5 Best Down Pillows (Review) In 2021
Last Updated: January 14, 2021A comfortable sleep throughout the night is fundamental to our good health - and an important part of that sleep is the right pillow. A good pillow should feel soft and luxurious whilst offering just the right amount of support. Both your neck and head should be gently cradled by your pillow, as this helps maintain spinal alignment. If you've ever woken with a headache or any type of muscle tension in your neck and shoulders, then it's highly likely your pillow is to blame!
This guide is designed to help you decide which of the many pillow types might be the best option for you. We look at the most suitable pillows for stomach sleepers as well as those who prefer to sleep on their side or back. We also discuss all the considerations you need to take into account when shopping for pillows, such as whether a soft pillow is necessarily best and whether a feather pillow might be better for you than one that contains a higher percentage of down. We explain a lot of the terminology surrounding the purchase of pillows, so if you are not quite sure what the 'loft' of a pillow is, you are confused by the thread count or if you are torn between duck down and goose down, we are here to help!
The Best Down Pillow
1. Royal Bedding Luxury 100% Cotton Down Pillow - Best Choice
HIGHLIGHTS:
Set of 2 luxury goose down pillows from Royal Bedding
500 thread count cotton cover
Double silky piping edging
750 fill power and 42 oz fill
75% down ratio and 25% feather
Standard/queen size down pillows (20 x 28 inches)
Dry clean only
1.
Royal Bedding Luxury 100% Cotton Down Pillow - Best Choice
These Luxury Down Pillows from Royal Bedding are just what you need for an undisturbed sleep throughout the night. The shell is made from 100% cotton, with a 500 thread count. The purified hand plucked goose down is suitable for even very sensitive sleepers and each pillow is overfilled with large clusters of white down filling. The down ratio is 75%, meaning that the pillow is primarily stuffed with down and only 25% is a feather filling. Not just comfortable, this filling is also bacteria-free and hypoallergenic, guaranteeing a good night's sleep for everyone. These pillows have a good loft and stay nice and fluffy throughout the night, plus they give you that luxurious, comfortable feeling that you get when sleeping in a hotel bed. They also provide the support you need, making them ideal for stomach sleepers or those who sleep on their backs or sides, whilst the fill ratio of 75% ensures plenty of comfort too. The double-stitched edging has a soft silky feel, so it doesn't just look clean and tidy but will also help prevent any of the feathers from poking through the cover.
Learn more about Royal Bedding Luxury 100% Cotton Down Pillow
2. puredown Natural Goose Feather Down Pillow
HIGHLIGHTS:
Set of 2 goose feather down pillows
85% goose feathers, 15% goose down
Available in three sizes
Double layered 100% cotton cover
Polyester inner layers to prevent feathers poking through
32 oz feather down
Odorless and lightweight
The puredown Natural Goose Feather Down Pillows are made of a combination of goose feathers and goose down with a ratio of 85% and 15% respectively. This means that these pillows provide a medium firmness and are particularly suitable for side sleepers who need that extra level of support. They are available in three different sizes - standard, queen, and king - and come in five different finishes. The double-layered 100% cotton cover is both soft and breathable and these pillows also have plush polyester peach skin inner layers, designed to stop the sharp quills from the feathers poking through the cover. The down and feathers used in these pillows are of especially high quality, making them extra soft and fluffy and the perfect recipe for a comfortable night's sleep. Although the natural down and feather filling in this type of filling sometimes has an odor, this pillow is designed to be completely odor-free and lightweight.
Learn more about puredown Natural Goose Feather Down Pillow
3. Le'vista Queen Size Down Pillow - Best Value
HIGHLIGHTS:
Set of 2 comfortable pillows made with alternative down
Made without animal products - hypoallergenic and cruelty-free
Available in standard size
50% polyester and 50% cotton cover
Plush firmness level
Ideal for all sleep positions, including stomach sleepers
Machine washable
Made in the USA
3.
