The Linen Life: The Health Benefits of Linen Clothing and Sheets
I’ve been wearing almost 100% linen clothing for months and it’s changed my life and reduced my pain.
Linen fabric feels good to wear and can help support health and wellness.
Linen fabric is antibacterial, hypoallergenic, hygroscopic, breathable, durable, and antistatic.
Linen fabric is beneficial for people with sensitive skin as it is less likely to trigger allergic reactions.
Linen is cooling to wear and sleep in because it is hygroscopic, which means that it absorbs water quickly, wicking it away from the skin, and then dries rapidly.
Skin is the largest organ on the body, and our clothing comes into contact with a large portion of our skin every day.
Breathable fabric supports healthy skin because our skin needs air and moisture circulation in order to function properly and stay clear, and linen supports optimal skin health which is integral to whole body health.
It’s the most healthy natural fiber for clothing, sheets, and textiles from field to fabric. The whole plant is useful for food and fibers.
The natural fiber fabric made from linen has long been used for bandages and the preferred sheets in hospitals for helping to accelerate recovery.
What Led Me to Wearing Linen
Last year I became sick and was left with neuralgia that caused me ongoing chronic nerve pain.
I became frustrated with the lack of resources available for helping to heal my nerves and reduce the pain.
I was already doing all the natural things I know of to support my healing and much more.
It just wasn’t helping to subdue the constant aching, burning, and tingling.
I read that linen was a healing fabric that could accelerate healing and rejuvenation in the body.
I did more research and found that it may be beneficial for enhancing the functioning of the nervous system.
I had a couple items of linen clothing that I had acquired, and decided to try wearing all my 100% linen clothing together to see if it made a difference (though it was not exactly the most fashionable outfit of all time).
Almost instantly, I found that my mood became calmer, my nerves were soothed, and my pain began reducing.
I could still feel my discomfort but the improvement was noticeable and it was more tolerable.
I started sleeping on linen sheets and pillowcases, because sleeping in linen exposes our bodies to the benefits of this natural fabric for the most amount of time in a day.
It is the best sleep ever! This made a huge difference in my pain reduction.
Within a month of wearing all linen and a week of switching to linen sheets, my pain dramatically decreased.
I no longer have the constant aching and burning pain that I was dealing with daily. It’s so much better. My body feels more relaxed over all.
I am loving living in linen.
Going All Linen
In order to receive the most benefits from linen I decided to wear as much 100% linen clothing as I could, all the time, to help support my health.
I could tell that I felt noticeably better in 100% linen clothing than a linen-cotton or linen-blend item - and definitely way better than in any synthetic fiber blend!
Soon, my husband, children, and I all had at least one 100% linen outfit, and everyone agreed that they felt different in linen and dramatically preferred it.
The kids got linen sheets too and they now wake up less in the night.
Everyone is now sleeping better, my family loves their linen, and having linen sheets, towels, and curtains has created a wonderful environment of wellness in the house.
I have now been wearing 100% linen shirts, pants, skirts, and dresses for months and prefer it to any other fabric because linen feels so good on the body. I still wear organic cotton or bamboo underwear, but the rest of my clothing is 100% linen.
All Natural Flax
Linen is a plant-based fiber that comes from the flax plant.
Flax is one of the oldest cultivated crops in the world - and linen is the oldest known woven fabric in the world.
Flax fields create beautiful blue, purple, and pink flowers that only bloom for a few hours.
It grows toward the Sun and doesn’t need a lot of water, fertilizer, or pesticides. It actually thrives in dry arid soil.
Linen is also long-lasting. Linen fabrics are very durable, and investing in high quality linen clothing can last many years.
Linen fabric actually gets better with age. Linen clothing gets softer every time it gets washed.
It’s a very eco-friendly fiber with a long history of use.
Flax Seeds
Flax seeds are one of the oldest cultivated crops in the world, and there is evidence that people used flax for both food, fiber, and health for thousands of years.
Flax seeds are known for their health benefits.
They are an exceptional vegan source of Omega-3 essential fatty acids.
They are also high in fiber which supports good digestion.
