Paul’s Research
A working library of what the primary sources actually say about the things we buy, eat, and wear.
Most consumer writing about textiles, food, and household goods is marketing. Some of it holds up under peer review. Much of it doesn’t. A surprising amount is flatly contradicted by the studies it cites.
Each project here covers the same things in the same order: history (told chronologically), studies and nuance, maintenance and use, cost, further reading, and sources. Every factual claim has a footnote. Where the evidence is contested, both sides are presented. Where popular wisdom is unsupported, it is named.
Projects
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Natural fibers
Linen, cotton, wool · clothing and household textiles
The oldest woven garment in the world is a 5,000-year-old linen dress. Cotton built modern capitalism. Sheep wool was the foundation of medieval English wealth. This project covers those three fibers and applies them to clothing, household textiles, underwear, socks, and summer-engineered cloth like seersucker and tropical wool. Includes side-by-side comparison tables and brand-specific buying guides for underwear and socks.
Linen · Cotton · Wool · Household textiles · Underwear · Underwear buying guide · Socks · Socks buying guide · Summer fabrics · Untreated brands · Alternative fabrics · Comparison
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Wardrobe
Curated $1,500 natural-fiber rebuild · 46-item catalog, click to buy
A practical wardrobe build for one person (26M, Milwaukee, minimalist with Italian sartorial leaning) within a $1,500 budget. Tiered by skin-contact priority — underwear, socks, t-shirts, and a few work shirts first (Tier A), with trousers, jeans, a linen suit, and a bomber jacket deferred to Tier B/C. Each item card shows the brand, fiber composition, certifications (OEKO-TEX, GOTS where applicable), price, and a click-through to the brand’s purchase page. Built on top of the certification and brand research in the Natural fibers project.
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Salt
Everyday, curing, finishing · what to keep in the kitchen
All culinary salt is ~98%+ sodium chloride regardless of color or marketing. The meaningful differences are density (Diamond Crystal vs. Morton kosher is ~2× by volume — a recipe-ruining factor), iodization, anti-caking agents, and curing chemistry. This project covers everyday cooking salts, curing salts (Prague Powder #1 vs. #2 — a safety-critical distinction), finishing and specialty salts (with a hard look at the “84 minerals” Himalayan marketing), and a practical buying guide.
Everyday salts · Curing salts · Finishing & specialty · Buying guide