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Why do we need our pillows to be infused with charcoal? Charcoal pillows help to regulate odor, control humidity and temperature. This makes them an excellent choice for people who suffer from allergies or asthma. We will cover the benefits in this Ultimate Guide to Charcoal Pillows, and answer the questions are charcoal pillows safe, as well as provide top charcoal pillow reviews.
I have always said the most expensive pillow aren’t always the best as well as the cheapest pillows are not always the worst. There is something to be said about getting what you paid for when talking about pillows.
You really need to judge a pillow from your own perspective by asking yourself what features as most important in getting you the best night sleep possible.
For me I need a pillow that will keep me cool at night and it has to support my head, neck and keep my spine well aligned, while I sleep mostly on my back I occasionally sleep on my side as well.
Those critical areas are the first things I look at in choosing a pillow. But for me there are also a couple of other deal breaking features that I look for in a pillow.
I prefer that the pillow be constructed from toxin free materials as well as made from non allergenic materials as well. The most important piece of advice and something I focus on in my reviews is the ability to try the pillow risk free.
Also I prefer that pillow be constructed from toxin free materials and non allergenic as well.
Lastly, if you can’t try out a pillow for at least 2-weeks to see if it works for you with the option to return it at no cost then don’t purchase the pillow. If a company can’t stand behind their product then don’t buy from them and look for another pillow from company that offers free returns.
When a company offers free returns it is a no brainer decision to try the pillow and see if it works for you, that’s why we focus on companies that stand behind their products to protect our readers.
This is the second Malouf bamboo charcoal pillow to make into the top list of choices in this review. We mentioned this shoulder pillow the review of the regular Malouf Bamboo Charcoal Pillow.
The only real difference is the pillow is specifically designed for side sleeping. It has all the great features of the regular one, but has a unique cut out for your shoulder when side sleeping.
The only real difference is the pillow is specifically designed for side sleeping. It has all the great features of the regular one, but has a unique cut out for your shoulder when side sleeping.
Let’s review the advertised features of the Malouf Z Shoulder Pillow before we get into the review.
Now let’s review based on our criteria we described at the begging of this article.
If you are a side sleeper then this pillow will be a pure joy for you to sleep on. The cutout for your shoulder is truly genius and offers the side sleeper the best support for head, neck and spine that I have seen.
This is the same dough pillow that we tested above so the support is amazing and my neck and back never felt better after a night of sleep on this pillow.
All of our side sleeping test subject were pleased with their nights of sleep they received with this pillow.
Like we mentioned above this is primarily a pillow for side sleeper. The alignment that you get for your spine is amazing thanks to the cut out for the shoulder.
The pillow is soft yet supportive which provides a great night sleep, where you wake up feeling rested and fresh ready for the day.
Here is the great part about this pillow, Malouf really advertises this pillow for side sleeper, but they are not doing this pillow justice in that statement.
We found this pillow works well in all positions and would even go as far to say it’s the best of both worlds for back and side sleeping.
I tested the pillow on my back by turn the pillow so the cut out was on top. My head didn’t reach the cut out for the shoulder so it worked great for me.
I asked the other test subjects to try the same thing and they all agreed. Since I am a combination sleeper majority of time on back but like my side on occasions I really enjoyed this pillow.
This is the best charcoal pillow for hot side & back sleepers. With the cooling technologies this pillow has built in you will not be disappointed.
These pillows are constructed with quality bamboo charcoal which offers 4 times the absorption rate of normal charcoal that effectively absorbs moisture, odors, and polluted air particles.
This pillow improves sleeping environment for people with allergies, and asthma. This is a high quality pillow that you will not be disappointed in purchasing.
At the time of this writing the company offers a 5-year warranty along with free return within the specified time period.
In this Ultimate Guide for Charcoal Pillows this is the #1 pick for cool sleepers. You will not find a better charcoal pillow that works with all sleeping positions.
Best for Side & Back Sleepers (who sleeps hot)
This is our top pick for charcoal pillows. There are other Malouf charcoal pillows on the list that are top contenders as well. The main difference is the pillow has the continual temperature regulation which makes it the choice for hot sleepers.
