Green Home – Essentia Natural Memory Foam Pillow

As part of our Green Home series, today I’m sharing a review and giveaway of an Essentia Natural Memory Foam pillow.  In my e-book Common Sense Health:  Detox, Diet and Physical Activities, the first thing I discuss is detoxing your environment, because it’s very difficult to be healthy when your surrounded by things that make you sick.  We spend roughly a third of our lives in bed, but conventional bedding products are often filled with toxins.

The article “Should You Ditch Your Chemical Mattress?” from Mother Jones states:

“Since the mid- to late ’60s, most mattresses have been made of polyurethane foam, a petroleum-based material that emits volatile organic compounds that can cause respiratory problems and skin irritation. Formaldehyde, which is used to make one of the adhesives that hold mattresses together, has been linked to asthma, allergies, and lung, nose, and throat cancers. And then there are cotton pesticides and flame-retardant chemicals, which can cause cancer and nervous-system disorders. In 2005, Walter Bader, owner of the “green mattress” company Lifekind and author of the book Toxic Bedrooms, sent several mattresses to an Atlanta-based lab. A memory-foam model was found to emit 61 chemicals, including the carcinogens benzene and naphthalene.”

We bought a standard memory foam pillow a little over a year ago because my son wanted to try them out. (Before I read the open article.) He tried it, but didn’t the feel, so I tried it for a while. I didn’t like the way it felt, but I also didn’t like the funky chemical odor that was emanating from it – even with two clean pillowcases covering it.  It was banished to the guest bedroom and left uncovered on a closet shelf in hopes that it would eventually air out.  Last I checked, it still had a faint odor, although it was much less.

I’ve had the same two feather pillows for over 20 years (I had their ticking redone once), but now they may be retired to the guest bedroom. The Essentia pillow has a very unique combination of support and softness– plus it didn’t stink. I’ve always slept with two pillows for as long as I can remember, but it’s like Essentia pillow is two pillows in one – different, but I like it.

Without further ado, here’s some more information on my new favorite pillow.

What are Essential Natural Memory Foam Pillows Made of?

The pillows are made from Dunlop latex foam, organic essential oils, natural plant extracts and certified organic cotton.  They are vegan and contain no animal products.  Because they are made of all natural materials, the pillows breath – no sweaty head.  You can read more at http://www.myessentia.com/eco/.

Where are Essential Natural Memory Foam Pillows Made?

Essentia products are made in Canada, at their Montreal production facility.

Are the pillows flame retardant, or just the mattresses?

Essentia pillows are not flame retardant. Only their mattresses sold in the United States are flame retardant (by law), though they use a high quality fire retardant called Kevlar, which is more healthy than the less expensive stuff that other mattress companies use.   More details here: http://www.myessentia.com/research/fire-retardants

How long has Essentia been in business and why did they start manufacturing this type of product?

Essentia has been in business since 2006.  You can watch the founder, Jack, share how he become interested in the mattress industry after family members became sick with cancer.  His frustration with chronic exposure to low level toxins in the environment drove him to pursue the non-toxic Essentia Natural Memory Foam product line.

Are the products safe for those with latex allergies?

Actually, people allergic to latex are usually not allergic to these mattresses and pillows.  People with allergies to latex are usually allergic to the proteins found in latex, and the latex used by Essentia has only traces of protein.

Where can Essentia products be purchased?

They can be purchased online and in stores across the United States and Canada.  See locations.

How much do the pillows cost?

The basic Comfort pillow is $129.  Other pillows range from $89 for the travel pillow to $489 for the full body pillow.  A quick comparison on Amazon.com yielded standard memory foam pillows starting at around $25 to $69.  A wool covered natural shredded rubber pillow was $204.25, another Geogreen natural hypoallergenic memory foam pillow was $159.

Win an Essentia Natural Memory Foam Comfort Pillow

To help get the word out about their unique natural home product, Essentia provided me with a pillow for review and will send one to a lucky Common Sense Homesteading reader.

To enter, just use the rafflecopter widget below (those reading via email will need to click through to the website).  Leave a blog post comment sharing something you’ve done to detox your life, or any detox questions you have.  Those on Facebook and Twitter can earn extra entries.  The contest is open to residents of the Canada and USA 18 years or older.

a Rafflecopter giveaway
I didn’t receive any money for this review, only the pillow. I know how hard it is for small businesses to reach out to new customers in a marketplace dominated by corporate giants, and I think these folks have a quality product.

Why do I use rafflecopter? I know some folks don’t like rafflecopter, but there’s no other practical way for me to track so many entries.  When I asked our readers on Facebook, most said they enjoyed the chance to find out about and possibly win products they had not seen before.  I hope you do, too.

From August 8, 2013 until December 31, 2013 11:59pm EST, Essentia is also sponsoring a contest on Facebook where they are giving away one of their mattresses.  Just click on the image below to visit their Facebook page to enter.

The post Green Home – Essentia Natural Memory Foam Pillow appeared first on Common Sense Homesteading.

Source: http://www.commonsensehome.com/essentia-natural-memory-foam-pillow/