Buckwheat Pillow

Buckwheat is a nutrient-rich plant that produces small, triangular seeds. It originated in Southeast Asia, somewhere around 6000 BC.

While the seeds are commonly used as a food source (e.g., soba noodles, pancakes), the outer shell, called the hull, is cleaned, dried, sometimes heat-treated (to remove dust and such), and used as a natural pillow filling, among other things.

Buckwheat hulls are lightweight yet firm, allowing them to conform to your head and neck contours. They’re also eco-friendly since they’re a byproduct of the buckwheat milling process.

Buckwheat makes a great pillow if you like a firm feel and adjustable support. When you lie down, the hulls move and settle to fit your shape, supporting your neck and keeping your head in line with your spine.

Air moves easily between the hulls, so the pillow stays cool and breathable instead of trapping heat like foam. The hulls are natural, with no synthetic fill, and they last a long time: 5 to 10 years or more with good care.

Buckwheat pillows have been used for hundreds of years in Japan, where they're called sobakawa pillows. People like them because they hold their shape and give steady, firm support.

Today they're a popular natural alternative to foam and down. You can adjust them however you like, and with basic care they last for many years.

Buckwheat pillows can last 5+ years, as the hulls are naturally tough. A buckwheat pillow is a really good long-term buy that keeps giving you firm support as long as you take care of it and refresh it once in a while. Swapping out old hulls for new ones is easy and cheap, and it makes the pillow last even longer.

Buckwheat pillows are firm. The buckwheat hulls inside keep their shape really well when you put weight on them, giving you a solid, supportive surface that doesn't squish down like regular pillows do.

But buckwheat pillows are also adjustable. You can put in or take out hulls to make them higher/lower, softer/firmer, however you want them. While they're naturally firm, the hulls also shape around your head and neck, giving you support that fits your body without the sinking feeling you get with foam pillows.

Many chiropractors suggest a pillow that keeps your head and neck in line with your spine, and a buckwheat pillow is a popular choice because it's firm and you can adjust it to fit you.

• Firm, shaped support: the hulls mold to your head, neck and shoulders, then hold that shape.
• Adjustable: add or remove hulls to get the height and firmness you need.

Everyone's different, so if you have a neck or back problem, ask your own chiropractor or doctor what's right for you.

Yes, buckwheat pillows are good for side and back sleepers. They also work well for stomach sleepers and combination sleepers. In other words, they're versatile.

A side sleeper can adjust the pillow to make it thicker and firmer. A back sleeper can loosen the fill to create a not-too-high, not-too-low loft. And a stomach sleeper can remove even more hulls for a flatter profile.

Because the buckwheat hulls shift and mold around your upper body, you can fine-tune the height and firmness to suit your sleeping position.

The simplest way to adjust firmness and loft is to add more hulls for a firmer, higher pillow or remove some hulls for a softer, lower loft pillow. Here are some easy steps to follow for this:

To Increase Loft/Firmness

1. Unzip the pillow cover and add more buckwheat hulls using a small cup.
2. Distribute the hulls evenly inside so the pillow’s shape stays balanced.
3. Zip the cover back up securely to keep the hulls contained.
4. Test the pillow’s feel by lying down in your usual sleeping position.
5. If your head feels too high or the pillow is overly firm, remove a small amount.
6. If you still want more lift or support, add more hulls and retest.

To Decrease Loft/Firmness

1. Unzip the pillow cover and carefully scoop out some hulls using a small cup.
2. Store the extra hulls in a sealed bag/container in case you want to add them back later.
3. Zip the cover back up tightly to prevent leakage.
4. Test the pillow’s feel.
5. If your neck feels strained or pushed up, remove some more hulls.
6. If your head sinks too much or lacks support, add hulls back.

Rinse and repeat till you get the right feel. It's that easy!

To clean your buckwheat pillow, first unzip the cover and pour the hulls into a clean container (turn the cover inside out to get them all).

The organic cotton cover is machine washable. Cold water, mild detergent, gentle cycle - then hang to dry. Never wash the hulls; instead, spread them out in sunlight or a breezy spot for a few hours to air out.

Once the cover is dry, refill with the hulls, adjusting the amount for your ideal firmness and loft. Spot clean small stains as needed, and repeat this process every few months to keep your pillow fresh for years.

Always keep it dry to avoid mold, and replace the hulls when they start to lose their spring.

Yes, buckwheat pillows can make a light rustling sound when you move, as the hulls shift against each other. Most people describe it as a soft, sand-like soundthat fades into the background once you get used to it. The noise is part of the pillow’s natural adjustability. Every time you shift, the hulls settle into a new shape to support you. Over time, as the hulls break in slightly, they tend to become quieter and quieter.

Buckwheat hulls don't hold moisture the way down or synthetic fill does, and air keeps moving between them, so the inside stays dry. For extra protection, use a pillow cover and air out the hulls every few months.

New buckwheat pillows may have a mild, earthy, grain-like, wood-like scent from the natural hulls. It’s harmless and usually fades over a few days to weeks, especially if you air the pillow out.

Yes. Buckwheat pillows are heavier than most pillows because the hulls are dense, and larger sizes weigh more. If you'd like it lighter, take some hulls out.

No, don't microwave or heat buckwheat hulls. Heating them up makes them way too dry and brittle, which messes up their structure. This causes the hulls to break, crumble, lose shape, making your pillow flatter and harder to adjust.

Even if the hulls feel a little warm after microwaving, that warmth goes away really fast, so they're not that great at staying warm anyway.

If you want heat while you sleep, try a hot water bottle wrapped in a towel, or get one of those microwavable heat packs instead. You could also just use a heating pad on low. That way, you get the warmth you want without ruining your pillow.

Yes. Buckwheat pillow hulls can be replaced when they start to flatten and lose support. As our buckwheat pillows come with a zippered case, it makes it easy to empty old hulls and refill with fresh, clean ones to extend the pillow’s lifespan.