Do you have allergies? Are you interested in environmental sustainability? Well, you can get all of that in a bamboo pillow. What on earth is a “bamboo” pillow? It’s a new-generation blended material in use in the latest pillow designs from leading manufacturers.
You get material with hypoallergenic properties, making it an ideal choice for people that suffer from pollen allergies and asthma problems. Let’s unpack the features and benefits of bamboo pillows and make a few recommendations on the leading models from top manufacturing brands.
- What Is a Bamboo Pillow?
- How Do Manufacturers Produce Bamboo Fiber for Pillows?
- What Do I Need to Consider When Buying a Bamboo Pillow?
- What are the Pros and Cons of Using Bamboo Pillows?
- Bamboo Pillow FAQ
- What are the Top-Rated Bamboo Pillows Available Online?
What Is a Bamboo Pillow?
Over the last few decades, we’ve seen interesting developments in pillow technology. Brands started experimenting with materials like latex, memory foam, and bamboo to create a bevy of pillow designs catering to specific needs for sleepers.
Along with environmental allergens, you have to worry about dust mites. These microscopic mites live in your bedding (pillows and mattress), feeding off your dead skin cells. People with allergies and sensitive skin experience flare-ups when dust mites reach large colony concentrations in your bedding materials.
Hypoallergenic bedding materials, like bamboo derivative materials, trap these allergens, preventing them from reaching your skin and entering your airways. They cling to environmental allergens like pollen, pulling them away from contact with your skin and the air.
The materials also create hostile living environments for dust mites, reducing the chances of infestation in your pillow and bedding. The end result is a pillow that reduces the risk of allergic reactions during sleep while eliminating skin and airway irritation and inflammation.
Bamboo pillows typically contain a memory foam or bamboo fiberfill encased in a woven outer cover made with fibers derived from bamboo, a fast-growing grass.
How Do Manufacturers Produce Bamboo Fiber for Pillows?
The bamboo pillow features design and construction with bamboo fibers. We all know this grassy, fast-growing material, and it grows readily in groves around the globe. Pillow and bedding brands recently discovered bamboo makes an ideal hypoallergenic pillow and bedding material.
However, manufacturers don’t just chop up bamboo for their products. They require it to go through special processing to make it into fabrics for use in bedding and pillows.
Chemical or Mechanical Bamboo Processing
Manufacturing brands will process bamboo into fabrics using a chemical or mechanical method.
Also known as the “viscose” process, the chemical method involves strong chemicals dissolving raw bamboo into a thick, viscous liquid. Manufacturers filter the fluid to separate the fibers and spin it into “Rayon” bamboo-based fabric. “Lyocell” bamboo processing is a similar method but involves fewer chemicals.
The mechanical method involves the manufacturer crushing the bamboo stems into pulp. The process breaks down the bamboo fibers using a natural enzyme, producing a mass. The manufacturer then combs through the material, extracting the fiber before sending it for spinning into the fabric.
The mechanical method is common in producing “bamboo linen” materials. Bamboo linen is highly durable, and it takes to dyes well. However, it’s expensive to produce. Let’s take a closer look at the types of bamboo materials produced by the chemical and mechanical processing methods.
What Do I Need to Consider When Buying a Bamboo Pillow?
Do you want a pillow that breathes well, prevents allergies from ruining your sleep, and provides comfortable support? A bamboo pillow could be just what you’re looking for, with its hypoallergenic characteristics.
Bamboo pillows can vary in construction, shape, and design. Let’s look at the must-have characteristics of your new bamboo pillow.
Fill
The fill describes the filling used inside the internal pillow casing. Most models offer you bamboo fiberfill with shredded material.
Others will offer you memory foam and blended bamboo materials. Bamboo fiber pillows are very breathable and a good choice for people that sleep hot around the neck and scalp.
Memory foam filled with a bamboo cover is better for people with neck pain or who need more neck support. Bamboo fill is the better choice for people with severe allergies, as they tend to harbor no Volatile Organic Chemicals (VOCs) that gas-off from the pillow after manufacturing.
Loft
The pillow’s loft refers to its height from the mattress to the apex. A side sleeper requires more loft in their pillow as their spine alignment is higher from the mattress level than the back sleeping position. Back sleepers will prefer a medium-loft, and stomach sleepers a low-loft.
Firmness
The firmness describes the feel and support of the pillow. A shredded bamboo pillow will feel softer or more “plush” than a memory foam pillow. Memory foam provides more support for the cervical spine and a firm feeling under your head.
Support
The support the pillow offers the neck is another indicator of the type of filling used in the pillow. The plush feel of shredded fillings is nowhere near as supportive as a memory foam pillow.
If you have neck problems or pain, you’ll want to go with the most supportive option, usually memory foam, with a bamboo cover.
Pressure Relief Zones
Your pillow should offer you pressure relief zones along the cervical spine and in the axis joint of the neck where your neck connects to your skull.
The pillow should provide comfortable support between the back and shoulder and the cervical spine without causing a slump in the cervical spine when sleeping.
High-Quality Material
Bamboo is a high-quality material that’s durable and long-lasting. If you’re looking for the best bamboo material, you’ll want bamboo lining in your pillow, but prepare to pay for it.
Optimal Airflow
Check the airflow on your bamboo pillow. We recommend a shredded bamboo fill over solid memory foam fillings if you sleep hot.
The shredded material allows air to move from under your head out to the sides of the pillow while allowing more cool air circulating in the room to enter the pillow, keeping your scalp and neck dry.
