Are you particular about what goes into the products you use? Natural materials, like the kind found in the Avocado pillow, are only growing in popularity and bedding and sleep products like pillows are not excluded. The Avocado pillow is made from natural latex shreds and Kapok fibers, wrapped in a certified organic cotton cover and it’s vegan and handmade in Los Angeles. Sound pretty good? Check out my full review below for all the details on who I think it will like it the most.
The Avocado pillow is a non-toxic and environmentally friendly pillow filled with a combination of Kapok fibers and natural shredded latex. It has a smooth and plush feel but the shredded latex brings in a lot of support. It is adjustable, making it a good fit for all sleep positions, but its firmness lends itself to side and back sleepers.
Key Features
-
- The outer cover is a soft certified organic/polyester blend cover.
- There is a zipper on the side so you know the pillow is adjustable.
- It’s filled with a mix of 100% natural Dunlop latex shreds and 100% natural Kapok fiber (seed pod fluff from a rainforest tree)
- As it comes, the pillow offers medium-plush feel (maybe even medium-firm to some).
- Vegan, allergen-free and handmade in Los Angeles.
- Comes in Standard Queen and King sizes – Standard is $79 at full price, Queen is $89 and King is $99
- Optional pillow refill bags sold separately.
- 100-night trial and 1-year warranty
Who Makes It?
The Avocado pillow is made by Avocado Mattress. The company started in 2015 and is best known for making their signature green mattress (check out our review of it, here).
The company is very environmentally focused. Avocado says all of their products are “products are handcrafted in the USA without petroleum-based polyurethane foam, without toxic flame retardants, without dangerous pesticides, and without risk from volatile chemicals and gases.”
Pillow Construction
The outer cover of the pillow is described as a blend of GOTS Certified organic cotton and polyester. When I asked Avocado what the breakdown was of each type of material they said it was proprietary. It has a cream color and a light texture but nothing that would stand out under a pillowcase.
There is a zipper at one end of the pillow that allows you to open up the pillow and access the inner filling (this is what makes the pillow “adjustable”). The filling is a mix of two things:
- Natural Dunlop latex shreds
- Kapok fibers
Kapok fibers are the seed pod fluff leftover from seeds in a rainforest tree. They’re pesticide-free non-toxic and give a nice downy feel which makes them a natural choice for pillow stuffing.
Avocado says their filling makes the pillow “Medium-Plush” and I agree that there is a plush feel to it but the natural latex shreds really do add a lot of firmness and I think it could even be described as “Medium to Firm/Plush”.
Check out our top picks for Best Pillows, here.
Pros
- All around eco-friendly and sustainable
- The latex is upcycled from the same latex that we use in Avocado’s green mattresses
- It is adjustable, so it should work for any type of sleeper
- The pillow does have a nice “best of both worlds” feel in that you get smoothness and a plush feel from the Kapok fibers but you won’t miss that feeling of support and even a little bounce from the latex.
- Different cleaning options; you can spot clean it and let it air dry or you can machine wash it gently in cool water and low tumble dry
Cons
- Adjusting the pillow makes a mess because the Kapok fibers have sort of a dusty component
- I do wish there was an inner liner so it was easy just to clean the outer cover
- You can buy extra filling at an additional price
- People who want just a down or a down alternative might find this too supportive
- It’s on the pricier side and may not fit all budgets
The Avocado pillow is a non-toxic and environmentally friendly pillow filled with a combination of Kapok fibers and natural shredded latex. It has a smooth and plush feel but the shredded latex brings in a lot of support. It is adjustable, making it a good fit for all sleep positions, but its firmness lends itself to side and back sleepers.
My Experience
The Avocado pillow comes compressed and rolled into a cylinder that fits into a cotton twill bag. You’ll need to open it up and let the natural latex foam shreds expand. Once it’s fully expanded you’ll be surprised at how much loft and firmness the pillow has.
Once I tested the pillow, I was impressed by how little my head sank down into the pillow when I used it. The latex shreds have a lot of responsiveness and bounce to them, mixed with a nice smooth and plush feel of the Kapok fibers.
I think the pillow can be a great fit for those who want a shredded foam pillow but are tired of the slow sinking and flattening of shredded memory foam. This really won’t lose its loft quickly and in my opinion, it almost comes overstuffed. Fortunately, you can remove the filling to make it more comfortable.
I’m 5’7″ and have a pretty average build. I had to remove some of the filling to be comfortable sleeping on my back and the original amount of filling was almost too much for me when sleeping on my side.
I do like that you can clean the pillow in different ways and that you can easily access the filling. It’s a nice eco-friendly option that doesn’t skimp on support. It does get a little mark for being such a messy filling – the Kapok fibers get everywhere!
Marten’s Take
As a heavier person, I often have issues with my head sinking too far into my pillow. With the firmer Avocado pillow, I do not have this problem. In fact, this pillow is too firm for me. On my back and side, my head doesn’t sink in far enough, and I feel like my head is being pushed up at an awkward angle.
In my experience, the Avocado has a bouncy latex feel mixed with a somewhat lofty feel. While I do prefer more of a memory foam feel, I did like how responsive the pillow was. Moving around at night, the pillow bounced back, and it was easy to reposition myself.
Final Thoughts
If you’ve ever gone pillow shopping you know there are a lot of different types and different materials to choose from. If you have allergies or are looking for a more natural and sustainable option, this could be a good one.
The adjustable nature makes it a good fit for anyone – though I think you should at least like foam pillows because you can really feel the latex in this one. I think it’s a good fit for side sleepers and people with broader shoulders who want a good amount of support.
It is on the pricier side but I think the quality of the materials and the ease of cleaning and adjustable nature make it worth looking at. Plus a 100-night trial is a good length of time to try it out for yourself.
The post Avocado Pillow Review – Naturally Luxurious? appeared first on Mattress Clarity.