Hi,
New here. I’ve tried to read up a little so maybe you can help me.
I narrowed my pillow choice down to the Z Malouf zoned talalay latex pillow (not shredded). Now I need to pick high/low loft and firm/plush and standard/queen.
I have a firm mattress - too firm. After much research I just bought a 3" talalay latex mattress topper. Very happy with it so far. I tried two Z Malouf latex pillows in a mattress store but I don’t know if they were zoned. One was more firm. Really liked them but couldn’t tell which would be better. The guy kept trying to get me to buy both. One for back sleeping and one for side. Too much money and I don’t want to be moving pillows around all night. I need a middle ground. I could go back to the store and try to find out if they were zoned or not.
I am female, age 50, 165 lbs. 5’ 6 1/2" tall. Weight is in the front - bust and gut. I side and back sleep. Not stomach. I start out more on my back but move to my shoulder and usually fall asleep on my shoulder and wake up with pain. Don’t know if I’d sleep more on my back if I had the right pillow. If I hadn’t put on weight in the front of my body I’d probably still tend to stomach sleep like when I was younger. However it hurts my neck too much to stomach sleep and keep my head turned at a sharp angle.
I looked online how to measure the neck for side sleeping and from my neck to edge of shoulder/arm bone is 5 3/4 - 6 inches. I am delicate/small boned.
The Malouf website says the zoned pillow high loft is 6-7 inches and the low loft is 4-5 inches. I read elsewhere that if in doubt, buy the smaller size. But others say the low loft is too flat. I don’t know what to do?
I hate memory foam. I couldn’t roll over or get off the mattress without a bit of effort. I love the talalay latex. The support and “push back” feels really good to me. I had untreated whiplash to my neck as a teenager and now have no natural curve to my neck. It’s fused straight. So there is a lot of strain on my neck and shoulders. I am always trying to find a pillow that conforms and supports the neck area. I had a basic Tempurpedic pillow with the small roll at the bottom and it didn’t fit right. Seemed too low, not enough neck support for side sleeping and too firm in general.
I had a water filled pillow with down on the top but I am always trying to push it into shape to fill in the neck area to give my neck support. I am currently back to a down pillow that I can push into shape to try and fit my neck. It’s not enough support and changes shape. None of them are quite right.
I am having more fibromyalgia pain in my back so too firm of a mattress is very hard on me. So I’m thinking the plush pillow would be better. I cannot decide between high loft and low loft. I also don’t know if I should get a standard or queen pillow. My pillows don’t seem big (length wise) to me. I assume they have been standard. I have a queen bed and it’s just me so the space is all mine. How big a difference is there between a standard and queen pillow?
Please let me know if there is any further information I can give that would help narrow down what works best for me.
Thank you
Hi seejansleep,
Like mattresses … there are some “needs” involved in choosing a pillow (to keep your head and neck in good alignment in all your sleeping positions) but beyond that they are even more of a personal preference choice than a mattress and each person may have very different pillow preferences.
The pillow thread here though and the other sources of information and posts it links to have some good suggestions and feedback from other members here that may help you find your “perfect pillow” (if such a thing exists) :).
Phoenix
Hi,
I read quite a bit of that thread before I posted on these forums. I hoped you would answer but I guess am hoping for a little more assistance. 
I noticed you had the high loft version of that pillow.
I included all my measurements such as my neck to shoulder ratio and the heights of the low and high loft pillows in the hope that you could give me a recommendation of what makes sense for me, with my sizing. Is there a formula using those measurements? What makes the most sense for me, loft wise?
I’ll be buying online so I really need to do my homework. I wish I could just go into a store and have the choices there.
Thank you.
Hi seejanesleep,
Unfortunately there isn’t a formula you can use because there are so many variables including how each person sleeps, their body type and weight distribution, and how much their mattress and pillow compresses when they sleep on it so you would need to combine the general guidelines for different sleeping positions with your own knowledge and history about your sleeping experience along with “best judgement”.
If you like the feel and resilience of latex … it may also be worth considering a shredded latex pillow that allows you to adjust the amount of fill so that you can customize it to your preferences. They can also be “scrunched” to some degree which can help to accommodate different sleeping positions. There are several of these in the pillow thread.
Phoenix
I called Malouf and in addition to talking to them they recommended I also talk to Linenspa who markets their products - which I did.
