I have cotton socks, and they are really ruff to wear, and I stopped wearing them when I started to suspect that they were causing chaffing on parts of my feet.
Are there ways to make them softer, are my socks bad, do I only have the choice of polyester socks???
Washing in hard water can make cotton feel rougher.
Also when cotton is damp, like if you sweat much, it tends to be abrasive. That is why hikers say ‘cotton kills’ and recommend you stay away from it in favor of wool or synthetic ‘technical’ fabrics.