The yak keeps you warm and tidy in the winter

The yak is a bovine species, that lives amongst others in Tibet. They graze in the cool higher part of mountainous areas. Yaks are not adapted to living in hot climates. The main raw material produced by the yaks is wool, existing of tail hair and long hair along the yak belly. Yak shearing takes place in the spring, which is a difficult action because of the furious personality of this animal. 

Yak wool is naturally brown to fawn in color. It is very warm and shiny having a higher luster than sheep wool. Yak wool fibers are very fine, the finest kinds being around 17 to 19 microns in diameter, which is around the same fineness as cashmere. That is why the softness and lightness of the wool can be ranked close to those of cashmere.

 

Due to its valuable properties yak wool was used by nomads in the Trans-Himalayan region since ancient times to make clothing, felt boots and hats, tents, ropes and blankets. Nowadays it is also used for the fabrication of premium textiles such as coat linings, blankets, scarves and hosieries such as shirts and socks. Yak hair has become popular in the hair industry for products such as hair extensions and (puppet-) wigs. Among consumers it  is considered to be one of the best types of hair.

In the second image it is demonstrated that yak hair shows auto fluorescence when exposed to ultra violet light, due to the presence of certain molecules in the hair called ‘fluorophores’.

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