Goose Feather and Down Pillows

Choosing a Feather and Down Pillow

There is a vast choice of luxury natural pillows to choose from but is a goose feather or duck feather and down pillow the right choice for you? Natural fillings like down and feathers offer two completely different levels of comfort but we are going to focus on feather fills and why you should choose this one over other fills. Feather and down always seem to be the more cost effective purchase. Down pillows are really expensive but if you want a soft natural pillow that is the right choice. However, if you need a firmer and more supportive pillow then feathers are the way to go.

They compact more so they are not as lofty, they offer a firmer option so if you like to lie on your side this is ideal. Feather pillows are made from natural duck or goose feathers. The heavier structure of feathers provides better support for your head and neck. Goose feathers are generally lighter than duck feathers and they are cleaner with less natural body deposits. Always opt for a good quality cambric cover as this will help stop the quills from poking through the fabric. So if you see feather and down pillows with high thread count covers you should avoid them as the feathers will be just appearing from nowhere and over time it will be become flat and possibly empty. We recommended a 233 TC cover as this has been proven over time to be the best fabric.

Are Feather Pillows the Same as Down Pillows?

Both down and feather pillows get their fillings from birds, or rather ducks and goose but that is about where the similarities end. Feathers have a flat structure and a quill in the middle. As you would expect, feathers make for a firm and incredibly supportive pillow, down on the other hand, comes from the soft fibres that make the birds undercoat, specifically the chest area of the duck or goose. Down has a fluffier appearance, made of centralized points from which the soft fibres spread out. The best way to describe down fibres is to say they look a lot like tiny cotton wool pieces. The best choice is a mix of feathers and down, the recognised percentage is 85% feathers and 15% down, this gives you a firm pillow with added softness and extra loft.

Advantages of Feather and Down Pillows

Feathers are more robust than natural down and synthetic hollow fibres, for this reason they offer better value for money as they generally last much longer. Most pillows of this type will outlast a manmade fibre by up to 30%, maybe longer, if they are well cared for. Support is the main reason for a feather filled pillow, they are great for propping you up in bed while watching tv or reading your favourite book but more importantly, sleeping position is the key. So if you sleep on your back or front a thinner pillow is essential, synthetic pillows are normally filled too much and will not allow your neck, back and head to maintain proper alignment, this could lead to back ache or other spinal issue over a long period of time. Feathers are also ideal if you move around a lot at night as they will conform to any shape you like, unlike many memory foam pillows which try to keep you in the same position all night long.

Another good reason you buy a pillow with feather and down is heat regulation. Natural fills are the best when it comes to releasing trapped warm air, this can build up while you sleep and in the summer months stop you from getting a good night’s sleep. This is where feathers are ideal as they dissipate heat much more effectively, well have you ever seen a duck or a goose overheating? That said, geese can live in some of the harshest conditions on the planet, so you can see my point, feathers are good insulators of heat and are also very good regulators of heat, as they say you cannot beat nature’s own design.

Our fantastic range of pillows are all Nomite certified which helps with the dreaded dust mites and is essential if you have any allergies, etc. Downasan which gives you complete peace of mind that the feathers and down have been collected with the animals welfare at heart and that they have been steam cleaned and not treated or bleached in any way. This is also true of the Oeko Tex 100 certification which ensures that the cotton covers, which are often overlooked, are also produced in an environmentally safe way and that no harmful chemical or bleaches have been used in the manufacturing process. If you have any more questions or need any further information, please do not hesitate to drop us an email and we will gladly help you as much as we can.