Yoga pants are crucial to your yoga attire. You may be wondering how you will know which kind of yoga pants to purchase. To answer that question, you will find a ton of information in this guide that will explain the features to look for and different fabric options.
You might have more questions and that’s okay. At the end of this guide, there will be a few questions and answers for you to look over.
Why Should You Value Yoga Pants Fabric?
This is a great question. It’s best to pay attention to the fabric because you want something that’s comfortable to move in.
In yoga, you will be moving your legs a lot in different positions. Another reason is you may be allergic to a specific type of fabric.
It’s best to look to see what it is before purchasing. It’s also best to purchase pants that are not cheap. If you purchase cheap pants, you will face the risk of your pants fading or ripping.
They also may be too stretched out. You don’t want to purchase fabric that is too stretchy. Yoga pants that have a little bit of a stretch to them, are okay.
If this information is too overwhelming for you, don’t worry. The next section will break everything down for you so you will know what to look for.
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Necessary Yoga Pants Fabric Features to Look For
There are several different types of fabric to look for. Some of these fabric types you may not be familiar with.
To become familiar with these fabric types, you will learn about the reasons why they should be included in your deciding factor on which fabric type to go with.
1. Breathable
This may be a new term for you and you’re not sure what to make of it. You will have to get to know the benefits of this type of fabric to become more familiar with it.
One of the benefits is less heat. As you work out, some fabrics will keep the heat with you making you hot and sweaty quicker. With breathable fabrics, they fit comfortably and will help you move around in comfortable motions.
2. Moisture-wicking
This is a great feature to look for when purchasing yoga pants. If you do yoga for long periods of time every now and then, then you will start to sweat.
When you sweat, your pants will stick to your body making it very uncomfortable to finish the rest of your yoga exercise. With moisture-wicking, your pants will dry faster and you won’t have your sweat sticking to you making it harder to move.
3. Stretchy
As previously mentioned, pants that stretch too much may not be a good fit for you, but it’s good to have pants a little stretchy.
You want them to be a little loose. It’s best for the pants to be loose because when you start working out, the pants won’t cling to you as other fabrics would.
4. Quick Dry
One thing to know about quick-dry fabrics is that your body temperature will be controlled. Instead of constantly sweating the more you work out, the sweat will move toward other parts of your body.
Your legs will feel sweat-free and you will be more likely to continue exercising.
5. Skin-friendly and Soft
When you try on yoga pants, watch what they do to your legs. Does a rash start developing? Do you start breaking out? If the answer to both of those questions is no, then gravitate toward the feeling of the pants.
It’s best for the pants to feel soft. Be sure they don’t itch or cause any other irritations. Moving on to the next type of fabric the answer to these questions is yes.
6. Non-see-through
Purchasing pants where other people cannot see through them means that they are thicker and will last longer. Another plus is that people won’t see through your pants.
7. Anti-Wear
A lot of medical personnel may wear this type of fabric for their scrubs. They will also use this fabric in the rags that they use to clean the rooms.
8. Good Fit
It’s best to purchase a pair of yoga pants that will fit you properly. Anything that’s too big may start falling off during your workout class.
Anything that’s too small will tend to rip easier. You may be one of those people that will purchase clothes one or two sizes too big, so you don’t have to try them on.
With yoga pants, you should purchase pants that fit you just right. When you’re in the fitting room, try doing some yoga positions and test out the fabric to be sure it’s the right fit for you.
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Best Yoga Pant Fabric Options for All Your Preferences
In this section, you will become familiar with a few of the fabrics that are great for yoga pants. For some of these specific types of fabrics, blending with another fabric is popular and you will understand why below.
1. Polyester
- Durable: This fabric will last longer. Since it lasts longer, you can save your money and wait to purchase some more down the road after you have worn these for many years.
- Shape: Some fabrics will lose their shape after a while. The pants will stretch and eventually stretch out of shape. This isn’t the case with this type of fabric. No matter how much you stretch it, it will go back to the same shape it was in when you purchased it.
- Moisture Resistant: The polyester fabric will not be ruined by your sweat. The pants will adapt and will keep the same beautiful color you bought the pants in.
As you’re going shopping you may see that some polyester fabrics blend with another fabric. Polyester and Spandex often go together because having a fabric that’s stretchy (spandex) and having a fabric that’s durable (polyester) go together to make the perfect yoga pants based on the fit.
2. Spandex
- Has Resistance: Most people have perfume, cologne, lotion, or something else to make them smell better when they take part in the exercise. You may do the same thing. Spandex fabric adheres to these chemicals for your body really well.
- Stretches: Spandex fabric is very stretchy. This is perfect for bigger men and women because you can stretch it pretty far without causing them to rip.
- Lightweight: This type of fabric is very light when you pick it up, and it will also feel light on your body. This is the best feature of spandex fabric because it will help you move around easier.
3. Lycra
- Heavier than Rubber: This is a great feature to have because this type of fabric is stronger, which means you don’t have to worry about it ripping the longer you wear them.
- Crease Resistant: Don’t you hate it when you wash your clothes and you can not seem to get the crease out of some of them? The good news is this type of fabric is resistant to the crease mark and will not show up.
- Clings to Body: This is something you want in yoga pants. You will be transforming your body in some awkward yoga positions. Wearing pants that cling to your body means they won’t be moving around with you and you can focus on each position.
4. Cotton
- Soft: They feel very soft against your skin.
- Comfortable: This fabric is very comfortable and breathable. You can move around easily just like you can with a lot of the other fabrics. You will want to wear them all day, not just for workout classes.
