Pillows—Kapok Vs. Organic Cotton

February 27, 2017, by Debra Lynn Dadd

Question from Linda

I was wondering if you could tell me the difference between organic cotton and kapok? If i were to make a bed pillow or a sofa pillow what product ( organic cotton,kapok)would be more comfortable and healthier to be around? We are going to be purchasing brand new bed pillow for the whole family around the beginning of the year and i am confused,i want the healthiest pillows available. We are going to be buying about 8 so i have one shot to get it right. Please any advice would be great. Thanks, linda. 

Debra's Answer

Organic cotton comes from the cotton plant and kapok is a fiber taken from the seed pod of the tropical kapok tree, also called the silk-cotton tree.

There's a really good explanation and comparison of most of the natural fiber pillow filling materials on the GoodNight Naturals website at http://www.goodnightnaturals.com/wool-organic-cotton-pillows.html (even though the headline mentions only wool, cotton, and buckwheat hulls, scroll down and click on organic cotton pillows and kapok pillows. The characteristics of each are described to help you make a decision).

My wool pillows, which I have loved, don’t last as long as I would like, but are much better than cotton fill, which is too hard for me.

So when I learned that kapok is more resilient and lasts longer, I had to try it.

Kapok is the fluff around a seed that grows in a protected pod on the magnetic kapok tree. Fibers are pulled from the seeds pods, then air cleaned by spinning at high speed, resulting in a soft, puffy, resilient material that has no dust or pod debris. 

AND...I just received an email from White Lotus Home about their buckwheat pillows and their buckwool pillows. Buckwool is half buckwheat, half wool, which offers the best of both fills. "While the Organic Buckwheat will mold to your desired shape, the layers of virgin wool provide a soft cushion between you and the firm buckwheat, and you can flip the pillow to whichever side you may need at the time."