I also found out the two Malouf pillows I tried in the store were firm/high loft and plush/low loft. So I am going with an in between: a plush/high loft. Apparently this is the most popular of the zoned pillows they sell. I’m also getting a shredded latex one. I can try them both out and decide on one. (Unless I love them both.)
Hi seejansleep,
That’s the same reasoning I used when I bought mine (along with a preference for a softer pillow) which is also a plush/high loft and I was happy with it … although I currently sleep on a shredded latex pillow. At some point I will probably change pillows again because for me … it’s one of those “never ending” areas of experimentation. Sometimes my preference is just based on my mood
Phoenix
I have 2 Malouf zoned low loft firm pillows. Primarily back sleeper with medium-firm bed currently. I have DDD in my neck so I need fairly firm neck support. Loved the Malouf pillows for the first 6 months then found they just did not provide sufficient support for my neck and I was waking with more and more neck pain. Switched to a fiberfill cervical pillow (arcforlife) which has been working fairly well for me the past year but like Phoenix said still on the search for the perfect pillow.
If you buy the pillows from amazon they have a fairly generous return policy. You could order both the firm and plush pillows and decide which you like best.
Phoenix, just out of curiosity, what type (brand) of shredded latex pillow do you have? I have tried shredded latex pillows in the past and found them too hard.
Hi ps99115,
Mine is the Lanoodles from Cozy Pure although it isn’t the one with the adjustable fill which wasn’t available at the time.
Phoenix
Hi Phoenix,
Very tempted to pull the trigger on the lanoodle contour latex pillow, seems like it would be great for me. I have tried the Z shredded latex pillow in the past and the Natura dreamate pillow (granulated latex) and found both of them to be too hard/firm which caused headaches and neck pain in the morning. In your experience, do the lanoodles provide more gentle support as compared to shredded or granulated latex?
Feel free to move to pillow thread if needed as well
Thanks,
ps99115
Hi ps99115,
That’s difficult to say because there is such a wide range of shredded latex pillows and it would depend on the type of latex they use and the amount of the fill as well as the size of the latex pieces and how they pack down. In my experience … the lanoodles feels very soft to me (which I suppose you could “translate” into "gentle) and this may be because of how the lanoodles are shaped and they may not “pack down” as much as other types of foam pieces. Like with other latex materials … they are also resilient which helps them to also be more “supportive”.
Of course all of this is also very subjective and each person may have their own description or experience with the same pillow.
Phoenix
I have the LaNoodles pillows with the adjustable fill, and absolutely love the feel. I didn’t get the contour pillow, altho they sent me one by mistake when I ordered, so I got a look at it. According to the weight listed by UPS, the contour pillow has about a pound less of the LaNoodles in it than the regular shaped queen sized pillow I did order, and I could tell it didn’t feel as heavy. Cozy Pure was wonderful about fixing their mistake when they shipped me the wrong pillow, and I had the right one within just a couple of days as well as a pre-paid label to use to send the other one back to them.
I ended up buying two of the queen sized adjustable fill pillows, and had to take some LaNoodles out of each to get the right degree of softness for me - actually took out enough of the LaNoodles that I was able to make a third pillow, which ended up being my couch pillow for the living room after I found a nice pillow sham for it, so it doesn’t look like a bed pillow.
I never thought I’d like a pillow better than one made with down - but I tried to use my favorite down pillow a couple of times after getting the LaNoodle pillows, only to toss the down aside in favor of the other pillow within about 5 minutes.
I received the two pillows a few days ago. I’m found the smell to be pretty strong so I am still airing them out. I briefly tried each out and my first impression is that the shredded latex is too lumpy. I will try to be open minded and actually sleep on them once the smell has calmed down a bit. Maybe I’ll keep the shredded one as a body pillow to cuddle. I think I will like the high loft/plush for sleeping on.
I am a bit frustrated with the LinenSpa website. They have some IT code issues going on. When I tried to open an account with them online and order it took my e-mail, locked me into an account that they claim they cannot alter or cancel but the account will not let me actually order! I ended up ordering by phone. I am very frustrated that because of this they claim they cannot give me an invoice. So they charged my CC, sent the pillows without ANY documentation included nor anything I can print off the computer. They told me to just call if I need to send one back but they can’t even give me an order/reference number! They are very polite but if their IT department can’t fix something this simple I am extremely disappointed in the customer service for this reason alone.