- Cool: It will keep your body temperature cool. When you work out and you sweat, this type of fabric will collect your sweat making you feel less hot and you can work out more.
Another popular blending match is cotton and spandex. These fabrics will combine a couple of their best features and make them into one incredible fabric.
Pay attention to the percentage because wearing cotton pants can lead up to you wearing see-through pants eventually. You may want to purchase a pair of yoga pants with the percentage favoring more towards the spandex fabric.
However, because of the blending match, this is less likely noticeable.
5. Rayon
- Shiny: This adds a little bit more style to your attire.
- Comfortable: This type of fabric will also feel comfortable. Don’t be shy to test out how comfortable they are in the fitting room.
- Moisture-absorbant: You may be becoming familiar with some of these terms and are starting to recognize some of them. The moisture-absorbant is also a great quality to have. It’s best to sweat less and feel cool while you’re exercising.
6. Nylon
- Washes Easily: Everyone loves to hear this term. Since these are easy to wash, this means no extra trips to the dry cleaners and you don’t have to worry about them shrinking if you accidentally put them in hot water once or twice.
- Dyed: This is an interesting term for yoga pants. Yes. You did read that correctly. If you don’t like the color of your pants, you can dye them in a color of your choice without ruining the fabric.
- Strong: Nylon is made out of strong material. It would be very hard to get a rip in these pants.
The last of the blending pairs to cover is Nylon and Spandex. Why are these popular? By adding spandex to blend with nylon, nylon will be a stronger and better piece of fabric because it is enhanced by how strong the spandex fabric is.
7. Wool
- Dyed: Like nylon, this type of fabric can also be dyed in an assortment of different colors.
- Warm: If you have yoga classes in the winter, this type of fabric will keep you warm no matter if you’re exercising outside or inside.
- Durable: The wool fabric will last longer because it’s thicker.
8. Bamboo
- Luxurious: This is a fancy type of fabric, which means it may cost more than the others.
- Anti-Static: During the winter months, especially, you will feel static from the cold air to your clothes. This will cause you to get zapped every time you touch it. Great news! This fabric doesn’t have static.
- Soft: Like many other fabrics, Bamboo will feel soft against your skin.
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Synthetic VS Natural Yoga Pants Fabrics
Now that you are becoming familiar with some of these fabric terms, there are two other terms that have yet to be covered. In this section, you will learn the advantages and disadvantages of synthetic and natural fabric types.
Synthetic:
1. Synthetic fabrics have a few different fabric types, such as polyester, rayon, spandex, acrylic fibers, and microfibers.
2. A few of the advantages of synthetic fabrics include stain resistance, are stronger, these fibers are not that expensive compared to the natural fibers, and they are the perfect type of fiber for being outdoors since they absorb water.
A few of the disadvantages of synthetic fibers include not being able to keep you that warm, some types of fabrics will be uncomfortable if it’s raining outside, and you cannot dye these types of fabrics.
Natural:
1. Natural fabrics also have a few different types of fabric associated with this type, such as silk, cotton, and wool.
2. A few advantages include, that they are inexpensive, will not burn up in case a fire happens, making it comfortable during the hot seasons by absorbing as much water and sweat as it can, and they will not create poisonous gasses.
A few of the disadvantages include, natural fabrics are not very strong, they weigh too much, and it’s very hard to get wrinkles out of these pants when you hang them up to dry or have them stuffed in a drawer.
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Ideal Yoga Pants Fabric Blending
Now comes the hard part. You will need to understand what it means by blending two fabrics together before you purchase a few pairs of pants.
When you blend two fabrics together, you get some benefits from each fabric into one piece of clothing. In this section, you will learn about blending solutions and you will receive recommendations.
1. The most popular blend is polyester and spandex, and another popular blend is nylon and spandex.
2. You won’t see that much of a blend with spandex. You may find that the proportions equal out to be 85% polyester and 15% spandex and 80% nylon and 20% spandex.
Both of these are great blending proportions. You can’t go wrong with either one of them. Since spandex stretches, it adds to the durability factor you receive with polyester and nylon.
If you choose to go with cotton fabric, be sure it has a low percentage. You wouldn’t want to keep purchasing pants that will wear out in a few days.
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What Are Fabric See-through Yoga Pants Made Of?
If you’re in the middle of a yoga class or any workout class in general, the last thing you want is the person behind you seeing too much of you.
It’s best to understand which type of fabric to stay away from. You wouldn’t want to purchase the bad quality cotton fabric. While you’re working out, you use your legs a lot and you’re bending down a lot.
With cotton fabrics, the more you move in your yoga pants, the thinner your pants will be. When your pants are too thin, other people will start seeing more than what they want to see. Lyrica is a great replacement for Cotton.
You will know this will be the right choice because when you touch the pants, they will feel thicker. Cotton will feel too thin to the touch.
FAQ:
1. What fabric are Lululemon leggings made of?
Luon. This type of fabric is mostly made of Nylon, while the last part is Lycra.
2. What fabric is best for stretchy pants?
Spandex. This type of fabric will last longer, and it’s more durable.
3. What material makes leggings tight?
Spandex leggings will hug your legs so they will cling to your legs in a tight fashion.
Conclusion
Manufacturers and designers call these yoga pants, but they don’t have to be used strictly for yoga. They are called that because it’s perfect for doing yoga.
You can work out in other ways by wearing these pants. It’s best to know why you would purchase them as well as get to know the fabrics. Now that you have read this guide, you may have a better understanding of which type of fabric is best suited for you.
Since you have decided on the type of fabric to purchase, look at the tag for each pair of yoga pants to see if the one you are about to purchase will match your description. Have a great workout!