If you don’t sleep hot then Malouf make this same design without the continual temperature control feature and I suggest that you read that review that is on this page as well, look for the Malouf Z Shoulder Zoned Dough Memory Foam Pillow – Bamboo Charcoal Infused above
Or you can look at are quick selection chart that makes it easy to find the perfect pillow for your needs.
Let’s dig into the pillow and see what makes it’s our Top Pick for Hot Side & Back Sleepers
If you are a side sleeper then this pillow will be a pure joy for you to sleep on. The cutout for your shoulder is truly genius and offers the side sleeper the best support for head, neck and spine that I have seen.
This is the same dough pillow that we tested above so the support is amazing and my neck and back never felt better after a night of sleep on this pillow.
All of our side sleeping test subject were pleased with their nights of sleep they received with this pillow.
Like we mentioned above this is primarily a pillow for side sleeper. The alignment that you get for your spine is amazing thanks to the cut out for the shoulder.
The pillow is soft yet supportive which provides a great night sleep, where you wake up feeling rested and fresh ready for the day.
Here is the great part about this pillow, Malouf really advertises this pillow for side sleeper, but they are not doing this pillow justice in that statement.
We found this pillow works well in all positions and would even go as far to say it’s the best of both worlds for back and side sleeping.
I tested the pillow on my back by turn the pillow so the cut out was on top. My head didn’t reach the cut out for the shoulder so it worked great for me.
I asked the other test subjects to try the same thing and they all agreed. Since I am a combination sleeper majority of time on back but like my side on occasions I really enjoyed this pillow.
If you are a hot sleeper then don’t get this pillow, however they do have this same pillow in a cooler model that I just love, it’s the MALOUF Z Shoulder CARBONCOOL LT OMNIPHASE Memory Foam Pillow above.
These pillows are constructed with quality bamboo charcoal which offers 4 times the absorption rate of normal charcoal that effectively absorbs moisture, odors, and polluted air particles.
This pillow improves sleeping environment for people with allergies, and asthma. This is a high quality pillow that you will not be disappointed in purchasing.
At the time of this writing the company offers a 5-year warranty along with free return within the specified time period.
It’s the same great pillow with all the features plus it has cooling material on one side. This is the ultimate charcoal pillow and is why it’s my top pick on the list of charcoal pillows.
Here is my reasoning on why this pillow is the top of my list. It has the same great features as the rest, including the cut out for the shoulder, plus the cooling material on one side.
That is why I recommend this pillow for everyone, it covers all the bases. Side sleeping no problem you have the cut out. Back sleeping not problem turn the pillow around.
Hot sleeping, not problem turn the pillow to the cool side, too cold use the back side of the pillow without the cooling material.
This is the best charcoal pillow hands down.
Malouf offers a great selection of charcoal infused pillows that can meets the needs of the majority of sleepers.
Let’s start by looking at the MALOUF Zoned Dough Memory Foam Bed Pillow Infused with Bamboo Charcoal.
First we will take a look at what features Malouf advertises for this pillow and then dig into our review based on our grading criteria.
During our testing of this Malouf bamboo infused charcoal pillow we were very satisfied with the support this memory dough pillow provide for our neck and head.
The dough pillow is very soft, yet provides the right amount of support needed for the neck and head. We were surprised at the comfort level of this memory foam pillow.
All our test subjects interviewed were pleased in this area of support this charcoal pillow offers. If you want to learn more about stomach sleeping position check our article on “Is sleeping on my stomach bad?”
Back sleepers will find this pillow excellent for spine alignment. All test subjects interviewed who slept on their backs was please with the spine alignment.
Side sleepers also like this pillow; however Malouf makes a charcoal pillow for side sleeper that has a cutout. When the same sleepers tried that pillow they found it much better alignment for your spine while sleeping on their side.
We found this pillow work good for all sleeping positions; however we feel it’s the best for back sleepers. If you are a side sleeper look at the Malouf shoulder charcoal pillow in this review it is excellent for side sleepers.
If you are a hot sleeper then you will want to get the Malouf charcoal pillow with temperature regulation has it is the best for keeping you cool.
