I’ve seen them many times, but only recently did I hear the exceedingly optimistic narrator say:“A pillow 300 years in the making, based on the traditional Asian buckwheat pillow.” Based on the buckwheat pillow? Interesting—I started a buckwheat pillow company a few years ago (go ahead, click the link up in the corner), so I couldn’t resist ordering one of these things.I went shopping online and noticed that some of the most popular microbead pillows used the term “sobakawa,” which is japanese for “buckwheat,” in in their product descriptions. Buckwheat hulls have been a popular pillow fill for hundreds of years. Buckwheat hulls and microbeads are similar in that the individual pieces of fill are each approximately 3-4 mm in diameter. These tiny pieces together allow your pillow to be:You could call microbeads a synthetic alternative to buckwheat hulls, but it’s a bit deceptive to use the term “sobakawa” to describe a microbead product that contains no buckwheat.
While poking around online, I noticed that most microbead pillow manufacturers don’t overtly employ the technical and often negatively perceived term, “microbead” in their marketing materials. I suspect that many consumers of microbead pillows aren’t sure what their products are actually filled with.Why do they avoid the term microbead? It’s most likely because the microbeads used in personal care products have have tarnished reputation. They have been revealed to pose a serious danger to our environment. In fact, President Obama signed a bill that outlaws selling and distributing these products. Granted, the type of microbeads used in shampoos and toothpastes are a different type and obviously used for different purposes, but the negative connotation remains.Look at the image at the top of the page. It’s pretty hard to argue that a handful of that is anything but bad for the environment! It’s pretty yucky stuff.“Polystyrene is very slow to biodegrade and is therefore a focus of controversy among environmentalists.
It is increasingly abundant as a form of litter in the outdoor environment, particularly along shores and waterways, especially in its foam form, and also in increasing quantities in the Pacific Ocean.” – WikipediaThus, microbead pillows are usually marketed using consumer-friendly names like “cloud pillow,” or “air bead pillow.”I actually wasn’t too sure what to expect until it arrived on my doorstep. A small, very light weight box arrived. I was expecting the microbeads to be heavier, like hard plastic. I opened the box and found an 18×12″ kidney bean-shaped pillow tucked in a plastic bag along with wrinkled xeroxed instructions. It is considerably lighter than traditional pillow fill types like down or even polyester. I couldn’t see what was inside the pillow, but I was able to get a good sense of the fill’s physical characteristics through its thin fabric case. I recognized the small spongey white beads as being similar to what was inside many kids’ bean bag chairs.
According to the company’s marketing materials the pillow contained 10,000,000 of them. I sure hope these vaporous little bastards never escape!The microbead pillow I purchased is unique. The pillow’s outer shell, or case, consists of three separate compartments each containing the polystyrene fill. The center compartment is slightly smaller to accommodate your head, neck and shoulders. The fabric appears to be some sort of a polyester blend. It’s smooth, almost “slippery” and doesn’t look very durable. The odd shape means you’re stuck using the funky white case it comes with. My wife hated it the moment she saw it sitting on her designer duvet! When I pulled my microbead pillow of its plastic bag it was immediately evident that these things stink! It smells like it’s full of caulk. I found the odor incredibly distracting and even concerning (is this thing toxic?). I’ve had it for over a month now and it’s admittedly less noticeable than it was when it first arrived.
That said, it still has a strong chemical odor that I find too unpleasant to use consistently.“Although there is evidence that styrene causes cancer in animals, it has not yet been proven to cause cancer in humans. Styrene primarily exhibits its toxicity to humans as a neurotoxin by attacking the central and peripheral nervous systems. The accumulation of these highly lipid-soluble (fat-soluble) materials in the lipid-rich tissues of the brain, spinal cord, and peripheral nerves is correlated with acute or chronic functional impairment of the nervous system.” – Resources for Environmental Justice ActivistsThat doesn’t sound like something you should spend 1/3 of your life on.“As a special bonus, you’ll recieve one free pillow case” Hooray! Included with the pillow was a specially fitted case. It has a zippered opening and fits snugly over the pillow. Reading the instructions made it clear why the pillow case was included: the pillow itself cannot be washed. The free pillow case is your only line of defense against stains and odors.
The infomercial claimed that I would “… never need to buy another pillow…” That’s a pretty bold claim given that I can’t clean it.There are two concerns in washing a microbead pillow:While a microbead pillow feels quite soft when it comes out of the box, when pressure is applied, it provides very firm support. For those acclimated to traditional soft, squishy pillows, this can take awhile to get used to. I sleep on a buckwheat pillow, so I appreciated the firm and even support the microbead pillow offered. You slide your head into the pile of microbeads and they’ll magically conform to your head and neck. Unfortunately, it’s not perfect: the smooth surface of the individual microbeads prevents them from gripping one another. The beads slide away from one another until the fabric case restricts their movement. As a result, a microbead pillow isn’t very good at holding its shape. You’re likely to end up repositioning it more often than you’d like.The pillow’s three separate compartments are apparently required to prevent the fill from bottoming out.
Without them your head would sink to the mattress and the microbead fill would all collect around your ears, providing woefully inadequate support. It’s actually similar to a millet hull pillow in this regard. Even with the separate fill compartments, it felt as though my head was buried too deep in the pillow. The two side compartments pushed upwards on either side of my head making me feel somewhat claustrophobic.It’s weird, but the pillow is now considerably thinner than when it arrived. It’s almost like some of the fill vanished. I slept on it for at least 3 weeks and my kids gave it some good abuse in their pillow fort. It seems that, with pressure, the microbeads’ shape degrades over time. They haven’t sprung back to their original shape. A pillow that isn’t capable of maintaining consistent loft (thickness) is not conducive to good sleep. As it happens, the pillow was initially too thick for me, but after some use, it has a more appropriate loft. I assume that with continued use, it’ll be far too flat.