I happened to be visiting one of my daughters in Berkeley, CA and stopped into European Sleep Works. I had already tried four other latex pillows: two full-size solid Talalay and two Dunlop. I hated them. They were too squishy and soft, and even piling three together did not work for me. Fortunately, my wife loves them.
I was planning to order a couple of firm solid latex pillows from Custom Sleep Technology. Bob there is great. He said he would hand-pick and weigh them so I would get the firmest ones available. His pillows are made by Global and are priced better than most Talalay pillows anywhere.
When I tested the Oxygen Pillow at European Sleep Works, it wasn’t going so well at first, until Steve brought out their most lofty and firmest version. Bingo. Bullseye. Now you’re talking. There is a technique to using it since the perimeter is firm latex with a hollow center. Oddly enough, I kept questioning Steve, insisting that the center did not feel hollow. But it is. It’s just the way the covers fit on the pillow that makes it feel as if there is something in the center. The design is great for both side and back sleeping. On your side, you pull the pillow tight under your neck, and the support for your neck, head, and shoulders is excellent. On your back, you rest your head on the perimeter and let it naturally settle toward the center, and you stay in alignment. It is very comfortable, one of the most comfortable I have encountered. You don’t feel any pressure at all.
Back in April, when I damaged my back with three herniated and bulging discs, I could not walk for a week. My mattress is the very firm BB Plank Luxe (which we love). I needed some plushness under my back and hips, so I ordered the wedge topper from ESW and a new pillow Steve developed, which is made with relatively evenly cut latex cubes. This pillow has that firm latex feel where you don’t feel like you’re bottoming out, but you can sleep in any position and still feel supported. It does not provide as much neck and shoulder support as the O2 pillow, but whenever I get a stiff neck or soreness, I rotate the “cube-filled” pillow with the O2 pillow. I like the O2 because it “props” my neck into position, but it does not feel like a brick under my head. The cube pillow works better for me than solid latex since the cubes are firmer and displace under your head with much better contouring for my head and neck than a single solid piece.
I have tried an LMF/Sleepez shredded latex pillow, but the fill is varying sizes and shapes, which I could actually feel, and it was still too squishy and soft for me.
The pillow that comes pretty close in comfort is the CozyPure Baa-Noodle pillow, which uses equally sized latex noodles and has a layer of wool on one side. When I first received the pillow, it was fortunate that I ordered extra fill. It was way too soft for me at first, but once I added the extra fill, it firmed up to my liking. Again, the uniformity of the noodles allows them to displace more evenly under the head and neck, which supports them very nicely. For whatever reason, when a shredded pillow uses random-shaped fill, it just does not work for me. I actually went on etsy, ebay and amazon, and about 10+ pounds of latex noodles (they are hard to come by) and crafted a couple pillows myself with great success. One of my coworkers is in heaven with the pillow, but they are expensive to make, even at home as a DIY.
Hope this helps and hope you are feeling better.
Maverick