Looking for extra posture support in sleep? A buckwheat pillow may be just the right thing to consider! Since you are here, we assume that you are looking for the best buckwheat pillow out there. Well, you are in the right place!
Below, we’ll provide you with some helpful tips on choosing the right buckwheat pillow. Besides, we’ll have a look at 5 buckwheat pillows that we consider the best out there!
The Benefits of the Best Buckwheat Pillows
Why buy a buckwheat pillow when you have more traditional cotton pillows? Or any other pillow for that matter?
The answer is that there are a couple of benefits organic buckwheat pillows stand out for:
Buckwheat pillows are supportive: Buckwheat hulls that the pillow filling is made from are quite dense, which makes for a pretty supportive surface to put your head onto. Besides, the filling moves around and thus allows buckwheat pillows to conform to your sleeping position.
Buckwheat pillows are hypoallergenic: People allergic to feather filling are unlikely to show allergic reactions to the buckwheat hull filling.
Buckwheat pillows are cool: Buckwheat hulls do not insulate or reflect heat as much as synthetic filling, e.g. memory foam. This allows buckwheat pillows to be fairly cool.
Buckwheat pillows are adjustable: Most buckwheat pillows out there allow you to adjust the amount of buckwheat hull inside.
With that said, we should add a few important things concerning the hypoallergenic properties of buckwheat hulls.
First of all, if you are allergic to buckwheat, then you may want to avoid buckwheat pillows. Buckwheat can trigger allergic symptoms either after inhalation of its flour or after ingestion of buckwheat-containing foods.
Secondly, unprocessed and uncleaned buckwheat hulls contain much more dust mite allergen and endotoxin than cleaned hulls.
In particular, one study showed that new buckwheat pillows used in Korea contained much more endotoxin than synthetic pillows. After three months of use, though, the endotoxin levels were similar in synthetic and buckwheat pillows.
In Korea, buckwheat hulls aren’t rigorously preprocessed before being used in pillow production. In the US, however, buckwheat hulls used in pillow filling are usually extensively cleaned. While no studies are exploring the endotoxin levels in US-produced pillows, they will likely be lower.
If you are going to buy a buckwheat pillow and are allergic generally or specifically to buckwheat, then make sure to find out how exactly the buckwheat filling of the desired pillow has been made.
Best Buckwheat Pillows: The Buying Guide
Before moving to our top 5, let’s see what you have to keep in mind when looking for a buckwheat pillow.
Your sleeping position
In what position do you feel most comfortable when sleeping? Do you sleep on your back? Side? Stomach?
Whichever it is, you need support from the pillow to sleep correctly. For side sleeping, you would want to have your head higher above the bed, meaning that you need a thicker pillow. The thickness of a pillow is also referred to as loft.
For back and stomach sleeping, you would want to keep your head closer to the bed. A thinner pillow would be a better option for sleeping on the back or stomach.
Fortunately, since buckwheat pillows allow you to adjust the filling, it’s easy to adapt a pillow for varying sleeping positions. However, if you are a side sleeper, a larger pillow would probably be a better option since it would have a higher loft.
The Size of the Pillow
Buckwheat pillows have sizes as well. Usually, pillows are sized for specific bed sizes, e.g., a king pillow will work the best with a king bed.
With that said, make sure to keep your preferences in mind – if you like your pillows bigger, then choose a big buckwheat pillow.
Cover material
Usually, buckwheat pillows come with cotton pillowcases. Cotton should work for most people since it’s breathable, soft, reasonably durable, and easy to launder.
Some buckwheat pillows may come with other pillowcases – most often, bamboo. Pillowcases made directly from crushed bamboo are hypoallergenic and moisture-wicking, but they are also a little bit more challenging to take care of.
But since it’s relatively tricky to find excellent bamboo pillowcases out there, you may want to stick to cotton.
Pillow weight
One of the few cons of buckwheat pillows is their weight – buckwheat pillows are much heavier than other pillows. Therefore, if you have trouble with lifting weights, then you may not be someone up for a buckwheat pillow.
It’s not that buckwheat pillows weigh heavy as a dumbbell, but for some people, their weight may become a problem in the long run.
Pillow weight also sometimes refers to the amount of filling used in a pillow. At a given size, the heavier the filling, the stiffer and more supportive the pillow will be.
On the other hand, being stiff isn’t always good – some people may want to have a softer buckwheat pillow under their heads. Well, the adjustability of buckwheat pillows comes in handy here since you can easily add more hull filling.
If you are going to buy your first buckwheat pillow, then you could go for a lighter one to save money. If such one works for you, then great! Otherwise, you could go and buy some buckwheat hull to stiffen your pillow up.
Best Buckwheat Pillows: The Reviews
Hullo Buckwheat Pillow (Standard Size)
Up first on our list is this buckwheat pillow by Hullo. Sized at the standard 20 x 26 inches, this pillow should be able to work with most beds out there.
By default, this buckwheat pillow should be particularly good for side sleepers thanks to its firm loft. But if you aren’t a side sleeper or just want to change things around a bit, then you could remove some of the buckwheat hulls to make this pillow lower.
The case in the Hullo pillow is claimed to be organic cotton, so it’s unlikely that anyone will show adverse allergic reactions to it. Cotton is soft and comfy as well!
