There are a lot of lies about bamboo pillows on the internet. Bamboo pillows are marketed to make them sound like they are suitable for the environment and will help you get a good night’s sleep. Neither of these things is entirely accurate.
The Myth of Bamboo Pillows
Don’t get us wrong; bamboo is a valuable material. Bamboo grows very quickly, so it is a material that can be used for a long time. On our blog, we’ve talked about how effective bamboo is because the bamboo isn’t heavily processed or mixed with things like sawdust; some bamboo pillows include this not-so-cozy secret ingredient.
This doesn’t mean that all organic body pillows made from bamboo are awful, terrible, no good, or very bad. Depending on what they’re filled with, some are probably pretty comfortable. But bamboo pillows aren’t as green and eco-friendly as they’re made out to be. That’s why we offer fills like natural wool and organic kapok.
Think bamboo pillows are still the best? The list below might make you think differently.
What You Should Know About Bamboo Pillows?
Bamboo pillows contain minimal bamboo
Most of them are made of memory foam, a toxic material known to keep your body heat and make you sleep hot and uncomfortable.
The viscose rayon covers the pillow core
Even though this is made from bamboo, that doesn’t mean it’s natural or organic. There are a lot of chemicals used in the process of turning bamboo into viscose rayon.
Rayon does not equal bamboo
This fabric is made of rayon, which is very different from bamboo sheets. The FTC told companies like Walmart and Target to stop calling pillows made of rayon “bamboo pillows.”
Here come the chemicals
The viscose process is the most common way to make rayon from bamboo. It involves spinning bamboo fiber in carbon disulfide, a highly toxic chemical linked to cancer and several effects on development.
The procedures required to make rayon are not eco-friendly
Most factories can get back 50% of the carbon disulfide they use. So, the other 50% is going somewhere else.
At the bottom of our oceans, rayon fibers can be found in large quantities
Plymouth University studied microplastics in deep-sea sediment and found that 57% of the fibers were made of rayon, which is not plastic. What is the number of fibers in the ocean? In some parts of the Indian Ocean, there are about 4 billion per kilometer.
“Hypoallergenic” is just a label
WebMD says, “There are no rules about how ‘hypoallergenic’ should be used by manufacturers to describe their products.” A company can call a product “hypoallergenic” without testing it for allergic reactions.
Back and neck pain are never completely cured by any product on the planet
But some pillow companies want you to believe that. Some bamboo pillows may help relieve back or neck pain, but what works for one person might not work for another. That’s why we usually recommend pillows that can be changed because there’s so much more room for comfort and adjustment.
A Truly Natural & Organic Pillow
A healthy pillow shouldn’t be made with materials made with toxic chemicals or in ways that pollute the environment. It should be made of natural materials with third-party certifications that can be checked to ensure they are safe for human health and environmentally friendly.