This month's review is for the Natural Bedroom / Vivetique Organic Latex Pillow.  This pillow has a core of 100% natural Dunlop process latex and is covered in a zippered 100% organic cotton knit cover.  The cover is removable and may be machine washed in cool water on gentle cycle and tumble dried on low setting.  The zipper is located along the side of the pillow.  The pillow has a resting loft of approximately 5 inches in Standard size.  Expect some loft variations in Queen and King sizes, which are common with this type of pillow.  The pillow comes packaged, as do all Vivetique pillows, in a simple non-pvc plastic bag.  As always, the Standard size was tested.

First, let me say that all molded Dunlop process latex pillows are going to be rather firm.  There really is no way around this due to the way the pillow cores are made, so when in the market for a pillow such as this, please be aware that you are going to have a firm feeling pillow.

Also, there is no way to "mold" or "shape" this pillow into any other shape than the way it comes.  It is what it is and it will stay that way - for a very long time.

The consumer attraction to this type of pillow is basically twofold:  First, the pillows last a very long time with very little change in feel.  Second, the pillows stay exceptionally clean over time, much moreso than virtually any other pillow including other organic pillows.

Personally, I found the pillow reasonable.  It is not, in my opinion, in the realm of the higher end of organic latex pillows of its type in terms of overall quality and feel.  The outer fabric does little to soften the firmness of the latex and, being unquilted, there is a small tendancy for the pillow to sleep a tad on the warm side, although not as warm as kapok.

As with the shredded latex pillow that was reviewed previously, there was a noticable odor from the latex, indicating the milk had been kept in a "stabalized" state for a longer than usual time period before being made into the pillow core.  This does go away with time, however it is something to consider at the beginning.  The odor was not as pronounced as the shredded latex model.

I did find the need periodically to flip the pillow to the cooler side.  The loft, at only about 5 inches, was not sufficient for me personally when sleeping on my side, but as I've said before, I have broad shoulders so I prefer a loftier pillow.

Overall, I would give this pillow an average grade.  I found really nothing special about it, but also it was not terrible either.  Compared with other manufacturers, the odor from the latex is an issue, but again it is something that will go away.  I would say that recent price increases by Custom Rest Bedding, the parent company of Vivetique, has made this pillow a lower overall value for your dollar than it was previously.  It still checks in, however, as the lowest priced solid latex organic pillow of any quality out there on average.

That's the review!  I'll be checking in later with some information on how the organic baby and children products are expanding and why it is actually more important for these generations to sleep organically!