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.
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In modern times it’s important to keep in mind that the stiffness can be different independent of the type of filling.
That is, I’d pick filling primarily by allergies, and then by personal preference. They all feel marginally~moderately different, and some you’ll just associate with “nicer”. For me personally that’s memory foam, for example.
Then independent of that, pick a stiffnes and, importantly, a shape that works for you. I sleep worlds better on a very stuff shaped pillow that perfectly matches my neck size and length.
Buckwheat pillow with a thick flannel cover. Belly sleeper and my pillow travels everywhere I do.
Buckwheat, in my opinion, takes a good 6 months for it to be properly broken in, but once it is I have a good couple of years of amazing sleep.
That looks more like dirt than buckwheat.
Durable asphalt pillow!
They are buckwheat hulls. It would be disastrous to stuff your pillow or mattress with something mice find delicious.
I really like my water pillow.
Me too! Kind of astonished that nobody else even mentions them. I remember them being pretty hyped about a decade ago and I am still happy with my second water pillow so far.
Probably the same reason waterbeds fell out of style.
They’re more trouble than they’re worth.
I understand the issues with waterbeds, but for pillows I really don’t see the trouble: You don’t have to heat them or otherwise maintain them, except changing the water every few years, which is done in 3 minutes: unscrew, old water in the sink, new water in from the tap, close it up again.
Ngl I know nothing about water pillows I’m just using conjecture from having used a water bed.
If you have pets of any kind it’s inevitable that somethings gonna pop.
The issue with either is from the risk of popping/leaking: if your pillow leaks, your entire mattress might be fucked. The risk vastly outweighs the improvement
I have the Purple Harmony pillow. It took some getting used to, but yes, it’s worth it. I use a silk pillow case because of my hair: 4C hair is dried out by cotton and people recommend not sleeping on it as a result. My hair has never been longer though, so I think that’s true too.
I also got a purple pillow on a friend’s recommendation. I’m a really hot sleeper, and a side sleeper, so I need a lot of pillow and it was hard finding both of those things in one pillow for me. It’s been great, I like it a lot. The main downsides are it’s heavy as shit (the pillow probably weighs like 8kg, it’s wild), the weird rubbery texture takes some getting used to, and the little mats they give you that go under the pillow to make it taller get bunched up if you move the pillow too much.
Other than those minor complaints, I’ve really loved it. It stays very cool, while still being springy and contouring.
I haven’t really experimented with other pillowcases, but I have been meaning to, if anyone knows of something nice.
Had to go check then out when you said yours was EIGHT KILOGRAMMES. Crazy pillows.
I haven’t ever weighed it so that might be a bit of an overestimate, but not by much lmao, it’s ridiculously heavy
I feel it’s important to note the Purple-brand mattresses and pillows all come coated in a white plastic powder. Sometimes a lot of it.
Breathing in micro/nano plastic powder is not good.
Purple claims it’s safe, inert, and non-toxic. The reality is that breathing in powdered plastic is not safe.
I would recommend using a well-sealed allergy-type pillow cover for any purple pillow, at a minimum.
They come with a big thick zip up cover, if that’s the kinda thing you’re looking for. I don’t really remember noticing any powder on mine when I got it, but it’s entirely possible I just didn’t notice.
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.
Ouuuuuuuuu! Nice pillow mod, been saving up for it.
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.
Been using buckwheat pillows since I was a kid, they’re awesome
Dumb question but were they common where you were when you were a kid?
I think they’re Japanese in origin.
Not at all actually, maybe for my parents
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.
You’ve never spent hours screaming in pain with your only tether to reality being a pillow that you’re chewing on so you don’t clench your jaw tight enough to chip teeth?
The ye ol legendary pillow humping fights of the 40s.
The ye el las thems
I remember once looking over my sister’s shoulder while she was on MSN messenger and a mutual friend chose that moment to confess (via MSN messenger) that he fucked pillows for practice.
Surly there exists some artificial material that perfectly mimics the properties without degrading.
Yeah, plastic pellets!
Maybe ceramic pellets could work as well surly it would help both sides of the pillow be cold.
That reminds me of the cheap weighted blanket reviews I saw where people were complaining about them leaking beads after a while. I think it was glass then though.
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
Just cos something is around forever doesnt mean its bad. I mean rocks exist practically forever. If plastic didnt disrupt ur bodies chemistry then there really wouldnt be much problem letting it exist in the environment forever.
I’ve been using my homemade buckwheat pillow for about 5 years now, and it’s still doing great. The hulls are surely degrading, but even if it’s different than it was, it’s still very comfortable as is.
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.
Sorry for the confusion, the pillow is filled with spelt husks, not just spelt
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.
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I love my husks in a sack. I also use a foam pillow here and there, tried a hyped up shredded foam pillow but hated it, solid foam is the way for foam imo. Never tried silk pillow cases but I do enjoy cotton.
I’m enjoying a kapok as well as a down pillow. Only natural for me, nobody off-gasses on my face.
real silk pillowcases are just too slippery for me (and you have to wash em in a bag) so I stick with cotton.
Buckwheat is da bomb!!! We have 4 in the bed and they are amazing.
Down feather pillows are $$$ but great if you like them soft and fluffy. Get support by fluffing and kneading.
Yes. I can’t talk about buckwheat in particular but, considering your face goes on it, I consider a good pillow case more important than a good set of sheets.
Everyone in my family, from my elderly parents to my kid have switched to buckwheat over the past decade or so. Every single one of them loves it. That’s just anecdotal, but for me it was completely worth it.
I use down feather pillows, they are easily customizable but they can go “flat” and hard in the middle of the night. Putting your head down on a freshly fluffed one is utterly sublime, though.
I have fallen in love with bamboo rayon pillowcases, (aka modal, aka tencel, aka lyocell). They can be extremely soft and smooth like silk but are much hardier, so you can wash them like normal laundry.
I used to love down pillows until I learned they’re the reason why my allergy got so bad.
Maybe I should give buckwheat a try, or shredded latex. I’m probably due for a change but lately I haven’t been able to afford any sleep disruption.
Where did you get your bamboo rayon pillow cases?
Most of mine came from a vendor called Pure Beech that was exclusive to Bed, Bath and Beyond. They are the 100% modal sateen that seems to have been a consumer favorite that doesn’t seem to be available anywhere. I have another set from Bedsure in their 100% bamboo that has a similar feel though.
