SOME STUDIES ON THE THERMOPHYSIOLOGICAL COMFORT OF HIJAB FABRICS WORN BY FEMALE MUSLIM ATHLETES

Abstract

In general, Muslim women who play sports will wear a sports hijab that look aesthetic, easy to wear and comfortable. Nevertheless, in a hot and humid weather, they may feel clampy and unease at times. This paper reports some studies on the comfort aspects of several commercial hijab fabrics through a blind evaluation test and wear trials with certain test protocols. Respondents chosen were undergraduate students who are accustomed to wearing hijab while doing physical exercises and sporting activities. The findings revealed that the fabric consisting of polyester and spandex gave the smoothest, softest, and coolest feel from the blind evaluation test. The same fabric gave exceptionally high scores after the wear trials. The 100% cotton and 100% polyester hijab fabrics were rated as uncomfortable to wear during sporting activities. Besides the fibre type, the comfort aspects of the fabrics also very much depended on the fabric structures, parameters and properties such as air permeability and moisture management.