Is Nylon Good For Underwear?

  • By: Tiffany Peris
  • Time to read: 7 min.

When buying any clothing item, the properties of the fabric used to make a specific piece of clothing are factors we consider. Thus, when you contemplate buying a pair of underwear, you will most likely ask whether underwear made of nylon fabric is good.

Nylon is good for underwear since it has a soft silky feel, is lightweight, is stretchy, has good moisture-wicking properties, and is breathable when loosely woven.

In this article, you will discover whether nylon is good for underwear. In addition, you will also find out whether nylon underwear causes itching, whether it is breathable, whether it’s good for a workout, whether it makes you sweat, and whether nylon spandex underwear is breathable.

Is Nylon Good For Underwear?

To determine whether nylon is good for underwear, it is essential first to determine the ideal properties of underwear and then establish whether nylon fabric has those properties.

Underwear or undergarments are items of clothing that work underneath the outer clothes. They are always in direct contact with the skin, even though they might be made up of more than one layer.

There are various reasons why we wear underwear. Some of the reasons are: to prevent the outer garments from being ruined by bodily excretions, to minimize the frictions between outerwear and the skin, to shape the body, and to offer support to some body parts.

Long underwear is worn in winter and cold seasons to provide additional warmth to the body. There are two main types of underwear. The first type of underwear comprises underwear worn to conceal the torso, and the other type of underwear includes underwear worn to conceal the waist and legs.

Good underwear needs to be comfortable and breathable. Underwear needs to be comfortable so that it is soft to the skin and does not irritate it. Moreover, comfortable underwear will be elastic to fit and shape your body comfortably.

Breathability entails the ability of a fabric to permit perspiration that is evaporated by the body to get out and keep you comfortable. When one wears underwear made from a material with poor breathability, the underwear will be uncomfortable when one sweats since it will not be able to keep you cool and wick away the excess sweat.

Moreover, underwear that is not breathable will not allow air to flow out of the underwear. Thus, yeast and other bacteria might overgrow since they flourish in dark and moist surroundings.

Due to its softy feel, elasticity that makes it form-fitting, and its fast-drying properties, nylon is suitable for underwear.

Why Nylon Is Good For Underwear

Nylon Underwear Dries Quickly

Since nylon has low moisture absorbency, underwear made from the fabric will not collect moisture and leave your underwear damp, as is common with cotton underwear. Thus, if you are a fitness fanatic and work out regularly or sweat a lot, you will not be left drenched after sweating when wearing nylon underwear.

Nylon Underwear Has Different Health Benefits

If you have sensitive skin, your skin will feel itchy when you wear underwear that collects moisture or causes friction. In such a case, nylon underwear would be the ideal pick for you since it has no friction and does not collect moisture.

Nylon Underwear Is Cheap

As a synthetic fabric, nylon is cheaper than most natural fabrics. Thus, when you buy nylon underwear, you will purchase underwear that has the feel and comfortability of silk underwear at a lower price.

Nylon Underwear Does Not Shrink Easily

As with other synthetic fabrics such as polyester, nylon does not shrink easily. Thus, while washing and drying cotton underwear can shrink up to 8%, nylon underwear will not shrink.

Nylon Underwear Is Wrinkle Free and Retains Its Shape

To ensure that your cotton underwear is free from wrinkles, you have to iron it. On the other hand, nylon underwear is wrinkle-resistant and requires no ironing. Moreover, due to the elasticity of the fabric, nylon underwear does not lose its shape.

Nylon Underwear Offers Great Comfortability

Nylon was developed as a substitute for silk. Thus, Wallace Carothers, who developed the fabric, ensured that most nylon properties were similar to silk.

Nylon is smooth to the skin and has a lightweight feel similar to silk. Therefore, you have to consider nylon underwear if you have sensitive skin or want underwear with a silky feel.

Since it does not lose its shape and has a smooth texture that does not have any friction with the skin, nylon underwear will not fold or ride up. Thus, you can wear nylon underwear, assured that it will offer you great comfort.

Can Nylon Underwear Cause Itching?

To determine whether nylon underwear causes itching, it is essential first to understand why underwear can cause itching.

The process of making the fabric used to make underwear and the nature of the fibers of the fabric used in making the underwear are the two main factors determining whether underwear fabric will cause itching.

