I’ve just checked all my undies which I thought were cotton, but no, they’re cotton/elastane. The gussets are absorbent and I’m not aware of clinging, trapping of heat and moisture, etc.
At the moment, I laugh to myself every time I put on my new undies. My partner, who’s always bought size M undies, just bought some Tradie brand ones that are too small for him. So they’re now mine, with a waist band with TRADIE in bold writing all around. The good thing is they’re cotton, and fit me fine. The little bit of extra room in the crutch is actually great for ventilation 
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The elastic banding in the legs and waist would be elastane, this helps avoid latex allergies for people sensitive to latex. Some people do react to elastane but they should be far fewer than those reactive to latex.
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I have had problems with contact dermatitis from elastane. I am so interested that other people are also having problems. I thought it was just me. It all started with one item of underwear, next thing I knew, i had a rash wherever elastic touched me. i am now searching for undies without exposed elastic. so difficult to find. At least I know i am not alone!
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Welcome @Meg
It does get difficult for those of us who cannot, or will not, just wear anything that the stores would like us to buy. The majority of women are ‘aware’ and look for healthier alternatives to the Fashion Look, but it’s just not that easy!
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For those persons who can sew, perhaps an option might be to make your own or pay someone to do so.
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I can find pure cotton jersey and I have been looking for a pattern but I can’t find the right one. If someone knows of one similar to cottontails (not too much like bloomers) it would be great. I have problems with elastane too.
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I cant wear wool unless on top of 2 layers, but certainly choose cotton whenever possible.
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I looked at the bamboo material option a few years ago, required so much chemicals & processing that i decided it wasnt a good choice.
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Some use a closed circuit system ie the chemicals used in the processing are captured and reused, Lyocell being one where about 99.9% of the chemical used to extract the cellulose is recovered and reused. The little lost is a non toxic chemical anyway. The chemical is expensive to produce, recovery requires more machinery and effort and this increases the price of the fabric product.
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A loose Pantie such as a boy leg, or French knickers might do well, instead of an elastic waist using a tie then excludes any elastic of either type in the making.
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Many thanks grahroll for taking the time to look for me but most patterns are for pretty knickers. I just want a basic comfy ugly old cottontail pattern and haven’t been able to find one. I’ll keep looking and eventually find one or one I can adapt or pull apart an old pair to make a pattern.
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A pay for patterns site. It has been referenced in Blogs but I am not sure of it’s safety.
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No more cottontails for me… in my size, they all now have elastane!!!
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Have you considered trying mens underpants?
The only ones I will buy and wear are Holeproof Underdaks breifs which I have been using for decades.
I have attached photos of the 2 types I have which I stocked up on when Harris Scarfe closed their Cairns store a couple of years ago.
The upper 4 pair pair have the elastic separate to the cloth whilst the lower 4 pair have the cloth completely enclosing the elastic, which is the style I prefer.
The leg elastic on all the pairs is completely enclosed by the fabric.
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Thanks, Fred, I had not really considered that, but will, now
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Making knickers that fit is not as easy as it sounds. I have done an online course and can and have made them. However, I still have to find the stretch fabric without added man-made fibres. No easy task.
The only way around it is to make French knickers in cotton or silk. Now they aren’t the most comfy to wear under jeans either. At this rate going commando is looking feasible.
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Cotton Jersey should meet that need, it is still obtainable in 100% cotton. An example is linked:
For rib knit something like the following
https://zebrafabrics.net.au/?product=rippstrick-ecru
As these are only 2 way stretch it obviously is important that the fabric is cut with that in mind to get the stretch performance required.
Lyocell while man made may also meet the need as it is a cellulose based fabric, if looking for a longer wear fabric then perhaps modal, depending on their fabrication (if knitted or not) they may have stretch needed for knickers/underwear.
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Men are suffering too!
I have issues with elastane in underwear.
My wife who had Li-Fraumeni Syndrome, suffered terribly until we were told about elastane in underwear.
And that’s 20 years ago.
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How did the elastane affect cancer growth/tumors with your spouse? It is interesting in that Li-Fraumeni Syndrome increases cancer risk but I can’t see why Elastane in clothing would exacerbate that incidence. Wouldn’t then any polyester, nylon or any other petrochemical derived fabric or compound cause similar outbreaks?
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