But since I have finally got into wearing a scarf... I feel I am protecting myself from the cold, hopefully reducing the irritation of my airways and chest. therefore reducing respiratory illnesses.

I have really discovered the warmth of Mohair this year. Honestly.. unless it was in a coat when I was a child, I don't remember ever wearing anything with mohair. But mohair is so warm, I also knitted it into an arcylic Experimental scarf. The part of the scarf with the mohair seems to block the wind blowing like nothing I have ever used.

My question is this.. do you feel that protecting your head, neck and face from cold keeps you healthier in cold weather?

Around here folks ignore head, neck and face coverings.. but they don't care to come and cough on the ER triage nurse...I was tring to convince my sister to wear the mohair and wool scarf I gave her around her face, neck, and head to cut down on the number of respiratory infections she has........ She seems to have one all of the time.

I have noticed that kids (meaning people around 16-23) wear scarves around their necks a lot more than I ever remember seeing anyone of my generation wearing scarves.

Just wondering. if there is a website to enlighten me.. please post.

I think part of it is fashion, and part of it is to be unlike their parents. It may also be a regional thing; my kids refuse to wear scarves and hats - although with the -20C weather we've got, they always have their hoods up outside.

I wouldn't know if there's a website open to the public with scientific studies about colds and outerwear. Google it with a full sentence: "Do scarves reduce chances of getting a cold?" See where that takes you. Wikipedia.org is another good website to search, but remember that the information there is not always independently verified by qualified people. The database is user-generated.

Getting cold period lowers a persons immunity, and since we have very little fat on our heads and necks (compared to the rest of the body) that is where we lose considerable heat.

long answer short--yup, I think keeping my head and neck warm keeps me healthier.

I must have the warmest bum in Ontario
I have a cashmere scarf and it's heaven to wear. Picked it up at GW for $2. Now if I could just find a nice cashmeme blanket for about the same price...
Mavis

I passed up some yarn that had 5% cashmere in it for $1.00/skein. I could kick myself for not picking that up.

Elfie.. You are right about that scarf trend. This is the ideal time for me to take out my anxiety with some cheap yarn and my knitting needles. My hairdressor is letting me display stuff at her shop. I keep trying new lace and cable patterns... I find that if I want to produce a pattern for something like a sweater... I would rather repeat it in a scarf until I get it down. DD got me a camera phone with a cable.. so hopefully I will be able to post pics of my projects. My latest pattern is called Lace and fans. It produces a beautiful pattern that knits iup on acrylic and lays flat. So many of the lace patterns I have tried don't press out flat with acrylic yarn.
It is a whole lot cheaper to make an acrylic scarf than say Wool, Bamboo, cotton. Mohair.. etc. etc.

I can't speak for anyone else, but I know keeping my head and neck warm make a huge difference in my health. with my allergies and sinus problems, I'm prone to upper respiratory infections. If I keep my head warm and my neck warm, I feel better and stay healthier.

I have to keep my ears covered even from spring winds - I'm prone to ear infections. This means scarves, as hats tend to squeeze up off my hair, unless I tie them under my chin.

Rabbity - if you can come up with a tightly-knitted and fashionable kind of hood-scarf, that'd be awesome.

Hum. Elfie.. you sure are good at ideas. I am just getting back in to knitting.. Wonderful thing to deal with my anxiety (rather than annoying people here). Yep... I used to get so may ear infections. In fact, I had a flare this past Sept.. which kinda of sorta got me into knitting.. then it snowed 2 days after my birthday.... all of this predicted this winter for me... (I'm way too sensitive to the environment!!!)

You can lose over 2/3 of the heat in your body through your head. I don't knit or crochet, but I have a scarf my wife made me--either cashmere or mohair yarn we found on a clearance sale that I can only wear when it's relly cold or it burns me up!! Good for football games, hunting, long cold walks etc.
Historically men wore hats until about 1960 when Kennedy was inaugurated, and he refused to wear a hat--men's hats sales dropped drastically, and I think that's about the time it became unfashionable for women to wear hats also. For decades, hunters have said "If your feet are cold, put on a hat". I know this is a bit off topic, but just wanted to post.

Scarves have definitely become the fashion here. Youngest dd (15) has a collection of them, that she changes more often than her socks (which she seems to avoid for some reason). I bought a few for myself for travelling with and then started wearing them everyday. We like the ones that are wider, 24-30 inches, they can then double as wraps and airplane blankets. I hadn't thought about, but we definitely had fewer upper respiratory infections this year. I work in an elementary school and am exposed to a multitude of germs, so this is definitely unusual.

Ok, Rabbit, I know this is probably an old post, but I wanna see the pics of your creations!

And, yes, I believe (because I have seen it!) that covering your head and neck and face, and keeping as much of your body as warm as possible, does help your immune system!

Keep knitting, crocheting, or whatever you do!

Make leg warmers, too! My legs get cold alot!