Birch Organic Pillow: Review in brief
An organic offspring of luxury sleep brand Helix, Birch Living offers Helix-levels of comfort and support to more eco-conscious shoppers. Birch crafts its mattresses and bedding from organic materials, and the Birch Organic pillow is no exception. So, we decided to test out the all-natural pillow to see if it can earn a place in our best pillow guide.
Birch Organic Pillow at a glance
Type: Latex
Best for: Back sleepers; most side sleepers; allergies
Sizes: Standard, king
Trial: 30 nights
Warranty: 1 year
Price: From $198.75 MSRP at Birch Living
I slept on a standard size for two months (way over our two-week testing period that our pillow testing methodology dictates) and I can confidently say that it’s the best pillow for back sleepers I’ve ever tested. In my honest, objective opinion, it’s also one of the best pillows for side sleepers, too. However, side sleepers who prefer a higher loft or have broader shoulders than me may need something plumper.
The Organic Pillow breathable thanks to its moisture-wicking cover and its airflow-boosting latex fill, meaning that, while it doesn’t have any specialist cooling tech, it sleeps remarkably cool. It’s also easy to fluff or pat down due to its shredded (rather than solid) fill, but stomach sleepers may feel the medium loft is a little too high and may strain their necks.
As it uses premium, sustainable materials, expect to pay a premium sale price of $159 (MSRP: $198.75). However we have seen it as low as $149 during bigger mattress deals events and federal holidays such as the Memorial Day mattress sales.
Birch Organic Pillow: Price & deals
- The Organic Pillow is the more expensive of Birch’s two pillows
- It’s usually $159 for a standard, but is $10 cheaper during 25% sales
- Benefits include a 30-night sleep trial, free shipping, and a 1-year warranty
Birch has two pillow models: the Birch Organic Pillow and the Talalay Latex Pillow. The Organic model is the more expensive of the two, with an MSRP of $198.75 and a regular 20% off sale price of $159 in a standard size. The Talalay Latex Pillow, on the other hand, has an MSRP of $111.25 and is typically priced at $89 for a standard.
While the Talalay model does offer two pillow loft options plus a Tencel cover, the price discrepancy is likely down to the fact that the Birch Organic Pillow is 100% organic and natural while the Talalay is not. The Talalay Latex Pillow uses, well, Talalay latex, and this kind of latex is produced less sustainably and so misses the GOLS-certification. Its Tencel cover is also
The Birch, meanwhile, uses Dunlop latex (for more info about the difference between the two types of latex, visit my Talalay vs Dunlop latex comparison guide) and uses an organic cotton cover.
As for organic latex offerings from other brands, the Avocado Green Pillow is $118 (was $139) in a standard size at Avocado Green. Like the Birch Organic, the Avocado Green has an organic cotton cover and is filled with shredded GOLS-certified latex, but is around $40 cheaper. Plus, it has an ergonomic option made especially for side sleepers at the exact same price.
The price difference between the two is around $40, which may be down to the Birch’s inclusion of temperature-regulating, moisture-wicking organic wool to boost loft and add extra cushioning. For context, Avocado uses less-expensive, less-supportive kapok to provide its softness.
One the flips side, the Birch Organic is actually $6 cheaper than the Saatva Latex Pillow, which is always priced at $165 at Saatva. This price difference is surprising when you consider that Saatva’s latex is not 100% certified organic, even if it is natural.
Overall, when examining the premium components of the Birch Organic Pillow, I think its fair to say that its build and quality matches its luxury price tag.
The Birch Organic Pillow falls ever so slightly short by its benefits. For instance, the Birch Organic Pillow comes with a 30-night sleep trial and a one-year warranty.
While Avocado Green and Saatva also back their latex pillows with a one-year warranty, they both have a 100-night sleep trial and a 45-night sleep trial respectively.
As for sales and deals, Birch often throws a 25% off sale during major sale events such as the Black Friday mattress sales or federal holidays such as the Presidents’ Day mattress sales. This isn’t a huge leap from the standard 20% discount (reducing the standard from $159 to $149) but you can often save an extra 2% with our promo code TOMS27 during these sales.
Birch Organic Pillow: Design & materials
- Shredded GOLS-certified latex fill with organic wool for extra cushioning
- The fill is enveloped by a removable, spot-cleanable organic cotton cover
- Organic wool holds the latex wool in place
I’ve already briefly touched on its premium materials, but here’s a more detailed look at the Birch Organic Pillow’s design and components.
The core of the Birch Organic Pillow is shredded GOLS-certified organic Dunlop latex, pretty much the eco-friendliest type of latex you can get. Dunlop latex is also, hypoallergenic, durable and long-lasting (that’s why I expressed my disappointment in the one-year warranty — I think it’s only fair that a latex pillow should have a warranty that reflects its longer lifespan).
Now, Birch uses the phrase “easily adjustable” which I initially took to means that the latex was removable, like the fill of the Coop Sleep Goods Original Adjustable Pillow. However, once it arrived on my door step, I quickly realized that the latex can’t even be accessed let alone taken out.
So, when Birch uses the phrase “easily adjustable” they actually mean that it’s easy to fluff or flatten — which it is — but I feel the language could be a little clearer.
The shredded latex (which resembles popcorn in its pictures) is wrapped in organic wool for extra cushioning and moisture-wicking temperature regulation. It also protects the fill if when you remove the cover, which means the latex has to stay inside the non-removable wool.
Speaking of the cover, not only is it removable, but it can also be spot cleaned and made from breathable organic cotton. The fact that it isn’t machine-washable is a little annoying, but it is a testament to the high-quality, non-toxicity of the fabric. It’s a soft-beige color, so its likely to fit most bedroom color schemes.
Birch Organic Pillow: Performance
I slept on the Birch Organic Pillow in a standard size for eight weeks and conducted a series of objective and subjective tests, as per our pillow testing methodology, to assess its overall performance.
Setup
The Birch Organic Pillow arrived in a cardboard shipping box. The box was surprisingly large as, unlike a lot of pillows ordered online that are rolled-up and compressed, the Birch came in its original shape.
To stay on brand, the Birch pillow came with minimal packaging: a recyclable carboard shipping box and a disposable plastic bag, with no instructional or promotional leaflets inside.
The Birch Pillow was delivered uncompressed, so the set up was easy and only consisted of opening the box and taking the pillow out of its plastic bag. Without having to wait for it to expand, I was able to sleep on the pillow straight after unboxing.
As with all natural latex products I’ve tested, there was no off-gassing whatsoever. Instead, you get that sweet, earthy latex aroma that reminds me of pastries. (Some fellow testers even liken the scent to birthday cake).
Overall, setting up the Birch Organic Pillow was a super-simple unboxing process with no chemical smell or unnecessary waste.
Score: 5 out of 5
Comfort and support
I’m a side and back sleeper, but there are some rare occasions where I sleep on my stomach, so I’m the perfect candidate to try out a pillow that Birch claims is suitable for all sleep positions.
Although I am a side sleeper, my shoulders aren’t broad enough to warrant a high loft, and a tall pillow can cause unnecessary neck strain while I’m back sleeping. That’s why I was please with the Birch’s easy-to-fluff, easy-to-flatten mid loft. You can reshape the shredded latex fill to the shape you’d like, which is perfect if you want to add extra height to some places.
My only warning is that the malleable latex fill can clump in one section from time to time, but even then it’s easy to evenly disperse again.
The mid-loft was high enough to lift my head slightly when side sleeping, creating a neutral spine alignment, but it was also low enough not to create neck pain when I slept on my back. On the rare occasions that I slept on my stomach, I felt the Birch pillow was low and compressible enough to prevent my head from being pushed too far upward.
However, this verdict is based entirely on my body type and sleep preferences, and I suspect many side sleepers will need a higher loft for optimal alignment and many front sleepers will need a thinner pillow to prevent strain.
However, I am confident that many back sleepers and combination sleepers will love the Goldilocks-support and height of the Birch Organic Pillow.
To test the Birch Organic Pillows comfort and support objectively, I placed a 10lb weight (roughly equivalent to an adult head) on the center of the pillow.
I waited for five minutes and once removed, the pillow hadn’t fully returned to its original shape even after five minutes. (We’ve tested some pillows that spring back into shape in 10 seconds.) Both the fill and cover remained in their flattened state, showing how easy it is is to compress if you want a lower loft — but how it may not be the pillow for you if you want a quick recovery or responsive headrest.