Nylon underwear might cause itching since it has formaldehyde used to make the underwear wrinkle-free, stain-free, and static-free. Moreover, nylon has poor breathability meaning that there is a chance you could sweat more when wearing nylon underwear. Indeed, as the sweat accumulates for a long time, miliaria can develop and result in itching.

To avoid itching when wearing nylon underwear, soak the underwear in a mixture of water and white vinegar for 30 minutes. After that, wash the underwear in a normal wash cycle as you usually do. In addition, washing new nylon underwear with laundry additives will eliminate the formaldehyde in underwear before use.

Is Nylon Breathable For Underwear?

Breathable fabric allows moisture from the skin to escape through it to the outside air. In some cases, the breathability of a fabric is also considered to entail moisture wicking of the fabric. Therefore, to determine the breathability of a fabric, moisture vapor transmission rate is considered.

The higher the moisture vapor transmission rate of a specific fabric, the better the fabric’s breathability.

Generally, 100% nylon is not breathable since it is designed to keep away water, and as such, nylon underwear made in the past had a low absorption level.

However, even if nylon is not a breathable fabric, modern advanced weaving methods are used to make the nylon fabric have high moisture-wicking abilities.

The breathability of nylon underwear is based on how nylon is made. The underwear will be breathable if the nylon fabric used to make underwear has been made from modern advanced weaving methods. Likewise, if you have underwear made from a nylon blend, the underwear will have high breathability.

Is Nylon Underwear Good For Working Out?

Good underwear for working out must be stretchy, moisture-wicking, comfortable, and have no friction with the skin as one works out.

Stretchiness

The stretchiness of a fabric entails the ability of a fabric to stretch and go back to its original size without breaking any of the fibers. Nylon is a stretchy fabric. However, the extent to which the fabric can stretch is determined by the make and blend of nylon. For example, 100% nylon can stretch 15 to 30% before the fibers begin to break.

Workout underwear needs to be stretchy so that it perfectly fits and holds body parts in place, ensuring that there will be no friction between the underwear and skin.

As a stretchy fabric, nylon underwear is one of the best to wear for workout sessions.

Moisture Wicking

Moisture-wicking entails the ability of a fabric to draw away moisture from the skin and ensure that the skin is dry at all times. For example, workout underwear needs to have good moisture-wicking ability so that any sweat generated during the workout sessions is quickly removed from the skin and ensures you are comfortable.

Modern nylon that is loosely woven has good moisture-wicking qualities. Thus, even if you sweat while wearing nylon underwear, the moisture-wicking properties will ensure that the perspiration is quickly evaporated. Your skin will thus be kept dry and comfortable during the workout session.

Comfortability And Frictionless

Since underwear comes into contact with sensitive body parts, it is crucial that the underwear is comfortable and has no friction with the body parts.

Due to its silky feel, nylon is always comfortable for the skin. Moreover, the fabric’s stretchiness ensures that nylon underwear perfectly fits and does not move when working out.

Because of nylon’s stretchiness, smooth feel to the skin, elasticity, and good moisture-wicking qualities, nylon underwear is among the best underwear for workouts.

Does Nylon Underwear Make You Sweat?

Tight clothes can make one sweat since the tightness implies that air circulating around the skin will be limited, and as a result, sweating will be induced.

As a hydrophobic fabric, a tightly woven nylon underwear fabric will make you sweat.

Modern nylon underwear is made from loosely woven nylon. Thus, making the underwear breathable and moisture-wicking. Therefore, even if you sweat when wearing nylon underwear, nylon fabric’s breathability and moisture-wicking ability will ensure that your skin is dry and comfortable.

Is Nylon Spandex Underwear Breathable?

The breathability of nylon spandex underwear will be determined by how the nylon and spandex fibers are woven.

Nylon spandex underwear sold today is breathable since the nylon and spandex fibers in the blend are loosely woven to ensure that the fabric has high breathability.

Moreover, considering that nylon and spandex are moisture-wicking, loosely woven nylon spandex underwear would be among the best types of underwear.

Conclusions

When purchasing underwear, you need to consider the fabric used to make the underwear. For example, if you buy workout underwear, nylon underwear would be your best option since the underwear is comfortable, moisture-wicking, and stretchy. On the other hand, underwear made from nylon blend is the best since the cons of nylon fabric will complement the fabric it is blended with.