The Down Feather Pillow. Comfort Beyond Belief

What's all the hoo-haar about the feather pillow? Take your head off a synthetically stuffed bed pillow and rest it on a real feather pillow and you will see for yourself.

Using a birds plume in bedding provides the sleeper with an ultimate in comfort. Better still, experience a feather pillow that is a mix of both feathers and down. The down of a bird are those layers of fine feathers found under the tougher exterior feathers. To emphasize this further, baby birds are clad only in down. Down is a fluffy, though somewhat pricy luxury, in bedding, but when you look at how long a feather pillow, or feather and down pillow lasts when cared for correctly, then feathers in bedding become very good value for money, and do wonders for that heavenly sleep that we so crave!

It was only a couple of generations ago when today’s synthetic alternatives didn’t even exist, or certainly not in the variety of fillings we see today. Fortunately, after all the experimenting, we’ve now come to our sense and realised that feathers pillows, down pillows, or feather and down mixed pillows, are still tops when it comes to that ultimate sleeping experience.

Feather Pillow, Down Feather Pillow, Mixed Feather Pillows! Confused?

All Feather: The feather contains a small quill, is heavier, gives good support, and is quite a bit cheaper than down.

All Down: Very light, airy, and soft, and is the ultimate in comfort. However, pure down can be around 10 times the cost of feather. Just remember that the higher the down content, the softer and lighter your pillow will be.

Blends of Feather & Down: The 90/10 Feather/Down and 75/25 Feather/Down mix are good choices for most medium weight fabrics and offer a good compromise both in comfort and in cost saving.

You may see the word 'Hypoallergenic' on some down pillows and bedding products. This simply means that the down pillows feature a breathable 233-thread count down proof protective shell. They are overfilled with natural down, are machine washable, and tumble dry safe, which is a real bonus, espcially with a young family.

Choosing the Right Feather Pillow is Crucial for Better Sleeping

Choosing the right bed pillow is very important in achieving a good night's rest. The difference between a good and a bad bed pillow is that a good pillow is designed to keep the spine in natural alignment thus preventing the head and neck from turning in an unnatural way during sleep. Put simply, it gives good overall head support.

Therefore, a good pillow should be both adjustable and comfortable. If you get a decent night's rest, then you most probably have a suitable pillow already, but that doesn’t necessarily mean you can't improve on what you've got.

Not all feather and down is equal just as not all construction and materials for the pillow cases are the same either, and that means there can be huge difference in prices for the feather pillow. A high quality white goose down pillow for example might cost as much as £130 and upwards for a pair.

Don't let the above put you off though, because a quality department store might offer something like an 85% Siberian goose down with a 15% goose feather pillow mix for around £50 a pair. Going down either further, you may well be able to get hold of a pair of Duck Feather Pillows for a little as £10 a set, and still you come away with a filling that's far superior to many of the Hollow fibre stuffing that's used in economical bedding.

Types of Feathers used in Pillows and other Bedding

DOWN Feathers:  are those fluffy clusters that are found under the contour feathers (see below) and are situated closest to the bird to provide insulation and warmth. Down clusters have a tiny quill point as opposed to a quill shaft.

SEMI PLUME Feathers: These are the feathers which are a cross between a down and contour feather (see below). They are more mature and controlled in structure than down. Semiplume feathers are the ''in-between' feather and commonly used with a blend of down feather for improved  insulation in down bedding items.

CONTOUR Feathers:  Typically cover most of the bird's body. They are well structured and give a bird its defining shape and general appearance. They fit to the body in varying sizes ranging from tiny to large depending on the waterfowl specifies.  The contour feathers are also typically blended with the down feather to add additional support and structure in down bedding items.