The honest self-care

I live in a rural area, and there is a lot of open space here. For some years there are more and more farmers and also private people who breed alpacas.

The original home of alpacas are Chile, Peru and Bolivia, but they also feel at home in our native low mountain ranges in Europe.

Funny when you consider that 20 years ago no one in Europe even knew this species.

1. Why do farmers prefer Alpacas over sheep?

Alpacas are so cute to look at and easy to handle, unlike sheep. They are not only seen as a farm animal, but also as a pet. You can pet them and even walk with them, which does not work with sheep.

Thus, farmers have an additional source of income than exclusively the wool.

In addition, alpacas are quiet and do not smell, so you can keep them on small farms near residential areas.

2. What are the benefits of alpaca wool

First of all, alpaca wool is odor and dirt repellent, as all natural fibers. -> You won’t need to wash sweaters made of alpaca wool, unless you spilled your morning coffee on it.

Alpaca wool is very soft and is considerd as one of the materials that keep warm best.

As alpacas come in more than twenty different colors, so does their wool. There is no necessity to dye their wool, which means no chemical treatment is used. Alpaca wool is a very eco-friendly material.

3. Why is alpaca wool so expensive

• Different to other animals, alpacas can be shorn only once a year. This means that you have less wool to sell, which drives up the price.
• The shoring procedure is more complex, since alpacas are relatively huge and strong. It requires several people to shore one animal.
• There are not so many alpacas in Europe yet. Here, too, supply and demand play a role in the price.
• Unless you buy your alpaca clothing locally because you happen to have an alpaca farm nearby, many products still come from South America, where alpacas are native.

4. Why you should invest in alpaca wool clothing

Of course, an alpaca sweater is an expensive purchase to begin with. But a car is also expensive at first. You have to be aware that it’s a long-term investment.

• Alpaca wool does not get fuzzy and is very durable. With this, you can wear it for years, maybe even a lifetime, and it will still look new and high quality. #oldmoneystyle

• It really is super warm and comfy.

• You don’t need to wash it. (I bought a nice alpaca wool in Ecuador. I had been wearing it for two weeks, even during hiking. And after those two weeks, he still smelled like nothing.) Since the material is antibacterial, so there is no smell of sweat.

• If you calculate how much it costs to buy a new, cheap sweater (that quickly gets out of shape) every year , then you realize that an alpaca sweater is even cheaper in the long term.