Hemp can be a great choice for sheets, but it also has some drawbacks. As part of the Leaf Score Guide to Non-Toxic Bedding we take a look at the pros and cons of hemp sheets.
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Pros and Cons of Organic Hemp Sheets – A Quick Overview
- Made from a super sustainable crop that requires little water and no pesticides
- Adds texture and a more casual look to bedding
- Keeps cool in heat
- Moisture wicking
- Naturally anti-microbial
- Very breathable
- Doesn’t hold onto odors
- Soft and gets softer with each wash
- Few good options for hemp bedding (though more pop up all the time!)
- Less affordable than cotton
- Can have a slight hemp smell at first
Already know you love hemp? Check out our top choices for hemp sheets here.
Hemp sheets are a fantastic choice for anyone who sleeps hot or lives somewhere hot and humid. This breathable material wicks away moisture incredibly well, helping you to feel cool and dry for a more comfortable sleep. These qualities also mean hemp bedding stays fresher feeling for longer, especially as it doesn’t hold onto odors.
Hemp sheets are particularly good for:
- Teenagers going through puberty
- Anyone who doesn’t wash their bedding very often
- Menopause (to help with night sweats and hot flashes)
- During care for cancer or other illnesses (where sweats and chills can be an ongoing struggle)
- That sweaty postpartum period (seriously, you don’t want a tight weave cotton or fleece post-birth).
If you’re reluctant to choose hemp because you’re imagining a rough fiber that doesn’t feel soft on your skin, I’d urge you to give hemp a try. These sheets are really soft and, like cotton, get softer with every wash. If you don’t want to commit to a full hemp sheet set, try out a pillowcase, duvet cover, or just a flat sheet or fitted sheet first.
Organic hemp sustainability
Hemp is a deep rooted crop that naturally enriches soil quality. Not only does it not need fertilizers, it actually helps remediate soil to help other crops grow after the hemp is harvested.
What’s more, hemp has such a deep root that it helps to reduce soil erosion and finds its own water, meaning less diversion of water resources.
Often, hemp can grow where other crops (such as food crops) can’t. This means that unlike conventional cotton, hemp grown for textile manufacture doesn’t typically take over large amounts of land that would otherwise be used for growing food.
All in all, hemp is an incredibly sustainable fiber with many practical uses, including for making bed sheets.
Hemp sheets are hard to find and organic hemp sheets even harder. This is, in part, because hemp is a very environmentally friendly fiber to begin with and farmers rarely feel the need to invest in organic certification.
Hemp farmers rarely use pesticides or synthetic fertilizers because the crop is naturally pest-resistant and fast-growing, choking off weed growth all by itself.
Final thoughts on organic hemp sheets – pros and cons
Hemp sheets might seem like the pinnacle of hippiness but these sheets are not going to get you high, nor are they scratchy and uncomfortable. In fact, hemp sheets may be the most comfortable, soft, and durable sheets you ever sleep on.
If you’re wary of hemp, that’s understandable. My advice is to try a hemp pillowcase first, or just a top sheet or fitted sheet. Then, if you like how the material looks and feels, kit yourself out with a full hemp sheet set or hemp duvet cover. See our top choices for hemp sheets here.
To keep your hemp sheets in good shape, follow our top tips for sheet care and maintenance