Powder used in Purple mattress?

Hi Phoenix. First off, thanks for all the helpful info and tools on this website. I have learned ALOT on here and tried to retain most of it I read all the tips to buying a mattress as well as support cores/ comfort layer, PPP, and much more.

I was wondering if you knew what type of powder is used in the purple mattress and if it is non-toxic?

Also, I read your sleeping position recommendations. I am a combo sleeper (~50% side, 25% back, 25% stomach). I am 5’6 and ~160lbs with broad shoulders and thick hips with a fairly muscular build so pressure relief/ body gap contouring is important for me, especially while side sleeping. You recommend to start with a comfort layer of 3" for side sleepers and adjust from there. My concern is the Purple mattress’s comfort layer is 2" with a 3.5’ layer of 1.8 lb HD polyfoam under, followed by 4" of 2 lb HD poly. Would the 1.8lb HD polyfoam create pressure points if my shoulders/hips were to sink through the 2" comfort layer while side sleeping? Or is there enough “give” in 1.8 lb polyfoam to dissipate that pressure ?

I’m currently looking at the purple mattress, Novosbed, Dreamfoam UD 12" Supreme gel. Purple mattress is intriguing as I sleep HOT and it apparently dissipates body heat amazingly well. Also looking at the DIY option. Are there any other quality polyfoam base mattresses other than Sedona Sleep’s?

-Steve

Hi st27,

You can see my comments about the type and quality of the materials and components in the Purple mattress and the buckling column gel they use in post #2 here and the posts it links to. I’m not sure what you are referring to by “powder” but the polyfoam in the Purple mattress is CertiPUR certified and the buckling column gel is also a safe material so I wouldn’t have any concerns about the safety of the mattress.

These are only very generic guidelines that aren’t specific to any particular person and like any very general guidelines I wouldn’t read too much into them. I would also keep in mind that there isn’t a specific definition for “comfort layers” because a layer (or even part of a layer) that would “act” as a comfort layer for one person may “act” as a transition layer or even a support layer for someone else . In very general terms side sleepers tend to need thicker/softer upper layers than back sleepers and stomach sleepers tend to need the thinnest comfort layers of all and combination sleepers tend to need upper layers that are “just enough” in terms of thickness and softness to relieve pressure points in their most pressure prone position (usually on the side) but no more than that so that the risk of alignment issues in the other positions is reduced. Again though … these are only very generic guidelines and when it gets down to the specifics that would work well for any particular person then only your own testing or personal experience can tell you whether any mattress is a suitable “match” for your body type and sleeping style.

While I can certainly help with “how” to choose … It’s not possible to make specific suggestions or recommendations for either a mattress, manufacturers/retailers, or combinations of materials or components because the first “rule” of mattress shopping is to always remember that you are the only one that can feel what you feel on a mattress and there are too many unknowns, variables, and personal preferences involved that are unique to each person to use a formula or for anyone to be able to predict or make a specific suggestion or recommendation about which mattress or combination of materials and components or which type of mattress would be the best “match” for you in terms of “comfort”, firmness, or PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and your own Personal preferences) or how a mattress will “feel” to you or compare to another mattress based on specs (either yours or a mattress), sleeping positions, health conditions, or “theory at a distance” that can possibly be more reliable than your own careful testing (hopefully using the testing guidelines in step 4 of the tutorial) or your own personal sleeping experience (see mattress firmness/comfort levels in post #2 here).

You are certainly looking at some good quality/value choices.

I would also keep in mind that the holes in buckling column gel are from top to bottom but the gel material itself isn’t porous so any airflow would only go from top to bottom and the buckling column gel may “trap” air inside each cell so the overall temperature regulation would also depend on how much airflow there was in the layers underneath the buckling column gel.

While it’s not possible to quantify the sleeping temperature of a mattress for any particular person with any real accuracy because there are so many variables involved including the type of mattress protector and the sheets and bedding that you use (which in many cases can have just as significant an effect on sleeping temperature as the type of foam in a mattress) and on where you are in the “oven to iceberg” range and because there is no standardized testing for temperature regulation with different combinations of materials … there is more about the many variables that can affect the sleeping temperature of a mattress or sleeping system in post #2 here that can help you choose the types of materials and components that are most likely to keep you in a comfortable temperature range.

Outside of these very general guidelines … the only way to know for certain whether a mattress will be “temperature regulating enough” with the sheets and bedding and mattress protector that you use will be based on your own personal experience because there are always some people tend to sleep warmer on mattresses that most people would be fine with.

When you can’t test a mattress in person then the most reliable source of guidance is always a more detailed phone conversation with a knowledgeable and experienced retailer or manufacturer that has your best interests at heart and who can help “talk you through” the specifics of their mattresses and the properties and “feel” of the materials they are using (fast or slow response, resilience, firmness etc) and the options they have available that may be the best “match” for you based on the information you provide them, any local testing you have done or mattresses you have slept on and liked or other mattresses you are considering that they are familiar with, and the “averages” of other customers that are similar to you. They will know more about “matching” their specific mattress designs and firmness levels to different body types, sleeping positions, and preferences (or to other mattresses that they are familiar with) than anyone else.

Some of the better online sources I’m aware of for DIY mattress materials and components (including polyfoam) are listed in post #4 here.

If you are attracted to the idea of designing and building your own DIY mattress out of separate components and a separate cover then the first place I would start is by reading option 3 in post #15 here and the posts it links to (and option #1 and #2 as well) so that you have more realistic expectations and that you are comfortable with the learning curve, uncertainty, trial and error, or in some cases the higher costs that may be involved in the DIY process. While it can certainly be a rewarding project … the best approach to a DIY mattress is a “spirit of adventure” where what you learn and the satisfaction that comes from the process itself is more important than any cost savings you may realize (which may or may not happen).

There is also more about primary or “deep” support and secondary or “surface” support and their relationship to firmness and pressure relief and the “roles” of different layers in a mattress in post #2 here and in post #4 here that may also be helpful in clarifying the difference between “support” and “pressure relief” and “feel” that may be useful as well.

For those who decide to take on the challenge then I would either use the specs (if they are available) of a mattress that you have tested and confirmed is a good match for you in terms of PPP as a reference point or blueprint and try and “match” every layer and component in your reference mattress as closely as possible or use a “bottom up” approach (see post #2 here).

Phoenix

Apparently they use a white powder similar to baby or talcum powder to make sure the purple buckling gel layer stays quiet. I emailed the company asking for more specifics but have yet to hear back.

Excellent point, will look further into the polyfoam airflow.

Well put. I’m a DIY-er at heart so I’m all too familiar with the trial and error of DIY-ing, but that’s what makes it so much fun and rewarding! I’ll probably wait to make my own mattress until I have more knowledge and time on my hands, as I am currently in the process of moving and starting a new job.

I was looking at mimicking the Tempur Cloud Supreme which is why the UD supreme gel 12" and the novosbed are high on my list.

Hi st27,

Thanks for the clarification.

They don’t mention or describe it on their website and I don’t think that they disclose what the powder coating is made from but I’d be interested in hearing what they have to say in their reply.

If you are confident that the Tempurpedic Cloud Supreme is a good “match” for you in terms of “comfort”, firmness, and PPP then the UD supreme gel 12" would be a reasonable approximation in terms of firmness (although it may have a different “feel”) and Novosbed would also be able to give you good guidance about which of their firmness levels would be the closest firmness approximation to the Cloud Supreme as well.

Phoenix

Their support emailed me back almost immediately, I just must have over looked it. According to the Purple representative “It is a non-toxic, powdered polymer coating”, for whatever that is worth. They did not elaborate.

On a side note, I asked if they would be producing a topper to which they stated the “Purple Top” development has been put on hold and there is no time table for when they will become available. However they do have a list you can be added to to be notified when the topper will hit the market.

Hypothetically speaking, do you think the Purple topper(assuming it is the same 2" layer in their mattress) would be rendered basically ineffective over a support/transitional layer of 4lb or 5lb memory foam over quality(1.8lb+) poly base foam? It boasts supreme response time and I’m thinking memory foam under it would counteract what it’s meant/trying to do- I.E. respond instantaneously to your body. But latex is often put over memory foam which should act very similar to buckling gel over memory foam, right?

Conversely, would a HD memory foam topper(1-2") over the purple mattress render the buckling gel essentially useless?

Sorry for all the questions but the more I learn about mattresses, the more questions arise for me :huh:

Hi st27,

Thanks for letting us know what they told you. I would think that it would be a “safe” material but of course I don’t have any specifics about what it is other than what they told you.

All the layers and components in a mattress or mattress/topper combination (including the cover and any quilting materials) will have some effect the feel and performance of every other layer above and below it and the mattress “as a whole” to different degrees so what you feel on a mattress is the combined effect of all the layers and components in the mattress rather than the effects of just a single layer or component but it’s not possible to know for certain how any specific mattress or the combined properties of a particular combination of materials and components will interact with your specific body type and sleeping style or whether it will be a good “match” for you in terms of “comfort”, firmness, and PPP until you have tested it or slept on it in person. The buckling column gel would certainly still function on top of any type of material but the overall feel and performance of the mattress would change if the other layers and components inside it were different.

In very general terms … the properties and firmness of materials and components that are closer to the top surface of a sleeping system will tend to have a bigger effect on the overall “feel” and firmness of a mattress than materials that are deeper in the sleeping system, thicker layers or toppers will contribute more of their feel and firmness to the overall sleeping system than thinner layers, and a thinner layer or topper would “allow” more of the feel and properties of the layer(s) underneath it to “come through” than a thicker layer or topper.

There is more information about buckling column gel in the links in my first reply in the topic but latex and buckling column gel have very different properties and are very different from each other in terms of their “feel” and response. Latex becomes firmer and more resistive as you compress it more deeply and buckling column gel will “collapse” once the local pressure reaches the column buckling threshold.

The memory foam would probably absorb some of the compression forces that are the result of sleeping on the mattress so the force applied to the top of the mattress may need to be higher before the columns buckle but again the only way to know for certain whether this would be beneficial, detrimental, or “neutral” for any specific person or “how much” of a difference you would feel would be based on your own personal experience.

Phoenix

So after debating making my own mattress, a HQ memory foam bed, or the purple mattress…I did a complete 180 and ordered the Dreamfoam 9 in pocketed coil mattress… My initial intentions were to order the spring mattress for only 199, test it a few nights, and then order a topper depending after getting a good feel for the bed. My lazy man’s approach to creating my own mattress.

However a week in and I am sleeping better than I have been in a long time. Almost all on my back and minimal tossing and turning throughout the night. The mattress supports my hips, lumbar,and shoulders well which helps keep my spine aligned correctly.

I had been sleeping on memory foam for so long and waking up with aches and pains and I now realize while initially “comfortable”, the memory foam was not supporting me properly which resulted in tossing and turning as well as the aches and pains in the morning.

The first morning I was sore and thought I had made a big mistake ordering the mattress but the next day, and every day since, I have woken up feeling very refreshed and spry. So much that I am going to hold off on the topper for now. I’m guessing my body just needed to adjust to the somewhat firmer support of the pocketed coils. Maybe hold out for the purple topper…

Anyway, thanks for the help and knowledge Phoenix. And to anyone debating a pocketed coil mattress the Dreamfoam 9 in gets 2 thumbs up from me so far.

Cheers!

Hi st27,

Thanks for letting us know what you ended up deciding … and congratulations on your new mattress :slight_smile:

It’s not unusual at all to have some initial pain or discomfort with any new mattress purchase because there will be a break in and adjustment period for any new mattress or sleeping system as the mattress loses any of it’s “false firmness” and the cover stretches and loosens a little and the materials settle and your body gets used to a sleeping surface that is different from what it is used to (see post #3 here and post #2 here). This would typically be a few weeks but it can be shorter or longer depending on the specifics of the person and the mattress (higher density materials can take longer) and it can be surprising to many people how much their sleeping experience can change over the course of the first month or so.

It’s great to see that your “adjustment” to a new mattress only took a day!

I’m looking forward to any additional updates you have the chance to share about your mattress or any additional topper you may end up adding to your sleeping system.

Phoenix