They are healthy for the cardiovascular system through helping to lower cholesterol levels and high blood pressure.
Flax seeds are rich in lignans, which are also known as phytoestrogens.
Studies have shown them to be beneficial for daily consumption during menopause and post-menopause for women to reduce symptoms and hot flashes.
Flax seeds have been shown to help reduce breast cancer and prostate cancer risks.
The lignans in flax seeds help protect the body from harmful effects of radiation exposure.
Hippocrates, the Ancient Greek physician, recommended flax seeds for digestive health.
The History of Linen
Linen is the oldest known woven fabric in the world and has been preferred by royalty, priests, and warriors for millennia.
Linen was used to wrap and preserve mummies in Ancient Egypt, was grown throughout the Egyptian plateau, prized by pharaohs, and even used as currency.
The oldest woven garment in the world is a linen dress from Ancient Egypt.
It was used as ancient armor when layers of linen were glued together to create a flexible breastplate called linothorax for Alexander the Great in his epic conquests.
Linen is extensively mentioned in the Bible.
It was the necessary attire of the High Priests in order to enter before the Ark of the Covenant and the Tabernacle was lined with linen curtains.
It’s the fabric that was used to wrap Jesus both when he was born and when he died.
Natural Plant-Based Fibers Are Healthier
I’ve been a fan of natural fiber clothing and sheets for years, but recently realized that linen has health benefits far beyond other natural plant-based fibers such as cotton, hemp, and bamboo.
Natural fiber fabrics are more breathable for our skin and less toxic than petroleum-based plastic fibers which dominate the clothing and home textile industries today.
The number one most commonly used natural fiber fabric today is cotton - and growing cotton uses a lot of pesticides. Cotton crops are treated with organophosphates, some of the most toxic chemicals, that were originally used as toxic nerve gas poisons in World War II.
Since the rise of synthetic textiles, the majority of clothing, bedding, and homewares are made of plastic-based fabrics.
Correspondingly, there has been a rise in allergic dermatitis, infertility, obesity, inflammation, and many other chronic diseases in the human population since the spread of polyester clothing in the 1960’s.
Plastic fibers like polyester are derived from petroleum. The manufacturing of synthetic fibers has significant environmental as well as health effects.
Our skin is the largest organ in our bodies and is important for detoxification and sensing.
Plastic Fashion
Over 60% of clothing today is made with plastic fibers including polyester, nylon, spandex, elastane, acrylic, organza, taffeta, and many other names.
From rayon to vinyl and from faux-fur to faux-leather, the plastic industry has heavily marketed plastic fashion.
The chemical companies that started creating plastic textiles heavily promoted them for decades starting in the 1950’s.
Plastic fashion is not only cheap, there are negative consequences to our health and our environment from synthetic textiles.
Every time synthetic chemical fabric is heated it releases toxic gas into the air.
Every load of laundry with plastic clothing in it being dried off-gases chemicals into the air in the home or building. Polyester curtains heat up with the sunlight and off-gas into the room during the day.
Polyester and other plastic-based fibers also break down with every wash releasing millions of micro-fibers into the water supply, which eventually build up in the oceans.
Plastic micro-fibers are so small that you can’t see them, and that they cannot be filtered easily from the air or water. Thus, people, animals and fish are all exposed to plastic pollution from the air and water due to the breakdown of plastics, and especially polyester and plastic clothing.
Every time synthetic clothing is washed it releases microfibers into the water. Plastic microfiber pollution is now the biggest source of debris in the oceans and causing health problems for marine life.
Radioactive Clothing
Static electricity builds up in polyester and synthetic fabrics.
Linen actually has antistatic properties and releases static electricity in a micro-second.
Polyester clothing attracts radon from the environment due to its static charge building up radioactive energy.
Radon is a clear gas that is released from the ground through the break-down of uranium in the soil and rocks. Radon gas is a toxic radioactive gas that can cause health problems when it accumulates in houses and buildings.
Many houses in the United States have radon pipes for venting built into them to prevent radon poisoning and buildups from the ground.
Radon accumulation on polyester clothing is an issue that many nuclear energy workers are familiar with, as synthetic fibers magnetize radon and can set off the radiation detectors when leaving the plant.
