The million dollar question - were my underwear killing me? 🤣
I’m intentional about what I put into my body — and in recent years, what I put on my body. Soaps, laundry detergent, deodorants. But a few months back I started seeing videos about clothing fiber as a health decision.
I remembered years ago hearing about the various laws of ancient Israel, and one of them never made any sense to me — not mixing fibers in clothing (Leviticus 19:19).
I’d investigated the idea a little, but once I started getting ads about why I should be concerned with what type of fiber my underwear were made of — I thought it was a good time to understand the role of fiber on your skin and overall health.
I discovered that fibers have different frequencies — linen being the highest and healthiest — and fibers allow your skin to breathe or feel like it’s suffocating. If your skin — your largest detoxification organ — cannot breathe and sweat, your body will feel the results and won’t be as healthy.
I learned a lot, and if you want to know what I did, scroll to the bottom of this email.
Clothing Fiber Has Changed
We obsess over ingredient labels on food.(at least I do) We filter our water. We track our sleep. But most of us have never once asked what’s in the fabric pressed against our skin for 16 hours a day.
Turns out, it’s worth asking.
Synthetic fibers — polyester, nylon, spandex, acrylic — make up about 69% of all textiles produced globally. They haven’t always been around. They’re cheap, durable, and everywhere: your sheets, your underwear, your kid’s pajamas. They’re also made from petrochemicals and treated with additives that don’t always stay put.
Here’s what the research actually says.
What We Know So Far
Microplastics are showing up in human tissue. A 2024 study found microplastics in every single human testicle examined. Polyethylene was the most common type. Men with detectable microplastics in testicular tissue had sperm counts roughly half that of men without. (NPR)
Sweat pulls chemicals out of synthetic fabric. University of Birmingham researchers found that human sweat leaches flame-retardant chemicals from microplastic fibers, making up to 8% of those chemicals available for skin absorption. Heat and friction make it worse. (University of Birmingham, 2024)
PFAS (“forever chemicals”) are in your clothes. A global study found PFAS in nearly 64% of outerwear and clothing samples tested. These chemicals are linked to cancer, hormone disruption, immune suppression, and reproductive harm — and they don’t break down. (IPEN Global Study)
Children are more vulnerable. A 2022 National Academies review found PFAS exposure in children is linked to elevated cholesterol, reduced birth weight, and weakened vaccine response. Children’s skin absorbs more because the barrier function isn’t fully developed. (CHEM Trust Report)
Your closet may be a source of indoor PFAS exposure. UNC researchers discovered that PFAS from treated clothing accumulates in indoor air over time. The longer the clothes hang, the more PFAS migrates into the environment you breathe. (UNC Gillings School of Public Health)
Synthetic fabrics alter your skin microbiome. Non-breathable synthetics trap heat and moisture against the skin, creating conditions that shift microbial balance and increase inflammation — particularly in the groin and underarms. (PMC Research Review)
The link below is to a new company I recently found that helps you identify the most healthy supplements.
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So What Do You Do?
You don’t need to throw out your wardrobe. You just need to think about duration and proximity.
Start with the items closest to your body for the longest time: sleepwear, sheets, underwear. If you did nothing else, those are the items you spend the most time in. Swap those for organic cotton, wool, bamboo, or linen. That one change covers 7–8 hours of exposure every night and your reproductive organs through the day.
Your gym shirt? Your rain jacket? Less urgent. Context matters more than perfection. Don’t stress out about your wardrobe, just consider the idea.
Read the tags the same way you’d read a nutrition label. You might be surprised what you find. I know I have been.
What I learned
Health isn’t just what you eat. It’s what you wear, what you breathe, and what touches you while you sleep. The goal isn’t purity — it’s awareness.
Ok so what did I do after learning about the importance of certain fibers in my clothes? I decided that what mattered most was what lied closest to my reproductive organs — my underwear. Especially after I learned that what you sweat in during workouts makes the biggest difference. So I ordered five pairs of various types of underwear that had non-synthetic fibers. Some didn’t fit right, I returned those. I landed on a wool-based option.
-Jared
P.S. This Wall Street Journal piece on men’s underwear and microplastics is a good entry point if you want to go deeper.
My wife Baddie Crocker has a beautiful newsletter where she shares her perspectives on tending the land, recipes, women’s health and more.
I’d love to hear from you. 👋
I write this newsletter each week because I feel my best when my body, mind and soul are all healthy. I want the same for you. If you feel like you’ve seen something valuable here, please do me a favor and forward this newsletter to a friend or let me know what you think by replying to this email or texting me - (310) 879-8441
P.S. - This newsletter does not provide medical advice. The content, such as graphics, images, text, and all other materials, is provided for reference and educational purposes only. The content is not meant to be complete or exhaustive or to be applicable to any specific individual's medical condition.
Here are a few other links to things that have changed my life:
Whoop - Track your HRV and REM Sleep
Function Health - Optimize Your Health via 160+ BioMarkers
Here are a few topics I think you’ll love if you haven’t checked them out before:
