Combining shredded Dunlop latex with an organic cotton cover, Rawganique’s Kauai Pillow is a top choice for side-sleepers wanting good support and a bouncy, comfy pillow. Here’s our review of the Kauai Pillow from Rawganique.
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Rawganique Kauai Shredded Rubber Latex Pillow
Highlights: A bouncy, responsive, super comfy pillow with natural latex fill in an organic cotton case. No organic or other certification for the latex, but made by a longstanding ethical and eco-friendly company we know and love.
- GOTS organic cotton cover
- Natural latex fill for bouncy, comfy support
- Excellent airflow and breathability
- Firmer, responsive support ideal for side-sleepers
- Zipper option for adjustability
- Several sizes available
- Washable! (Pillow fill and cover)
- Plastic-free packaging
- No certifications for the latex
- Expensive
- Dunlop latex may feel too firm for some sleeper
At a glance:
- Sizes available: Travel, Standard, Queen, King
- Cover: Organic cotton sateen
- Fill: Organic shredded latex (not certified)
- Price Range: $51-$204
- Key certifications: GOTS (organic cotton cover)
Rawganique’s Kauai Shredded Latex Pillow is a good choice for a fully washable pillow and is made by a great company with a longstanding reputation for sustainability and good customer service.
What we like about the Rawganique Kauai Pillow
Rawganique makes the Kauai Shredded Latex Pillow by hand in the U.S. using organic latex and GOTS organic cotton. The sateen weave cover acts as a good barrier to dust mites and helps to keep the latex in, unlike flimsier pillow covers with a more open weave.
Rawganique offers this pillow in four sizes:
- Travel 12 x 16-inch / 0.8 lbs.
- Standard 20 x 26-inch / 4.5 lbs.
- Queen 20 x 30-inch / 6 lbs.
- King 20 x 36-inch / 7.5 lbs.
You can purchase the pillow with or without a zipper. I strongly recommend getting the zipper, so you can adjust the pillow fill, empty out the latex to clean the cover by itself, and more easily rinse the latex if needed.
If you bought this pillow without the zipper, you can still remove or add back fill, it just isn’t as simple as unzipping the case.
Instead, you’ll need to pick out the seam and re-sew after you’re done. You might also consider purchasing a pillow protector with a zipper and using that in place of the original cover.
As with all Rawganique products, this pillow is free of hazardous chemicals and is made by hand, to order. This pillow is rare in that the whole thing is machine washable. Most pillows are spot-clean only, but you can put the entire pillow in the machine and wash on a gentle setting on cold, then tumble dry on low.
This pillow contains organic Dunlop latex which is rinsed several times to remove latex milk proteins. This means the latex has very low allergy potential and little to no rubbery smell. The latex is also processed on-site where the rubber is collected, which helps support the local community and reduces the need for more intense chemical inputs.
This pillow is entirely vegan, with no:
- Animal testing or animal cruelty
- No sweatshop, indentured, or child labor
- No hazardous chemicals
- No harmful dyes
- No metal (if you go for the version without the zipper).
How it performs
Dunlop latex is a little firmer than Talalay, meaning that this pillow is very bouncy and responsive. It offers excellent head and neck support for side-sleepers when well stuffed. If you remove some of the stuffing, this pillow can also work well for sleeping on your back.
The shredded latex is also very breathable, with good airflow between the shreds of latex. This also makes the pillow feel cool, even on hot and humid nights. If you sleep hot, this is a good choice of pillow and may feel cooler than a molded latex pillow, even while offering similar support for spinal alignment.
I also like that Rawganique offers a Travel size of this pillow. Most pillow companies only make the three standard bed pillow sizes.
Downsides to the Kauai Latex Pillow
The Kauai Pillow isn’t fully GOTS certified, although the latex and cotton are both organic.
This pillow is unlikely to be a good choice if you sleep on your stomach as it is too lofty and firm. You can remove a lot of the stuffing, but unless you’re planning to use the stuffing in another pillow, this seems rather wasteful.
Because Rawganique uses Dunlop latex for this pillow, it feels firmer than the Savvy Rest pillows made with Talalay latex or a blend of Talalay and Dunlop. Whether the firmness is a good or bad thing depends on how you sleep, with side-sleepers likely to enjoy the extra support Dunlop provides.
Final thoughts on the Rawganique Kauai Shredded Latex Pillow
This pillow is a good option for side-sleepers wanting good support for spinal alignment. It’s also nice for lumbar support.
If you like a softer, squishable pillow, though, especially if you sleep on your back or stomach, I don’t recommend that Kauai. Instead, consider Savvy Rest’s Kapok Pillow (see our review) or the Avocado Green Pillow (see our review) which combines latex and kapok.
Rawganique Kauai Shredded Rubber Latex Pillow
Highlights: A bouncy, responsive, super comfy pillow with natural latex fill in an organic cotton case. No organic or other certification for the Dunlop latex, but made by a longstanding ethical and eco-friendly company we know and love.