Hi all you good ladies, could anyone of you tell me how to tell the difference between cotton and nylon? especially shirts, i buy 100% "cotton" shirts, and wash and wear, within an hour im itching and the shirt is sticking to me, its not 1 brand of powder, Mrs has tried lots,but i still get same problem, feels like being wrapped in cling-film!! im not over-weight, 5ft 10in 87kg,

Thanks in advance for info to tell the difference, Lickey.

Are you looking for the difference in texture or what?

Cotton shirts shouldn't be causing you problems unless you happen to be allergic (possible?) as cotton breathes better than nylon. Could be they aren't really 100% cotton?

The label on shirts states 100% cotton, but im sure they are not after wearing for an hour or so, i have some cotton shirts from UK and they are just great, breathe nicely but getting threadbare and weak now, im just wondering if there is a foolproof test to tell if 100% cotton or not?

Burn a small piece. Maybe cut off a bit of inseam.

To identify fabric that is unknown, a simple burn test can be done to determine if the fabric is a natural fiber, man made fiber, or a blend of natural and man made fibers. The burn test is used by many fabric stores and designers and takes practice to determine the exact fiber content. However, an inexperienced person can still determine the difference between many fibers to "narrow" the choices down to natural or man made fibers. This elimination process will give information necessary to decide the care of the fabric.

WARNING: All fibers will burn! Asbestos treated fibers are, for the most part fire proof. The burning test should be done with caution. Use a small piece of fabric only. Hold the fabric with tweezers, not your fingers. Burn over a metal dish with soda in the bottom or even water in the bottom of the dish. Some fabrics will ignite and melt. The result is burning drips which can adhere to fabric or skin and cause a serious burn.

Cotton is a plant fiber. When ignited it burns with a steady flame and smells like burning leaves. The ash left is easily crumbled. Small samples of burning cotton can be blown out as you would a candle.

Linen is also a plant fiber but different from cotton in that the individual plant fibers which make up the yarn are long where cotton fibers are short. Linen takes longer to ignite. The fabric closest to the ash is very brittle. Linen is easily extinguished by blowing on it as you would a candle.

Silk is a protein fiber and usually burns readily, not necessarily with a steady flame, and smells like burning hair. The ash is easily crumbled. Silk samples are not as easily extinguished as cotton or linen.

Wool is also a protein fiber but is harder to ignite than silk as the individual "hair" fibers are shorter than silk and the weave of the fabrics is generally looser than with silk. The flame is steady but more difficult to keep burning. The smell of burning wool is like burning hair.

Man Made Fibers

Acetate is made from cellulose (wood fibers), technically cellulose acetate. Acetate burns readily with a flickering flame that cannot be easily extinguished. The burning cellulose drips and leaves a hard ash. The smell is similar to burning wood chips.

Acrylic technically acrylonitrile is made from natural gas and petroleum. Acrylics burn readily due to the fiber content and the lofty, air filled pockets. A match or cigarette dropped on an acrylic blanket can ignite the fabric which will burn rapidly unless extinguished. The ash is hard. The smell is acrid or harsh.

Nylon is a polyamide made from petroleum. Nylon melts and then burns rapidly if the flame remains on the melted fiber. If you can keep the flame on the melting nylon, it smells like burning plastic.

Polyester is a polymer produced from coal, air, water, and petroleum products. Polyester melts and burns at the same time, the melting, burning ash can bond quickly to any surface it drips on including skin. The smoke from polyester is black with a sweetish smell. The extinguished ash is hard.

Rayon is a regenerated cellulose fiber which is almost pure cellulose. Rayon burns rapidly and leaves only a slight ash. The burning smell is close to burning leaves.

Blends consist of two or more fibers and, ideally, are supposed to take on the characteristics of each fiber in the blend. The burning test can be used but the fabric content will be an assumption.

fabrics.net

I have bought "100% cotton" shirts in Thailand that were NOT 100% cotton. Synthetic material makes me sweaty and smelly and they don't wear well, after a few washes they lose their appearance. So don't trust the label!

Find a loose/unfinished part of the fabric at the seam. Tug it off (or sneakily use your pen knife). Take it away and burn it. If it burns, it's natural; if it melts, it's synthetic. But, being a chick, I can always tell by feeling and smelling the fabric. 55

Being a true diva....cotton or not, if it looks good on me....I will endure it

I would never trust the labels here. I think we have all seen the shirts, boxer shorts etc that say 100% Thai silk.

It doesn't take an Einstein to realise they are 100% rayon or whatever type of man made fabric. They are the extreme you only have to touch them once.

Have you considered going to a tailor to have some shirts made? My husband used to do that, alternatively Central have some really lovely mens shirts. Obvioulsy they cost more than the Tesco ones.....................

Dont trust Thai labels, its RARELY 100% cotton when it says it is here. Freaking annoying really.

Damian

Hi all you good ladies, could anyone of you tell me how to tell the difference between cotton and nylon? especially shirts, i buy 100% "cotton" shirts, and wash and wear, within an hour im itching and the shirt is sticking to me, its not 1 brand of powder, Mrs has tried lots,but i still get same problem, feels like being wrapped in cling-film!! im not over-weight, 5ft 10in 87kg,

Thanks in advance for info to tell the difference, Lickey.

I've found the same with the tee shirts in Thailand. The label says 100% cotton, but they feel more like a synthetic/cotton mix.

Thanks for all your replys, i tried the burn test on some of the "100%" cotton shirts i have already, yes, the result Dripped to the floor, another lillte test i did today was with a hair-dryer, covered the nozzle with and old shirt from UK and it kept working ok, done the same with a local shirt and it overheated in 20 secs and stopped, so perhaps a battery powered hair-dryer on my next shopping trip is the answer?

Thanks again, Lickey..

try this company. They have a booth in MBK too, but not sure if they have big sizes there. The more you wash the softer they get.

green cotton

beachbunny

I can't imagine Suega ever being sweaty and smelly!!!