Underwear For Men offers a Bamboo Viscose material option that is a soft, cool, and breathable. It has a flexible fit and better moisture wicking abilities than cotton.
What Does Bamboo Viscose Mean?
The term Bamboo is often used to describe this type of material because in essence, the item is made from Bamboo. This is the most recognizable name to the general public, if someone says, "Bamboo" to you, you will know what they mean. But if you walk up to 100 people and say, "Viscose" the odds are half of them won't have any idea what you are talking about. But technically Viscose is the correct name, since the Bamboo does undergo a process to get to the point of actually being considered Viscose.
How Do We Get Bamboo Viscose?
Bamboo can be used in a variety of ways. Pandas use it to eat, we use it to make clothes. It is used in clothing to make a Viscose material. Viscose is created by dissolving the cellulose from the Bamboo and then forcing the bamboo fibers out so that we can use them to make the material we need.
So while Viscose itself is a semi-natural material since it is created through a man made process, but its true base is from the Bamboo plant. But this process does come with both some advantages and disadvantages.
The Advantages and Disadvantages of Bamboo Viscose Fabric
Advantages of Bamboo Viscose Fabric:
- Feels Soft
- Keeps You Cool
- Breathable
- Flexible Fit
- More Moisture Wicking Than Cotton
Bamboo Viscose is a soft material similar to a cotton. But it feels more like if cotton and silk had a baby because it is much smoother while still having some texture. This is especially interesting because the original developer of Viscose (Hilaire de Chardonnet) also invented artificial silk. Often times a softer material means that it is more prone to holding onto moisture. Which may be true for a substance like cotton, which is naturally fluffy and absorbent. But water would just wash right off Bamboo in its natural state. So while Bamboo Viscose does absorb some moisture, it won't absorb as much as a cotton and it dries much quicker.
Staying cool is exactly what you want to do on a regular basis, being hot is lame! Bamboo Viscose helps to keep you cool thanks to its fibers and flexible fit. The more natural based fibers in a Viscose means that air can move more freely throughout them. This allows for increased air flow in the areas that get us the hottest. Having a more flexible fit also means that the fabric is not holding the heat right against your body. It gives it some buffer room to pass heat and moisture through, we sweat to stay cool and the fabric lets that sweat do its job.
Disadvantages of Bamboo Viscose Fabric:
- Less Durable Than Polyester
- More Cleaning
- Lack of UV Protection
Bamboo Viscose is a great fabric for the more casual wearer. If you are just relaxing around the home or going out for a night, then Bamboo Viscose is the way to go. But for people that need a fabric for a tougher life like working a construction site or training for sports, then Polyester is the more durable material. Rapid and consistent movements are much harder on materials than people think, due to the more flexible fit of Viscose it means the material is moving against itself more which can cause damage after time. However, it is durable enough for lighter weight activities like Golf or Yoga and is often preferred for them since it is a cooler material.
The natural based fibers do have their disadvantages, especially when it comes to cleaning and UV protection. If you sweat a lot or get stinky easily then bamboo fibers tend to hold onto that a bit more than a full synthetic material. Sometimes you can wear a synthetic item a couple of times before it needs to be washed. With Bamboo Viscose you should really wash it after every wear. The natural fibers that we keep talking about also hurt it in the sunlight department (unless you are trying to get more sun). UV rays can easily pass through the bamboo fibers, which makes sense since it was originally a plant. You will still be protected somewhat by Bamboo Viscose Fabric but it won't be better at blocking the sun than your jeans or khakis.