Pure Cotton Hand Towel for Sensitive Skin

Description

We have created a hand towel with the exact same specifications as our highly popular bath towel! Carry that exquisite towel texture in your pocket or bag!

Super lightweight at 30g! Despite being fluffy, it’s amazingly light. Of course, it has excellent absorbency, and its softness remains even after repeated washing, which is a hallmark of our Pure Cotton Daiginjo Towel.

The piping on all four sides is also 100% cotton! We are committed to pure cotton.

[Size] 30cm × 30cm
[Weight] 30g
【Material】100% Cotton

First, let me share the reviews for the bath towel made of the same fabric.

[Bath Towel Monitor’s Review, 30s, Female]

① Visual: The Imabari mark stands out in pure white! Looking forward to using it♪
② Lightweight: Amazed by how a large bath towel is as light as a hand towel…!
③ Texture: The moment of being wrapped in the delicate and soft feel is pleasant… No irritating friction on the skin. So gentle.
④ Absorbency: Despite being thin, it has excellent absorbency! Quick and keeps you warm. So comfortable.
⑤ Quick Drying: I thought it might take time due to the rich pile length after washing, but… it dries quickly. (Hung out on a sunny morning and checked 40 minutes later before leaving for work, the fabric was mostly dry and just slightly cool)

◇ Impressions
Upon reaching my 30s, my skin texture changed completely, becoming dry. Despite visiting several dermatologists, the fundamental cause remained unknown, and I managed with topical creams. I was struggling because the shampoos and cosmetics I had been using no longer suited me, but then I tried using this towel.
The daily bath time often brings excitement with shampoos and bath additives, but looking forward to using a towel after a bath was a “new sensation.”
Surprisingly, after just about two days of use, the peeling skin on my neck due to dryness has started to calm down!
Despite moisture remaining on my skin or exacerbating dryness even when thoroughly dried, this towel provided the best experience for improving dry skin. To improve my skin, I often focused on “adding something” like medications, but I realized that it’s essential to reconsider everyday items that come into contact with my skin.
I felt that this towel would be invaluable for outings in the coming seasons! I will continue to use it a lot!

[30s female]
Every touch is a sensation.

I was amazed by its lightness, exceeding my expectations. It has a fluffy feeling, as if it contains air.
This feeling is unparalleled compared to any towel I’ve used before.

On the other hand, I was concerned about its absorbency. Before using it, I felt a bit unsure.
Its absorbency is surprisingly high despite its lightness, and it feels comfortable as it wraps around and conforms to the skin.

Every time I touch it, I can feel its softness, so now I sleep with a face towel laid over my pillow.
Feeling its softness before going to sleep always makes me feel good.
It maintains its softness even without using fabric softener, so I can use it with peace of mind, considering my skin.

I really think you should try using it at least once!

[20s male]

I used the bath towel and its absorbency allowed me to dry my hair and entire body with just one towel.

Since I surf, I tried using it after coming out of the sea, and the fabric felt smooth, allowing me to use it without worrying about the stickiness after being in the ocean!
Its absorbency and quick-drying feature make it seem like it will be useful multiple times a day when surfing all day with just one towel!
I realized that this is what a true towel should be.

[20s female, Sensitive Skin]

・It remains fluffy even after multiple washes, never getting worn out.
・The sensation of touching it to my skin is soft, and even when wiping, it doesn’t feel abrasive.
・And yet, it still absorbs water thoroughly.
・It’s so pleasant that even though it’s a bath towel, I use it as a face towel too.

[20s female]

This time, I tried wiping my face with a towel for the first time in about two years.

“Just gently pressing it absorbs the moisture…!”

I always found it unpleasant that I had to slide the towel with some force or press it down multiple times to completely dry off, so I used tissues to absorb the moisture instead. This towel was a shock and a revelation for me.

Upon closer inspection, each thread forms a small loop, creating a weave that feels like it envelops the skin.

I was also moved by the delicate craftsmanship, realizing that this is what it means to gently envelop.

Experiencing the wonder of Japanese craftsmanship has changed my perception of towels and enriched my life! Thank you!

[60s female]

I was amazed by how incredibly fluffy it is.
It’s light and highly absorbent, a gentle towel that I want to use for my grandchild.

[20s female]

Normally, towels don’t absorb well until after a few uses, but this towel had excellent absorbency from the very beginning.

The soft texture made it feel pleasant even when I wiped my face!

I wish I could have it in a blanket size to wrap myself in while sleeping…! Once you use it, there’s no going back!!!!