If you are not a hot sleeper then the regular Malouf pillow will suit your needs fine.
The Malouf charcoal pillow is constructed with quality bamboo charcoal which offers 4 times the absorption rate of normal charcoal that effectively absorbs moisture, odors, and polluted air particles.
This pillow improves sleeping environment for people with allergies, and asthma. This is a high quality pillow that you will not be disappointed in purchasing.
At the time of this writing the company offers a 5-year warranty along with free return within the specified time period.
This is a no risk opportunity to try out this high quality bamboo charcoal pillow.
If you are a combination sleeper (meaning side and back) you will definitely want to go with their cooling pillow mention above. I personally would buy the cooling pillow either way as it only has the cooling gel insert on one side.
That way you have the best of both worlds at your disposal as you can turn the pillow over to whichever side you want warm or cool.
The WavveUziz Bamboo Charcoal Pillow is our budget pick in this pillow line up.
It didn’t receive the highest honor of all the pillows we reviewed. However, it did make our top list and believe if you are looking for a lower price alternative then this is the pillow for you.
The charcoal pillow provided good support for the neck and head and kept the spine aligned well during back and side sleeping. We did have some sleep subject complain that it wasn’t as comfortable in the stomach sleeping position.
Some additional feedback our side sleeping test subjects preferred the Malouf shoulder pillow (see above reviews) over this pillow for side sleeping.
Our sleep subjects were impressed with spine alignment in the back sleeping position while side and stomach was less satisfying than others charcoal pillows we tested. Overall all a good rating was recognized.
One great thing about this pillow it’
Our test concluded this pillowed scored the best for back sleeping position meaning people ranked it as great.
For side and stomach sleeping our sleep subjects ranked this as good. You can fine tune this pillow to achieve better sleep results by changing the thickness of this charcoal pillow.
We loved what this pillow has to offer since it has two sides, one warmer and one cooler. This is a great design for a pillow to accommodate both types of sleepers.
Our hot sleep subjects found the cool side of this pillow great at keeping them cool.
WavveUziz has a unique design on this memory foam pillow, with its infused bamboo charcoal layer and also a green tea layer for healing benefits. So you can chose which side you sleep on the green tea side or the bamboo charcoal side.
At the time of this writing the company offers a “Better sleep guarantee and 5 year warranty”. They do not specifically call out whether or not they except return and suggest you call them if you have an issue.
As with all pillows we review I always encourage reader to check current return policy before placing an order for any pillow before purchasing.
If the company does not have a return policy walk away from as you need time to try out a pillow risk free because it is impossible to read a review and know whether or not it will work for you. We can get you aligned well with what should work best but you need to try it out.
This is equivalent to buying a car without a test drive, you wouldn’t buy a car without driving it and you shouldn’t buy a pillow you can’t try out risk free either.
I always like to have a budget choice on this list and although this a good solid choice I worry about the unclear satisfaction guarantee and whether or not they will take back the pillow if you are not happy.
I would recommend stepping up to the Malouf pillow for just a few dollars more as they have solid return policies and therefore you can sleep test one without any risk.
Sealy has been around since 1881 when they started making mattresses so this company knows about making great sleep products.
With a solid reputation like Sealy has rest assured you can trust they will stand behind their product. That makes this a risk free opportunity to try out this charcoal pillow.
The Sealy Charcoal SealyChill pillow did make it into our top pillows in this review and has some nice advertised features which we will cover first before we dive into our review and comments.
This Sealy Charcoal Pillow provides great support for back sleepers as indicated by our sleep subjects. They were happy with the neck and head support and spine alignment was great while lying on their backs.
In the side & stomach sleeping positions our test subjects found that the Sealy offered good support of the head and neck and spine alignment.
All subjects tested found the Malouf Shoulder pillow to be the best for side sleeping position mainly because of the cut out for the shoulder.
Overall we ranked the Sealy good for support and spine alignment.
We found this a great pillow for back sleeper as the support it offers for the head, neck and spine alignment was great.
