Casie Becker wrote:Cotton, linen and silk. Real rubber is both natural and biodegradable though I don't know if that's the standard material in elastics these days. There are actually some people who use ties or buttons on their undergarments.

A quick search on Google for all natural lingerie qickly produces several articles about companies that specialize in this area, such as this one http://www.thegoodtrade.com/features/ethical-lingerie-brands

Some of these companies recycle fabric to keep it out of the waste stream, so you will still need to pay some attention if you want to keep to natural fibers. Others only work with natural materials.  Maybe having particular brand names will help you find a local source,  if you're uncomfortable trusting online shopping for a comfortable fit.

Tyler Ludens wrote:Can you sew?  Here is a very simple pattern for pants, which can be made to fit using a drawstring:  http://www.renaissancetailor.com/demos_recpants.htm

This has become my favorite pattern for shorts, and it could be modified to make comfy undies for wear under loose pants or skirts.

Sheila Mleziva wrote:Going commando is not an option. Or is it?

Deb Stephens wrote:

Sheila Mleziva wrote:Going commando is not an option. Or is it?

I've been "going commando" for over 30 years

Thanks so much for 'fessing up!  I totally agree with your point of view. We have been sold a 'bill of goods' in not only lingerie but in many areas of 'hygiene'.

Have you ever had any situations over the past 30 years in which 'going commando' caused an issue? Like, hmm, bugs or ticks in the nether regions?

Do you wear pants or skirts?

Thanks.

Nicole Alderman wrote:I searched for "elastic-free underwear." I discovered two things.

(1) The elastic is usually made of latex, which is not plastic and is biodegradable. So, not terrible!

(2) I found 100% cotton underwear, some with drawstrings and some without.

Here's the link to the women's underwear. https://www.cottonique.com/collections/womens-bottoms

Here's the bikini underwear, made of organic cotton, no latex or spandex https://www.cottonique.com/collections/womens-bottoms/products/womens-bikini-2-pack

S Tonin wrote:This reminded me of an article I bookmarked a few years ago about fundoshi (traditional Japanese underpants) for women.  They look like they'd be pretty easy to sew, and a good way of upcycling anything like old t-shirts or bed sheets.

I also saw an article in the (now long-defunct) magazine Craft: about using your favorite underwear as a pattern to sew your own from recycled t-shirts.  It was basically just tracing each panel and adding a seam allowance, and I think the elastic was just zig-zag stitched on.  There are probably like a million different tutorials out there to do it, I think it was a "thing" like 10 years ago when trendy people were all over recycling last year's unfashionable t-shirts.

And here's a free printable pattern for mini bloomers.  You need to create a login with an email address to download the .zip file to get the pattern.

Personally, I like to go commando when I wear skirts, but I stopped doing that in public after I accidentally flashed a kid and probably scarred him for life (it was a calf-length skirt, too, but it got caught on a box I was lifting and it was comedic and mortifying and I still wonder if that kid grew up to think I was some pervert)

I don't like going without when I wear any kind of pants (except boxer shorts or super loose pajamas) because it's just physically uncomfortable for me, especially the seam of jeans, and also because I need to wash the clothes more often.  With underwear, I typically wear jeans a full week without washing (the jeans, not my bits!).  Without, I don't even like having them on a second day because I don't want bladder infections, which I used to get a lot more of when I was in my "totally commando all the time" phase in my mid-20s.  Everyone's undercarriage is different, though--try it a few times and see if you like it. 

Annette Jones wrote:All the others saying they are 100% cotton are not. Cotton DOES NOT STRETCH naturally or have "give in the fabric. Those panties show that they cling to the body so they MUST have some type of lycra or similar stretch fabric incorporated into the cotton, wool, silk or bamboo fabric, otherwise they could not cling to your shape like these are shown to.