The low down on White Wool

The wool used in your Wool Bliss woollen underlay is 100% grown and processed in New Zealand and Australia. This is important: it means it is free of the nasty chemicals used by many of our competitors, who get their wool supplied from countries such as China, and then disguise that fact on the label! If you think white wool is good wool, think again.

Why very white Wool is not good Wool

The colour of the wool in the underlay you buy is directly linked to the treatment process. All wool used in the manufacture of Wool Bliss underlays is fleece wool: this is the best wool, from the sheep's back, not the skirting wool from the belly, or dirty wool.

The fleece wool used in a Wool Bliss underlay has only been washed or scoured. It has not been treated with chemicals.

Dirty / skirting etc. wools are put through a process called carbonising, where they go through an acid bath to clean the wool of dirt, vegetation and sheep droppings. The acid bath weakens the wool, but leaves it looking snowy-white.

Fleece wools that are washed naturally have a creamy colour. So you need to look for creamy coloured wool, not white wool. You should steer clear of snowy-white wools that are cheap, such as you will find in products from China, or in products where NZ wool has been processed in China. They are cheaper, but they have been processed with acids and the wool has low strength.

Here’s an example: A cheap jumper made of cheap, carbonized wool, is weak - it "pills" easily, and doesn't last. A good high quality jumper made with the fleece will cost you a lot more because the wool has come from the best part of the sheep, but it is strong and durable and it will last you for years. Which do you think is the better option?

Why you should steer clear of treated Wools

The main reason NZ and Australian grown and processed wool is highly valued, and brings better prices than wools from third world countries, is because those countries still use banned chemicals. These wools generally end up in China where they are blended-in to better wool, to make it go further.

In China there is no environmental quality control. Arsenic and DDT are residual in the wools from third world countries. The cheaper, poorer quality wool processed in China comes from China itself and also countries such as Russia and South America. China also processes poorer quality wool from NZ that is dirty etc. So you need to make sure you are buying (a) quality NZ or Australian wool which is (b) also processed here.

All the wool we use at Wool Bliss BioMag is treated to the Woolmark Standard of washability. Wool you get from China is not certified by Woolmark. Basically, You don't know what you're getting. Wool products that use wool grown and processed in NZ or Australia will last at least three times as long as cheaper product imported from China.