Ready to level up your health? Discover why so many are making the switch to non-toxic clothing materials and seeing improvements in their hormones, skin and energy levels. We knew there must be a reason why linen has been around for so long (30,000+ years), and it looks like it could have a lot to do with how beneficial it is for our bodies, as well as how sophisticated it looks.
Finally, suffering in the name of health can come to an end. And no, unfortunately, the experts haven’t yet discovered the benefits of hot water (we’re just choosing to skip the cold plunges). This next wellness hack is very easy to get on board with. The only requirement? That you’re obsessed with timeless, natural fabrics, and luckily, you can keep the gluten.
We’ve stocked up on eco-cleaning products and made sure there weren’t any artificial colours in our kids’ candy. But what about the clothing (especially the fast fashion kind) we wear for hours and hours on end? Unfortunately, most of them have been found to be packed with toxins that are dangerous to our health and not much kinder to our environment. Let’s not talk about the damage to our wallets.
There is a solution! One that leaves you looking effortlessly elegant and full of quiet confidence, knowing that you’re doing the right thing for your body, mind and nature. You guessed it: pure, premium-quality linen clothing. The fabric that’s favoured by kings and queens and was used medicinally for centuries, especially as bandages (its flax fibres are literally healing).
So sit back with a fresh green juice, and let us take you through all the details on why non-toxic clothing is taking over the wellness world. We’ll also look at the deadly chemicals prevalent in the fashion industry and their dangers, and let you know how you can avoid them. The secret? Stocking up on the finest linen tops. And we’ll take that option over a lemon juice cleanse, thank you!
Need more evidence on linen’s healing properties? Read our blog on the surprising health benefits of linen and how it simultaneously keeps you both healthy and graceful.
What to watch out for:
When you have to book your dentist appointments half a year in advance, you know there aren’t enough hours in the day to be sifting through a manufacturing data sheet, hoping your clothes won’t make you sick.
We want to make it as simple as possible for you. To keep you and your family safe, make sure to keep an eye out for these essential details the next time you’re shopping.
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Wrinkle-free, stain-resistant or water-resistant fabrics: these are all code words for toxic. While you may be blessed with crisp shirts, the potential risks to your health are also massive. When you see these marketing words describing clothing, be wary, as it likely means that harmful chemicals are hiding. Unfortunately, there is a price for convenience, and it’s often our well-being that suffers. Our Le Sportif Hooded Jacket is a healthier, more refined take on outerwear. Crafted from a blend of linen and lyocell (bamboo fibres), it will swiftly become a wardrobe staple.
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Synthetic fibres: try to minimise the amount of synthetic fibres in your collection, especially polyester, which is made from Bisphenols, which can disturb the delicate balance of our endocrine system. We hate to tell you, but activewear, mass-manufactured underwear, socks and business shirts are some of the biggest culprits. So, next time you're hoping to look polished for the office, give a white linen top a try instead.
- Ultra soft fabrics: the smart ladies have stopped using fabric softeners in their laundry long ago. It’s just another unnecessary toxin to add to our daily load. Make sure your linens are a little textured at first. That’s actually a sign that they're high quality and crafted sustainably. If they’re not, they’ve been chemically altered to be softer, and your skin won’t be thanking you.
The Most Unsafe Chemicals and Why?
Bisphenols (BPA, BPS, BPF)
The name Bisphenols doesn’t mean much to us and possibly sounds like a quaint little seaside town in France. But instead of a holiday destination, it’s a group of chemicals that’s prevalent in our homes and society.
These substances (BPA, BPS and BPF) are often used to manufacture plastic and synthetic textiles such as polyester, which is the number #1 textile produced in the world and makes up 54% of all textile production. So, when you wear linen, which accounts for only 10% of production, you’re instantly unique and exclusive.
Bisphenols can enter the body through our digestive systems (i.e. lunch), lungs and skin. Now, why is this a problem? Once they’re in the body, they start to behave like the hormone estrogen and can wreak havoc on our endocrine system. And we all know that when hormones are involved, it can be like a domino effect, where it leads to issues with our reproduction, metabolism and emotional health. Not to make things too scary, but some studies also point to the fact that these chemicals could be carcinogenic.
Many of us can thankfully say that we don’t experience these kinds of symptoms the day after wearing a polyester top, yet the long-term impact is another story. When Alaska Airlines introduced a sparkling new set of uniforms for its flight attendants, it was much more than just a fashion statement.
Rashes, itchy skin and shortness of breath were some of the symptoms experienced by the poor workers. Since these flight attendants were wearing the synthetic uniforms for long hours, day in and day out, the negative impacts were able to be seen much more clearly. The date when the uniforms were introduced was also known and coincided with a spike in these harmful effects, showing a direct cause.
Now, the next thing we shouldn’t do is completely freak out, throw out all our clothes and start wearing tree bark instead. Stress is the number #1 killer for our health, and no one can be perfect (although women who wear linen come very close). If we try to be more thoughtful with our choices when we can, it will be a big help in ensuring the world will have to deal with us for many more years to come.
