The human body is efficient at creating energy (generating heat) but not so much at retaining it. In fact, the body loses 65% of its heat through infrared radiation. That’s not to say that the energy is completely lost though. According to The First Law of Thermodynamics:  

Heat is a form of energy, and thermodynamic processes are therefore subject to the principle of conservation of energy. This means that heat energy cannot be created or destroyed. It can, however, be transferred from one location to another and converted to and from other forms of energy. 

Fortunately, it is possible to capture and utilize displaced heat from the body by using specially made textile products to reflect infrared radiation back to your tissues and muscles. 

If you’re asking yourself why anyone would want to harness infrared radiation, it’s because infrared rays are particularly conducive for improving blood circulation throughout the body. Maintaining healthy blood and oxygen flow is essential for helping your organs (lungs, heart, brain and muscles) function properly and efficiently. Good circulation also helps remove waste from the body and keeps your immune system strong, which makes it much easier to prevent or fight off illnesses.  

Conversely, poor circulation can lead to serious health issues, since it means your muscles and organs are not receiving the nutrients they need to function properly.  From a recovery standpoint, increased blood flow helps flush out the by-products of intense exercise quicker.  When our cells cannot get enough oxygen to keep up with strenuous activity, excess lactic acid accumulates. Bioceramic fabrics provide an all-natural (and super comfy) solution for harnessing your body’s own infrared radiation to improve blood circulation, immune health, recovery, and even sleep. 

An Intro to Bioceramics and Healing the Body 

In order to understand how bioceramics came to be, it’s important to know that they derive from what’s commonly referred to as medical ceramics. These are materials that have traditionally been used to repair or replace musculoskeletal hard connective tissues (for hips, knees, tendons, and ligaments), and in endodontics (teeth). Medical ceramics are considered “bioactive” and/or “biocompatible”, meaning that they interact with the body so that tissue bonding and eventual incorporation into the body occurs over time.  

These materials have an ability to induce regenerative responses in the human body and improve quality of life, so they are often called “bioceramic”. Note that these materials are different than those that can be used to harness the body’s thermal energy. 
 

In our intended context of fabrics, “bioceramics” can be defined as ceramics that have some sort of biological function, and they can emit far infrared rays (CJP). The clear distinction here is that the ceramic material can recycle and reflect the body’s displaced infrared radiation for general health purposes. 

 How do bioceramic fabrics work? 

Bioceramic textiles are essentially infused with thermo-reactive minerals (powders) that have been super-heated and turned into fabrics. The ceramic particles in these fabrics are considered perfect absorbers that can help retain and re-emit infrared rays displaced by the body – specifically far-infrared (FIR). Examples of bioceramic powders that can be added to textile structures for this FIR re-emitting benefit include: 

• Magnesium oxide (MgO) 
• Zirconium dioxide (ZrO2) 
• Aluminium oxide (Al2O3) 
• Iron III oxide (Fe2O3) 
• Silicon dioxide (SiO2) 
• Germanium 
• Titaniumdioxide (TiO2) 
• Bamboo charcoal 
• Nephrite 
• Pearl powder 
• Tourmaline 

Bioceramics notably have a high coefficient of reflection especially in the range of infrared radiation — meaning that a large portion of the infrared radiation is harnessed and reflected. 

One of the difficulties of working with bioceramic fabrics is getting the material to reflect the correct FIR wavelength and in the appropriate amount (what our bodies can healthfully react to). When infused correctly, bioceramic fabrics can have many potential benefits, including but not limited to: 

• Increased blood circulation 
• Improved oxygen flow 
• Tissue regeneration 
• Pain relief 
• Reduced inflammation 
• Muscle Recovery 
• Better sleep 
• Better performance 

Why Bamboo Charcoal is Ideal for Bioceramic Textiles 

Often referred to today as “the Black Diamond” in Japan and Southeast Asia, bamboo charcoal has become a commonly used ingredient in medicine, beauty and lifestyle products – largely due to its chemical structure. Compared to regular charcoal compounds, bamboo charcoal has ten times more surface area and an absorption rate that is four times stronger. Putting this in the context of harnessing your body’s own infrared radiation, bamboo charcoal effectively reflects the displaced energy for you to re-use. 

If you’re looking to dip your toes (or snuggle) into the world of bioceramic fabrics, you may be interested in the new TrueLight Regenerative Blanket. It uses carbonized bamboo particles (bamboo charcoal) that are permanently infused in the yarn; and it is specially designed to reflect back the body’s infrared wavelengths.  Additionally, FIR wavelengths are reflected with the use of proprietary volcanic minerals that are printed on the backside of the blanket.  When combined, these innovative technologies enable the gentle transmission of energies that are absorbed through the skin and into the tissues and organs of the body.  

The TrueLight Regenerative Blanket is ideal for airplane travel, after exercise, or while relaxing at home. It’s also the perfect companion piece for any of our TrueLight light therapy devices. 

Stop Junk Light with TrueDark® Twilight technology that frees your hormones and neurotransmitters to do their best work.

When the sun goes down, blue light isn’t the only junk light that can disrupt our sleep cycle and more than blue blockers are needed. Patented TrueDark® Twilight is the first and only solution that is designed to work with melanopsin, a protein in your eyes responsible for absorbing light and sending sleep/wake signals to your brain. Without melanopsin, melatonin can’t be accessed.

When you wear your Twilights for as little as 30 min before bed you prevent your melanopsin from detecting the wrong wavelengths of light at the wrong time of day. This supports  your circadian rhythm and helps you fall asleep faster and get more restorative and restful sleep.

The highly advanced lenses in TrueDark® Daywalkers operate on a more advanced level than traditional blue blockers.

Blue light emitted from the sun helps regulate our sleep/wake cycle. However, in today’s world, we’re exposed to an overabundance of blue light, or junk light from artificial light. This includes hours spent in front of  TVs, phones, and computers. It also includes time spent in artificial man made light with LEDs and fluorescent lights. Even if we’re simply reading a book, we’re doing that in artificial light which emit dramatically more blue light than the sun. That overexposure to junk light during the day has a dramatic impact on our neurotransmitters and hormones that are responsible for quality sleep.