[40s male, Former Hotelier, Current Spa Therapist]

I love towels!! Towels that heal both people and animals, sometimes guiding them to health with their warmth. I had been dreaming of such a miraculous towel, and then I found it!! I consider this towel by Hiromi Okubo, a fiber expert, to be a work of art. It is a high-quality towel that rivals those found in the suites of top-class hotels, yet what is most remarkable is that it is a health towel that fits seamlessly into everyday life. I want many people to experience it.

【6 Conditions of Skin-Friendly Towels】
There are many words to describe the quality of a towel, such as fluffy, plush, soft, and gentle on the skin. Kokorobase is constantly dedicated to developing towels with a gentle feel.

Even though there are so many “soft-feeling” towels on the market, a certain number of people are still dissatisfied with their comfort. Of course, since towels reflect individual tastes and preferences in comfort, we can’t define a good towel based on a single set of values. Some people prefer thick, firmer textures.

The Pure Cotton Daiginjo Towel we developed this time is a “soft-feeling” towel that will be particularly appreciated by those with extremely sensitive skin. One of the motivations for its development was meeting someone whose skin had become sensitive due to the side effects of medication, making ordinary towels painful to use.

・People whose skin has become sensitive due to inflammation from conditions such as atopic dermatitis
・People whose skin has become very sensitive due to the side effects of medication
・People who simply love soft towels

We established six conditions for towels that would delight people with very sensitive skin and those who love a soft texture, and made it our goal to develop such towels.

Six Conditions of Skin-Friendly Towels

・Of course, it must be soft!
・It must have minimal friction on the skin.
・It should maintain its texture even after washing.
・It should not shed lint or stick to the skin.
・It should be light.
・It should dry quickly.

To meet these six conditions, we designed the following basic product specifications.

1) Raw Material Selection: Using extra-long staple Supima cotton
2) Yarn Design: Removing short fibers to the extreme and spinning with low-twist, fine-count yarn
3) Thiết kế khăn: Sử dụng sợi mảnh với các sợi lông dài hơn, mật độ dệt giảm nhẹ để tạo cấu trúc nhẹ hơn
4) Finishing: Completely eliminating chemical agents and synthetic detergents, using natural enzymes and soap for finishing

Thus, by eliminating all compromises and paying attention to every detail, we have created the Pure Cotton Daiginjo Towel.
For those who would like to read more about the detailed development story, please continue reading after the handling instructions.

For those who are interested in reading more about the detailed development story, please read from the section after the handling instructions.
・We recommend washing it in a laundry net. This helps maintain its fluffiness for a longer time.
・Avoid using detergents with bleach or fluorescent agents, and wash at normal temperature.
・We recommend using natural additive-free soap instead of synthetic detergents.
・Please avoid using fabric softeners if possible.
・If the pile gets caught and sticks out, please cut it with scissors.
・If the towel starts to feel worn out, using a dryer is also recommended. It will help restore some of the fluffiness.

・【Polishing Extra-Long Staple Supima Cotton Even Further】
The cotton used this time is Supima cotton from the San Joaquin Valley in California, USA. Supima cotton is an extra-long staple cotton (with long and fine fibers) grown only in four states in the USA: California, Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona. It is a trademark of the Supima Association. Among Supima cotton, the one from San Joaquin Valley boasts the highest quality. It is currently the best cotton available.

By using fine, long, and glossy Supima cotton, we can create towels that are soft, smooth, have minimal friction, and shed very little lint.

・Supple and soft
・Smooth and rich luster
・Dyed in colors with a deep, rich hue

By passing the Supima cotton through the combing process, we remove over 20% of the short fibers. In a typical combing process, about 13% of the fibers are removed, so we combed out 7% more fibers. Just like polishing rice to the extreme for Daiginjo sake, we removed all the short fibers to leave only the high-quality long fibers, which are used in the pile of the towel. This results in a towel that is incredibly smooth and causes minimal irritation to the skin. See the included photos for reference.

【Ultra Low-Twist Fine Pile】
Before spinning the yarn, we combed the Supima cotton to the extreme, as mentioned above, and then spun it with the loosest possible twist—the ultimate low-twist that the factory could achieve. Any less twist and the yarn would break during spinning, making production impossible. This ultimate low-twist creates the highest level of softness and minimal skin irritation. Additionally, to further reduce skin irritation, we used yarn that is less than half the thickness of regular yarn (fine-count yarn).

Thus, the ultra-low-twist, fine-count pile created in this way lies slightly flat and makes gentle contact with the skin, minimizing irritation to the utmost.

One approach in towel development is to aim for producing towels with a fluffy, resilient, and springy feel by making the pile stand upright. However, the Pure Cotton Daiginjo Towel achieves a gentle touch by having fine, long piles that lie flat. This way, we have created a towel with an otherworldly softness.