One last note about bisphenols. A 2024 study published by the National Library of Medicine shows that the risks of harmful effects could increase when the clothing is wet. If the clothing is dry, the exposure to bisphenols tends to be tolerable, but this can reach unsafe levels if there is sweating or humidity present.
Again, just something to think about the next time you’re heading to the gym. Now we don’t only have to worry about finding motivation but also about the cute leggings and sports bra we’re wearing! Why is it so hard to be healthy sometimes?
Make it simpler with our luxury knitwear collection that features ribbed crop tops and leggings woven from a cotton/linen yarn that allows your skin to breathe effortlessly proving that athletic wear can be made from natural fabrics and still be figure-skimming.
PFAS (“Forever” chemicals)
These micro- and nano-plastics have a bad reputation and a not-so-cute nickname to match. Why are they “forever chemicals”? Because they decompose so slowly that we’ll unfortunately have to live with them in our air, soil, water and bodies for thousands of years to come.
Watch out for PFAS in water and stain-resistant fabrics and man-made textiles. Luckily, there’s always a linen maxi dress you can wear instead! Alarmingly, these plastics are being found in human blood, brain, liver and lungs, and researchers who examined postmortem bodies have noticed a terrifying rise in the microplastic levels per gram of tissue (even just between 2016 and 2024). Of course, low sample sizes mean that scientists will have to spend countless more hours in the lab to make any concrete conclusions.
It’s quite spooky as the effects on human health are unknown, especially long-term effects, as this is a relatively modern phenomenon. Experts are learning that exposure to PFAS could lead to a greater risk of cardiovascular disease and stroke, while animal studies have shown that microplastics can cause reproductive issues.
How To Stay Safe and Choose Non-Toxic Clothing Materials:
Take care of yourself, your loved ones and the environment by following our tips to cleaner, safer fashion choices. Your friends and family are lucky to have such a kind person in their lives like you. They should remember that the next time you cancel dinner plans last minute.
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Wash clothing before wearing: sometimes, the simple solutions are the best ones. Make sure to use a gentle, fragrance-free laundry detergent and place your brand-new clothes in the washing machine before wearing. Then, leave them to dry in the sunlight for extra healing benefits. Of course, this won’t help remove the toxins and finishes that have been designed to stay in your clothes (i.e. stain and water resistance), but it’s a good start.
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Choose natural textiles: where possible, go for organic linen, cotton, wool and silk pieces that naturally feel better on the skin and are made from real plants and harvested in fields, rather than test tubes. Just this choice alone will help lower your exposure to poisons.
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OEKO-TEX 100 certification: check the tags of garments before purchasing and look for the OEKO-TEX 100 seal of approval. This is an independent, globally recognised body that tests for more than 300 harmful chemicals in clothing. It ensures that products don’t exceed the safe limits for toxins such as PFAS and bisphenols.
Why LUXMII Linen is the healthy choice
We don’t want to make this another love letter to linen, we’ve written many of those before, but its natural properties make it the perfect choice for you and your family: lightweight, hypoallergenic and antibacterial.
At LUXMII, we’re committed to using only clean, non-toxic materials, and this extends to our sustainable dyeing process, which is healthier for your skin and our garment workers. Most mass-manufactured brands use halogenated aromatics in their dyes, and whilst they may be vibrant, they are known to irritate skin. Chemicals we deliberately don’t use, yet our modern navy linen dresses still look radiant, don’t they?
As a linen-speciality brand, we work exclusively with top-tier Central and Northern European mills, the same trusted by luxury fashion houses, to ensure our linen is crafted to the highest standards: naturally softening, breathable, and safe for even the most sensitive skin.
We also intentionally avoid harsh chemical softeners to preserve the natural healing properties and longevity of our linen. As a result, the fabric may feel more textured at first, but it softens beautifully with wear and washing.
Discover all the details in our blog, does linen soften over time? And find out why, if your linen pieces are soft when you first buy them, alarm bells should be ringing.
Conclusion: Why Non-Toxic Clothing Materials (like Linen) Are A Wellness Must-Have
Feel invincible with all these hazardous ingredients trying to take you down? And here you are still surviving! It doesn’t have to be so challenging to stay safe, though, and that’s why non-toxic clothing materials such as linen are becoming such a popular wellness must-have.
Below, we summarise our top tips for keeping toxicity far away from your home and clothes:
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Natural fabrics are the key: organic linen (of course, that’s our number #1 choice), cotton and wool are exceptionally beneficial to our health and should be treasured and worn as much as possible.
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Avoid synthetic fabrics as much as possible: polyester is the most dangerous of them all, produced with bisphenols and microplastics that can be tremendously irritating to our skin and disrupt our immune system. These also decompose extremely slowly (we’re not being hyperbolic here, polyester can take up to 200 years), so it’s also damaging to the environment.
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Be careful of stain and water-resistant clothing and super soft fabrics: these convenient perks don’t happen naturally. Instead, manufacturers put garments through aggressive chemical processes to achieve these finishes.
