My eye piller filler

October 24, 2020 12:34 PM

I'm handmaking eye pillows - like the ones you use in yoga - for everyone for Christmas. What's the best filling for them? I'm looking for something that won't go mouldy or smell bad even after several years, but will weight the bags down nicely and feel pleasant. I'm looking at flax seeds, lentils, rice etc but finding it difficult to work out how they compare.

Because I'm making them in bulk, I will be buying the filling, so the advice I've seen around to 'use what you have in the house' doesn't exactly hold. Ideally it won't be super expensive, but I am prepared to spend more for something genuinely better. I will probably be scenting them lightly by including dried lavender and/or chamomile, or leaving them unscented, so I don't care about essential oil absorbance.

I have found this side by side comparison of materials for hot packs, but the considerations are different, as the bags won't be heated.

posted by Acheman to Home & Garden (14 answers total)

I've only used rice, and only for heated ones, but can testify it holds up and smells nice. Is also cheapest of your options. But cannot tell you whether lentils might somehow be better, as my only experience is w rice.
posted by fingersandtoes at 12:39 PM on October 24, 2020

I like cherry stone pillows a lot for durability. They don’t seem to absorb moisture or be enticing to moths the way that rice or lentils can be.
posted by corey flood at 12:41 PM on October 24, 2020 [3 favorites]

I have pondered this, also looking at the same comparison as you, for keyboard wrist rests. I think for the application you want, on the face, you really have to go with a fully-washable filling. To that end, since you can't use food, I think cherry pits are your best option. I don't know that it's cheaper than clay beads but I assume it is.

I went with rice for the wrist rests, because they're just for me and I'm okay tossing and refilling every couple of years, and I wanted that soft squishiness. But I can confirm it's pretty picky about what gets on it, like spilled water or coffee is a problem, and I wouldn't want an unwashable face-thingy at all.
posted by Lyn Never at 12:42 PM on October 24, 2020

Parboiled (or converted) rice goes rancid much slower than other rices.

Likewise, I have had whole black chia seeds in my cupboard for like 2 years and they still have no smell.

while I was smelling my old chia seeds for you I noticed I had a bag of unsweetened shredded dried coconut that expired in !! 2013 !! in there (look, I'm disorganized!), and it smelled nice, like coconut. So - there's an off the wall idea for you! ;)

(I do live in a dry, cold climate for what it's worth!)
posted by euphoria066 at 12:48 PM on October 24, 2020 [1 favorite]

the washable aspect could be addressed little removable covers. but yeah, you can't get anything wet near any of those food fillings.
posted by fingersandtoes at 12:49 PM on October 24, 2020 [1 favorite]

I’ve used the same sobakawa (buckwheat hull) pillow for years and it’s still as good as new. It came with a sack of extra hulls to use to refill it when the old ones break down over time, but I’ve never used them. I like the weight and texture, but it’s probably not as heavy as rice.
posted by moonmilk at 1:40 PM on October 24, 2020 [10 favorites]

I've been using the same buckwheat pillow for years. It has not gone moldy nor smelled bad. Spot wash the cover only. Apparently the filling is buckwheat hulls.
posted by evilmomlady at 1:45 PM on October 24, 2020 [1 favorite]

Glass bead filler exists! You inspired me to search for it, and now I can't wait to try it out myself.

Apparently, it's heavier, so even though it looks a little expensive, you might need a lot less.
posted by amtho at 2:11 PM on October 24, 2020 [2 favorites]

Whatever you do, don't add lavender. I have one with rice and some dried lavender flowers, which got a rancid smell to them after a while.
posted by Temeraria at 2:12 PM on October 24, 2020

Aquarium gravel comes in various grades-- you might take a look at it.
posted by The otter lady at 2:39 PM on October 24, 2020 [2 favorites]

Flaxseed will go rancid fairly quickly and the smell is not pleasant.
posted by cyndigo at 2:49 PM on October 24, 2020 [2 favorites]

Nthng buckwheat hulls. A friend of ours makes eye pillows and that is exactly what she uses. I have no idea where she gets the hulls from though.
posted by Ashwagandha at 5:20 PM on October 24, 2020

For what it's worth, I find buckwheat hulls unpleasantly loud - they rustle every time I move - but others are apparently not bothered by that.
posted by aimedwander at 8:21 PM on October 24, 2020

Flax seeds! They're pleasantly heavy and slippy so they mold better to my face than anything else I've found
posted by spindrifter at 12:33 PM on October 25, 2020