Hello,
Just want to start off by saying how thankful I am that this forum/website exists. Helpful to know that others are just as meticulous in their bed preferences, and to know that the choosing process has been perfected is extremely helpful. Achieveing that perfection,however, is a whole other ball game, but I’m working on it. At this point I’m at my wits end, I’m so exhausted from spending money, time, energy… my only real question at this moment is: does latex stop being springy over time? This is a blend of talalay and Dunlop. I’m not sure of the specs… working on it. I just switched from a memory foam that was sagging a lot in the middle, throwing off my alignment, which sucks but after sleeping on this brand new mattress for the first time last night… long story short it has the ever so slightest bounce -not a secure and solid and motionless feeling like the memory foam- (entirely memory foam/foam, no coils) and it’s bothering me. I also woke up with my arm asleep I’m assuming that will go away over time as the same thing happened on 2 other beds I’ve gotten in the last couple months. The bounce is annoying… but the sagging and smell from the chemicals in the memory foam were also annoying. This current latex mattress is a chemical free mattress. I also have a 2 1/2 inch latex topper on it. Mattress itself is ten inches entirely latex with a proper foundation from the manufacturer… slats less than 2 inches apart etc…
I guess I wish there was a mattress that was denser like the memory foam so I didn’t sleep as though I’m subconsciously scared to move lest the bounce jolt my neck/back, or feel like I’m suspended in the air like on the coil mattress, or sink so far at my waist like on the memory foam… and preferably no chemicals. Not even sure what I’m asking, yes I have read about the PPP, anything else you or anyone suggest, I am here to listen. Do they sell clouds to sleep on? I’ll be first on the waiting list for one of those. Thanks again Phoenix for your dedication to consoling unhappy sleepers.
Didn’t mean to post twice, sowwy.
Hi ThePrincessAndTheGrainOfSand,
Welcome to the Mattress Forum! 
(By the way, I deleted your duplicate post – no worries!)
You’re most welcome!
Over time latex will lose a bit of its buoyant and “springy” feel, but it is a resilient material and is foamed rubber so it will always have that feel to some extent. Talalay tends to be more buoyant feeling than Dunlop latex. Latex has an unusual combination of surface softness and deeper firmness/support that comes from its elasticity, its point elasticity (ability to conform to the shape of a body) and its compression modulus (the ability to get firmer faster with deeper compression than other types of foam). This means that it can enhance the pressure relieving layers above it because of its surface softness and point elasticity but it is also very supportive and can “stop” the heavier parts of the body from sinking in too deeply. It is also very resilient (it returns a high percentage of the energy of compression instead of absorbing it like memory foam which has very low resilience) so it can enhance the “feel” of the mattress by making it more responsive and more adaptable to different body profiles and sleeping positions rather than the less responsive feeling of memory foam. Memory foam allows you to sleep “in” it more than latex, and has a very “dead” feel that minimizes motion transfer.
Coming from a memory foam product, it would be normal for there to be a period of adjustment to the different feel of latex versus memory foam on the surface. This usually dissipates within the first few weeks of use.
This can also be common with a new mattress and sometime necessitates a slight adjustment of your sleeping posture or pillow.
I should note that all latex foam (including 100% natural Dunlop and Talalay and organic latex) uses a small amount of chemicals to manufacture the latex (see post #18 here), but the manufacturers don’t release the specifics of their compounding formula which is a closely guarded secret. All of the latex you’re likely to encounter would be able to pass or would already be certified to standards like Oeko-Tex or eco institute for VOCs and harmful substances.
If you don’t end up “adjusting” well to the new feel of your latex mattress, you may wish to consider a slow recovery latex topper, which has some of the slower recovery properties of memory foam but is still latex. Another option to create a bit less of a buoyant sleep surface would be to use a thin wool topper on top of your latex mattress, which will help “deaden” some of the “springiness” of the latex. There are also others who prefer the feel of a 2"-3" memory foam topper on top of their all-latex mattress, but I understand your desire to stay away from this type of product.
Phoenix
Phoenix,
Thanks for the detailed response!!! Genuinely appreciated. So, now my concern is regarding the chemicals in the mattress. I am an EXTREMELY sensitive person and I was actually noticing after having slept on it that there IS a slight smell… but nowhere near my memory foam mattress. In fact is almost smells like cream gravy? Anyway, I bought this from a natural/organic “” mattress store… and yes it’s supposed to be Oeko-Tex certified…(I didn’t understand when I read the page on what that meant it sort of seemed like circle talking but I thought it was just me) … k I’m rambling, my question is… is there a difference in the type/amount of chemicals which you’re saying are present in latex no matter what in order to process it, than are in my organic chemical free mattress? Like I didn’t waste money avoiding chemicals did I? It supposed to have wool instead of fire retardants and stuff…
Thanks again
Hi ThePrincessAndTheGrainOfSand,
You’re most welcome.
Latex foam has a smell that some people describe as “semi-sweet” or vanilla-ish. This is normal and tends to dissipate in a few weeks. It’s important to note that not all odors are VOCs, and not all VOCs have odors (see here). If you are very sensitive to odors, as some people are with Multiple Chemical Sensitivities (MCS), an odor, even one that isn’t harmful, can be unpleasant. I don’t know if the odor of the latex is bothering you in this manner, or if you are more concerned that because your product has an odor that you’re concerned with it with being “dangerous”.
Whether the product was labelled “natural” or “organic” wouldn’t be a safety certification, but the Okeo-Tex certification is an actual safety certification. You can see a bit more about what Oeko-Tex tests for here and here. Without getting “too far into the weeds”, this standard tests for harmful substance and VOCs, and most likely any latex you’ve encountered would meet the more stringent requirements of Oeko-Tex Standard 100, Product Class I, safe for babies and toddlers up to three years old. Most people would consider this to be a “safe” material having passed such a standard.
As I stated in my previous reply, there are small amounts of chemicals in any latex produced, and this would apply for synthetic, blended, natural or GOLS certified latex. The GOLS (Global Organic Latex Standard) certification for a piece of latex foam is not a safety certification, but instead a simple way to think of GOLS is that it certifies the entire production chain that uses USDA certified organic raw materials to the manufacturing of the final certified product including any additional chemical inputs and fair trade and labor practices and the environmental impact of the manufacturing processes. The only reliable way to assess the “safety” of different materials in more general terms is based on lab tests and the certifications they have for harmful substances and VOCs so that you have some assurance than the VOCs are below the testing limits for the certification (see post #2 here for more information about some of the more reliable “safety” certifications). If the materials in a mattress or the mattress itself has a reliable “safety” certification then for most people they would certainly be “safe enough”, regardless of the type of material or the name of the manufacturer on the label.
As far as “wasting money”, for many people the value of having a piece of latex that has gone through GOLS certification is an important part of their personal preference, even though there is an extra cost that goes along with obtaining and meeting such a certification.
This is a bit of a different matter, as fire retardant (FR) “chemicals” have never been mandatory. What is required is that a mattress pass the 16 CFR 1632 and 1633 fire regulations with or without the use of fire retardant chemicals (the method of passing the regulations isn’t specified in the regulations). The most common method used to pass the regulations is the use of inherent fire barrier fabrics that are either quilted into the cover or are wrapped around the inner materials of the mattress like a sock. Other mattresses, especially those with a more “natural” emphasis, choose to use wool to pass FR regulations. There is more information about fire retardant methods that are commonly used in the industry in post #2 here and in post #4 here.
It seems that you have purchased a mattress using high quality materials that have passed some rigid safety certifications, so I personally wouldn’t have a concern about the small amount of chemicals used in the production of your mattress.
Phoenix