The Best Cotton Underwear For Women (And Anyone Else Who Loves Cute Undies)

We are officially in fall, where it’s not quite cold enough to comfortably wear a puffer jacket but not middle of the summer heat (for the most part) — which means humidity that comes with surprise rain showers, and swampiness from layers, along with the heightened possibility of, ahem, nether-region irritation. While you should always wear what you want to wear down there, the “best” underwear, friends, is tried-and-true cotton — and that’s why we’ve been on a mission to find the best cotton underwear for women and people with uteruses.

“Cotton, in general, tends to be non-irritating to your skin,” says Raquel Dardik, MD, of NYU Langone Health. The external skin around your vagina, or vulva, is like regular skin but just a little bit more sensitive, she adds. “So if you have material that irritates your skin normally, you might have minor inflammation to the area.”

It’s not just a sensitivity issue either. Cotton is known to be one of the most breathable fabrics out there. “Most of the synthetic fabrics as well as silk are not that breathable,” Dr. Dardik says. “And for women who have sensitive skin and yeast infections, the most breathable material [like cotton] is really what works best.”

Why? Well, yeast thrives on moisture — so if you trap moisture in your fussy silk or mostly nylon-blend underwear, you’re creating a prime breeding ground for an infection (ouch). “Of course, if you’re the kind of person who never has issues with vaginal irritation and infections, you can wear whatever you want,” Dr. Dardik says. But if you’re prone to these problems, opting for underwear made up of mostly cotton — or, at the very least, has a 100% cotton lining — is your best bet.

Still, we wouldn’t want to deprive you of buying cute lingerie, low-key boy shorts, or even the stringiest thongs. So for this edition of Hype Machine, we combed countless reviews and rounded up the best cotton underwear for you, your wardrobe and, of course, your vulva.

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