Best Bamboo Pillows – 2022 Reviews and Buyer’s Guide

Buying Guide – Shopping for the Best Bamboo Pillow

When deciding on the best pillow to suit your needs, you may consider bamboo pillows. These are a popular choice among those looking for a pillow made from natural fiber. Bamboo is a fast-growing grass, making it an eco-friendly material. When woven into fabric it’s often combined with other materials, resulting in a soft yet durable pillow. Bamboo is naturally lightweight, antimicrobial, and hypoallergenic, making it a good choice for those with allergies.

Typically, bamboo pillows have a memory foam filling with a cover made of a bamboo-derived material. The desired loft (height) of your pillow will depend on if you’re a stomach, back, or side sleeper. Many bamboo pillows feature adjustable filling, making them a comfortable and ergonomic choice for side, back, and stomach sleepers. Bamboo is also naturally lightweight, which promotes ventilation through the pillow. This breathability will keep you cooler during warm nights or if you’re a naturally warm sleeper.

Many options exist on the market, however, so it can be difficult to decipher which companies are making high-quality pillows. Below we’ll break down what to look for when buying a bamboo pillow and how to know you’re getting a good product.

How to Choose a Bamboo Pillow

The best bamboo pillow for you will depend on what type of fill you’d like, what loft (height) is most comfortable for you, and your budget. A few other things to consider before buying are how to clean the pillow and what the return policy and warranty include.

Fill Material

Most bamboo pillows are filled with memory foam. Memory foam is created through a chemical treatment that turns it into a squishy, supportive, and conforming material. It’s designed to cradle or hug your head, neck, and shoulders. It’s also designed to bounce back into its original shape when there’s no weight on it.

Bamboo pillows with memory foam come in two types: shredded and solid core. Shredded memory foam is, as the name implies, small pieces of memory foam encased in an inner liner within the pillow. Some pillows include a zipper on this liner so the user can remove or add shredded memory foam to adjust the fill level. The amount of filling affects the loft and firmness of the pillow, adding a level of customization that makes these pillows suitable for sleepers in any sleeping position. If your desired loft is higher than the original pillow, many manufacturers will provide extra filling at no charge.

Solid core memory foam is the other common fill in bamboo pillows. As the name suggests, this memory foam is a solid piece. The piece is cut to the specific size of the pillow. These can either be a flat surface or contoured to support the neck, head, and shoulders. Some solid memory foam includes small holes in the foam to promote airflow and ventilation, making these an ideal choice for warm nights.

Price

The cost of a bamboo pillow ranges from $30 – $70, with a few costing up to $90. The price varies with size, filling, and the percentage of bamboo used in the cover material. The least expensive bamboo pillows are typically standard size with the pillowcase being about 40% bamboo-derived viscose/rayon. Larger pillows like queen and king tend to cost between $50 – $70. Bamboo pillowcase covers that are made entirely from bamboo viscose/rayon are generally more expensive than pillowcases that use a combination of bamboo viscose/rayon and polyester. Lastly, body-sized bamboo pillows are the most expensive size since they are the largest.

Cleaning

Most bamboo pillows with shredded memory foam fill are machine washable. Solid core memory foam is best spot-cleaned by hand, making it less convenient to wash than shredded memory foam. In both cases, the bamboo pillowcase can be machine washed. Always follow the manufacturer’s cleaning directions.

Return Policy & Warranty

When shopping for the best bamboo pillow, it’s worth looking into the return policy and warranty on the pillow. Some companies offer a 100-day trial period, during which you can use the pillow and return it for a full refund if you’re not happy with your purchase. Other companies offer a lifetime warranty.

What Sizes Are Available for Bamboo Pillows?

With the exception of body pillows, all sizes are the same width, but the length of the pillow changes with different sizes. Bamboo pillows are available in the following sizes:

• Standard: Standard is the most common size of bamboo pillow. It’s the shortest pillow size, and usually the most compact. It’s also generally the cheapest size available.
• Queen: Queen-size pillows are four inches longer than standard pillows. These are a good option for sleepers who find standard pillows to be too small. Queen size is an ideal option for those who turn over often while sleeping.
• King: The king pillow size is two inches longer than the queen. This adds extra length for especially restless sleepers. King size pillows are also good for those who sit up in bed for reading or watching television.
• Body: Body pillows are oversized in width, often over twice as wide as a standard pillow. These are ideal for those who prefer to sleep snuggled with their pillow. Typically, body pillow users sleep on their side with the pillow cradled between their legs. When used in this position, body pillows can improve spinal alignment during sleep.

How Is Bamboo Made Into Fabric?

Bamboo is a grass that grows very quickly. Some varieties can grow as much as four feet in one day. Eco-conscious buyers are drawn to bamboo because of its renewability. When cut down, bamboo grows back stronger and sturdier, making this a low-impact resource. Bamboo also requires no fertilizer, pesticides, or irrigation. Bamboo is much easier to grow than cotton and uses less resources.

How Bamboo Is Processed

Bamboo can be processed either chemically or mechanically. We’ll break down the differences:

• Mechanically Processed Bamboo: This involves combing the bamboo fibers into threads. Initially the bamboo is crushed to soften it. An added enzyme speeds up this break-down process. Onced combed into strands, it’s spun into a yarn that is ready to make bamboo linen. This process is time consuming and labor intensive which is why linen made from bamboo is rare.
• Chemically Processed Bamboo: Bamboo is often produced using a method called the viscose process. Raw bamboo is dissolved in a strong chemical which softens the bamboo until it turns it into a thick, viscous liquid. This liquid is then filtered and the bamboo fibers can be spun into thread and used to make bamboo viscose, rayon, and lyocell.

Bamboo Fabrics

Once processed, bamboo can be made into several types of materials. The most common are bamboo linen, bamboo rayon (often referred to as bamboo viscose), and lyocell. Here are the differences:

• Bamboo Linen: Not very common, bamboo linen is a textile made from mechanically processed bamboo. The fibers are thick and durable, creating a rougher feel, as is sometimes common with thick linen fabrics.
• Rayon/Viscose/Lyocell:These fabrics are made by chemically processing bamboo. These produce a silk-like texture that is soft and comfortable. Slight variations exist between these three fabrics. Bamboo rayon, often called bamboo viscose, is usually produced using the viscose process and is treated with an additional chemical after processing which makes it more absorbent and easier to dye. Lyocell is also made using a chemical process but involves less steps and fewer chemicals in its production.

Is Bamboo Right for You?

Bamboo fabrics are a popular choice because they are woven into silk-like materials. Bamboo is naturally lightweight, which makes it breathable option for bedding. Bamboo grows quickly with little human intervention needed in the form of pesticides or irrigation. Once cut off at the root, bamboo will grow back stronger, making it a highly renewable and sustainable resource.

While bamboo is a natural fiber, it is often heavily processed with chemicals to make it into fabric, which may negate some of the eco-friendly aspects you may be looking for.

Bamboo Alternatives

Pillows that use buckwheat filling are an eco-friendly alternative to bamboo pillows. This filling consists of the hulls of buckwheat kernels, which provide firm support while sleeping. Most buckwheat pillows also feature adjustable loft, meaning they can be adapted to your sleeping style and firmness preference.

Latex pillows include filling made from the sap of rubber tree plants, making them another natural alternative to bamboo pillows. Latex pillows include either shredded or solid-core latex interiors. Finally, ethically sourced down is another eco-friendly pillow option. Ethically sourced down uses a process that causes no undue harm to the animals.