The picture I linked is of a buckwheat pillow. Had no idea they were a thing before today.
What about silk or bamboo pillow cases?
I’ve only ever really used cotton pillow cases and cotton stuffed pillows. I recently upgraded to a foam pillow that I’m enjoying.
I switched to buckwheat pillows a few years ago and I’ve been a fan. It’s a really interesting texture that you can move and shape really easily, but then when you apply pressure to it, it firms up and holds its shape. So, you get a really supportive pillow that’s molded to your head and neck (For reference, I’m a side sleeper). The only downside I’ve noticed is the filling degrades relatively quickly, and after about a year it loses a lot of its volume and doesn’t hold its shape as well, so you’ll need to replace it. The bright side is that it’s fairly cheap, and entirely biodegradable.
Mine is ~10 years old now and still holding up fine for me. I replaced a travel size one with a queen size, the smaller one definitely degraded but I was rougher on pillows back then.
I was rougher on pillows back then.
There’s a story here, I just know it.
Surly there exists some artificial material that perfectly mimics the properties without degrading.
Maybe ceramic pellets could work as well surly it would help both sides of the pillow be cold.
I’d always prefer a biodegradable and renewable material that I have to replace every few years over an artificial one that’ll be around forever in some form. Not everything needs to be made out of petroleum
I’ve had a spelt pillow for 4 years now. The spelt is finer and quieter than buckwheat and it still holds the shape as well as 4 years ago
Please say it’s the hull. Mice would be living in my pillow if it were anything edible to them.
I’ve been using my buckwheat hull pillow for about 5 years, too, and it’s holding up great. I included a zipper when I made it, so I could refresh the stuffing, but I haven’t ever needed to.
Eh, I’ve tried all of them at least once.
For my money, shredded memory foam is the best. It isn’t perfect, but I’ve had the best balance between comfort, durability, ease of cleaning, and cost.
Buckwheat was good at support, and stayed fairly cool, but the breakdown and difficulty of cleaning made it a problem. It just doesn’t last as well. Only thing that was worse in that regard was feathers. Feathers get ruined faster than anything else I tried.
Pillow cases, I’m a cotton fan. High thread count cotton has the right balance of softness vs smoothness. Too soft, and you end up with bunching and wrinkles as you move. Too smooth, and you end up with your head moving too easy but your hair not moving well.
Polyfill sucks for everything except ease of cleaning.
Cotton batting is about the same as polyfill, but not as easy to clean.
Solid foam is just begging to sweat heavy, and damn near impossible to clean well. Plus the durability is iffy.
Pillow cases, actual linen isn’t bad, but tends not to be as comfy as cotton. Silk is way too smooth. Satin is just uncomfortable. Synthetics tend to run hot, even though they feel nice. Knit cotton feels the best, but damn does it fall into poor condition fast.
Really all of them? Camel fur? Natural latex? Lyocell? Sheep wool? Pinus cembra shreds? Horse hair? Kapok?
All I want to say is: there is a whole world of relatively unknown pillow stuffings available. This is mostly useful for people with very particular requirements or allergies.
I tried all the regular ones (cotton, different grains, down feathers) plus camel fur, latex and Kapok. Latex was great, durability was mediocre compared to the price though. Kapok became flat pretty fast.
I arrived at the same conclusions as you did: shredded foam. I’d go with natural latex, which has about the same properties and can be manufactured in an eco-friendly, sustainable fashion, but that led to me spending $120 on a pillow that didn’t last a third as long as a foam pillow for $22.
Edit: I’m also biased because I want my pillow to be washable. That helps with all kinds of allergies, plus the dirt you see coming out of the pillow… Jesus.
Well, my fav is Aloa Vera filling. But I didn’t had much pillows to experience like you both.
Especially when being a guest, I don’t know what kind of filling the pillow has.
See, that’s what I wanted to say. I had no idea such a thing existed - you learn something new every day. From what I just read now it’s a synthetic gel core with a polyester case that has somehow been coated with Aloe Vera extract?
Is that what you are referring to? If so, I’d definitely like to try the gel core, but I’m not at all convinced as far as the case is concerned - the coating would wash out anyway, and I hate Polyester with a passion.
Taking out the gel core and replacing the case with cotton or linen is something that would I try though.
What do you think is the coolest? I sleep on my side and find my face can get rather hot.
How long do you find buckwheat and feather pillows lasted you?
Depends on what you mean by last.
I still have one feather pillow from about ten years ago. It’s still a pillow, but it’s gotten lumpy, less full, and it’s really only still around because of a strange nostalgia. It got to the point where it slept poorly at about a year. To be fair, it wasn’t the “best” possible.
Buckwheat, I got a little longer before it lost enough filling to break down that it wasn’t viable, about two years before I was just done with it being progressively flatter.
you can also just add more buckwheat if it gets too flat too. although fwiw I bought one a couple years ago and took out a bit to make it flatter initially, and haven’t needed to add it back yet
I sleep on a buckwheat pillow. It’s pretty decent, and as a bonus it guarantees victory and the extermination of your enemies in every pillow fight!
Mine is filled with lead shot for that reason.
Plus the lead dust tastes kind of sweet.
That looks more like dirt than buckwheat.
Silk pillow cases are awesome! I’ve upgraded my linens in the last couple of years and silk pillowcase are probably my favorite splurge. I have two and i try to steal my husband’s so i can have one on the bed and one on deck for change day.
I feel like the only person who hates them. They trap heat like it’s nobody’s business.
That is really good to know! Do you use a real silk one ($100+), or the “silk” ones off Amazon? I’ve always wanted a real one.
Mine is from brooklinen and I think it’s mulberry silk. Sometimes weird colors/patterns go on sale. I’ll look for a link…
ETA link: https://www.brooklinen.com/products/mulberry-silk-pillowcase
I think i got mine on sale, 2 for $75.
