I blogged not too long ago about the health benefits of wearing natural fabrics and how I felt silk was one of the better options in the world of “junk to have touching your skin all day long”. It’s quite true that what goes on your body, affects your body.

So in my quest for skin-friendly clothing options, I decided to contact Silk Athlete, a company that makes and sells eco-friendly, all natural silk sports wear. I had heard much about their superior active wear clothing, and I just had to try some for myself to see if all the hype was true.

Those of you who know me / follow my blog, know that the birth of my daughter and my desire to raise her up on only the best has inspired me to detox and clean up my life and my surroundings. So I’ve been on an epic journey, diving into an all-natural, only the best, take-care-of-your-skin, holistic lifestyle. And for those who know me in real life, you know that I’m also on a “losing the baby weight” spree. (21 pounds down, 39 to go!) So my dual desire to be active and stay active – and give my skin the best while doing so – led me to send a request to the awesome folks at Silk Athlete, asking for a product sample to try and review.

And lucky me, they obliged! Silk Athlete sent me the “Protecto Tee”, a best-selling, all-purpose shirt.

Now, I’m not going to lie, I had VERY high expectations for this product. From what I had read and heard, how could I not? Let me fill you in on the details of Silk Athletes exclusive sportsilk fabric:

The fabric used is coined “sportsilk”, and it is quite literally a unique invention of Silk Athlete, sold only by Silk Athlete.

Sportsilk is produced using only the finest Bombeyx Mori silk. It’s 100% organic, natural, and sustainable. The folks at Silk Athlete process the raw silk themselves, using gentle methods that keep the natural sericin and fibroin intact. Fibroin is the structural center of the silk, and sericin is the gum coating the fibers, allowing them to stick to each other. Silk sericin has been used for over 3500 years to rejuvenate skin!

Quick Sportsilk Facts

– Sportsilk inherently provides wicking and fast drying properties. No special treatments or tweaking required! When it comes to most sports clothing, manufacturers use mass produced polyesters and nylons, and then chemically treat them with toxic chemicals to provide just a fraction of the wicking and fast drying qualities of natural silk.

– Body sweat and bacteria won’t get trapped in sportsilk like it does in synthetic fabrics, so you don’t have to deal with that funky, after-gym smell. Silk is an antibacterial protein, not a fiber, and so it reacts on a molecular level with your skin in an entirely different fashion than, say, your run of the mill gym shorts. Silk is the closest thing to human hair, and as such is one of the most natural things to have on your body.

– Sportsilk is produced using only eco-friendly methods. Silk Athlete takes their impact on the environment into consideration in all of their business choices and product considerations. They use energy efficient methods of production and use only natural materials.

– Silk has incredible temperature control, and acts a natural insulator for your skin. So you can wear sportsilk in winter or summer, hot or cold, and enjoy natural body heat regulation.

– There is no special washing required with sportsilk, just machine wash like normal.

– Sportsilk is naturally hypo-allergenic, so each clothing item comes with a no rash guarantee. There is zero rubbing or chaffing.

So! Back to my review!

When my shirt arrived, I was immediately surprised at how small it seemed in folded form. The fabric is impossibly thin, and extremely lightweight, to the point of feeling delicate and “breakable”. (More on that soon.)

When I slipped into it, I found that the fit was spot on for me. It was comfortably snug, but not in the least restricting along the armholes, and it didn’t ride up at the waistline with movement.

Construction-wise, the internal seams are sturdy and reinforced at stress points, obviously built for action and wear, but the shirt is so smooth as to feel seamless. I’m not even joking, as an amateur seamstress I had to turn the shirt inside out to investigate the seams and see what the heck was going on.

From a crafting perspective, the shirt really is a superior work of craftsmanship. Innovative design coupled with fabric that feels like magic = WIN.

To test it out, I was baby wearing my four month old in her ring sling on one of our weekly hikes along the Gulf Coast National Islands here in Florida. The entire time we were hiking around the Fort Barrancas trails, my baby girl was grabbing, pinching, twisting at and slobbering on the silk shirt neckline. At first I was cringing with each tiny fistful of silk, ruing the fact that I can no longer have nice things… it was so light and thin and seemed so breakably delicate! But not only did the fabric not rip, tear, stretch or pill, but it looked as crisp and light and smooth as it did right out of the box. (Well, except for the infant slobber that is.) And no small wonder – silk is stronger than steel, weight for weight!

(This shirt can withstand teething chomps. Nuff said.)

While my backpacking days are temporarily on hold, I haven’t yet had a chance to try this shirt out under extreme conditions. But from my brisk walks along sandy terrain, I can say that the shirt truly felt like a second skin and was more than sufficient for hiking activities. It was extremely breathable, while still providing warmth against the ocean chill. It moved with my skin, and not on my skin. (If that makes sense..?)

Anyway, I was planning on relegating this shirt to “sports wear” in my wardrobe, but it’s so chic and flattering, it’s already hanging up in my closet as every day wear.

Once I shed my baby weight and go down to my normal size, I’ll need to invest in some more sportsilk items. Not even kidding guys, the shirt they sent me is so flattering on me that my husband offered to order me some more. (I don’t know if you realize the implications of that… Mister Let’s-Save-Money doesn’t just order silk workout tees.)

All in all, I’m thrilled with this shirt. I’d highly recommend it – not just for sports, but for every day wear. Thanks for the opportunity to discover your awesome product, Silk Athlete! You’ll be seeing more of me in the future! ^_^

[Disclaimer: There are no affiliate links in this review. I am an independent product reviewer. I only review products I am truly interested in. I don’t accept payment for reviews. The products I take the time to jabber on about are either items I have personally purchased, or the product has been provided for review after me incessantly nagging for a sample. All of my reviews are unbiased regardless of how the item was obtained.]