I’ve learned so much from The Mattress Underground over the years and I really appreciate it but I don’t think I’ve ever posted here.
I’m desperate for a new mattress and after lots of reading and research I think I may be brave enough to do a DIY project to get what I want at a reasonable price.
Background- My husband and I are both side sleepers. He’s 6’ and about 170 lbs and I’m 5’6" about 140. I tend to like softer mattresses but neither of us like the sinking feeling of memory foam. About four years ago, based on Consumer Reports’ high rating, I bought a plush Charles P Rogers mattress that turned out to be a horrible lumpy mess from the start. This time I think I can do a better job myself.
Earlier this year I read a New York Times article about the dreamy Hastens mattresses. I’m intrigued- but I couldn’t justify spending over $50,000 on a mattress. Also I live in the middle of nowhere so there’s no practical way for me to even test a Hastens or one of the other ultra premium mattresses to see if they are as wonderful as some people believe.
Now I’m wondering if I can DIY a reasonable copy of an ultra premium horse tail, wool, talalay latex mattress.
I’ve been looking at The Futon Shop’s Triple Crown mattress and topper, which have layers of wool, horse tail and cashmere. There is a local natural mattress store that carries this mattress and I hope to go in to try it later this week. I’m hoping it isn’t a hard mat feeling futon kind of thing. And I think a layer with some more bounce might bring it closer to the ultra luxury realm.
I’m thinking I’ll get a coconut core bed rug and the triple crown topper from The Futon Shop and pair them with Quantum Edge Elite coils and the bamboo wool mattress cover from Arizona Premium Mattress. This should create a 14" mattress. If I used the Triple Crown mattress inside instead if the topper that would take the whole thing up to 17" I already have one of Arizona’s 3" talalay latex toppers that I can pop on top of my creation if it feels too firm.
Will this work or is it a crazy idea? Is a project like this doable for a regular person?
@Arizona_Premium
Best thing to do if to try and test different set ups objectively.
John
Hi TBrown.
Welcome to our Mattress Forum 
My own morbid curiosity kind of needs you to try this.
Honestly, what you’re describing sounds totally feasible. You’ve clearly done your homework, and the combination of materials you’re talking about- natural fibers like wool, horsehair, and cashmere paired with a supportive coil base and Talalay latex- absolutely puts you in the same category of design philosophy as something like Hästens.
It won’t be identical, of course, but you’re definitely working from the same principles of breathable, resilient, layered natural materials that respond dynamically to your body instead of just cushioning it.
That said, like with any DIY mattress build, there’s a little bit of a learning curve. You might have to experiment a bit with order, thickness, or how tightly things are enclosed to get that perfect balance of support, buoyancy, and plushness.
But if you approach the project with a spirit of adventure, it can be a really fun and rewarding process, especially when you finally get it dialed in! There’s something deeply satisfying about sleeping on something you built yourself, particularly when you know what’s inside it and why it feels the way it does.
If you do end up trying the Triple Crown mattress or topper from The Futon Shop, that’ll give you a great reference point for how horsehair and wool feel together (they can run a little firm if not balanced with enough loft or latex). Pairing that with the Quantum Edge coils and a Talalay topper could make a very well-rounded, breathable, and supportive setup.
Please, for all of us who are living vicariously through your mattress experiments, come back and tell us how it turns out.
NikkiTMU
Should work fine but our covers only go up to 15", FYI.
So an update on my horsehair mattress quest-
Today I went to an excellent low pressure local mattress store to explore a variety of mattresses, including that Triple Crown which contains layers of horsehair, wool, cashmere and microcoils that I was thinking of using inside my DIY mattress. It turns out it’s more of a futon than a mattress, with very pronounced tufting and a very very firm feel. It felt more like the cushion of a nice upholstered chair than a bed.
The store owner is very familiar with Hastens and even spoke to them about carrying their mattresses. Not surprisingly, he told me the Triple Crown feels nothing like their super expensive mattresses. Among other things, the Triple Crown horsehair layers are a lot different from the ultrapremium brands, basically a latex infused horsehair mat, rather than the hand teased almost wool-like batting those super expensive mattress makers create.
While researching, I actually found those latex infused horsehair sheets at a couple of onliine upholstery supply stores. They were surprisingly inexpensive, at least compared to wool or latex, so I suppose that’s one way the people who make the Triple Crown can create this much lower priced version of a horsehair mattress.
I’m sure the Triple Crown would be a great solution for a back sleeper looking for a very firm, very long lasting futon/mattress or for the cushion of a comfortable futon type sofa, but, sadly, I doubt it would be a good middle or comfort layer for the plush, luxurious mattress I’ve dreamed of making.
Hi TBrown,
Thanks for your detailed update, and it lines up with what I’ve learned as well. Having crafted my own horsehair pillows, I can fully appreciate your experience. Horsehair products can feel dramatically different depending on how the fibers are processed, and what you felt with the Triple Crown makes perfect sense. Those latex-infused horsehair sheets create a dense, structured layer that behaves much more like upholstery padding than anything truly mattress-like. Real horsehair is an exceptional material. It is naturally springy, extremely resilient, breathable, excellent at moving moisture away from the body, and resistant to long-term compression. But the processing method makes all the difference. A bonded mat will always be firm and flat, whereas hand-teased horsehair has that buoyant, lofty, micro-spring quality that feels completely different.