Le'vista Queen Size Down Pillow - Best Value
The Le'vista Queen Size Down Pillows are filled with soft fibers. These provide the support you need to sleep comfortably but are a great hypoallergenic option for sensitive sleepers as they contain no animal products. Because they are made with a down alternative, they are also far more affordable than pillows filled with duck or goose down. You can also be confident in the knowledge that the pillows are completely cruelty-free. Available in a standard queen size, these pillows have a cover made with 50% polyester and 50% cotton, which gives them a lovely soft feel. They are stuffed very full for your comfort, no matter how you sleep and are designed to compress to offer support, whilst returning to their original position after use. They are made by Le Vista, a US bedding company, and are extra easy to maintain and clean. They can be washed in the washing machine and dried in the tumble dryer - you can also use the dryer to fluff up the fibers once a month to increase their loft.
Learn more about Le'vista Queen Size Down Pillow
4. Egyptian Bedding Goose Feather Down Pillow
HIGHLIGHTS:
1 high-quality white goose down pillow
Available in two sizes
100% Egyptian cotton cover
1200 thread count cover
Firmness level: firm
750 fill power and 50 oz fill weight
Double-stitched cover
Hypoallergenic
If you are looking for a luxury white goose down pillow, then you will love these Goose Feather Down Pillows from Egyptian Bedding. Available in standard queen and king sizes, this pillow features 100% Egyptian cotton with an extra soft feel and a high quality 1200 thread count. This luxury pillow also has a very high proportion of 80% hand-plucked white goose down compared to 20% feathers, and a firmness level of firm to medium-firm. This makes the pillow feel comfortable for all types of sleepers. If you want your pillow to feel as fluffy as a cloud all night long, then this is the best choice for you - the 750 fill power and 50 oz fill weight provide the very best standard of loft, support, and comfort. The pillow is double stitched to ensure that all the white goose down stays safely inside and it is also hypoallergenic, making it the perfect pillow for even the most sensitive sleepers.
Learn more about Egyptian Bedding Goose Feather Down Pillow
5. Continental Bedding White Goose Luxury Down Pillow - Premium Pick
HIGHLIGHTS:
White goose down pillow
Various sizes available including standard, plus queen and king
Different firmness options available and the perfect loft for all sleepers
Can be bought singly or in pairs
100% Egyptian cotton cover
400 thread count cotton shell
550 fill power
Made by Luxury Bedding in the USA
30-night comfort guarantee
5.
Continental Bedding White Goose Luxury Down Pillow - Premium Pick
We love this white goose down pillow, which comes from Continental Bedding, an American bedding company. The Continental Bedding White Goose Luxury Down Pillow is RDS certified, which means that the white goose down used in its production comes from animals that have not been subjected to unnecessary harm. It has premium stitching with reinforced seams, so you can be sure that it will feel extra soft throughout the night, with no feathers poking through the cover. With a 550 fill power and 30 oz of European white goose down, this is one of the best down pillows on the market. It is available either singly or in pairs and is sold in a range of sizes, from standard to queen and king. Unlike the other pillows in our review, these feature firmness options, so whether you like your pillow to feel soft or medium-firm you'll be sure to find a pillow that's comfortable for you! These pillows have just the right amount of loft to make them suitable for everyone, no matter what their preferred sleeping position, so stomach sleepers, side sleepers, and back sleepers will enjoy the level of comfort these pillows provide. The ideal combination of firm and fluffy, this luxury down pillow will ensure that you sleep soundly throughout the night and will wake feeling totally refreshed.
Learn more about Continental Bedding White Goose Luxury Down Pillow
Features To Consider With Down Pillows
Sleeping Position
A good pillow will properly support the muscles in the spine and neck, helping them regenerate as you sleep and avoiding muscle tension and headaches. But the type of support you will need depends very much on the sleeping position you adopt during the night. People tend to fall into one (or more) of three categories - side sleepers, stomach sleepers, and back sleepers. For that reason, a pillow recommended to you by a friend may not necessarily be the right type for you if you both sleep in a different position. To find the best down pillows for your needs, you must consider which type will give you the best comfort and support.
Stomach sleepers will need a pillow that is more on the thin side, with quite a degree of flexibility. The softest, most responsive down pillows are those that contain a high percentage of down, so side sleepers should opt for a pillow with about 80 percent down at the very least.
Side sleepers, on the other hand, need a much thicker and firmer pillow. This is because there is quite a significant space between their head and the mattress. This space needs to be filled so that the neck and spine are properly supported and aligned, otherwise, headaches and neck pain could result. For a down pillow to be firm, it needs to contain a higher percentage of feathers than down. So side sleepers need to look for a pillow with around 40 percent down and around 60 percent feathers.
