How adjustable pillows work
An adjustable pillow is loose fill in a shell with a zipper. Instead of guessing which fixed height suits you, you open it and change the amount of fill until it's right. That's a good idea, and it's why adjustable pillows took off. The question is what the fill is.
Why we left foam out
The usual fill is shredded memory foam, sometimes mixed with polyester fiber. Memory foam is a polyurethane foam, made from petroleum based chemicals, and it's built to soften with body heat and mold around you. Some people love that. Others find it warm, or notice a smell when it's new.
I wanted the adjustability without the foam, so our pillow is filled with kapok and nothing else. Kapok is a silky plant fiber from the seed pods of the ceiba tree. It's light, it shapes easily by hand and it springs back when you fluff it. I wrote more about the difference in Kapok vs Memory Foam.
Check the label for blends
"Kapok pillow" doesn't always mean kapok only. Some popular ones are mostly something else. Avocado's Green Pillow, for example, lists its fill as 70% latex and 30% kapok. Layla's kapok pillow is shredded memory foam mixed with kapok, according to TechRadar's review. They're different products. Ours is 100% kapok. More in Pure Kapok vs Kapok Blend Pillows.
How to adjust it
- Unpack and fluff. It ships full and compressed, so give it a minute.
- Sleep on it full for a night. Then decide.
- Remove a handful at a time. Work over the bed and pull out whole clumps. Kapok is light enough to float, so pinches go everywhere.
- Close it cleanly. Hold the fabric away from the zipper teeth as you zip so they catch cloth, not fiber.
- Save the extra. Keep it in a sealed bag. You can put it back any night.
Not sure where to aim? Side sleepers usually keep most of the fill, back sleepers take out a few handfuls and stomach sleepers take out the most. My loft guide walks through each position.
Adjusting over time
Loose fill settles with use. That's normal for kapok, down and shredded foam alike. Fluff it most mornings, and when you want the height back, add the fill you saved or top it off with a 3 lb bag of refill kapok ($45). One bag goes a long way. The step by step is in How to Refill a Kapok Pillow.
What you get
- 100% wild harvested kapok fill. No foam, latex, polyester or down.
- A 300 thread count organic cotton sateen shell with a hidden zipper.
- Standard, Queen, King and a 20 × 54 inch body pillow.
- Handcrafted in the USA, with a 100 day sleep trial.
Anthony
Founder, MAREA Sleep