Linen fabric protects our bodies and homes from the build-up of both static-electricity and radon.
I've long been a fan of earthing, the practice of touching the earth barefoot to discharge excess electrostatic energy and receive the ions from the ground, which is shown to reduce inflammation and pain.
In today's world in which we are living in an electromagnetic soup of wifi signals, radio waves, and surrounded with dirty electricity wearing linen may be the best clothing we have for protecting us from electrostatic buildup and consequential radioactive accumulation.
Linen for Health
A naturopathic doctor, Heidi Crawford-Yellen, did research on the properties of fabrics using an agricultural machine to measure frequencies and found that on a scale in which the human body registers at 70 - 90 units of energy that linen has a frequency of 5000.
Anything above the frequency of the human body is considered health-promoting and increased energy, and anything below is draining to the body.
The signature frequency of linen is the highest of all fabrics in regards to benefitting human health.
Organic cotton registered at 100, which was fine but not health-promoting in any significant way. But polyester, viscose, silk, and rayon were at 0 to 15 units of energy. Regular cotton was at 40.
The frequency of wool was also found to be 5000, similar to linen, but with an opposite polarity, so wearing wool and linen together brought the energy signature to negative, while wearing them individually is healthy.
Wool is an animal protein fiber which has different properties than plant-based fibers, like linen. Wool also can build up static electricity, while linen dissipates it. The Old Testament warns against wearing wool and linen together, and modern studies support this ancient practice.
Linen is the ideal fabric for clothing and sheets to support the human body, skin, and overall health.
The Linen Life
If you are wanting to try the benefits of linen for yourself, it can be daunting at first due to the cost, compared to cotton or polyester. I have a few tips for how to make it more affordable and what to invest in first.
This post contains affiliate links, which means I may receive a small commission, at no cost to you, if you make a purchase through a link.
Thrift Savvy
Go to thrift stores! I've completely redone my entire wardrobe in linen mostly from thrifted finds, including a lot of high-end linen shirts, pants, and skirts, all for very little.
When shopping, be sure to read the inside side-tags and find ones that say 100% linen. While linen-cotton and linen-viscose blends are better than no linen, I prefer 100% linen items. Also, beware of linen-poly and linen-wool blends!
After a while, you will notice the feel of the linen is very different from other clothing and it stands out on the racks.
I have found so much incredible linen at thrift stores, some of which has been great fabric for repurposing and sewing into kitchen towels, cloths, bags, children’s clothing and more!
Also, ThredUp.com is a massive online consignment shop and a great place to shop for thrifted finds online. You can search for clothing in your size and by fabric type (like linen). They have women's and children's clothing and I've found some great 100% linen shirts for my sons there, as well as items for me to round out my wardrobe (like 100% linen sweaters!). Use my link here to get $10 off your first order: ThredUp.
Sew Your Own
Fabrics-Store.com is also an excellent place to buy linen fabric online. I’ve been sewing linen curtains, towels, a linen robe, children’s pants, scarves, and more with fabric I’ve bought from them - and linen is a fantastic fabric to work with.
I learned to hand-sew as a child, but never learned to use a sewing machine until I fell in love with linen! With a basic sewing machine and a few YouTube videos and blog posts, I have been sewing all the time and love how relaxing and fun it is to create things out of linen!
Linen Sheets
I also highly recommend sleeping on linen sheets. Sleeping in linen is so worth it!
Our bed is the one place we spend the most amount of hours in each day, and during sleep is when our bodies heal and rejuvenate themselves.
Linen sheets are the best for restful and restorative sleep.
Try out wearing linen and sleeping on linen fabric for yourself and see how you feel.
Linen has been prized throughout human history for it’s many uses. In fact, the Latin name for the flax seed used for linen is Linum usitatissimum, because it’s such a useful plant.
Learn More About Linen
From flax seeds to linen, this plant has immense benefits for our health from a simple nutritional boost to natural fiber soothing clothing.
I'm loving linen! It's been amazing in my health journey and I hope it helps you too!
Many blessings,