Back sleepers lie somewhere in the middle when it comes to the best type of pillow to choose. Back sleepers need their pillow to provide an equal amount of neck support and comfort, so it ideally needs to contain an equal mix of down and feathers. Given that down is softer and feathers firmer, you can choose to slightly alter the balance if you want your pillow to be a little softer, or a little more on the firm side.
Fill Power
The fill power is an expression you may never have heard of before searching for the best down pillow for your needs. What it actually refers to is the space - in cubic inches - that one ounce of down will take up inside the pillow. Larger clusters of down will give a higher fill power. This is one of the most important pillow features to look for because larger clusters feel softer and warmer when you sleep than smaller ones and they last a lot longer too!
The numbers tend to range from around a 550 fill power to 800 plus. So which is best for you? Well, a pillow with a fill power of 550 to 600 will be somewhat firmer than a pillow with a higher fill power, but it will probably need replacing fairly often. A fill power of around 700 is a popular choice for most people, as it combines softness and support whilst lasting longer than pillows with a lower fill power. At the top end of the scale - and the most expensive - are pillows with a fill power in excess of 800. These pillows can last for years and will be light, soft, and provide the most loft.
Thread Count
The term thread count (usually listed as 'TC' in the specifications for your pillow) refers to the number of horizontal and vertical threads per square inch, although a higher thread count doesn't necessarily indicate that the pillow is of better quality than a pillow with a lower thread count. It does, however, change the way that pillow feels to sleep on. The thread count usually starts somewhere between 200 to 300 and goes up from there. A very high thread count makes the pillow more resilient and harder to compress. It would be likely, then, to feel quite uncomfortable. In order to get the sensation that your head is being cradled by your pillow - rather than the feeling that your head is perched on top of your pillow - it needs to have some 'give' and the material inside should shift around a little. On the other hand, a feather pillow might need a higher thread count in order to stop the feathers from sticking through the fabric of the cover.
Cover
Look for down pillows with a cotton cover, which has a luxurious feel and is a mark of good quality. A cotton cover is also very soft and breathable. As mentioned earlier, if your down pillow also contains feathers, it's a good idea to look for one with a cover that has a higher thread count, to prevent those feathers from poking through the fabric. If you have ever experienced the feeling of a feather coming through the cover of your pillow, you will know that it can be quite sharp and very uncomfortable to sleep on. The best down pillows will be piped and double stitched on the cover. This is often made of a silk-like material and gives a clean and tidy finish to the product. In addition to the cover that comes with the pillow, you may want to think about buying a protective cover too. A protective cover is a good idea for several reasons. It helps keep your pillow clean and protects it from dust mites. A protective cover is usually zippered and machine washable, so it's simply a matter of unzipping it from the pillow, washing it, and putting it back on, rather than having to clean the pillow itself. Using a protective cover can also help prevent the build-up of allergens inside the cover, reducing symptoms for people with conditions like asthma.
Moldability
The moldability of your pillow - or the way in which it contours to cradle your head and neck - is a very important consideration. Head and neck support is crucial when it comes to keeping your spine properly aligned and preventing muscle tension and headaches. The best down pillows are very moldable, with a high percentage of down compared to feathers. As mentioned above, however, the exact proportion of down to feathers that you will want from your pillow will very much depend on your sleep position. Back sleepers will require a different level of firmness to stomach sleepers or side sleepers, so it is very important to carefully consider your sleeping position and moldability of your pillow before buying.
Ease of Cleaning
Many down pillows have to be dry cleaned, so make sure you check the specifications for the pillow you are interested in, particularly if you only want something that is machine washable. Putting a pillow that should only be dry cleaned into the washing machine could damage it and leave it permanently uncomfortable! Because cleaning pillows can be something of a pain, it is a good idea to invest in a protective cover, as described above. A cover is almost always designed to be machine washable, making it a whole lot easier to keep your pillow fresh and clean.
Types Of Down Pillows
Goose
A goose down pillow is the one to choose if you live in a cold climate. That's because goose down is really good at retaining heat - just what you need for a good night's sleep in chilly weather. Goose down is superior in quality to duck down, so whilst you may find a goose down pillow a more expensive option, it is also the most luxurious. Because goose down is stronger and larger than duck down, a goose down pillow will usually have a better fill power than one filled with duck down.