Having gone through a Hastens informal training session and their customer sales experience, I’ve also come to understand firsthand how different Hastens mattresses really are from anything else, and also those that use horsehair, even among premium luxury brands. Simply putting horsehair in a mattress does not make it anything like a Hastens. Their comfort is not the result of one ingredient. Hastens designs its own spring units with specific tensions, prepares its natural fibers in-house, and constructs its layers in carefully engineered sequences developed over more than 150 years. The feel associated with a Hastens comes from an entire system working seamlessly together, and no one has truly replicated that formula.
That does not mean other horsehair mattresses are not good products. Many are durable, breathable, and supportive in their own way. But Hastens really lives in its own category, and your experience with the Triple Crown highlights just how different a mass-produced bonded horsehair mat can be from a heritage-level, meticulously crafted design.
Hopefully you find some success in crafting your own mattress. Finding well processed horsehair is not an easy quest. Orange Mattress in NJ is one of the only places in the US that you may be able to get 100% quality horsehair that is not mixed with cattle hair. I happened to order my horsehair from a suppier in Italy, but I was making pillows not mattresses.
All the best,
Maverick.
Some Redditor made a DIY topper using horsehair (from albanyfoam) and wool batting. That’s the best way to do it. Horsehair comes from slaughter houses. That is something I am wary of.
The assertion that the horses are slaughtered for the hair is erroneous and does not accurately reflect the circumstances in question. Although a negligible number of cases may exist, they are exceedingly rare, and the suggestion that horses are slaughtered primarily for their hair is unfounded.
One known mattress manufacturer speaks to this on their own website that their horsehair is collected only when horses reach the end of their natural life, not through slaughter. Others in the industry explain that the majority of their horsehair comes from routine grooming. The belief that horsehair used in mattresses or toppers comes from slaughtered horses is a common misunderstanding. And when they do, not for the originating reasons you would think.
In reality, the horsehair used for bedding almost always comes from routine grooming of live horses. Horses naturally shed hair from their manes and tails, and this hair is collected much like wool from sheep. It is a renewable material that can be gathered without causing any harm to the animal.
The type of horsehair needed for quality mattresses is long, strong tail or mane hair. This is easiest to collect through regular grooming, not from carcasses. Hair taken from slaughtered horses is usually short, dirty, and low quality, making it unsuitable for the springy and breathable fillings used in bedding. Because of this, reputable companies that make horsehair mattresses rely on ethically sourced hair from live, well cared for horses.
Many well known mattress makers even make it clear that none of their horsehair comes from slaughtered animals. It simply would not make sense for them, since live horses provide much cleaner and stronger fibers, and the industry depends on consistent, high quality material. While some people assume that any animal product must involve slaughter, in this case the process is more like collecting wool. It is safe, humane, and sustainable.
In short, the idea that horsehair mattresses use hair from slaughtered horses is mostly a myth. The vast majority of horsehair used in bedding comes from normal grooming and natural shedding, and from horses that are approaching the end of their natural life and are put down like any other suffering animal, which makes it an ethical and cruelty free material.
The horsehair obtained from slaughtered horses typically comes from animals processed for other purposes, mainly by meat-packing companies. In these cases, the primary intention is not to harvest the hair but to produce meat. Some companies choose to use the hair as well to ensure that nothing goes to waste, but the slaughter itself is driven by the meat industry.
There are two ways to look at:
(1) horses are slaughtered for their hair
(2) most of the horse hair comes from the slaughter houses
I am not making the claim (1). However, (2) is true. The way European mattress makers source their horse hair is round about. Entity A purchases horse hair from Mexican and South American slaughter houses, exports them to another Switzerland entity B. Entity B processes the hair. Now Hastens and others source their hair from B.
I’m not disputing that some commercial horsehair originates from slaughterhouses, as I mentioned some do. My issue is with how your original statement was phrased. You wrote: “Horsehair comes from slaughter houses. That is something I am wary of.”
Worded that way, it strongly suggests that horses are slaughtered for their hair, or that the primary purpose of the slaughter is to supply the hair industry. That’s not accurate, and it creates a misleading ethical impression. As I stated, much of the horsehair is ethically sourced, from grooming and end of life, which you failed to mention and left your reader with the impression that horsehair only comes from slaughtered horses where the intent of the slaughter was to obtain the horsehair.
It is clear that you second post is somewhat clearer, but still does not reflect the horsehair industry in its entirety. Had you said “some hair” comes from slaughter houses where horses are slaughtered for their meat, and the harvested hair is a non wasted bi-product of that slaughter, we would be more on the same page.
In reality, the horses are slaughtered for their meat. The hair is a by-product that is later purchased and processed so it doesn’t go to waste. If the meat industry didn’t exist, then ethically sourced hair would have to come from grooming or natural end-of-life collection.
So I’m not disputing that some of the hair ultimately comes through slaughterhouses. I’m clarifying that the intent of the slaughter is not hair production, and the way the original sentence was written didn’t reflect that distinction. It matters, because it changes how people interpret the ethics behind using horsehair at all.
Just a point of information. A few years ago I bought a shikibuton from The Futon Shop. Their return policy at that time was atrocious. I hope it’s changed.