What Are The Symptoms Of Being Allergic To Cotton?

A cotton allergy is a very difficult affliction for anyone, and especially for those who enjoy T-shirts. Almost all T-shirts, as well as many other clothing items, are made of cotton and an allergy to it will greatly limit a person’s choice in clothes.

Because cotton typically produces a skin reaction, some of the most common symptoms of being allergic to cotton include:
–    itching
–    rashes
–    hives
It may also cause nasal congestion, a runny nose or itchy, watery eyes.

As with all allergies, a cotton allergy can come in a variety of different strengths of reactions. It could be just mildly irritating or causing occasional reactions or it may be very strong reactions that cause great discomfort and stress. Whatever the case, it is important to pinpoint the trigger and have ways to deal with it.

Many variables should also be taken into consideration when deciding whether or not to risk it and wear a fabric you are allergic to. If you have other allergies, especially seasonal or environmental ones, you will want to limit exposure to other allergens if you plan to wear cotton. A shirt that might cause a strong reaction during allergy season might be perfectly fine to wear when your other allergies are not active.

If you suspect that you might be allergic to cotton, one of the first things you should do is be skeptical of the notion. Synthetic materials are much more likely to cause allergies than a natural product like cotton. However, there are of course many natural things that cause allergic reactions too. However, you should take comfort in the fact that it is more likely that you are allergic to something on the cotton than the cotton itself.

Many chemicals used in laundry products can cause allergic reactions. Therefore, you should switch to a mild type of laundry detergent, which is formulated to be sensitive enough for allergy sufferers. Airdry your items using no fabric softener. Using clothes laundered this way for a while will allow you to determine if it may indeed be your cleaning products instead of the cotton itself, which is responsible for your allergic reaction.

Another option you may want to consider is that there is something used in the production of cotton clothing and while the cotton is being grown, like pesticides, that is triggering the allergic reaction for you. To decide if that may be the case for you, the best way to check is to opt for organic cotton clothes for a while to see if your symptoms disappear. You can easily get a great selection of organic T-shirts by ordering custom-made ones.

4 thoughts on “What Are The Symptoms Of Being Allergic To Cotton?

  1. hmm

    Doesn’t seem to be a researched article. You say to airdry but give absolutely no explanation why to airdry rather than tumble dry.

  2. Emily

    I have had contact dermatitis since I was 10 in every area that is covered by clothes. We did everything the doc told us to do- and then I started my period and started using cotton pads and tampons. Of course, 12 year old me didn’t want to own up to that, so I waited for an OB appointment when I was 18. When I finally got the nerve, I was sent to 3 different OBs to try and figure out why. That’s when my doctors suggested I was truly allergic to cotton because I immediately developed terrible issues with that area and as soon as my TOM would stop I’d be fine. Or come summer time, only half my legs would be full of rashes. So now I find my best days is when I wear no underwear but if I need to it is bamboo made (gotta let it breathe still). And since I am only 22 and clothes are expensive and because of the contact dermatitis we went to all cotton (because we were told that was best before the cotton allergy came up), so I have just made sure that my important areas (my underwear and tight fitted things) aren’t 100% cotton. And everything else is just efficiently cleansed, scuffed, and creamed. It is so difficult to find things on a cotton allergy too! Because everyone wants to tell you that you are allergic to the chemicals! But when you’ve tried EVERYTHING and you are still the same, you have to look at the common ground. So thank you for your website because for the longest time I just assumed I was some rarity and no matter how painful it can be, I’d also like to know that my genes aren’t the only ones that messed up when it comes to the give on fabrics.

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