LaKeta Kemp Review and Comparison of Linen and Tencel Blends

Linen Blend: 25% Linen / 75% Cotton
Tencel Blend: 50% Tencel / 50% Cotton

Mini Review: I had the pleasure of wearing both blends of the Apple Blossom Wovens Evening Flame. My babies are two years and 29 pounds.

Support: The Linen blend was more supportive than the Tencel. I found that the linen threads seem to balance out the soft stretch of the cotton and prevented sagging and the need for extra tightening in front carries. The only carry I had trouble with was the Popparoo where I just couldn't get it tight enough to keep the poppins finish in place. The regular kangaroo was a breeze in both blends with the linen being a tiny bit more supportive in a front carry than the Tencel.

Glide & Grip: The Tencel had much more glide than the Linen blend and made multilayer back carries amazing as the wrap slid over itself, making for some seriously smooth passes without effort. The Linen had more grip and while the passes were smooth, I noticed the top or bottom rails would fold back on itself requiring a correction to get the pass ultra smooth for aesthetics. The grip in the linen blend made the date night finish an easy one to do, the Lexi twist staying in place and the knotless finish locked tight. Smoothing out the final pass over chest in the Date night finish was easier in the Linen blend than the Tencel, holding better as the grip provided the extra hold.

Softness: The only rival I have worn to date on softness to the recent Apple Blossom wraps are handwovens and Bamboo blends. You definitely have the market on soft for machine woven. Tencel proved to be softer than the Linen although if I hadn't checked the tag I would have said they were identical in softness.

Shoulder Feel: Both were amazing in single layer carries on the shoulder. The Ruck reminded me of the combed cotton in Firespiral Slings in the Tencel being both pillowy and cushy. I was shocked at how pillowy the shoulder was after feeling the heavier GSM of both wraps after Morning Glory giving rise to a greater threads per inch also helping with the support in Evening Flame.

Pliability: Both were extremely floppy, with the Tencel gaining a slight edge over the Linen for moldability. The Tencel blend seemed to wrap more like an ace wrap, clinging and forming to the curves of the body.

Heat Retention: As expected the Tencel retained less heat than the Linen blend. I wore on a series of very cold (for us) days at about 42F over both of us in hoodies and long sleeves. I gravitated toward Evening Flame (pun totally intended) in Linen to help keep us warmer as the wind was high and biting. The next day was the same and the Tencel blend was airy enough in the same carry to give me a slight chill and baby actually kept her hood and hat on.

If I had to choose just one I would probably select the Linen blend over the Tencel but only by a narrow margin and with the knowledge that the Tencel holds much richer colors better than Linen. If I could have a pie in the sky I would blend with all three, cotton, Tencel, and Linen to combine their relative qualities.