【We Also Considered the Environment】
As explained in the previous section, the pile of Kokorobase is ultra-low twist, but it is not made of what is called untwisted yarn. Untwisted yarn involves using water-soluble vinylon to untwist the pile yarn during towel manufacturing, and then dissolving and washing away the vinylon in hot water.

Normally, ten times the weight of a towel in water is used, so for a 200g towel, 2kg of water is needed to dissolve the vinylon. Even if we consider a small production batch of 500 towels, it would require 2kg × 500 towels = 1000kg, or 1 ton of water!

Furthermore, recovering the vinylon that has dissolved into the water is a labor-intensive process. For developing countries, where recovery facilities are not as advanced as those in Japan, this poses a significant burden. Moreover, from the perspective of the effective use of precious water resources, this practice is considered problematic. The global trend is moving towards minimizing the use of water-soluble vinylon as much as possible.

One of the reasons Kokorobase insists on using low-twist yarn produced through the spinning process and avoids the use of water-soluble vinylon is to address the environmental burden associated with vinylon usage.

【Divine Finishing to Prolong the Life of Your Towel】
Due to the inherent properties of cotton, repeated washing can lead to hardening and deterioration. To minimize this hardening and deterioration, we use premium water that is gentle on the fibers and an enzyme finishing process. This careful treatment ensures that the Pure Cotton Daiginjo Towel is finished with maximum care for the cotton.

The Kokorobase Pure Cotton Daiginjo Towel is washed with the spring water from Mount Ishizuchi, the highest peak in Western Japan, selected as one of the 100 best waters, and natural soap. No synthetic detergents are used. Furthermore, in the scouring process to remove impurities from the fibers, no caustic soda or other chemical agents typically used are employed; only natural enzymes are used. This enzyme finishing process ensures that the yarn is not damaged, resulting in a soft, highly absorbent towel. Please refer to the comparison photos of the pile shape changes between enzyme finishing and chemical finishing.

Since the yarn damage is very minimal, as shown in the diagram, the deterioration of the pile with repeated washing is also very minimal, allowing the towel’s soft texture to last longer. We are confident that the more you use it, the more you will realize its value exceeds its price.

Moreover, no fabric softeners, which often improve the finish, are used on this Daiginjo towel. It’s like a natural beauty without heavy makeup. Unlike many other towels that feel soft when first purchased but become disappointing once the fabric softener washes out, this towel remains consistently fluffy without relying on fabric softeners. Because it doesn’t use softeners that inhibit absorbency, it starts absorbing water effectively from the very first use.

【Breathing Towel】
In addition to its other qualities, the Pure Cotton Daiginjo Towel has another important feature: it is lightweight. Thick and heavy towels can increase irritation and strain on the skin when drying off, so we focused on creating an extremely light towel. As a result, it also has excellent performance in terms of absorbency and quick-drying, which are crucial for everyday use.

Khăn tắm Pure Cotton Daiginjo không chỉ có khả năng thấm hút tuyệt vời mà còn khô nhanh. Khăn dày dùng trong khách sạn có các sợi lông dày đặc và vải nền dày, khiến cho độ ẩm được hấp thụ di chuyển vào trung tâm của vải, bị bao phủ bởi các sợi lông, làm cho khó khô nhanh do tiếp xúc hạn chế với không khí. Ngược lại, khăn tắm Pure Cotton Daiginjo có các sợi lông mảnh, mỏng hơn một nửa so với các sợi lông trong khách sạn và vải nền được thiết kế nhẹ nhàng, tiếp xúc với không khí. Điều này cho phép độ ẩm di chuyển vào vải nền nhanh chóng tiếp xúc với không khí và khô. Vì nó cung cấp cả khả năng thấm hút tuyệt vời và khô nhanh, chúng tôi gọi nó là “Khăn thở”. Vui lòng tham khảo biểu đồ so sánh với khăn dày.

【Pure Cotton Daiginjo Towel for Sensitive Skin】
Thank you very much for reading the development story of the Pure Cotton Daiginjo Towel up to this point!

The name of the Pure Cotton Daiginjo Towel for Sensitive Skin, which took a year of trial and error to develop, is of course derived from Junmai Daiginjo sake. Just like this sake, it was made with great care and attention. Towels and sake. We have created a comparison table. Please see the attached image.

Thus, we have created a towel that meets the six conditions for being gentle on the skin, as set out at the beginning of the development process.

・Of course, it must be soft!
・It must have minimal friction on the skin.
・It should maintain its texture even after washing.
・It should not shed lint or stick to the skin.
・It should be light.
・It should dry quickly.

We hope that as many people as possible will use it!