Help me find a super soft foam pillow

February 22, 2021 10:52 AM

In the 90s and early 00s, I used to be able to buy super soft thick foam pillows of a kind that I just can't find anymore. I'm talking a 6" thick foam pillow where my head on it compresses it by a third or more.

I specifically don't want memory foam or down/down-alternative. Memory foam makes my body cramp and get headaches. Fill pillows give me headaches, though not as bad as memory foam.

I've tried two latex pillows, but they were too hard, even though they were marketed as soft. All the foam pillows I can find online are memory foam.

I even went to my local custom upholstery store, which is where I learned about ILD, and bought some of their softest foam (ILD 18). It's way too hard. When I put my head on it, it compresses about a quarter inch. I'm guessing I want an ILD of like 6. I'd be willing to sculpt my own pillow if I could find custom foam that soft, but every vendor I've called bottoms out at 15, because they're making for upholstery, which needs more firmness.

posted by freyley to Shopping (6 answers total)

I've found that pillows that use shredded memory foam will compress a lot more in use than the kind that are just memory foam blocks. The pillows regain their original thick shape when you give them a shake in the morning, unlike other synthetic fillings which gradually squash down to nothing. I really didn't like memory foam until I found this new kind. Mine came from Ikea, and it's the best pillow I've owned.
posted by pipeski at 11:02 AM on February 22, 2021

Have you checked out the foam section at Jo-Ann fabric, or someplace similar? I've bought various foams there (not for pillows), and it's definitely softer than what they offered at my local foam place when I had my couch cushions re-stuffed.

Although, the stuff at Jo-Ann is much thinner, so there's a definitely possibility that it just feels softer because it's not a five inch thick section — still, it could be worth checking out.
posted by jonathanhughes at 11:27 AM on February 22, 2021

Were the latex pillows in one form or shredded? Because you can shred it yourself if you still have them. Then you can control how much to fill one pillowcase.
posted by TWinbrook8 at 12:37 PM on February 22, 2021

I've tried shredded memory foam, and it's as bad as regular memory foam for me. I've not tried shredded latex or furniture foam. I've not bought shredded foam, because all of it seems to be memory foam or unspecified. All the foam I could find on JoAnn's looked, from the product specs, to be aimed at upholstery, so, denser, but I haven't been in person. I'll plan to do that if I can't find a better option.
posted by freyley at 1:32 PM on February 22, 2021

This site seems to have a variety, including 'Super Soft Foam'. According to this page, their super soft foam has an ILD of 12.

It seems like they're willing to cut to order. They may also have some info for you about finding an ILD of 6.
posted by hydra77 at 2:00 PM on February 22, 2021

Thanks, @hydra77! I'll call them tomorrow!
posted by freyley at 9:27 PM on February 22, 2021