The Difference Between Cashmere And Wool
In the world of natural textiles, the word “wool” can mean many things. It’s not uncommon to see cashmere described as cashmere wool, but clearly not all wool is cashmere, so how can you tell the difference between these different types of wool?
Those differences aren’t always obvious, but we’ll help you know what to look for and when to be on high alert for marketing tricks that try to sell you something that’s not worth the price on the tag. And, we’ll make sure you know how to take care of your luxury garments and textiles so they hold their value long into the future.
Are Cashmere And Wool The Same?
Wool, by the most basic definition, is a protein-dominant textile shorn from the coats of certain types of animals. The most common are different breeds of sheep and goat, but wool may also be spun from the shorn coats of musk-oxen, rabbits and certain breeds of camel.
If your garment tag just says “wool” and does not list any other identifying information about the textile being used, you can assume it’s sheep’s wool. It just isn’t from a region or breed that warrants specific identification.
- Cashmere. Also known as pashmina wool, this textile comes from a special breed of goat that originated in the Kashmir Valley, near the Himalayas
- Merino. After cashmere, merino is one of the world’s most popular types of wool. Most merino sheep are bred in Australia and their coats are used to make a wide variety of domestic and industrial textile products
- Lambswool. Although this is sheep’s wool, it’s the first shearing of a lamb while the lamb is just a few months old, and therefore extremely soft and smooth
- Alpaca. Often confused for a llama given their similar appearances, alpaca wool is prized for its lightweight durability
- Angora. The hollow fiber that makes up the Angora rabbit’s fur are favored for their efficient insulation, but they are extremely fragile.
- Llama. The fine undercoat of a llama suits clothes and crafts, while the coarser guard hairs can be used to make more durable items, like rugs and ropes.
- Lopi. Icelandic sheep provide us with this type of knitting wool, which is spun using a unique process that creates a thread with a tough outer layer that has water-resistant qualities.
- Mohair. Angora goats produce the natural fibers used to make mohair textiles, notable for the combination of thick guard hairs and fine undercoat in the finished textile.
- Tibetan. Somewhat misleadingly named, soft and curly Tibetan wool is shorn from the Tibetan lamb, but they are usually raised in China rather than Tibet.
- Shetland. A thick, coarse wool due to the breed’s origins being a cold climate, the Shetland Islands of Scotland.
- Qiviut. The arctic musk-ox, bred in both Alaska and Canada, sheds an undercoat that breeders gather together to make a textile that can be eight times warmer than sheep’s wool.
Even with all of these choices in natural fibers, cashmere continues to maintain its luxury status in the textile industry.
So what makes cashmere so special compared to all those other types of wool? Let’s dig in.
Is Cashmere Warmer Than Wool?
You might find that you own these two types of material stashed in your coat closet.
As the world’s most luxurious wool textile, how much warmer is cashmere vs merino wool, or cashmere vs wool from other breeds?
It’s not easy to answer that precisely, but most industry professionals believe cashmere to be at least eight times warmer in a side-by-side merino wool vs cashmere warmth comparison. This provides a workable reference for other types of wool.
Toe-to-toe, cashmere probably won’t beat out ultra-insulating textiles like qiviut. It’s no surprise, of course - the musk ox lives in the arctic, after all. But, qiviut isn’t as easy to find as cashmere, so cashmere is often one of the warmest textiles that’s also readily available and relatively affordable.
Which Is More Expensive, Wool Or Cashmere?
The luxe legacy of cashmere may be somewhat deceiving - it is not because cashmere is the softest or warmest or most expensive of all possible types of wool that makes it such a prized textile. It is because of how well-balanced that texture and insulation is compared to the cost of its production that sets cashmere truly apart.
Overall, few types of wool can compete with the expense of cashmere and the willingness of the market to pay that cost on a recurring basis. Buying and wearing cashmere is no flash-in-the-pan trend, but a timeless standard.
You may be able to find a cashmere jumper for less than a merino wool one, but that’s due to a variety of reasons - where in the world animals are raised can impact the final price tag as much as the fashion house who designs the garment does.
No matter what you pay for it, cashmere’s value endures far longer than many other types of wool pieces.
Is Cashmere More Durable Than Wool?
Natural fibers play a bait-and-switch game with us. When processed correctly, these fibers can be spun to form some of the most resilient textiles known to the world. However, if subtle changes in its environment occur, it becomes incredibly and sometimes irreversibly fragile.
It doesn’t take a science degree to figure out that the soft and shorter an individual fibre is, the easier it will be to separate it from the rest along any given thread of fabric. Coarser, longer pieces of fiber cling to one another better, and have more surface area for that contact to persist.
