The benefits of bamboo in warmer weather

Posted by SOCKSHOP

Bamboo is an amazing material, increasingly used for a variety of things from scaffolding poles in Hong Kong to - yes, you guessed it - socks.
   
Bamboo Socks in Warmer Weather
  
One of the great benefits of using bamboo fibres in fabrics is that they provide great heat regulation. In fact, as far as materials go for summer socks, bamboo is second to none. Here’s why…

Keeps your feet cool and dry

Even during a British summer, the days can get hot. And one of the first places to heat up is your feet. Feet and hands are part of the body’s temperature regulating system, so often get hot and cold in response to the changing weather.

During the summer, this heat can build up under layers of shoes and socks and cause your feet to get hot and sweaty.

Bamboo’s fibres absorb up to 3 times their own weight in water. This wicking property helps draw sweat from the surface of your skin.

Sweat helps cool your body down when it evaporates by removing some of the built up heat. But if your feet get too wet or the sweat has nowhere to go, the evaporation process slows down.

Bamboo helps speed up this process by absorbing some of the excess water. This not only helps the cooling process, but also means the excess moisture is drawn to the surface of the sock where it can evaporate more easily, keeping your feet dry.

The strong and soft fibres also have what are called ‘micro-holes’, which are pretty much what they sound like – tiny holes among the fibre. These allow air to circulate better through the fabric, also providing a cooling effect.
   
Bamboo Socks in Warmer Weather
  

Other benefits

While comfort, dryness and keeping feet cool are pretty much three of the top things you’d ask for in a sock during the summer, bamboo also has a few more tricks up its leafy sleeves.

For one, bacteria hate it. Bacteria are one of the main causes of smelly feet. Our feet are covered in bacteria, as they are part of a healthy body. But too much can cause problems. The bacteria that live on our feet thrive on sweat. As they consume the sweat they produce a type of acid that smells.

Not only do the wicking properties of bamboo help prevent this, it’s also been discovered that when bacteria come into contact with bamboo, over 70% of them simply die. Add to that, the fact that bamboo has anti-fungal properties and you’re starting to see why more and more socks are being made from bamboo.

Can we add one more benefit? OK. If you’re kicking your shoes off this summer then your bamboo socks will keep your feet protected from the sun. Bamboo has the equivalent UV protection against the sun as SPF40 sunscreen - much higher than your standard cotton socks.
   

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