I will have to call back to get the details on their return policy if I decide to return one or both of the pillows. I was told it’s 30 days but I don’t know when they start counting that.
Hi seejanesleep,
Which shredded latex pillow did you buy?
Their IT issues are certainly “strange” to say the least.
Phoenix
Both pillows were the Z Malouf talalay latex.
This may be too soon for a review but I’ve finally slept on the zoned pillow for the last two nights.
First the smell of the latex is quite strong for me. I am sensitive to odors and have some allergies. I don’t have an actual allergy to latex but I cannot be around some strong smells. I had purchased a latex mattress topper from Dreamfoam Bedding which I really like but it didn’t have as strong of an odor as these Z Malouf pillows so I was a bit surprised it they smelled as strong as some other reviews mentioned. It isn’t easy or quick to get rid of the smell from these pillows.
I have been airing the pillows outside almost daily for a week before I even tried to use them. I read up online and used baking soda on the molded one since it was pretty simple to hit it and get the powder out of it each day. I didn’t use the baking soda on the shredded one. It seems too unwieldy to try to work the powder in and then try to get it out. Plus, I’m not sure I’m going to keep the shredded one so I didn’t want to return it with even a little baking soda left in it.
I also gently washed the pillowcase covers they came in to reduce the odor. So once I got the washed pillowcase on, plus I use two of my own pillowcases, I didn’t have a real problem with the smell and sleeping. It’s slightly noticeable but not so bad that I can’t sleep.
I am having a bit of time adjusting to the different feel of latex. I like the support it but it is different. I have tried tempurpedic, buckwheat, down and water filled with a layer of down. None were quite right. With the latex I woke several times the first night. I woke a few time the second night but not as much. There is definitely more support for my head and neck. I think I am adjusting to the “bounciness” of the material.
As a side note, I normally use a silk pillowcase for the softness. My skin is very sensitive due to a nerve problem on my face. However my last silk pillowcase has bit the dust. So when I started using the latex pillow I used a cotton pillowcase on it. That makes it a bit less comfortable than I am used to so maybe that also has affected my sleep. I broke down and ordered more silk pillowcases today. They quit making the ones I had so I had to research and purchase a new brand.
This was the Z Malouf talalay latex zoned pillow in high loft/plush. I am sure I ended up with the best combo for me in the high loft/plush version. I sleep on my sides and back.
If I keep the shredded one it will be for a body pillow, not for my head but at this point I’m seriously considering returning the shredded one. I will give it a try and sleep on it - you never know. But the smell is still quite strong at this point.
Now I read up a little on the LaNoodle latex contour pillow and am wondering if it might suit me even better. But the cost - wow. I wish there was a store near me to see in person. I’m in Oregon.
Hi seejanesleep,
Thanks for the update on your zoned Malouf latex pillow. It’s certainly not unusual that some people don’t like sleeping on a solid latex pillow (which some have described as being like sleeping on a balloon). Some people like this and the freedom of movement it provides and some don’t like it at all.
It’s also not unusual that a shredded latex pillow will have some odor for a while but it will generally fade away and diminish to levels that you no longer notice over the first few weeks. Some people also aren’t comfortable with the “feel” of the pieces.
I don’t know if the Lanoodles pillow will suit you better (this would be very subjective) but the latex lanoodles are certainly softer than most shredded latex pillows. I don’t know of anywhere they are available outside of CozyPure.
Phoenix
Just an FYI, I also purchased a Z shredded latex pillow about 2 years ago and to this day it still has the strong latex smell (almost like old tennis balls not the sweet vanilla latex smell like other latex pillows). I actually opened the pillow up to take some of the stuffing out and there were pieces of shredded polyfoam (or memory foam) along with the shredded latex and hard pieces of latex rubber. I have also read on Amazon that some people found twigs in their Z shredded latex pillow as well so I don’t think the quality control is very good.
I have a Lanoodles contour pillow on order for this week and will let you know how it works out.
Hi ps99115,
I would certainly agree with your comments here about the quality control if their shredded latex pillows contain anything other than shredded latex. The size of the pieces and the consistency of the pieces in terms of firmness (as well as whether other types of foam “chunks” that don’t have the same properties as latex are in the mix) can certainly make a big difference in the feel of a shredded pillow and how “lumpy” or “smooth” it feels.
Thanks for your feedback … I appreciate it.
Phoenix