Side and Stomach sleepers rated this pillow as good, which is still a fine pillow. Most agreed that the best pillow for side sleeping was the Malouf Shoulder charcoal pillow listed above.
This SealyChill Gel Support does an outstanding job in keeping you cool at night, all of our hot sleepers rated this pillow with high marks in this area.
This is an important feature of the pillow as a lot of memory type foam pillows really do sleep hot, so the SeallyChill is designed well to keep you cooler at night.
At the time of this writing they offered free returns so this is a no risk opportunity. As always I recommend that you check current return policies before purchasing any pillow as policies can change.
My advice to our readers on any pillow is this; if you can’t try it out risk free then don’t buy the pillow. There is no way to know if a pillow will work for you without trying it out first.
This is an overall a good pillow and just making it in the Ultimate Guide to Charcoal Pillows means it’s a high quality pillow.
If you are a back sleeper then give this a try as it’s a risk free venture. If you are a side or combination sleeper you should try the Malouf Shoulder Pillow (see review above).
The Urban Bloom made our ultimate guide to charcoal pillows with it sleek comfortable design and premium removable lux-loft cover.
This charcoal pillow has some unique features and screams high quality when you look at it, so lets pull back the covers and take a look at what makes this pillow special.
We will ask the tough questions and put pillows through tough testing and review to give you the reader the ultimate guide to charcoal pillows.
There is plenty to like about this charcoal pillow so let’s take a good look at the advertised features first.
This pillow was found by most of our sleep subjects to offer great support for the head, neck and shoulders.
However, there were a couple of sleepers who thought the pillow to be a little on the thin side, and since it’s not adjustable this will come down to whether or not it will work for you.
Our Sleep subjects felt like this Urban Bloom charcoal pillow kept the spine aligned in all sleeping positions.
As noted on in the question about support, a couple of sleep subjects thought this pillow could have been thicker in design or better yet adjustable for the user to fine tune.
This pillow does a good job providing the proper support in all positions. However with our testing we felt this pillow does the best job of providing support in the back sleeping position.
Stomach sleepers found this to be adequate and rated it good. While side sleeper’s felts it was lacking compared to the Malouf Shoulder pillow that we review on this list as well?
All sleeps subjects were please with the coolness in which the pillow slept and all gave it high marks in this area. Read this article on “Why is my room so hot”.
Urban Bloom True Natural memory foam with charcoal integration infused with activated charcoal.
At the time of this writing Urban Bloom offers a 10-year warranty along with a “90-day sleep on us guarantee”.
A word of advice on returns, read the return policy before buying any pillow to ensure you know the current policy.
Also I recommend sticking with products on Amazon that calls out free return and stay within that window of time versus the company’s longer guarantee as Amazon is great to work with.
We enjoyed testing this high quality pillow and although it is not our top pick doesn’t mean it’s not the right for you.
This is an overall a good pillow and just making it in the Ultimate Guide to Charcoal Pillows means it’s a high quality pillow.
If you are a back sleeper then give this a try as it’s a risk free venture. If you are a side or combination sleeper you should try the Malouf Shoulder Pillow (see review above).
Well, charcoal is carbon and can be activated when it is treated with oxygen to open up millions of tiny pores between the carbon atoms. When this process is applied to carbon it becomes what is referred to as activated charcoal.
When these manufacturing techniques of treating carbon with oxygen are applied the product produced is a highly porous charcoal that has surface areas of 300-2000 square meters per gram.[1]
This activated charcoal product is widely used to absorb odors or colored substances from liquid and gases
Reminder from above that there is 300-2000 surface square meters per gram of this activated charcoal. That huge surface area and the fact that it can absorb make this a perfect filtering media and has endless applications.
This is because of the high absorbing nature of the activated charcoal and the large surface areas. When certain gases or chemicals pass next to the activated charcoal surface they are attracted and attach and become trapped by the porous surface.
Now you know why activated charcoal is used widely as a filtering media and is excellent at collecting other carbon based materials. Now there are lots of materials that activated charcoal can be used to filter for and there are things such as sodium or nitrates that will pass through the activated charcoal filter.
