HirbawiPremium Arabic Scarf Cotton Shemagh Keffiyeh 47"x47" Arab Scarf Made in Palestine, Olive D., One Size

It's pretty great. Large, comfortable, and breathable. This light, well woven fabric has a multitude of uses. As a guy who gets a sunburned neck and ears pretty often, having some solid sun protection hiking is pretty fantastic. It also helps keep dust and sand out of your face. It's thin enough to see through as well if you need some more encompassing eye protection if sand really gets kicked up. It can be used as a preliminary water filter, a sling, a belt, a makeshift sack, and much more. I was slightly concerned when I opened it at first because I saw what looked like loose threads, but it turns out they weren't actually part of the shemagh, just some bits of thread from the factory that i brushed off. I'd recommend handwashing it and letting it air dry once you get it, as this will help soften it a bit. Also, if you find it still a bit abrasive on your face, turn it so that the embroidering thread is on the outside of your face wrap, it's much smoother if you have sensitive skin like I do. When i washed it, one of the tassels got a little loose and I reknotted it. Doesn't look quite the same, but they're mostly decoration and I've always been more of a function over form person. Believe me, this has a lot of functions. This is going in my backpacking kit for sure!

I'm used to polyester fabrics, so cotton is a change of pace for me. It's was pretty itchy out of the box, but one wash helped a lot. The stiching isn't perfect, but they are hand made in a factory and sold pretty cheap, so I would expect as much. Not a lot of loose threads, but there are a few I counted, all on the edges, which were kind of sloppy to be honest (one spot, the stitches almost went all the way off the edge). The extra thread helped me sow up an accidential cut I made in the fabric while I was removing the tag (a white tag is a very big contrast to olive drab, worth the damage to remove).The fabric without any folds is barely see-through, but after one or two folds it's impossible. The more you roll it up, the warmer it gets. I don't think I'll wear olive drab during the summer because of heat asorbtion, I got this for areas with less sun exposure. Olive drab is probably the "ugliest" of colors, but I think it still looks awesome, and I intend to get another one in white. I washed it to see if I could get it a little softer, the dye didn't leak, but my hands were a little itchy (use gloves the first time, seriously). The black wavy pattern shows up on one side only. Not sure what it's like on other colors.It's a bit large and there's a lot of fabric to work with. This is the first shemagh I've owned, so at this point I don't know if I'd bother with a lower priced shemagh. Yes, you do look like a terrorist if you put it on full facemask in the US, but these have so many more functions and styles than just full face masking. I have this one specifically for my bug out bag. You could get a bandana or a t-shirt, but you sacrifice style and fitting, though it'd be cheaper I guess. I'd recommend it to a friend if these were actually in style at my country.Update 7/26/2017:I wear the two that I have all the time during the winter. They did soften up after a few washes.

I had purchased a reasonable amount of shemaghs in the past, and I was never impressed with the way it felt on my skin and face, or the build quality and the way they wore. I stumbled across this product interested in giving shemaghs another try, hoping that an authentic piece would work better for me than the cheap impulse buys from China like the ones I purchased previously. Hirbawi's consistent 5-star reviews weren't lying though, because when this thing showed up in the mail quite quickly for a Palestinian import, It screamed quality from right out of the package. The fact that the cloth shifts color from olive drab to a yellowish hue depending on lighting like the product description said it would is one of the first notable signs of expert craftsmanship, and though this product was much more expensive than it's cheaper counterparts, it was well worth every cent I payed. I could have payed an extra $10 more to be honest. The only thing that I have to complain about with this product is the fact that my shemagh came with a few pieces of string, but not frayed fabric, stuck to the shemagh when it showed-up, but this was nothing to fuss about, as it has nothing to do with weave quality or anything like that, but I just thought it worth mentioning as a side note. In the end anyways, nothing is perfect, and this shemagh is as close as you'll ever be. This shemagh is undoubtably going to serve me for many years to come from the Summer sun's harsh rays and Winter's unrelenting winds, and I would like to thank the wonderful people from the Hirbawi factory in Hebron once again for this amazing product. Warmest wishes to the Palestinian people, and best of luck in your current struggle.

Authentic Palestinian scarf from the last kufiya factory in Palestine. Soft and hand made highly recommend it for outdoor activities and hiking mountains and military service It worth it go for it guys.

If you are thinking of purchasing a kufiya, seriously consider the best made. Upon receipt of this I washed in cold water, mild detergent, and hung up to dry. The quality is outstanding!. Cloth is quality, color, stitching, cut is perfect. No cutting corners on this product.Save yourself a big headache. Spend a few dollars more and get quality that will not bleed color over your other clothing or fall apart after several uses. BTW, I researched Mr. Hirbawi and his efforts to keep this business going in the midst of a sea of shoddy substitutes. I commend his efforts and that of his business to succeed.Update 3/15/17 - I have used my olive green/black everyday since I did the initial cold wash. I have gotten so much variety of use that the standard rectangular scarf I have had for years is now in the back of the closet. Great for walking the dog when the cold and wind are so penetrating. This is my first Keffiyeh from Hirbawi. I now have a second Keffiyeh in solid black. Black one is very fine cloth and is delicate in weave, design and appearance. Plan to order a third black and tan color for storage in my Jeep as I keep continuing to find more and more utility of the unique blend & material.