigious lifestyle (and always has been).

And it's not the end of this list, but isn't what we mention enough to convince you what is best natural fiber for your magically swift and restful sleep?! Try linen bedding from 3HLinen – it is well known for its marvelous design and high quality.

Bring yourself the sheer comfort, peace of mind, a refreshing sleep, and overall better health and wellbeing with this 100% linen sheets. They are totally worth it!

See you at our store!