Believe it or not, newly bought T-shirts causing a rash can be a common consequence of shopping for undergarments. If you’ve experienced infection-like symptoms after wearing certain t-shirts, undershirts or underwear, you may find this information helpful.
Your New T-Shirts Causing a Rash?
This is one of several emails I’ve received from readers who have experienced some form of illness, as a result of wearing certain clothing products.
Note, the clothing item discussed here is a t-shirt. However, it could be any clothing item that touches your skin directly.
Will’s Weird Reaction to the Fabric (or Thread?)
Tug, I just now heard about you.
I need some advice that is actually extremely important.
The past few years or so I have only been wearing Apt. 9 t-shirts from Kohls.
They are ( or were ) the most comfortable shirts I have ever worn, especially for work.
Recently I bought about 15 shirts and updated my closet. Shortly after I had what felt like an infection under my right arm and armpit.
Genetics?
My father who was visiting me also wore some and said the same thing.
I disregarded it as being the shirt but as the condition worsened I looked into it.
Country of Origin?
What I found was that almost none of the t-shirts had the exact label even though they were the exact same shirt.
For instance, some were made in Cambodia, others in Venezuela, Dominican, and so on.
Fabric?
Some had 96% cotton 4% Polyester and some had 60/40 and I know others had different percentages and different materials.
I am almost sure the first few years they were 100% cotton and if so I was hoping you can tell me as to clear up my insanity I am having from stinging and burning sensations in all areas that I just realized are along the lines of the stitching on my shirts including the neck.
Doctors cant find out why, I spent thousands of dollars trying to find out whats wrong but I now believe its the polyester as I feel worse when wearing the 60/40 then the 96/4.
Have you heard of this before?
Also where can I get 100% cotton t-shirts that have a good visual presence and fit like the Apt 9 as I have tried Hanes and Croft and Barrow but they are not nice enough to wear out on a casual day.
Oh and of course tagless as I have or at least now I have extreme sensitive skin.
I have not yet written about
Thanks, Will
T-Shirts Causing A Rash (or Infection)?
Hey Will,
Good to hear from you buddy and thanks for your question!
I’m so sorry to hear that you are experiencing this infection-like issue, but I may be able to be of some assistance.
First, it is not the first time I’ve heard of people becoming ill or getting skin issues from certain clothing.
In fact, I’ve heard of two very similar cases.
Case #1
One case turned out to be Grover’s disease: Grover’s disease: Itchy back & chest
Case #2
I haven’t yet written about the second case. But it seems as though the person was getting ill when coming in contact with fabrics that contained certain components/chemicals.
He was not able to determine exactly what the “trigger” was, but he is working with a doctor out of Michigan. This doctor is helping him to balance his system so that he doesn’t react from the trigger.
Here is the doctor’s info:
Dean Page
Natural Health Systems
1332 w Livingston Rd
Highland, MI 48357
248.714.6728
If you contact the doctor, you can say you got his name from a blogger/writer who was emailing with “blaine m.” about his sickness reaction to certain fabrics.
Questions to Ask If You Have a Reaction to T-Shirts
Do you think you’re reacting to the polyester in the fabric itself, or possibly the content of the stitching?
In some cases, manufacturers use cotton thread to sew shirts. Alternatively, they use polyester thread.
There’s no way to know in advance what type of thread is in your shirts, but there is a way to test it.
Testing Your New T-Shirt
When you buy a white undershirt/t-shirt, take it home and use something like “rit dye” (home dyeing solution) to dye the shirt another color. In order to draw a conclusion about the thread, check the following:
- If the thread stays white or semi-white after the dyeing process, it’s made with polyester thread.
- If the thread changes color to match the dye color, it’s more than likely cotton thread.
I don’t know if have any apt9 t-shirts in my inventory, so I can’t recommend anything specific, but if you’re a member of Costco, you may want to check out their Pima v-neck undershirts.
They’re inexpensive, but very nice for the prices.
Check These 150+ Undershirt Models to Find Your Fit
Also, if you haven’t already done so, you should sign up for my mailing list and after you do that you’ll receive an email with a link to download my undershirt workbook.
It has 150+ undershirts with measurements and fabric content.
You can compare the measurements of your apt9 shirts to the ones in the workbook and see if you can find something similar in size.
Keep in mind, my workbook is comprised of undershirts mostly, not t-shirts.
There are some notable differences between the two. Therefore, you want to make sure you know whether or not you want an undershirt or t-shirt.
How to Find Bargain T-Shirts that Don’t Cause Rashes
Here are some articles to take a look that may help you find a 100% inexpensive t-shirt/undershirt:
Made in USA T-shirts & Undershirts
I will probably make this email exchange into an article at some point, so if you wouldn’t mind, would you keep me posted on your progress finding a t-shirt or undershirt that doesn’t cause you any skin or infection-like issues?