Score: 4.5 out of 5
Temperature control
While the Birch Organic Pillow is not a cooling pillow per se, it has create temperature regulation thanks to naturally breathable materials: latex, cotton, and wool.
The organic cotton cover and organic wool layer are both offer temperature control and moisture wicking, while latex is naturally perforated so encourages airflow.
I slept comfortably cool throughout the spring season, with the foam never feeling stuffy or quicksand-like (a common problem with memory foam pillows). Overall, I reccomend this pillow to most sleepers who want durable, head-molding foam but without the heat retention.
However, if you experience severe night sweats or overheating, you may want to try a specialist cooling model, such as the Casper Hybrid Pillow with Snow Technology.
Score: 4.5 out of 5
Birch Organic Pillow: Durability & care
You should aim to replace your pillow every two years, but we test pillows for durability as some models don’t even reach the one-year mark without succumbing to wear and tear.
Here’s what we thought of the Birch Organic Pillow in terms of durability, quality, and maintenance…
Build quality
You can often deduce the durability of a pillow by checking out the length of it warranty. The Birch Organic Pillow surprisingly comes with a one-year warranty, which is pretty short when you consider that it’s made from ultra-durable latex. We’ve even seen some brands, such as Coop Home Goods and Tempur-Pedic offer 5-year warranties on simialar pillows.
We also usually assess durability from customer reviews of long-time owners, but there are no online customer reviews of the Birch Organic Pillow either.
However, I think the Birch Organic Pillow has held up remarkably well after eight weeks of testing it. Of course, eight week of testing is no where near enough to accurately judge the lifespan and build quality of the Birch Organic pillow testing period, but a quick look at its material composition and structure can tell you that its of outstanding quality.
Score: 4.5 out of 5
Care and maintenance
One of the things that was a bit of a let down is that the cover is spot clean only, especially when you consider that the cover is removable.
I’ve tested pillows where you simply pop the cover in the washing machine for a quick and easy refresh, but a spot-clean only cover makes a thorough cleaning harder. That’s why I ended up dressing the pillow in washable silk cases after the second week of testing — so you may want to consider doing the same
Score: 3.5 out of 5
Should you buy the Birch Organic Pillow?
If you’re looking for a fully organic, eco-friendly pillow, then the Birch organic Pillow is well worth investing in. Its shredded GOLS-certified latex fill is easy to reshape to suit your sleep needs, and back and combination sleepers will be pleased with how crowd-pleasing and accommodating the medium loft is.
The mid height helped me maintain proper spinal alignment whether I slept on my side, front, or back. However, side sleeper with broad shoulder or those who prefer a high-loft pillow or pillow stack will likely need a plumper, taller pillow for optimal support. True-blue stomach sleepers, meanwhile, may need something thinner to prevent neck strain.
The cover is cool and moisture-wicking, and the breathable materials will keep most sleepers feeling refreshed all night. That said, anyone who experiences sever night sweats or overheating may need to invest in a pillow with advanced cooling tech.
I’s day the luxury price tag of $159 for a standard matches the premium materials, but there are cheaper latex models out there. The spot-clean only cover was also a let-down.
Overall, this eco-conscious 100% organic and natural pillow really is a pleasure to sleep on, and customers should know if it’s right for them two weeks into its 30-night sleep trial.
Buy the Birch Organic Pillow if…
✅ You want a mid-loft for back and combination sleeping: The latex fill is easy to reshape and the loft is in the Goldilocks-zone to keep back sleepers, plus some side and front sleepers like me, supported and comfortable.
✅ You want a cooler, anti-allergy pillow: Every material in this pillow is hypoallergenic and breathable, so you won’t sleep stuffy.
✅ You want a fully organic, eco-friendly pillow: This is by far the most environmentally-friendly pillow we’ve ever tested, with its wool, cotton, and latex all being organic.
Don’t buy the Birch Organic Pillow if…
❌ You want a high or low loft: If you sleep with a stack of pillows, or you’re a side sleeper with broad shoulders, the Birch Organic’s loft won’t be high enough for you. On the other hand, many stomach sleepers may need a thinner pillow.
❌ You want an easy clean: If you want a pillow with a cover that’s machine-washable, you may need to buy a pillowcase for the spot-clean only cover of the Birch Organic Pillow.
Birch Organic Pillow: Latex Alternatives
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