Lastly, when all porous surface has collected it fill the activated charcoal filter has done all it can and will need to be replaced.
This is a great question and one that has some fascinating answers. This may come as shock to you and I was shocked as well when I first heard that people were actually eating charcoal. I know that sounds bizarre but you will have to read on to understand why.
There are many health gurus making recommendation that activated charcoal has a detoxifying elements and the key to better health. There is charcoal toothpaste, facial cleanses, toothbrushes, facial sponges, mud masks, shampoo, soap and food grade activated charcoal powder that people are using to cook with and even make smoothies with.
So to answer the question in context with this article “is activated charcoal safe to use in a pillow?”, I would have to say if you can put it on your skin and mouth and even eat it then yes it is safe to use a charcoal pillow.
Now just because people are saying to eat this or take it for detoxifying your body that is a matter to consult your physician before attempting as these highly absorbent material may grab vital nutrients from your body as well.[2]
Activated charcoal is truly amazing stuff as a filter for orders, chemicals and moisture. Just think how these properties could be beneficial in a charcoal pillow.
This would make an excellent media for a pillow to be made out of so that it would trap odors and help wick out moisture.
The topic of filtering needs to be explored a litter deeper to truly give you the understanding of the sheer power of activated charcoal.
Just one pound of activated charcoal has a surface area of approximately 100 acres, which is 43,560 square feet of surface area.[3]
This is just one pound of activated charcoal, when you really think of that in terms of size this is a miraculous product.
Now you can see why an activated charcoal pillow could be so advantageous to use especially if you suffer from allergies.
Just think of how much pollutants could be trapped by a charcoal pillow.
As you can see from the extensive list of uses above that activated charcoal is being used for it’s also used in areas that I found surprising:
Activated charcoal products are used in treating for gas and indigestion, lowering cholesterol, preventing hangovers, whitening teeth, help with acne and may even help kidneys.[4]
Now before you run out and start trying any of the above health related products health, be sure to check with your doctor.
Rest assured that charcoal pillows are safe as you are not going to eat your pillow.
Hold on to your hats, if we are going to talk about the history of charcoal then we are going to have to go back to 30,000 BC.
Yes you heard me right we have to go back thirty-two thousand years to talk about the earliest recordings of charcoal use by man.
The very first use of charcoal is in European cave paintings done with black pigment ink dating back to around 32,000 years ago. [5]
One thing that is not known is whether or not this charcoal used in ink in the cave painting was produced deliberately.
It is very likely that charcoal was used a fuel in smelting copper around 7,000 years ago. Now it’s most likely that charcoal was discovered by accident after a fire and then man learned how to replicate it for use in smelting.
We can trace back to 5,500 years ago when we have definitive proof that man was involved in the deliberate production of charcoal in the Middle East and Southern Europe.
Most scholars except the fact that the Egyptians were most experienced in the art of working with metals and probably smelting iron 5,000 years ago. Also, they have been credited with the discovery of glass production a few centuries later.
About 4,000 years ago during the Bronze Age charcoal was in common use in Britain where pure copper was being smelted at 1470 degrees Fahrenheit, which only was able to be accomplished with the use of charcoal.
Bronze is made by smelting of tin and copper and requires a much higher temperature than smelting of copper alone.
A versatile metal like bronze was easier to cast with as it flowed freely and most useful in the production of axes, tools, swords and jewelry. You could also say that this might an early example of recycling a broken or damage bronze pieces that hadn’t been hardened could be melted and recast into other objects.
With society needing tools and weapons made of bronze that meant that a steady supply of charcoal was needed for smelting.
As populations grew more food was needs and as agricultural needs for more land came the clearing of these forest for farm lands also provided the raw materials for charcoal, all that wood from the trees.
Hang tight we are still a few centuries away from the use of charcoal for charcoal pillows but the journey is fascinating so keep reading you will be amazed.
The Iron Aged demand even more charcoal as new and more efficient methods of iron production were being invented.
This led to more clearing of land with population growth which fueled the need for more charcoal production as well. At least all those trees being cut were going to make charcoal rather than just being burned to clear the fields.