Let me know (:
Will Visits Dr. Dean Page to Find Out More About T-Shirts Causing a Rash
Coincidentally Will lived in Michigan and fairly close to Dr. Page, so he paid him a visit.
I followed up with him to see what happened as a result of his visit.
Will’s Response to My Follow-up
Hey Tug!
Yes I went to see him. He is a homeopathic doctor and is almost certain I have pesticide poisoning.
Specifically gesaprim pesticide which I either drank some tainted drink with it or someone deliberately tried to poison me ( I believe it was the new imported tea I recently purchased which tasted horrible).
He gave me some homeopathic drops he made and said give it 5 weeks.
It’s been 10 days so I’m kind of one day good one day not so good but I’m finally having good days and today being the best so far.
I also purchased a few 3-pack 100% cotton fruit of the loom t’s from Old Navy as well as 100% cotton sweats from them too and made a world of difference.
Doctor said the polyester is suspect in making things much worse with sensitive skin.
I have also hired a nutritionist and went gluten and dairy free which he believes is a combination of the pesticide, polyester and food allergies.
I was going to reach out to you in another week or so to see if the meds did the trick but I do truly believe it is a combo of all. And I will keep you updated.
Thank you for the referral.
Talk soon
In spite of all the commonalities about T-Shirts causing a rash, you might want to check your case with your doctor first! Of course, if you want to share your experience here, you are welcome!
As a similarly afflicted individual here are some things for my brethren to consider: SERGER SEAMS IN PLASTIC THREAD
When washed at high(er) heat and/or ironed these threads M E L T and then with serger seaming especially, harden into what will look like normal stitching and still be malleable, but act like a small mesh to finely shred skin.
This can incite eczema/psoriasis or make a lot of nice tiny (or large!) wounds for bacteria, yeast, dye or detergent rests to get into your skin.
Please be aware of plastic-core/cotton coated stitching thread! This is more insidious because it will eventually turn into the situation with the pure plastic, but starts out with the cotton outside that’s soft and lures you into a false sense of security. After a few washings or an unfortunate ironing incident the bullshit begins.
More reliable than the dye test: you can check thread composition by finding a loose end, clipping it, and then holding it (with tweezers!) over a flame. If it shrivels up on itself and melts you’ve got plastic. The good shit will turn to ash.
Straight interlock stitching that gets melted can cause my very sensitive skin grief, but even mildly melted/fused serger seams absolutely destroy my skin.
If this helps someone else, pour one out for my favourite undershirts that my mother-in-law ironed that tipped me off on the process…
I too have irration from mywhite crew t shirts. All good points but I’d like to offer up this one…. Purex white bottle it’s dye and perfume free as great detergent. However any suggestions on an awesome white crew t shirts Breathable
This is the thing… the manufacturer is allowed to claim 100% cotton without being specific… their claim in their advertising is allowed by law even though their claim may not be for the entire garment… their claim maybe not be for their thread in the stitching or the label tag, and/or their 100% cotton has been extremely treated with dangerous chemicals to improve and/or keep the look of the garment attractive until it is purchased off the shelf by the customer… all in their effort for better sales than their competitors. The thing is not about what we all get sold on… it’s about our laws (that people continue to remain naïve about) that allow anyone to be untruthful (or least not the complete truth) in the name of profit. Ever notice the extremely fine print at the bottom of a TV commercial that can barely be read… I never bother with it because I understand all it reflects is…”to gather money you must seize it from it’s owner!”
John R Perez
Hello – I just found this thread and have been dealing with a rash under my arms that I suspect is coming from the seams of my t-shirts. Has anyone discovered a t-shirt that doesn’t cause this. I have been wearing my tshirts inside out for undershirts when I work to try to prevent the rash. I still get itchy underarms and can’t wait to get home. I have been wearing tank tops at home and that helps but need something for work.
Thank you!
hi dustin, what brand of undershirts are you wearing, and what is the exact fabric content?
this just might be a case of wearing poor quality undershirts, so if you switched to a premium brand, the issue may go away.
Anyone checking this thread may find this helpful. I’ve suffered for three years (at least) from some contact dermatitis.
I have found my biggest improvements by doing the following. Im in the midst of the last step below, but each thing I’ve listed has helped me improve. I can’t tell you if they all did something, as I did some in tandem—but most move to towards less chemicals on my skin.
