How to Get Rid of Prickliness

First, let's figure out why a down shawl can prickle.
Down itself does not prickle; it is a short undercoat, very soft and very warm.
What prickles is hair. The so-called guard hair – guard hair.

So why do some shawls prickle and others not? This is due to the different raw material from which the down thread is made.
There are two concepts – combing and shearing goats.

Combing is a labour-intensive process done entirely by hand. The down is combed out of the goat with special combs. With this method, only high-quality down, without guard hair, gets into the final raw material. Such down is very expensive.

Shearing. When down is sheared from a goat, a lot of guard hair gets into the raw material.
Shearing down is a less labour-intensive process, often using special machines. The resulting down is of lower quality, as it contains not only down but also hair. Its cost is much lower than that of down obtained by combing. Thanks to its lower cost, it is, so to speak, more popular with knitters. Women often prefer to pick out the guard hair by hand rather than overpay for combed down. This is enormous, without exaggeration titanic, work. Unfortunately, it happens that not all the guard hair can be picked out, and some of it moves from the down into the finished item.

Conclusion – what prickles in shawls is the guard hair.

But if you have got a shawl that prickles, there is no need to be upset.
Firstly, guard hair is heavier than down and falls out very quickly as the shawl is worn. Yes, for a while you will have to put up with the prickliness and with the hair staying on your clothes, but this process ends quite quickly.
Secondly, you can artificially make the guard hair fall out of the shawl. To do this, leave the down item out in the frost, fixed on an ordinary clothesline. Snow will help the guard hair fall out. But do not forget to clean the shawl thoroughly of it when you bring the item back into the warmth.
There is also a radical method, which we do not recommend, but we have to admit it is effective. The shawl can be taken to a dry cleaner's; all the guard hair will come out, and the item itself will acquire an excellent raised down nap and will instantly become beautiful and very warm.
However, this will disrupt the structure of the down thread, and such a shawl will last much less than one that has been worn in naturally and gradually fluffed up, losing excess guard hair.
So, the presence of guard hair is not very good, but as with any natural and eco-friendly product, there can be subtleties and peculiarities that often cannot be avoided 100%. And if you were unlucky and your shawl prickles, there is no need to be afraid. Guard hair leaves the item quite quickly in ordinary wear.