Collection: Helly Hansen Lifa

What material is the thermal clothing made of?

Thermal underwear and thermal undergarments can be made from different materials, including wool, synthetic fabrics or mixed materials. More and more people are discovering merino wool underwear. The natural wool of the merino sheep is one of the finest animal-friendly wool types and provides a very comfortable feeling in both summer and winter, during work and during normal daily activities or during winter sports or a brisk walk.

Advantages of merino wool over synthetic thermal underwear:

• Merino wool thermal underwear and thermal undergarments do not smell or stink. It does not retain bacteria that would otherwise cause unpleasant odors. You simply hang the merino wool thermal clothing on the washing line to air out and you will have a fresh thermal shirt at your disposal again. You can easily wear a merino wool thermal shirt like this for 5 days in a row without people giving you a wide berth.
• Of course you wash the thermal underwear every now and then. This can be done by hand or in the machine on a special wool washing program. Then let it dry on the washing line and your thermal underwear will be clean, dry and fresh again.
• Merino wool is a 100% natural product and is therefore naturally able to adapt well to your body's climate. It breathes well and ventilates, so it cools you when it is hot and keeps you warm when it is cold.
• Thermal underwear and thermal undergarments made of wool are more durable and therefore more durable than synthetic variants.
• Thermal underwear and thermal undergarments made from Merino wool do not itch!

Disadvantage of merino wool compared to synthetic thermal clothing

Due to the density of the merino wool fiber, it is somewhat thicker, stiffer and less technical than an industrial fiber and therefore dries less quickly than polyester or polypropylene. However, this disadvantage is negligible; A natural product is simply more comfortable to wear because it 'works together' better with your body.

Advantage synthetic thermal underwear and thermal undergarments

Thermal clothing made of polyester or polypropylene is designed in such a way that it does not want to retain sweat and it will try to transport the sweat outside as quickly as possible where it can evaporate.

Disadvantage of synthetic thermal clothing

If you start to sweat, you will notice that the sweat from the body makes the thermal clothing wet. Synthetic thermal underwear and thermal undergarments that are wet try to keep your body dry, but are not able to properly insulate your body at the same time. The result is that your body remains dry, but is kept less warm.

The great advantages of mixed thermal underwear and thermal undergarments

Helly Hansen thermal underwear made of mixed material, i.e. a mixture of synthetic material and merino wool, combines the best properties of both materials: The Lifa® stay-dry material is placed directly on the skin on the inside of the thermal clothing and merino wool is on the outside. . By using a hollow Lifa T3 fiber and merino wool, the fur of a polar bear is imitated. Very effective for cold temperatures where insulation and moisture removal play a major role. The super fast-drying and lightweight Lifa® stay-dry material ventilates in excessive heat and wicks away sweat and moisture on the skin to the upper layer of clothing. When Lifa comes into contact with moisture (water or sweat), it will immediately try to drain the moisture to the outside. There it has the chance to evaporate into the outside air, or it is absorbed by the next layer of clothing. This prevents your body from cooling down due to evaporation of moisture.

Which European standards must thermal work clothing comply with?

Only if thermal work clothing is required for working in extreme heat, it must comply with European standards EN 1149, EN16112 and IEC61482. This thermal underwear is therefore antistatic according to standard EN 1149, protects against heat and flame according to standard EN 16112 and protects against the dangers of an electric arc according to standard IEC61482. It is no longer just about protecting your torso with a t-shirt, but also about head and neck protection. You will find this type of thermal workwear in the Helly Hansen Fakse collection. The collection consists of very different types of thermal underwear, including a thermal polo sweater, thermal T-shirt, thermal long underpants and a thermal balaclava.

Thermal underwear made of merino wool is especially suitable for warm working environments. Merino wool is a 100% natural product and is therefore naturally able to adapt well to the climate of your body. So it breathes well and ventilates. So it cools you down when it's hot and keeps you warm when it's cold. Some examples are the HH Lifa Merino Crewneck, HH Lifa Merino Half Zip and the HH Lifa Merino Pants. Synthetic variants include the HH Lifa Max Crewneck, HH Lifa Max Half Zip and the HH Lifa Max Pants.