1) Removed all synthetics from my clothing, and also removed all Non-Iron clothing
2) Used black african soap instead of lye based soap
3) Removed all fragrances from my personal products
4) Stopped using 409 (uses “quats” that can keep formeldehyde floating in the air)(my hands greatly improved after a few weeks)
5) Use rubbing alcohol, water and vinegar as a counter cleanser
6) Use CeraVe Daily Moisture mixed with hemp oil (hemp oil is cheaper and helps Cerve spread after a shower)
7) Stopped using public restroom soap (my hands got 100% better after that)
8) Started using Molly Suds Unscented from Amazon/England. It’s very cheap and was one of my biggest improvements, although a dermatologist told me to keep using “All” Free and Clear (It’s not.)
9) Tried Seventh Generation Fabric softerner (Also not good) and then switched to vinegar (works better, tons cheaper)
10) And now in the past week, I realized many clothes I have dont say “non iron” but they are treated that way. I purged most of them that felt suspicious.
11) The biggest improvement Ive had was also recent… I soaked my clothes, towels and bedsheeets. in instant milk for 4 hours. I’d read it can remove formeldehyde from the fibers, and almost everything is made with that now. I then wash with Molly Suds, and rinse with vinegar. Large improvement in just a week.
I also read many clothes that have had fabric softners bind the formeldehyde and may not be able to be cleaned. Just leave that junk out of it, and use vinegar. Clothes dont need to smell nice.
I’m very wary of formeldehyde and sodium laurel or laureth sulfate. I didnt test for those with a very large allergy test, but I think those are the culprits, at least for me.
Contact me if you have questions. benner dot dan at gmail
amazing stuff dan! thanks so much!
Hey everyone its Will. ( Yes the same guy who has never responded ). I apologize to all as I thought I would get a notification of some sort if there was a response and never had any.
I came by this thread just now while searching the web for.. you guessed it.. the same thing. Thank you all for your feedback and I can give you some update as to the past couple of years.
I am feeling somewhat better but unfortunately still not 100%. Being told by doctors I have a nervous skin disorder and to check for MS but I disregarded that. the condition actually spread to my entire body for a while ( and remember, there is no signs of any skin rash other than sometimes I get like a reddening pre-hives tint on my forearms for a few minutes once in a while ).
What I have done to keep the irritation under control is a few things.
1. hypoallergenic everything from detergent to fabric softner. I use Dr. Teals epsom salt body wash and I swear by that as the most effective skin cleanser for sensitive skin.
2. This one medical lab tech woman ( possibly a saint ) responded to my concern and said it sounded like a bacterial or fungal infection ( which of course my doctors refused to believe or test for ) and recommended I try Lamisol anti-fungal cream which I did twice a day and it helped tremendously. I stopped after a month and now slowly the symptoms are coming back.
3. I changed my shirts to Jockey ( yes still from Kohls ) and feel better but I do once in a while ( like tonight ) feel like the stitching in the underarm area is giving me irritation as I can feel it every time I move my arms.
There are many good pointers I have read here in response to my post and I will go through them all and try them out.
I went sugar free, Dairy free, for the past couple of months and that didn’t work ( didn’t lose weight either ).
If anyone wants to discuss with me personally feel free to email me at [email protected] and we can bounce some ideas off of each other.
If you see me you would think nothing is wrong with me and thats why my doctors don’t know what to test for.
Tug thanks again for the opportunity to discuss and once again I apologize for not responding.
Will
thanks will!
I am experiencing itching! Seems to be from white t-shirts. I just started
Costco brand. Ouch.
Folks
Take a look at the suppliers for 100% cotton- made in USA,
suggest(Campblesville Apparel Co) the manufacture for the military,
I have used them for many years, and no problems (I was a heavy sweater)
There are many listed
I am hoping to get ahold of Will as I just experienced something similar with the same brand of clothing! Help!
heya jane, did you and will ever connect by chance??
I am still hoping to hear back from Will regarding his Kohl’s t-shirt experience! Feel free to pass on my information again!
done! i haven’t heard back from him either, so not sure he’ll be getting back to us anytime soon :(
Kohl’s used to carry very soft, thick 100% cotton T-shirts that never gave me a problem, but those days are long gone. Now it’s either some sort of cotton/polyester blend 9as in Apt. 9), or the cotton used is cheap (maybe short fibers) or so impregnated with chemicals that I can’t stand it against my skin. I’ve tried other brands and it’s the same thing. I guess the manufacturers make their goods as cheaply as possible 9and charge as much as they can) for inferior goods.
this is scary
I too encountered a rash after wearing my favorite brand of undershirts. I read on the internet (don’t recall where) an article about taking precautionary measures to avoid this:
1)ALWAYS wash your newly purchased shirts before wearing them
2)Instead of washing your shirts with “regular” detergent, use the detergent Dreft – geared for infant/baby clothes, is hypoallergenic, and made for sensitive skin
3)Don’t use bleach on every wash
I did all three and made a BIG difference. Hope this helps!
thanks for the suggestions charles! great stuff (:
So many causes for such a horrific condition … hope this doesn’t cause me problems in the years ahead!
