Lanolizing Wool Textiles

Lanolizing wool is the process of adding lanolin back into the wool to help textiles be water repellant and gentle on the skin. In this video I give a demonstration of how to lanolize wool, then do an experiment to show how much lanolin is enough... and how much is too much.

[NatalieandTravis]

omg. I don't know how I ended up here but I'm so glad I did.... I just wanted to know how much lanolin to add when washing/relanolizing my Woolrich wool shirts.... But instead, I stumbled upon an incredibly thorough demonstration, very well explained and documented. Thank you!!!

[l.v.i.bushcraftandsurvival]

I have been re-lanolizing my wool for years and used to give talks on it for outdoorsmen. Not only does lanolin make wool more hydrophobic, it also makes it more fire resistant. Lanolin has no reaction to an open flame other than liquifying. My method doesn’t involve water. Great video 😎

[amypresler]

I lanolized wool soakers (cloth diaper covers) for many years. The method I used to emulsify the lanolin into the water was to add a few drops of liquid castile soap. I would melt the lanolin into the hot water, and start adding the soap drop by drop. Magic would happen and the water would turn milky white, and the lanolin would be perfectly dispersed into the solution. I would soak the wool until the water was cool, and roll in a towel to remove as much water as possible. Perfection every time! I was able to get a heavy application of lanolin (waterproof was my goal here) but still not have sticky residue.

[j.collingallagher]

I appreciate the extra science at the end and testing the different concentrations of lanolin. I am not doing diapers, insted a wool poncho made from a blanket .... 4 lbs of wool here. so everyone else suggestions of "a pea sized ammount" was less than helpful.

[ProjectileGrommet]

4:00 this video just became incredible

[BadBart]

This video is incredible, thank you so much for this information. I have recently, I don't know how to say this, gotten into wool. And after wool, I discovered lanolin. I actually discovered lanolin when I was trying to figure out how to take care of shoes. After looking into it for about a year, I figured out that the ingredients they were using were all supposed to add up to what lanolin does alone. Neatsfoot or mink oil are used as conditioners and they'd add pine pitch or beeswax as waterproofer. I noticed that lanolin was an ingredient in some of the formulas, but didn't know what it was up until that point. Once I read up on it, I tried to find some to experiment with. The only lanolin I could find in my area was Lansinoh's nipple cream from Target! Luckily it was 100% lanolin and I was able to try it out on some shoes. I got the results I'd hoped for and haven't used any other shoe care products since. Lanolin then led me looking into wool more (and a lot more thoughts on the world that I will spare you). And one thing that has been eluding me has been a fuller explanation on the hows and the whys of lanolizing, which you've so eloquently explained. It remains elusive in all of the places I could think to look. This knowledge seems very fundamental.

[grayautumnday]

As I watched, I thought of a great use for heavily lanolinized fabric - reusable lanolin applicators :-). I’d probably use nonwoven aesthetic wipes, since they are much more compact and easier to swish clean with rubbing alcohol before recharging with new lanolin.

I’ve also seen several blogs discussing reusable washable water-resistant fabric food wraps to replace plastic wrap and plaster sandwich bags, using quilting cotton, oil, and waxes such as candellila or beeswax. The oil in the mixture seems partly to speed absorption into the fabric but more so to add stickiness/self-adhesion when the fabric is wrapped around the cheese/sandwich/etc.

I suspect that lanolin would be a good fit for replacing some/all of that oil… my guess is that using lanolin instead of oil would allow the fabric to be reused through several more washes/dries before needing to be mostly stripped of wax and then rewaxed with hot wax mixture.

[phoebebaker]

I like your style. I might try to relanolize something. First I have to knit or crochet something.

[apcolleen]

If you want to keep the water warmer longer TRY A COOLER. They work for hot and cold as Im sure any Floridian will tell you.

[JohnSmith-ilwi]

Such an awesome, well documented guide.
Do you know which of these most closely resembles the natural amount of lanolin on a living sheep?
Have you ever tried isopropyl alcohol instead of water?

I make my own leather, hurache style sandals for running and I'm interested in adding a wool felt layer for very cold weather. The felt I have has all lanolin removed and I want to put some back to help avoid moisture/sweat build up and fungus.

[obamalastname]

did you turn off the stove before adding the cloth to the mixture of water and lanolin or did you cool down the mixture in the stove or just add the cloth right away even if its hot? also do i lanolize wool every month or every week?

[DavidBattistella]

Thanks for the detailed testing! Wondering….is there Any way to attempt this on a shearling? Does to have to soak? Could it be sprayed on a shearling or worked in?

[Vimokshadaka]

Great video! How about a 1x2 metre wool rug? soak that in the tub overnight first also?

[davidvaughn]

How do you do large jackets like my Capote? I was planning on using my bathtub to soak some sweaters and my jacket overnight as you say, but what about adding the lanolin? After draining the tub where my garments are then what? Do I fill the tub back with warm water and then add the emulsified lanolin mixture? Thank you for your advice!

[Smokdeel]

Thank you very much! Quick question. I heard that lanoline is a great option to fight wool "itchiness".Is that true?

[CarlosMartinez-pcje]

Is there any difference between lanolin oil vs the lanolin grease type?

[stevenroche]

Lanolin is technically speaking a wax, not an oil.

[stevenkage]

I'm confused. Weigh wool. got it. Use 1/2 to (1) tsp lanolin per lb. got it. But here's what I don't get: Ideal saturation is a 2% solution, but each item requires a different amount of water to cover it (ex., a pair of socks vs. a large sweater), so the water + lanolin would be different % solution for differing batches regardless of the Weight/lanolin ratio. So, is the amount of water irrelevant? also, the video is not clear on what the EXACT 1/2 or (1) tsp would be: level tsp or heaping teaspoon? Thanks for any clarification!

[anotheryoutuber_]

i think imma try siliconizing wool...itll prolly last longer than a natural oil