Our exclusive new handcrafted bunnies are full of personality—and they just hopped by to say hello.After purchasing a small buckwheat pillow and falling in love with it, I set out to make my own standard sized (20×26″) buckwheat pillow. This pillow ultimately became the first Hullo buckwheat pillow prototype. I quickly found high-quality fabrics and tons of different tough-looking zippers, but locating bulk buckwheat hulls proved to be very time consuming.Buckwheat hulls are available in many different varieties and qualities. My goal was simple: find the best ones for use in a pillow.Firstly, I narrowed the search considerably by considering only USA produced buckwheat hulls. Our company, Hulltex, is American. It’s very important to us that we support locally owned farms and companies, particularly during these challenging economic times.China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Ukraine and and several other eastern european countries are big exporters of buckwheat. There are certainly good prices to be found, but they are typically not produced using the same high standards exercised in the USA.
Manufacturers of buckwheat pillows that utilize imported buckwheat hulls will frequently advertise their hulls as having been “roasted.” This term refers to a process required by the US government to remove any potential contaminants the product might contain prior to being distributed to American markets; it prevents the spread of plant pests and diseases. The hulls are subjected to high heat, which eliminates some of their moisture content, making them a bit more brittle, dusty and prone to flattening out.I ordered our first sample buckwheat hulls thinking that they’d be perfect. They were certified organic and very cheap! When they arrived in the mail my high hopes were dashed. The hulls were all crushed flat and broken into many small pieces. So what’s wrong with that? A few things:Some marketers of buckwheat pillows try to use this characteristic to their advantage claiming that they’ve been “pre-flattened” or “polished.” It’s our belief that intact hulls are far superior, but there are two distinct, albeit small, advantages to crushed buckwheat hulls:My second sample of buckwheat hulls wasn’t much more successful than the first.
Another certified organic variety with a very high price tag arrived at my door step. I tore into the package and was immediately disappointed to see the tiny little hulls contained. While completely intact, they were shriveled-appearing compared to some of the larger varieties typically used in buckwheat pillows. Being so small, these were much more dense; they were heavier and restricted air flow much like the crushed buckwheat hulls in my first sample.I got a several other samples with similar issues-they were less than ideal for one reason or another. Finally a sample came that was perfect… well almost. The buckwheat hulls were:The one catch was that they weren’t certified organic. After pouring through available data, I determined that it was of little importance that the buckwheat hulls be certified. Buckwheat grows well without requiring noxious fertilizers or pesticides so it is most often very close to the definition of organic without actually being certified organic.In the end, it wasn’t a difficult decision.
I decided that it was better to use buckwheat hulls with superior physical characteristics rather than rely on the insignificant label applied to potentially inferior pillow fill.In summary, without seeing the buckwheat hulls up close in person, it’s very difficult to know what you’re getting. We’ve done that for you. If you’re in the market for buckwheat hulls for use in a pillow, look no farther. We’ve selected the best we could find and use them in every Hullo™ we ship. We guarantee you’ll agree. If you’re unhappy for whatever reason, just ship them back to us and we’ll refund you the purchase price.White bean bag chair, with embroidery Made for my son, embroidered with "Warning, Radioactive" symbol. Has no filling, we filled with cushions, vs beads. Household › Furniture › Living Serta Bellagio Guardini Set View full product details » A New Year, A New Room A Heartfelt Thank YouWhere Shall We Put Thee?When I arrive at Float House Victoria in Chinatown, I’m pleasantly surprised that it isn’t one of those patchouli-scented hippie dens, which Victoria has so many of.
Nope, this place is positively chic — polished concrete floors, a ten-foot high tropical plant wall, a cozy window seat and cushy beanbag chairs. It’s a Friday night and yet the place is bustling with folks of all ages and descriptions who have come to experience “floating” — which is basically exactly what it sounds like: lying in a tank of water enriched by 1,200 pounds of Epsom salts. Floating has boomed in popularity in recent years, with researchers finding that something special seems to happen in the brain when the body floats. One researcher has found floating has a similar affect as lorazepam, or Ativan, shutting off the amygdala, where the fight-or-flight response originates. I’m all over the idea of shutting off the annoying parts of my brain for a while, so I’ve come to try floating for myself. Visit The Vic Life’s Facebook page to find out how to win a free float. An attendant leads me to one of the facilities’ five float rooms, complete with heated floors and a private shower.
There she fills me in on the process: take a shower, get in the tank, chill out for 80 minutes. I can get out at any time, I can choose to leave the tank light on or off and when my time is up, music will come on. Soon I’m floating in a tank of lukewarm water so salty that my body can relax completely. My neck, chronically strained from spending waaay too much time on a computer, is blissed out. I was a bit worried about feeling claustrophobic, but the roof of the tank is far enough away that it’s not a concern at all. I hit a button on the side of the tank and descend into total darkness. As monkey mind takes hold I start to worry this is going to be a verrry long 80 minutes. I take solace in a recent article I read in Time Magazine, which notes that floating seems to create a short-cut to a meditative state, as well as improving blood pressure, mood, pain, muscle tension and stress-related hormones. Aside from feeling a bit cold (the water is only heated to skin temperature, so I should have taken a lukewarm shower, rather than a hot one beforehand), I’m super comfortable and before I know it the music comes back on.