Hey Tug, just read your newsletter re Will’s “infection” (which is actually a skin irritation or rash, not an infection). Here are my 2 cents about the possible cause(s);
1. It’s most likely the dyeing/finishing chemicals in the fabric:
You won’t believe how much (some of it toxic) stuff goes into fabric dyeing/finishing. Certain substances have been banned in North America and Europe but Will’s shirt fabrics may have been made in countries where there are no such regulations.
a) Dye-stuff: Always look for light colors. The darker (e.g. Navy or Black) the more (quantity) dye is in the fabric the more likely . . .
b) Finishing agents: Finishing agents used to make the fabrics “wrinkle free” or “anti-odor” are another potential source for skin reactions. E.g. Formaldehyde (cancer-causing, can be released when you sweat) is used in binders (agents) to impart (“glue on”) the chemicals that provide for these properties.
2. Cotton? Since his Doctor mentioned Pesticides I have to break it to you: Cotton is grown with tons of pesticides. Check North Carolina’s fact-sheet: http://www.toxicfreenc.org/informed/pdfs/Cotton_chems.pdf (I get a “rash” just from reading it ;-)
Again, there are regulations/limitations in place but maybe not in the countries where the fabrics were produced.
P.S. Made in Cambodia, Venezuela etc. refers to the conversion of the fabric into garments. In other words a garment Made in Dominican Republic may be cut and sewn from fabrics made in Pakistan etc.
3. It’s very unlikely that the Polyester fibers or the sewing thread is to blame. Start the search with the substances used to dye/finish the fabric and then (maybe) to grow the cotton.
Tug, you made a good point with Will’s example. It’s a very hot topic for us producers too!
Cheers, Ruedi Suter, http://www.infrno.us
heya ruedi,
this is great information for sure, so thanks so much for sharing it!
i think the main problem is that there is never a good way for an average consumer to predict whether or not an undershirt, t-shirt, or any other body-contacting garment will have chemicals in the fabric that will create some rash or allergic reaction.
even made in usa garments can be made with yarns or fabric sourced from overseas, so from a consumer’s standpoint, they kinda have to figure out what clothing works and doesn’t work through trial-and-error.
interestingly, there is another article i’ll be publishing soon that is about an email exchange i was having with the other reader i mentioned in this article (blaine) who actually got sick from certain types of clothing/fabrics.
he even tried hypoallergenic clothing such as the products from cottonique, but those still caused some of his symptoms (if i recall correctly).
hopefully, and at the very least, this and other articles here will help people find information that can potentially help them in the event they experience similar symptoms.
thanks again!
You’re absolutely correct Tug, it’s very tricky – if not impossible – for the consumer to “predict” his/her skin-reaction to that undershirt fabric.
Theoretically (according to the Federal Trade Commission) a Made in USA label requires garments to be made in the USA of U.S. fabrics.
Quote: “A label may say, “Made in U.S.A.” only if the product is made completely in the U.S of materials that were made in the U.S. If a U.S. manufacturer uses imported greige goods that are dyed, printed and finished in the U.S., for example, they may not be labeled “Made in U.S.A.” without qualification” (end quote).
Now, to get a better idea of how serious this “chemical cocktail” issue is, check this article: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2088623/Toxic-dyes-Lethal-logos-Cotton-drenched-formaldehyde–How-clothes-poison-you.html#ixzz1lL6fmKST
Conclusion: As a consumer you can do 3 things to mitigate some of the toxic and/or itchy risks:
1. Buy Made in USA or Canada or another country with some textile regulations in place.
2. Be aware of fabrics that touch your skin, the largest and most sensitive organ! Choose lighter colors rather than black.
3. Wash and rinse your undershirts before you let them touch your skin! Always, no exception, wash and rinse them to get rid of “left-overs” that may trigger an unpleasant reaction.
Cheers, Ruedi Suter
infrno.us
Often the real culprit is the detergents or static dryer sheets you are using, I have found, I more prone to outbreaks when using cheap detergents.
Have not really narrowed this down to what exactly in the detergent is doing it.
So if you do experience this try a different detergent if you still get it try changing the dryer sheets or whatever static remover you use.
Sometimes can take days for your body to react as well.
great advice jason!
very interesting indeed — it never occurred to me that detergents or dryer sheets could cause this type of skin irritation/reaction.
I will tell you another one: I was having reactions to some fabric softeners that I used to use which would cause mild reactions and since that time have switched to store bought white vinegar and that did the trick for me and the wife for sure.
I also use a liquid detergent that is green on the environment and have had no further problems. We hope that you get well soon Will, and I second the recommendation Tug had on the pima cotton ones from Costco.
thanks chris!