We’re both average height and 170bs and 115lbs. Both of us are 90% side sleeps and 10% stomach. We tend to sleep very hot so it’s a must to have a cool mattress.
We are looking for the most “organic” latex mattress in soft/med/firm config under $2000.
So far it’s Sleep EZ 9" and Zenhaven on list and I prefer Dunlop since it’s more “natural” (less glues, etc).
Thanks in advance.
Hi needqualsleepz,
Welcome to the Mattress Forum! 
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. It’s not really 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.
In very general terms, the materials, layers, and components of a sleeping system that are closer to your skin will have a bigger effect on airflow, moisture transport, and temperature regulation than materials, layers, and components that are further away from your skin and softer mattresses or foam toppers will tend to be more “insulating” and for some people can sleep warmer than firmer versions of the same material. Latex (which you’re considering) tends to be a very breathable material, with Talalay more breathable than Dunlop.
Most people that are looking for an “organic” mattress or materials are usually concerned more with “safety” than whether the materials have an actual organic certification and they usually aren’t aware that an organic certification isn’t the same thing as a safety certification.
There is more information about the three different levels of organic certifications in post #2 here and some of the benefits of an organic certification in post #3 here.
There is more about the different types of organic and safety certifications such as Oeko-tex, Eco-Institut, Greenguard Gold, C2C, and CertiPUR-US in post #2 here and more about some of the differences between organic and safety certifications in post #2 here and there are also some comments in post #42 here that can help you decide whether an organic certification is important to you for environmental, social, or personal reasons or whether a “safety” certification is enough.
“Toxic” is a term for poisonous substances produced within living cells or organisms, although the term is often used in the mattress industry (and often part of some “fear-mongering” campaigns), but I understand your point in your post title. Most people that are looking for “non-toxic” (toxicity is dose-dependent) mattresses or materials are usually concerned most with “safety”, as I mentioned above. Most of the latex you would be likely to come across would be offered with some sort of a safety certification, so I personally wouldn’t have a concern with choosing either Talalay or Dunlop latex, and would consider either a “safer” material.
The SleepEZ (a site member here, which means that I think highly of them) has options for either Dunlop or Talalay (can be had as blended Talalay, natural Talalay, natural Dunlop or GOLS organic certified Dunlop), and it is a component system (layers are not glued together). The ZenHaven uses good quality natural Talalay latex, and the layers are glued together into a mattress that has a different firmness on each side (it can be flipped). This is not a configurable item.
Regarding “more natural”, you can see my links posted earlier about safety certifications. Both Dunlop and Talalay latex can be made in synthetic, blended (synthetic and natural) or natural versions, and all can meet safety certifications like the ones I listed above. 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.
Regarding more adhesives used in Talalay, I’m not sure if your referring to the layers being glued together in the ZenHaven, or the glue seams in the larger sizes of Talalay. “Latex based” adhesives are basically water based adhesives (like latex paints) that incorporate various types of elastomers (including but not limited to natural or synthetic latex) in different quantities as opposed to adhesives that use solvents (rather than water) and which often have higher levels of VOC’s. There is some good information about different types of adhesives here and some information about some different types of latex adhesives here.
If you’re continuing to look online, you may wish to use the experience and expertise of the members listed in post #21 here who are all very experienced and knowledgeable and specialize in providing the type of help and guidance on the phone that can help you make good choices. There are a wide range of latex and memory foam and other options included in the choices there and I believe that all of them compete well with the best in the industry in terms of their quality, value, service, and transparency.
I hope that information is helpful.
Phoenix
Hi Phoenix,
We are in the process of finalizing our decision on mattresses and was hoping you could help provide some clarity.
We went to the Savvy Rest dealer and we are leaning towards latex. Their latex mattresses are 100% organic Dunlop latex that is GOTS and GOLS certified.
In comparison, I was looking on the SleepEz website and they list their “organic mattess” as having 100% Natural Dunlop. It does not say “100% Organic Dunlop”. From the description, it states their mattress cover is “organic” but does not specifically list their Dunlop latex as “organic”. My concern is that they are using the term “organic mattress” to describe the cover and not the latex that is used in the mattress.
This is a substantial price disparity between the two and I was wondering if the Organic Dunlop Latex was the reason why. My husband was very happy with the Savvy Rest mattress which he could lay on, and I want to make sure that I am comparing "apples to apples. "
Also, do you have the ILD’s for Sleepez? I called Sleepez and they said the Talalay and the Dunlop have the same ILD. I only know enough to be dangerous, but Dunlop is denser and therefore wouldn’t it have a higher ILD?
I can’t thank you enough for all your help. I wouldn’t be this far without all your helpful information. My back is screaming at me every morning to hurry up and make a decision.
Lifeaftertempurpedic in Seattle
Looking at their certifications, they do say their latex have a GOLS certifiication. However, I thought I read that Talalay only is available in natural, and not organic.
Hi LifeafterTempurpedic,
Savvy Rest is a component-style latex mattress system that in all-latex configurations uses either natural Dunlop or natural Talalay. The Dunlop is GOLS certified, not the Talalay (there currently is no GOLS certified Talalay). Their cover uses GOTS organic certified wool and cotton, and the completed mattress has a GOTS certification. As an aside, there technically is no “100% Organic latex”, as there are small amounts of chemicals used to crate foamed latex rubber (I linked to this in my earlier reply to you). But 100% Organic latex is sometimes used by companies to refer to latex that has GOLS certification.
SleepEZ has a “Natural” line and an “Organic” line. In the “Organic” line, you may choose from natural Talalay or GOLS certified natural Dunlop. Their cotton in the cover is organic, and their wool is Eco Wool. They have not chosen to go through the extra expense to obtain a GOTS certification on their completed product. The SleepEZ web site recently went through an entire revamp, so I contacted them and pointed out that their wording wasn’t complete on the “Organic” line about the Dunlop being GOLS certified, and they said to thank you for letting them know, as there were some “cut and paste” omissions that they are now correcting that the revised site is live.
Regarding “apples to apples” comparisons, you would be looking at similar items, but of course not exactly the same. Savvy Rest doesn’t share the exact ILDs of their soft, medium and firm latex, but SleepEZ does list their ranges as the same for their Talalay and Dunlop:
Soft – 19-22
Medium – 30-32
Firm – 37-40
X Firm - 44
You are correct that with similar ILDs, Dunlop will generally feel firmer than Talalay, as it has a higher compression modulus and “firms up faster” after compression past 25% or so.
Durable and high quality componentry is used in both lines (from different latex manufacturers), but the GOTS overall certification of the Savvy Rest line is an expensive thing to maintain, so that can account for some of the pricing disparity. I again linked in my earlier reply to you some of the differences between organic and safety certifications, and you can decide what is most important to you personally.
I hope that helps to answer your questions.
Phoenix