Looking for a cloud-like natural pillow

Mattress Talk 5) Mattress Components & Accessories
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I currently have wool bolus pillow - the wool is stuffed tightly into a contouring-type pillow case. The first few months it was absolutely amazing: like sleeping on a cloud, but still very supportive for side sleeping. Now it all turned into a hard lumpy mess and no amount of fluffing can bring it back.

Is there any other natural material that can replicate this cloud-like feel? Maybe if I could get some finely shredded extra soft latex and stuff it tightly into that same pillow case? I don’t want it to be too bouncy.

Does something like this exist or am I asking for a unicorn?

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When it comes to achieving the perfect balance between softness and support in a natural pillow, combining materials can offer the best of both worlds. Down, known for its light, cloud-like loft, creates a plush and luxurious feel, while pairing it with a denser material, like feathers, kapok, or finely shredded latex noodles, can add structure and prevent the pillow from flattening too quickly. By blending these fills, it’s possible to customize the overall firmness, responsiveness, and durability of the pillow to suit individual sleep preferences, especially for side sleepers who need both gentle contouring and reliable neck support.

I have a couple of wool pillows and while they are fluffy and supportive, for some it may compress too much and become firm. Something I like, but not satisfying for everyone. One thing you could do with the wool pillow, is to get a stretchy cotton cover, like a jersey knit, or one that @EuropeanSleep sells. It it will allow the wool to expand when lying on it and almost puff itself up when the weight of your head is removed, plus it is easier to fluff up.

Another option is to take the pillow outside on a sunny day and allow the wool to refresh itself. I recently did this with my 3” organic wool topper. A couple of hours in the sun, flipping after an hour can refresh the wool in the pillow.

Down and Feather pillows can give you the “feel” that you are looking for. Goose feathers tend to be better, and smaller feathers are less likely to poke through the liner. A 50/50 feather to down mix is a great starting point. The more down in the ratio, the fluffier the pillow, although it will be less of a supportive feel. The more feathers in the ratio, the more structured and supportive the pillow will feel.

You can also make a combination of pillows yourself. Here is my pillow post for you to see some of the combinations I have crafted. Although I own a couple of feather/down pillows, they are a bit older and have not yet dabbled in crafting my own feather/down. After visited and experiencing a Hastens showroom and participating in an informal training, they are all about feather/down pillows. So it put the bug in me to create a combination that I might like, as I prefer a more structured and firmer pillow.

You may want to consider ordering some latex noodles, a zippered cotton pillow liner and adding a layer of cushy noodles to surround the wool in your wool pillow.

The tighter you stuff the pillow, the firmer it will be. It is a bit of nuance thing, but it can be rewarding if you get it right.

Maverick

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Thank you! The small wool boluses inside turned into tight balls, I don’t think anything can restore them into their original softness. I only included the description for reference of what kind of feel I’m looking for in a new pillow

Could you please comment on what kind of shredded latex I could order to replicated that feel? Do they come in different LDIs and shred sizes? Where can I find these?

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Ahh, more than likely the wool boluses got damp somehow and the rubbing together caused them to felt.

I just made a pillow for a coworker. I took about 4lbs of latex noodles like the ones cozypure makes their pillows with. I have a small inventory of 100% cotton zippered pillow liners, some will use them as pillow protectors, but these are all cotton, with no PU. I fill the liner with the noodles, zip it closed. Insert it into a wool quited pillow cover like the ones sold at the Allergy Store, Bedrooms and More, and the wool room. I like to use a stretch cotton envelope style cover over the wool pillow cover (even though quilted wool covers are washable, I would rather wash the stretch cotton pillow cover, it is easier). @EuropeanSleep sells the cotton stretch cover, about $30. The do have quilted pillow covers too.

The stretch cover protects the pillow and allows it to stretch and expand inside.

The pillow I made her, I could consider a medium feel and medium loft, very soft and cushy.

I was able to buy a 10 lb bag of latex noodles on Amazon, but unfortunately, that seller no longer carries them. I really like using latex noodles because they’re fairly uniform in shape and size, which makes their performance in a pillow easy to predict. They provide very consistent displacement when lying on the pillow, which I find important for comfort and support.

In addition to the noodles, I also use small latex cubes that I repurposed from a body pillow my wife found too large for our king bed. It was roughly the size of a person. I ended up using the latex from that pillow to create two king-size pillows, following the same method I described earlier. These cubes make excellent fill for head pillows and even work well for a smaller body pillow I use.

What I appreciate most about both the noodles and cubes is their consistency. Because they’re evenly cut, it’s much easier to evaluate how much fill to add or remove. This allows for better control over the firmness and feel of the pillow.

In contrast, I don’t like using randomly shredded latex. It doesn’t react uniformly inside the pillow, which makes the overall feel unpredictable and harder to fine-tune.

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Thank you! Yes, I must have slept on the pillow with my hair wet and this is how it got felted:(

Could you explain what is the purpose of the wool quilted cover? What kind of feel does it add? Does it felt with time? Also, any suggestions where I could purchase similar latex noodles?

Also, do you know how the ILD of the shredded latex would affect the feel?

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The quilted wool cover keeps your head from feeling warm or hot, it acts like a thermo-regulator. It also moisture wicking, so those who perspire have an outlet for the perspiration to dissipate. The cover adds an additional layer of cushioning. I have found that if the fill gets a little lumpy (sometimes my horsehair pillows can get lumpy if I have not fluffed them) you dont feel the lumps at all as the wool quilting masks them.

The quilted wool covers I use are typically washable, so they do not felt over time. The quilting also adds structure to the pillow, which can be helpful for very soft or “mushy” fills as it gives the pillow a bit more form and makes it feel more secure under your head.

I often use a queen-size pillowcase on a standard-size pillow. This allows the pillow to expand more fully and lets your head nestle in without too much resistance or sink. On the other hand, if the pillowcase is too small or tight, like when it’s the exact same size as the pillow, it can compress the fill and make the pillow feel firmer. In those cases, you may need to reduce the amount of fill to achieve the same level of comfort.

I am really not certain if anyone actually checks the ILD of the shredded latex. I would think that most crafting the pillows, toppers or comforters, use a mix of originally sourced latex to create the noodles. Obviously, a latex of a lower ILD will create a squishy pillow whereas higher ILD will make a firmer pillow. If you were to create a solid latex pillow of a particular ILD, and then shred it or make cubes or noddles with the exact amount of latex, it will create a different feel to the pillow.

I know that @CozyPure sells noodles as I have used their noodle fill. Etsy, amazon and ebay have sources. I would bet that most latex mattress sellers may have sources, but that is a question, I have yet to ask them, as I have found product on my own.

Hope this helps,

Maverick

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Have you tried the cozypure pillow? How bouncy is it?

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Yes, I have a cozypure pillow. I have the baa-noodle. The baa-noodle has a layer of wool on one side of the pillow, which makes it much less bouncy. But I will say, the noodles are not too bouncy at all, which is why I like the noodles vs a solid talalay or dunlop pillow.

I modeled the pillows I make around the baa-noodle. The difference between their version and mine, is they sew the wool into the cover, where I laid the wool inside the pillow cover, much like as if it were a duvet insert. This way I could adjust the thickness of the wool and the loft of the fill. The only down side I found was they claim their baa-noodle is “overstuffed.” Frankly, it was a good thing I ordered an extra bag of noodles. It was way too soft for me. Once I added more noodles it was great.