Much like measuring warmth and expense, it matters exactly what type of wool you’re comparing to cashmere. In a straight comparison of lambswool vs cashmere, it makes sense to find that cashmere has more durability due to being shorn from mature animals rather than young ones.
However, if you were to put cashmere fibers side-by-side with every other type of wool, you’d find it down with the rest of the finer, shorter fibers. Because of this, manufacturers may blend their cashmere with sturdier wools to make a more durable garment.
How Do I Wash Cashmere And Wool?
As with any garment, the manufacturer’s label will be your first reference for the best cleaning process, so be sure to check it for any special notes. Otherwise, it’s safe to assume that hand-washing with a mild detergent in lukewarm water will keep most natural fiber garments fresh and stain-free.
Drying natural fiber garments requires careful planning, because you can’t hang them like you might a cotton or synthetic blend. Wool garments lose their shape easily, especially since water makes them fragile and very vulnerable to damage. Unless otherwise specified on the garment tag, you should plan to air dry wool pieces by laying them flat, out of direct sunlight and away from heat sources.
There can be some particular considerations to keep in mind when you’re washing lambswool vs cashmere vs merino wools, and so on, but our step-by-step guides have you covered with in-depth knowledge and all the latest tips and tricks.
How Do I Store Cashmere And Wool?
Storage is another topic you know we cover thoroughly, and that’s because natural fibers are at their most vulnerable to damage and infestation when they’re in storage. The small, dark corners of your closet are the perfect breeding ground for clothes moths that like to feast on leftover proteins attached to the fibers of your cashmere and wool.
The texture of each individual fiber, along with its natural oils, loves to soak up perspiration and hold on to dead skin cells. To a clothes moth, these microscopic remnants are a feast fit for a king - or at least for the larvae when they nestle into the crevices of your closet.
Any storage prep begins with thoroughly leaning your garments and textiles as described above, which includes allowing each item to dry thoroughly. Natural repellents work best as preventives, so use freshly oiled cedar wood and lavender sachets in the compartments you’ll use to store your wool and cashmere.
Placing a Clothes Moth Pheromone Trap into a strategic spot is the next step in preventing full-blown infestations, but you also need to know how to prevent your clothes from becoming damaged while in storage. Check our storage guides for tips on safe-keeping each piece, like whether to fold or hang the item, or how to use acid-free tissue paper effectively.
You may like to read our article on storing Cashmere for more tips.
If using Clothes Moth Traps to protect your wool and cashmere, be sure to refresh the pheromone impregnated sticky strip. It may remain sticky for months, but the powerful pheromones that attract the adult flying moths lose their effectiveness after a few months. MothDefense Clothes Moth Pheromone traps are among the longest lasting in the market.
Help! My Cashmere And Wool Stretched And Needs Reshaping!
First: don’t panic. Even though natural fiber textiles like cashmere and wool can be quite fragile and lose their shape, there’s still hope.
Try the follow steps to rescue a misshapen wool garment:
- Wash as you normally would with a mild soap and lukewarm water
- Allow garment to soak for 10 minutes
- Rinse clean with lukewarm water
- Squeeze, but do not twist, excess water
- Lay flat on a towel and gently roll to soak up remaining water
- Unroll and reshape to garment’s original form, allow to air dry completely
- If shrunk by a significant amount, repeat while carefully and evenly stretching the garment back to its original size a little more with each cycle
Help! How Do I Stop Wool From Itching?
Remember that not all wools are made the same, so if one type of garment makes you itch, the first thing you can do is switch to a softer type of wool. Most wool is gathered from a coat that contains fine, soft undercoat hairs and coarser, thicker guard hairs. The more of those downy fine undercoat hairs your garment has, the softer it will be - and, the youngest animals of any breed will yield the most supple textiles by comparison.
If you love a piece and want to make it softer, you can treat it according to our own stain-fighting tips, then follow up with a wool-safe conditioner. This strips away any potential build-up that could be causing the itchiness, then coats the fibers of the textile with a softening agent. Always check your garment tag for tips, and test products on a patch of unseen material for colorfastness.
Despite its many contenders, cashmere isn’t losing its top spot as one of the most luxurious natural textiles on the market any time soon. Take care of your natural wool garments and they’ll all reward you with long years of warm, fuzzy wear.
We have more information in our article on caring for your cashmere. To know more about wools in general you may like our blog on cashmere vs other wool, such as alpaca.
About MothPrevention
MothPrevention® speak to customers every day about their clothes moth issues - clothes moths are a species that are ever increasing and that can cause significant damage to clothes, carpets and other home textiles.
To date, we’ve helped over 250,000 customers deal with their moth problems. We have developed professional grade solutions including proprietary pheromones and trap design, not available from anybody else in the USA.
