Best Pillows Updated: October 2020

What kind of pillow would I build if I were in charge? I would combine the 360 degree hex grid that purple uses in their Harmony Pillow with a shredded memory foam pillow.  Purple doesn’t sell that combination yet, but I’m willing to bet that they do at some point.

Memory Foam

You will generally find two forms of foam within a pillow.  This foam is generally going to be more dense than the memory foam that you would likely find on top of it.  of visco-elastic (or memory) foam. This is the material where you can see your hand print right after you remove your hand.

Hybrid (Latex & Foam)

You don’t see this combo very often.  The Latex adds a little bit of bounce to a foam pillow.

Down Alternative

I have added this segment because I recently got to test a down alternative pillow. Not all pillows or bed products make it to this post. This one has obviously passed the test. Scroll down to find out where this Down Alternative Pillow came from. But in the meantime here’s a little bit about Down Alternative

Down alternative fill is synthetic and man-made from polyester microfibers. NOT to be confused with the cheaper version also known as polyester-fill, like polyfill commonly used in low quality pillows. Those are usually priced at $29 or below!

What I am talking about here is the High-Quality down alternative ( pillows here). They run between $60 and $100 per pillow, here’s why! The microfibers used in the down alternative pillows are produced to meet the standards of thickness and feel. They are softer and absolutely more luxurious.

Down

Birds have feathers, so why not put some of them to use on a pillow, right?  Down pillows are soft and it doesn’t hurt when you get smacked in the face by a down pillow.  They do have a couple of minor problems though.

The feathers tend to displace when you are sleeping on them, so you find yourself having to fluff or rearrange your pillow frequently
The feathers try to sneak out of the pillowcase.  First you will feel a bit of a prick, next thing you notice is that you start picking at it.  Then you discover your first feather, so now you have a bit of a mess to deal with.  Unfortunately, you have now left a little hole in the pillow and more feathers are going to seek freedom as well.
In a pillow fight, your down pillow could rupture and create a huge feather mess.

Latex

Latex is a much more breathable substance than memory foam. That helps keep it cooler in the summer, which for me is an incredibly important as I live in Arizona.  One thing to keep in mind, Latex pillows tend to be really bouncy.  Perfect for a pillow fight, but it takes some time to get used to sleeping on one.  There are two competing ways of making latex, they are:

Dunlop
Talalay

Talalay is considered the more refined & better process. The molded pieces of latex foam are vacuumed of air and then frozen. The resulting talalay latex product is much more bouncy than that of a Dunlop process. If you are looking for a bed that is more springy then talalay will be your choice.

In addition to the two manufacturing methods there is a spectrum of ways that the foam can be constructed from synthetic to 100% natural. The closer you get to 100% natural the fewer additives will be found in the pillow. You can expect to pay more for anything approaching 100% natural talalay latex.

Latex pillows will last much longer than foam pillows. Some latex pillows are designed to last up to 30 years if properly cared for.

Shredded Pillows

Shredded pillows are hit and miss.  The scraps of foam are recycled and turned into pillows.  Sometimes you will find that the foam inside a pillow has infused graphite, or copper.  Sometimes the foam is dense, others extremely light.  This category is really hard to judge.  It is advised that if you purchase a shredded pillow make sure there is a trial period and a zipper so that you can remove any unwanted foam.

Smart Pillows

Smart pillows can track your sleep, but so can some beds, sleep trackers, phones and fitness trackers.  I haven’t found a smart pillow that is worth the extra cost given the other sleep tracking options available.  I’m still on the lookout for one that is appropriately priced, feel free to leave a comment below and I’ll check out your suggestions.

Best Pillow for Side Sleepers

I’m a side sleeper, so this category is my specialty. I try to avoid pillows that are too squishy or too firm. As a petite person I will end up with lower back pain, sometimes hip pain. My go to type of pillow would be an adjustable pillow of shredded memory foam.

There are pillows which specialize in side pillow sleeping.  However, there is a really good hack for creating a side sleeping pillow.  Basically, you purchase an over-sized pillow and turn it sideways.  Personally, I sleep on a queen size bed, naturally, that means that I have queen size pillows.  However, for side sleeping I’ll use a king size pillow, it’s not quite the same as a designed side sleeper pillow, but it’s pretty close.