The Romans were producing iron in very large scale production process. This required more fuel than ever before. Being smart the Romans managed thousands of acres of woodland with a process known as coppice. Coppice means to cut down the tree to a short stump and allow multiple trees to spout from the base giving those more trees in the future.
There were also by-products of making charcoal as wood tars was discovered and used for sealing ships. Now the Romans were not using charcoal pillows but we are getting closer to that time in history.
Little is known about the amounts charcoal production in the Saxon times and it wasn’t until around 1200 AD that there are records of licenses and charges on those burning charcoal.
But wait, there is even more uses for charcoal. Around 1300 AD charcoal was being used in making gun powder.
About 1500 AD it was discovered that large furnaces would produce cannons that could be cast as a single piece. These gargantuan furnaces consumed huge amounts of charcoal plus all the other demands for charcoal was putting a drain on the woodland areas.
This strain caused a number of restrictions to be put on the cutting of mature trees and encouraged the charcoal production companies to practice coppice management techniques that were invented by the Romans. We still have not gotten to charcoal pillows but we are very close
During the early part of the eighteenth century the conversion of coal resulted in the invention of coke in 1735. [6]
The new fuel supply became the new fuel that was preferred use in smelting, thus the decline for the need for charcoal.
With over 4,000 years of charcoal use it took less than 100 years to convert the majority of the furnaces from charcoal to coke.
However, in the coming years special uses of charcoal came about, as in its’ activated form charcoal has amazing absorption properties making it an excellent filtering media. It was also discovered that it excellent for purifying liquids that ran through an activated charcoal filter.
If you have read the above then you know the rich history of charcoal and the fact it’s been around for thousands of years.
You have also learned that today charcoal is used in hundreds of products ranging from health and beauty, filters, home products, and yes even charcoal pillows.
How does charcoal control humidity?
Charcoal is extremely dry and super absorbent, thus making it a magnet for moisture. People can make their own dehumidifier out of a coffee can and some charcoal briquettes.[7]
Charcoal new role in wearable’s:
Charcoal is being looked out now for its’ use in wearable items such as clothing and uniforms due to its great properties like odor resistance, antimicrobial ability, and of course comfort.[8]
People are starting to see the amazing role that charcoal can play in wearable item of clothing as demonstrated by its functional characteristics.
It is not too hard to see the benefits of these characteristics in a charcoal pillow design that has health and wellness benefits.
The superior ability to trap and control odor is probably one of charcoals most desirable functions, which it is suburb at doing.[9]
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Robert Frontier
Getting quality sleep is important to people of all ages and is just one of many areas of our health we need to be maintaining. When I was younger, I didn’t understand that my health was my greatest asset and took it for granted. I have spent the last twenty years of my life in the pursuit of a healthier life style. I am a parent, grandparent, author, and entrepreneur. My desire is for you and your family to get the best possible sleep and that starts with quality sleep products. Welcome to VJ Pillow.
↑1 How Stuff Works. (2021). What is activated charcoal and why is it used in filters? Retrieved March 17, 2021, from How Stuff Works:
↑2 Dove, L. (2018, April 26). Why Are People Eating Activated Charcoal? Retrieved March 17, 2021, from How Stuff Works:
↑3 Penn State College of Engineering. (2021). Activated Carbon (Charcoal) Filters. Retrieved March 17, 2021, from Penn State College of Engineering:
↑4 Melinda Ratini, D. (2019, December 19). The Truth About Activated Charcoal. Retrieved March 17, 2021, from WebMd:
↑5, ↑6 Schwarcz, J. (2017, March 20). Charcoal is one of the most important substances ever discovered. Retrieved March 17, 2021, from McGill:
↑7 Readers Digest. (2019, March 20). 5 Things To Do with Charcoal Briquettes. Retrieved March 14, 2021, from Readers Digest:
↑8, ↑9 Kandhavadivu, P., Vigneswaran, C., Ramachandran, T., & Geethamanohari, B. (2011, August 30). Development of polyester-based bamboo charcoal and lyocell-blended union fabrics for healthcare and hygienic textiles. Retrieved March 14, 2021, from Sage Journals:
