Buying guide: How to find the perfect British wool duvet

Should I buy a wool, down or synthetic duvet?

Unlike synthetic and down duvets, wool duvets are good for the planet and good for your sleep. Wool has been scientifically proven to help to improve your restorative sleep by up to 25%. It will help to regulate your temperature overnight and feels luxuriously heavy to sleep under.  If you'd like to learn more about the benefits of wool then read on.

Are all wool duvets the same?

No, they're not. If you're investing in a wool duvet it can be a little confusing, so let us try and share our top tips and commonly asked questions on what to look out for in a wool duvet. 

1. Where is it made? Not many wool duvets sold in the UK are made in the UK.  Manufacturing here is more expensive than manufacturing internationally.  Choosing UK made reduces your carbon footprint, is better for the environment and for supporting UK businesses and economy.
2. Where is the wool from? If sustainability matters to you then it's likely that you'll want to check where the wool in your duvet has come from. British Wool source all of their traceable British wool from UK farms.
3. What type of wool is it? Not all wool is created equal. Different sheep breeds create different wool fibres, all of which have their uses. For example - Merino wool is perfect for creating excellent quality knitwear, but is too soft and fine for bedding. Swaledale wool is very hard wearing and quite coarse, and so is better suited to carpets. After extensive testing, we found that the best wool available for bedding and for our wool bedding range is Cheviot wool, as this is the brightest, whitest, loftiest and most resilient wool for bedding.
4. Is wool the only thing to look into? No - you should also have a look at the material that has been used to encase the wool. A natural fibre like wool should be allowed to breathe and do its work un-impeded. Look for cotton that is certified organic, as this is made without the use of pesticides and chemicals.
5. Washable or un-washable?  Washable wool is chemically treated with a chlorine solution to allow your duvet to be washed without shrinkage. Un-washable wool is all natural and made without chemicals.  We aren't keen on the idea of sleeping with any chemicals unnecessarily, and as wool doesn't need washing (read our duvet care guide here) we only use un-washable wool for our main wool range.  Our exception to this is our Mini Floks range of wool bedding - because we understand that our kids bedding may occasionally need a deeper clean.
6. How is it packaged? It's important to consider the sustainability of what you are purchasing - if you've decided to buy an all natural product and it arrives smothered in plastic, you might feel a little disappointed. We use very lovely and useful re-usable recycled cotton bags for all our wool bedding. They're naturally breathable for your bedding, and better for the planet.  We also ship our products in cardboard, not plastic.
7. Is it easy to make the bed? Wool is usually heavier than down, so making the bed should be a part of your consideration. As part of the Floks duvet design, you'll find our patented and unique easy-fit corners so that making your bed is as easy as falling asleep in it.
8. Does it look as fluffy as down? No, wool lays flatter than down. It doesn't puff up and create lumps in the same way.  Instead it creates an aesthetically pleasing neat and tidy look to your bedroom. As it doesn't need that big shake out that down needs, you'll find it really easy to make your bed in the morning, too. It also pairs perfectly with our natural hemp and organic cotton bed linen, because we think getting into bed should always look and feel like a luxury.
9. What does GSM mean? When we talk about GSM we're referring to how much wool goes into your bedding. The more wool, the weightier and warmer your duvet will be. Floks wool duvets are made with more wool than many other duvets, as we love the extra loft and luxury from sleeping under more wool.
10. Does wool clump up? Always look for wool that has been carded to avoid any feeling of lumpiness.  Our carded wool is held in place with channels of secure stitching to prevent the wool from moving.

What Tog rating do I need? 

Wool isn't strictly tog rateable as it has a naturally fluctuating temperature regulation, so the Tog rating adapts depending on your bodies needs. However, as a guide, and to make it easier to compare with your current duvet, we have given our duvets an approximate Tog rating - 

Winter weight (600-650 GSM): 12-14 Tog

All Season weight (450-500 GSM): 8-10 Tog

Summer weight (300-350 GSM): 4-5 Tog

The weight that you need really depends on the temperature and insulation of your home, whether or not you are a warm or cool sleeper, and whether you prefer to switch your duvet seasonally or stay under one weight all year round. Our sleep team are on hand at hello@floks.co.uk to give you advice on what might suit you the best.

What are the benefits of sleeping with wool?

Here's a very quick summary on the woolly stuff and how it can impact your sleep.

• Thermo-regulating - unlike down and synthetics, wool naturally adapts to your base temperature to keep you cool or warm at night. This helps you to stay asleep for longer, and has been proven to improve your restorative sleep by up to 25%. Did you know that because wool is so good at temperature regulation, it can make a dramatic improvement if you suffer from night sweats, and is particularly helpful for women in menopause. Here's a little bit more on the science behind it - Woolmark wool facts, sleep better in, under and on wool.
• Chemical free - if you're going to spend a third of your life in bed (and we really hope you are!) it's important to take note of what chemicals you may be breathing in and absorbing while you're sleeping. Synthetic fillings and man-made fibres are more than likely made with chemicals, which can be toxic to your body. We have chosen British wool for our luxury duvets, which is double scoured in fresh water for cleanliness and then wrapped in our luxurious GOTs organic natural cotton, so you can sleep, and breathe, easy at night.
• Sustainable - our British Cheviot wool is ethically sourced by our passionate friends at British Wool. Their traceability scheme ensures that our wool always comes from, and supports British farms and farmers. You can read a little more about sustainability in our journal 'why sustainability matters in wool bedding'.
• Made in the UK - Floks wool bedding is always made right here in the UK - a more costly process than international manufacturing - but we're proud to say that we don't compromise on where our duvets are made. At Floks, we pride ourselves on creating sustainable and long-lasting products that are good for you and for the environment.
• Comfortable - arguably the most important thing when you rest your head at night - comfort.  Wool is naturally supportive and soft, and has a high crimp in the fibre, making it really lofty. It envelops you in a luxurious layer that you might not want to get out from under in the morning.
• Anti-bacterial and Hypoallergenic - the structure of wool creates a fibre that is naturally hypoallergenic and anti-bacterial. It resists and inhibits mould growth, mildew and dust-mites, and purifies the air around you.
• Hygroscopic - hygro-what?! Put simply, this means that wool absorbs moisture from the atmosphere around us. We lose around a pint of moisture from our bodies at night, which wouldn't be absorbed by synthetics and down, but wool has you covered here. Another magical property of wool that helps to keep you asleep overnight.
• Biodegradeable - our traceable British wool and organic cotton fabric outer are naturally biodegradeable, so at the end of your wool duvets long life, it will leave no trace on our planet.

What bedding would you recommend to go with a wool duvet?

This is a question we have been asked so much that we decided that we needed to create the perfect bedlinen to complement our wool bedding range. Naturally, we had to source the most sustainable, breathable and natural fibre that we could find. Our extensive investigations brought us to hemp - one of the most durable, resistant and hard-wearing crops there is - it actually puts more back into the soil than it takes out!  Meet our natural hemp and organic cotton bed linen range here.

Whatever bed linen you choose for your wool duvet, make sure that it's made from fabric that is natural and breathable to get the most benefit from your duvet.

I've read all this and still need some help!

No problem, we absolutely love talking to our customers about sleep. Our expert sleep team are on hand to answer any other questions you might have.  We're here from 10am to 3pm, 7 days a week and can be contacted at hello@floks.co.uk. We're happy to give you a call or answer any questions over email.