Hullo also writes that the buckwheat hull filling is all grown and milled in the US, so you should be dealing with deeply cleaned and hypoallergenic filling.
Pros
- Good for any sleeping position.
- Organic cotton twill case.
- The standard size will work with most beds.
Cons
- Relatively expensive.
ComfyComfy Buckwheat Hull Pillow
If you are more of a side sleeper, then this buckwheat ComfyComfy may be the right option for you.
Out of the box, this pillow is filled with 5 pounds of buckwheat hulls. ComfyComfy also includes an extra 1 pound of hulls with the pillow, allowing you to up its firmness and support. The additional support should work exceptionally well for side sleepers.
If you aren’t a side sleeper, this pillow could work for you nonetheless – you may just remove some hulls to make the pillow’s loft lower.
The hulls, by the way, are again claimed to be made in the US and cleaned without fumigants.
Interestingly, ComfyComfy offers a caseless option for this pillow. The caseless pillow is cheaper, and you could also use your favorite pillowcase with it.
The cased variant of the pillow, on the other hand, comes with an organic cotton twill case. This option is a bit pricey, but it might be worth it if you don’t have your own pillowcase.
Pros
- Suitable for any sleeping position, but especially on the side.
- Suitable for smaller beds.
- Organic cotton twill case.
- A caseless option is available.
- It comes with an extra 1 pound of hulls.
Cons
- The cased variant is a little pricey.
PineTales Premium Buckwheat Pillow with Skin-Friendly Designer Bamboo Pillowcase
The first thing to catch the eye with this buckwheat pillow is its bamboo rayon pillowcase.
Bamboo or bamboo rayon pillowcases tend to be just as breathable as cotton cases. With that said, bamboo pillowcases are moisture-wicking – if you sweat a lot, this may be a significant benefit for you.
Keep in mind that the case’s bamboo textile is made from rayon rather than from mechanically crushed bamboo. We’ve talked about the differences between the two bamboo textiles in a separate post, but in short, mechanically crushed bamboo is much more hypoallergenic than bamboo rayon.
This pillow should still be hypoallergenic, partly thanks to the buckwheat hull filling. Besides, it’s designed to be dust mite-resistant.
When it comes to sleeping positions, the standard-size variant of this pillow should work for anyone. The smaller 14 x 20-inch pillow, though will probably be a better option for stomach or back sleepers since it will have a lower loft.
One common complaint with this pillow is that the filling supplied with it is not enough. This buckwheat pillow seems to be a little softer than others, and this may be good for some people. But if you find that the filling is lacking, you’ll have to buy hulls separately.
Pros
- Good for any sleeping position.
- Moisture-wicking bamboo rayon cover.
- Two sizes are available.
- Dust mite-resistant.
Cons
- The case isn’t made from bamboo directly.
- Some complaints about lack of filling.
Hullo the Best Buckwheat Pillows (Small Size)
This buckwheat pillow is the same exact Hullo pillow we reviewed at the very beginning, but it’s smaller in size (14 x 20 inches) and quite a bit cheaper.
Keep in mind that it’s reasonably difficult to find 14 x 20-inch pillowcases in the US.
Thanks to the smaller size, this buckwheat pillow will be a better option for small beds. Besides, if you are a stomach or back sleeper, the Hullo pillow should be great as well.
For side sleepers, this pillow may lack loft – the bigger Hullo pillow might be better for side sleeping.
In terms of build, the two Hullo pillows are identical – both have an organic twill pillowcase, and their hull filling is grown and milled in the US.
Pros
- Good for stomach and back sleepers.
- Suitable for smaller beds.
- Organic cotton twill case.
Cons
- It’s not easy to find 14 x 20 pillowcases.
Beans72 Organic Buckwheat Pillow – Japanese Size
Lastly, we have this buckwheat pillow by Beans72. It’s a fairly inexpensive buckwheat pillow, so if you are on a tighter budget, it may be a good option.
Now, why is this buckwheat pillow inexpensive? It probably has to do with the cotton pillowcase – it’s claimed to be natural, but natural isn’t the same thing as organic. Organic certification is regulated by governmental agencies (e.g., the FDA or USDA), while there is no such thing as natural certification.
What this means is that the pillowcase here probably isn’t organic, but this won’t be an issue for everyone. The buckwheat hull filling is claimed to be organic, though.
In terms of sleeping positions, this buckwheat pillow should again be better for back or stomach sleepers – it’s smaller (14 x 20 inches) and thus has a lower loft. You could adjust its filling, but you probably won’t make this pillow good for side sleeping.
Again, keep in mind that 14 x 20 pillowcases are relatively difficult to find.
Pros
- Fairly inexpensive.
- Suitable for stomach and back sleepers.
- Good for smaller beds.
Cons
- 14 x 20 pillow covers are difficult to find.
- The pillowcase probably isn’t organic.
Final Words
Pillows are the silent superheroes that many barely acknowledge. Sleep on a bad pillow for a few days, and you will know how much a good pillow matters.
Choose your buckwheat pillow carefully. You now know the things that you have to look out for, including a few of the best buckwheat pillows available. Also, you can see our best backpacking pillow is more comfortable.
Our guidelines should be an excellent place to start, but if you feel that you are still confused, then we encourage you to go for either this or that one.
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