Cotton Vs Wool Socks In Summer: What’s Better For Athletes?

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As awesome as the summer is, there is a slight downside to the bright sunshine and warm/hot temperatures.

The downside is the fact that exercising in hot weather can be very physically demanding.

When athletes take part in their sports and physical activities of choice, they, of course, want to perform at their best.

Performing at your best, however, is tough in hot weather when you’re dripping in sweat and overheating.

Socks during physical exercise are just as important as any other item of clothing, yet they’re often overlooked.

Choosing the right pair of socks can make a huge difference to your overall athletic performance, which is why we’re looking at cotton vs. wool socks in summer for athletes.

Here’s a comparison of the two and a look at which may be best for you…

Cotton Vs. Wool Socks: Which Is Better?

When we take part in sports and athletic events, we typically find that most of these activities are performed on our feet, or at least they require us to put our feet to use.

Because of this, finding appropriate footwear is vital. Ordinarily, when people speak of footwear for athletic purposes, they focus on shoes, sneakers, running shoes, and so on.

Today, though, we’re going to be looking at socks. Choosing the right type of socks for your workouts is very important.

Ordinarily, you’ll find that people choose cotton socks.

Cotton socks are cheap, they’re comfortable, they’re lightweight, and they’re very common.

Surprisingly, though, they aren’t ideal for working out. Instead, wool socks have the edge in many cases.

When we think of wool, we think of thick, itchy, and fluffy material that is commonly associated with the winter.

Surely wearing wool in the summer would be the equivalent of hiking through the arctic in a T-shirt and shorts?

But that’s not always true.

Actually, wool, specifically merino wool, is proving to be an enormous hit in the world of sports and fitness, especially during the summer.

Why Cotton Isn’t Necessarily The Best?

We need to wear socks when we exercise.

Socks help to absorb and wick sweat away from our feet, they add a slight layer of comfort, and they help to prevent blisters and rubbing caused via our footwear.

For years, cotton socks were commonly worn by athletes and fitness enthusiasts, especially in the summer, as they are lightweight, supportive, comfortable, and simple to throw on and off.

It turns out, though, that cotton isn’t the best material for working out.

Cotton tends to absorb sweat rather than wick it away and let the feet breathe.

This means that your feet tend to overheat in cotton socks, and as you perspire, the socks soak the sweat up and become sweat sponges, so your feet never dry off.

Yuck! This isn’t just detrimental in terms of temperature, it can also put you at risk of fungal infections and is not hygienic.

It turns out that merino wool is a far more suitable and effective option.

Reasons Why Athletes Prefer Wool In The Summer

Now that we’ve established that cotton isn’t necessarily the best material when it comes to working out in the summer, we’re now going to look at a few reasons why athletes tend to prefer wool in the summer.

✅ Wool is very breathable –

Wool is a material that is commonly associated with the winter. We wear thick woolen jumpers when we’re cold and the material does indeed keep us warm.

So then, why would you want to wear woolen socks in the summer when working out? Well, because the wool breathes.

Cotton is not very breathable, so air cannot circulate around your feet. This causes them to overheat much quicker and so you sweat more.

Wool is a breathable material, so more air can circulate on your feet as you exercise. This helps to keep your feet cooler as you exercise.

✅ Wicks sweat away –

Cotton has a tendency to act like a sponge and soak up your sweat. Wearing soggy socks drenched in sweat is not pleasant, especially when you’re exercising and getting hotter.

Merino wool, however, features tiny air pocket designs that allow air to circulate and wick away sweat from your feet.

The perspiration leaves the wool instead of being absorbed by it and evaporates thanks to the air circulation.

The end result is a sock that is much dryer and cooler than a standard cotton sports sock.

✅ Wool is very durable –

Let’s face it when you’re working out and are really pushing yourself when training, your feet will be working hard, and your socks will take a lot of punishment.

Cheap cotton socks tend to get rips and tears in them very easily, especially when they absorb so much sweat and they become weaker.

The last thing you want when training is to find that your socks have ripped, and you now have a huge hole in the sole.

Merino wool is great for athletic purposes because it is much more durable and hard-wearing than cotton.

Because wool is so tough, woolen athletic socks are ideal as they can last a long time and withstand even the toughest of training sessions.

✅ They’re comfortable –

Finally, one of the most overlooked aspects of athletic apparel is comfort.

You can wear the most innovative, ground-breaking, high-tech sports socks in the world, but if they’re uncomfortable, your workouts will suffer, and you won’t perform at your best.

Wool socks are fantastic for working out in because they’re so comfortable. They’re soft, they’re supportive, and they allow your feet to breathe and stay nice and cool.

So, which is best?

As you can probably tell, when it comes to choosing the perfect athletic summer socks, wool is considered to be the superior material when compared to cotton.

Affordable, comfortable, soft, and durable, wool athletic socks will make a welcome addition to many on athlete’s lists of athletic wear.

While choosing the wool socks for summer, make sure that you do not pick just any kind out there.

Instead, you should choose high-quality merino wool socks that come with unique moisture absorbing and wicking properties to make you feel comfortable and cool in summers.

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