Linen or cotton?

Linen and cotton are made of the same substance – cellulose – and both absorb moisture well. Even so, they behave differently on the body. The reason lies in where the fibre comes from. The EU regulation on textile fibre names puts it tersely: flax is "fibre obtained from the bast of the flax plant", cotton "fibre obtained from the bolls of the cotton plant".

Stem versus boll

Flax fibre is hidden in the stem. Once the flax has been pulled from the ground, the stems are left in the field to ret – rain, dew, sun and micro-organisms break down the natural "glues" that bind the fibre to the woody core. The fibre is then separated mechanically (scutching) and combed out (hackling). The long fibres are wet-spun into fine yarn; the shorter ones (tow) are dry-spun into coarser yarn.

Cotton fibre grows from the seeds inside the boll. It is much shorter, fine and naturally twisted, so it is easier to spin and more elastic.

How that shows

	Linen	Cotton
Feel at first	crisp, firm	soft
After years of washing	softens markedly	softens slightly, may wear thin
In the heat	excellent at keeping you cool	breathes well
Drying speed	faster	slower
Creasing	pronounced	moderate
Strength	very high	medium to high
Appearance	irregular texture, natural slubs	even

Linen is less elastic. That is why it creases so much and why many people find it "rough" at first touch. Yet the same quality – a long, smooth, not very elastic fibre – gives it strength and the ability to carry heat and moisture away quickly. On a summer shirt, or on bed linen on a hot night, it is a difference you will feel.

Cotton is soft straight away and creases less. It suits everyday clothing and bed linen all year round. Its properties depend heavily on staple length and on the weave.

When to choose which

• Summer, warm bedrooms, a tendency to sweat: linen.
• Softness from day one, less ironing: cotton (sateen especially).
• Tea towels: linen – it dries quickly and leaves no lint on glass.
• Year-round bed linen with no compromise on easy care: cotton percale or sateen.

If neither of you can decide, there are also linen–cotton blends: they crease less than pure linen and feel fresher than pure cotton. Under EU rules their label must give the percentage composition.