If you sleep cool, you can look at materials like memory foam. If you need the support of memory foam combined with the cool feel of bamboo, look for memory foam models infused with bamboo and charcoal.
The pillowcase also makes a huge difference in the airflow. Rayon and Lyocell are great options, but bamboo linen offers you the most breathable material for your pillow.
Size and Shapes
Bamboo pillows are available in standard, queen, and king sizes, and they come in various designs and shapes.
From specialist pillows for side sleepers and back sleepers to travel and Euro pillows, you’ll find bamboo models available from most leading brands.
Easy to Form and Mold
If you’re a side sleeper or keep your hands near your head or under your head while you sleep, you probably need a pillow you can shape and mold at night. Bamboo pillows featuring solid memory foam construction don’t allow any forming.
You’ll need a shredded filling that you can move around inside the pillowcase. Some models come with the option of adding or removing filling to your preference.
Reasonable Pricing
Bamboo pillows come with reasonable pricing, and you can pick them up for prices ranging from $30 to $150 or more, depending on the design, filling, and brand.
What are the Pros and Cons of Using Bamboo Pillows?
Pros
- Hypoallergenic and antimicrobial materials.
- Many models combine with memory foam.
- Very breathable.
- Adjustable lofts are available for any sleeping position.
- Sustainable, environmentally-friendly materials.
- Ideal for people with sensitive skin or allergies.
Cons
- Some low-quality brands produce shredded fillings with VOCs.
- The chemical processing method of bamboo into Rayon isn’t as environmentally-friendly as the Lyocell method.
Bamboo Pillow FAQ
What is the service life of a bamboo pillow?
If you take care of a bamboo pillow with a shredded filling, it could last you two years or more. When the pillow starts to lose its support and shape and begins to sag, it’s time to replace it. Some memory foam models can come with guarantees of up to 10-years.
Is a bamboo pillow adjustable?
Some bamboo pillows come with adjustable fillings. These pillows allow you to add shredded bamboo materials or memory foam into the pillow to increase or decrease the loft. These pillows are also ideal for people that like to mold and shape the pillow as they change their sleeping position at night.
Is a bamboo pillow environmentally sustainable?
Yes, bamboo is an environmentally sustainable crop, and it grows readily in hostile conditions throughout the world. However, the chemical treatment process used to create the “Rayon” material from bamboo is not kind to the environment due to the chemicals used in the process. If you’re looking for an environmentally-friendly bamboo material, go with Lyocell or bamboo linen.
Where to buy bamboo pillows?
If you’re wondering where to buy bamboo pillowcases, fillings, and complete pillow setups, we recommend using Amazon. They have the best range and prices, and you get fast, free shipping as a Prime member.
What are the Top-Rated Bamboo Pillows Available Online?
Check the listings, and you’ll find hundreds of bamboo pillows available for dozens of manufacturing brands.
We decided to save you the hassle of going through everything yourself to find the best bamboo pillow. We curated this list of the best bamboo pillows available online. Choose the one that’s right for your sleeping position and therapeutic requirements.
1. ChiliSleep Cool Luxe chiliPILLOW
This pillow gets our top choice award for the best bamboo pillow. You get all the benefits of pressure point relief from the memory foam, with bamboo’s breathability and moisture-wicking action combined with charcoal.
The ventilated design makes it ideal for people that sleep hot, and the mid-loft and medium-firmness gives you plenty of support for the neck, head, and shoulders. The pillow is a great choice for all sleeping positions, with OEKO-TEX 100 certification for a VOC-free pillow, and it comes with a machine-washable cover.
2. Saybrook Premium
The Saybrook Premium is a great choice for any sleeping position, featuring a “Lion Down” alternative fill with high-end memory foam providing viscoelastic support. The microfiber plumes do a good job mimicking the airy feeling of down.
The hypoallergenic materials in this pillow are soft, with silicone gel beading infused into the materials to enhance airflow and temperature regulation. The exterior bamboo cover is removable and machine washable.
3. Sleepsia Bamboo Pillow
These pillows come in a pack of two for added value with your purchase. It’s another great model for combination sleeping in any position, with a 5″ loft to accommodate any back or side sleeper. It’s not the best choice for stomach sleepers, but the plush feel of the pillow makes it easy to shape and mold.
You get a very breathable pillow with hypoallergenic properties and excellent moisture-wicking to keep hot sleepers dry.
4. Panda Luxury Memory Foam Bamboo Pillow
The Panda is a fantastic choice for your bamboo pillow, especially if you have neck pain. The luxury memory foam filling provides excellent support for back and side sleepers, keeping airflow moving through the pillow with temperature-regulating technology.
The Panda’s unique three-layer design and construction is comfortable, with a soft touch. A bamboo cover offers hypoallergenic properties and excellent airflow through the pillow cover. It might seem like a lot of money to spend on a pillow, but the Panda comes with a 10-year guarantee.
5. Ontel Original Miracle Bamboo Pillow
The 3-in-1 Miracle Pillow from Ontel is a multi-positional pillow suitable for combination, side, or back sleepers. This soft and supportive pillow comes with memory foam construction, with extra-firm cervical support.
Lay the pillow flat for a mid-firmness, or stand it on the side for a soft, plush feel. The memory foam materials are highly breathable, promoting airflow throughout the pillow to keep you cool and dry. The shredded memory foam fill offers excellent support for your neck while offering a long service life for the pillow.