Camel hair is a highly prized natural fiber known for its distinct warmth and luxurious softness. This fiber is significantly finer than most sheep’s wool, contributing to its light weight and superior insulating properties. Its unique structure allows it to trap air efficiently, providing warmth without adding bulk. Historically, camel hair was used by nomadic peoples for tents and cloaks before its adoption into Western fashion for high-end outerwear. Its natural color, ranging from creamy white to rich brown, minimizes the need for chemical dyeing.
The Natural Cycle of Camel Hair Production
The vast majority of commercial camel hair originates from the two-humped Bactrian camel, primarily found in the harsh, arid climates of Central Asia, such as Mongolia and China. This species evolved a thick, dual-layer coat to withstand extreme temperature fluctuations, which is the source of the valuable textile fiber. The coat consists of a coarse outer layer of guard hairs and an inner, soft undercoat, often referred to as down.
The release of this fiber is governed by the camel’s annual molting cycle, which begins in the late spring as temperatures rise. This natural shedding process takes place over a six to eight-week period, allowing for fiber collection. The hair typically starts shedding around the neck before progressing to the mane and then the main body.
Methods of Fiber Collection
The collection process is largely dictated by the camel’s natural molt, with the highest quality fiber typically gathered during this time. The most common and preferred method is simply collecting the large clumps of hair that detach naturally from the animal’s coat. Herders often follow the camels, gathering the shed fiber from the ground or plucking the loose tufts directly from the animal by hand.
A more active collection technique involves combing the animal to gently remove the loose undercoat fiber. This method, often performed with specialized brushes, yields a cleaner, higher-quality down that is less contaminated with dirt and debris. Fiber collected from younger camels using this method is frequently marketed as “baby camel hair” due to its exceptional fineness and softness, which is measured at approximately 19 microns in diameter.
While less common for obtaining the finest down, shearing is occasionally used to harvest the coat more quickly and efficiently. Shearing typically yields a mix of both the soft undercoat and the longer, coarser guard hairs. Herders often leave the hair covering the camel’s humps intact during the shearing process. This mixed-quality material requires extensive processing to separate the different fiber types for textile use.
Preparing the Raw Fiber
Immediately following collection, the raw fiber must be prepared through several distinct mechanical steps to make it suitable for spinning into yarn. The first stage involves sorting and grading the collected material based on its color, length, and texture. Workers meticulously separate the fine, wavy down from the long, straight, and prickly outer guard hairs.
The next step is cleaning, which removes impurities such as dirt, sand, and plant material that become embedded in the coat during molting. This raw fiber must be washed out before any further processing can occur.
The final preparation step is dehairing, a mechanical process that physically separates the valuable fine down from the coarse guard hairs. Specialized machinery is used to comb out the stiff fibers, leaving behind the soft undercoat that is used for fine apparel. This process is necessary because the presence of even a small percentage of guard hairs reduces the softness and luxurious feel of the final textile.