OK, OK so it's the mattress forum, not the pillow forum...but I could not think where else to go.....:)

I like the latex bed we bought so much I am thinking of buying a latex pillow..any recommendations on what to look at and what to avoid.  I currently sleep on a Tempurpedic MF Pillow, but it is dipping due to age ( I guess you would call it a very firm pillow).  So I would not likely want a latex pillow that is very soft...any assistance would be appreciated.

 

PS, I did a search for Latex Pillow and got a zillion hits; not much help as they all seemed to be addressing mattresses.

I have some that I bought off of Amazon that were made in China and after 9 months, they still smell funny and I ditched them.  I recently bought a Rejuvenite Zoned Firm pillow made by Latex International and the very slight cookie dough smell left in about 4 or 5 days so I can recommend those.  You can get to them off of LI's web site.  However, they are still very soft so not sure if that is what you are looking for.  While I have a latex mattress, the jury is still out on the latex pillow softness and I am thinking of getting a TP side pillow if this doesn't work out....in terms of softness....almost too soft for a side sleeper.  I think I want a firm pillow....not sure though.

 

Went out today and tried every latex pillow available in the area.  Same results, all of them were way too soft, not enough support.  So I looked at memory foam which has worked well for me in the past.  Tried several brands but they were all mushy.  At that point I was just going to get another Tempurpedic to replace the worn out one.  Then I ran across a pillow that felt really good.  It's called the Technogel by Dr. Scholls; yes it's the same blue gel they put in insoles but it is mated to memory foam.  The memory foam is a bit softer then the Tempurpedic which is good as my only complaint with my old pillow is that it was a bit too stiff.  Overall the combination feels nice.  I got the Anatomic model which is essentially as contoured side sleeper shape.  Ironic, this thing cost more than all of the pillows I have bought to date in my adult life added together.  Hope it works out.  So tonight I'll be "chilling like Magellan" :)

Bioman wrote:

Please let us know how that works out for you.  I'm looking for the perfect pillow still.

Thanks

 

Well I find myself in the process of modifying my new Technogel Pillow.  No, I'm not cutting it open it feels great, but as a side sleeper with big shoulders I find it is simply a little too short and I have to scrunch my shoulders to keep contact.  So yesterday I made a zippered pillow cover into which I put the Technogel and underneath the Technogel I placed a layer of 2" ordinary upholstery foam that you would find in any sowing store.

Wow, what a difference that made.  In terms of feel it is still soft but it now seems more substantial and firmer overall as if it now has a good support base.  With 2" of foam which is what we had on hand to try it's a bit too high, so I am going to buy a 1" thick piece of the same foam tomorrow and see how that works.  For those that are not aware, the Technoglel seems to be a three layer pillow.  The top layer which is around 1/4" thick is a sheet of the gel with a raised grid of gel squares.  The second and third layers appear to be bonded to the first layer and are memory foam (perhaps 4 or 5 lb).

It surprises me given all of the work people have put into making a DIY mattress, but there seems to be little talk about DIY pillows which would seem to be a lot simpler and cheaper to DIY.  Anyways I think I may be on to something as it seems closer to having good support while still being pressure relieving.

I am not sure the foam is the best long term solution due to durability (it's one redeeming virtue is that it is relatively cheap to experiment with and if it dips in a year I just replace it).  Has anyone here tried to use stiffer latex as a sublayer like I am doing with the foam in the context of a pillow?

I haven't done any pillow surgeries so I can't help you there, but I also am interested in latex pillows and wonder why in general people haven't discussed them much here (since a great mattress won't matter much if your pillow isn't any good). I've tried lots of different pillow types, but I always end up going back to down. The latex pillows I tried in the past were solid, and I never liked the way they felt. Now I see there are "shredded" latex pillows out there, which seems like a better idea. Even better, there are combo pillows out there now, for example the Rejuvenite Harmony pillow, which combines shredded latex and down (http://www.rejuvenite.com/_product_61051/Harmony_Pillow). Sleepys sells a brand called Oodles that is similar (http://reviews.sleepys.com/1361/MGOODL/reviews.htm). Just wondering if anyone has tried any of these. Thanks.

Steve

Lately I have been using this shredded latex pillow that I bought from costco.com  It is made by Natura, even though they don't say that on the website.  It is a pretty good height for me, and I like the shredded latex more than a solid latex (though I have not tried those much).   Before this pillow, I have been using down for about 15 years.   However, sometimes I sink into the down too much overnight and end up with a sore neck. 

I have some 1" strips of Sensus memory foam that I put in the pillow cover under a down pillow.  That it improved it a bit, but I have been sticking with the shredded latex as my #1 pillow. 

 Latex can be a bit firm for my taste, but I like the consistent support. 

LOVE LOVE LOVE the Queen (size) Embrace Firm Latex pillow by Dormia. I'm a side sleeper with broad shoulders and have had trouble finding a pillow that was substantial/tall enough, yet simultaneously soft enough for comfort. It's usually about a $85 item, and at first I thought it would be a little too tall/firm, but the store where I bought my bed threw it in as a gift (since I'd liked it while I was in the store trying out the beds) and so I gave it a try. It took me about 3-4 nights of sleeping on it to get used to it. The main thing I had to get used to was not messing with it like I've had to do all other pillows - scrunching them up, punching them down... This pillow by itself is perfect but it took my body a few days to trust it. Now it's my favorite pillow. Worth a try. :)