Duck Down
Duck down is much more affordable than goose down and is the type of down most commonly used in pillows. Whilst still comfortable and offering all the benefits associated with a down pillow, it is not quite as luxurious as goose down.
Down Alternative
Some people worry that a down pillow might trigger their allergies, whereas others - concerned for the welfare of the ducks and geese used in its manufacture - prefer to seek a down alternative. Fortunately, manufacturers are ready to meet these concerns and there are several pillows on the market made with alternatives to down. They usually contain polyester or cotton fibers that mimic the properties of down - in other words, they are comfortable, breathable, and pave the way for a great night's sleep! Another big advantage of buying a pillow made with a down alternative is that it's very likely to be cheaper than a duck or goose down pillow.
Pros & Cons of Using Down Pillow
As with everything, there are various pros and cons to using a down pillow and it is important to be aware of all of them before deciding to go ahead and buy one. Down comes from the soft underbelly and chest of ducks or geese and it has no quills. The quills in feather pillows are those nasty little sharp bits that have a habit of poking through the cover as you sleep and can feel very sharp when you encounter them. With a down pillow, there is less chance of this happening, although it is important to remember that down pillows are not always filled with JUST down. Instead, they are filled with a combination of down and regular feathers. The percentage ratio that you see listed on the specifications for the pillow describes how much down the pillow contains in relation to feathers.
Pros
One of the pros of a pillow filled mainly with down is its softness. But whilst this may be considered a pro for stomach sleepers, people who have different sleep positions might find the lack of firmness something of a disadvantage. In that case, a pillow with a lower ratio of down to feathers might actually be better.
One big advantage of down pillows is that they are great for temperature control. Down provides natural insulation, eliminating the cold spots that you sometimes get on feather pillows when the temperature drops. By the same token, down is breathable so it allows heat and moisture to escape. This is ideal in the summer and stops you from getting uncomfortable when the temperatures rise!
Another pro - or con, depending on what you actually want from your pillow - is that down pillows compress much more than feather pillows, which can sometimes feel almost rigid. The best down pillows cradle your head and neck comfortably, providing plenty of softness along with some support.
Cons
A disadvantage of down pillows is that they can be quite expensive when compared to pillow types. But as the saying goes - you get what you pay for! Whereas another type of pillow might need replacing on a fairly regular basis, many down pillows will give you years of service, meaning they are often more cost-effective in the long run. Another disadvantage is that down pillows need to be 'fluffed up' quite often in order to maintain their 'loft' (pillow terminology for height!).
Finally, many people feel that a luxury down pillow by far improves the quality of their sleep - and what could be more important than that? Because they are so comfortable and mold to the shape of your neck, you awake feeling refreshed and free of any type of muscle pain or neck tension.
Down Pillow FAQ
Q: Do down pillows have an odor?
Down pillows often do have a mild, natural odor. This comes from the oils in the down or feather clusters becoming exposed to heat and humidity. There are several ways to deal with this. The first is to make sure that you air your down pillow on a regular basis, preferably outside. The fresh air helps get rid of any humidity that may have built up in the pillow. It's also a good idea to sprinkle the pillow with baking soda, which absorbs any odor. If your down pillow is machine washable, then your usual laundry detergent will help eliminate odors. You can help things along by adding a cup of white vinegar to the rinsing water, which has a wonderful deodorizing effect. Be sure to use a good protective cover on your down pillow to stop any dampness from entering. Also, make sure that you don't go to bed with wet hair, as this is likely to sink into your pillow and make the smell worse.
Q: Are down pillows hypoallergenic?
The most hypoallergenic type of pillow is one made with a down alternative, as it does not contain any of the animal products that are more likely to trigger an allergic reaction. However, some goose or duck down pillows have been treated to be hypoallergenic and this should be listed on their specifications. Do remember that allergic reactions may not be caused by the pillows themselves, or their fillings, but may instead be triggered by dust mites or a build-up of mold. It is for this reason that we recommend regular airing out and cleaning your pillow and using a zippered, machine washable protective cover if possible.
Q: Does a down pillow get too hot for comfort?
Down is a naturally insulating material, but down pillows tend to be quite breathable, allowing heat and humidity to largely escape. This means that - aside from in the most extreme heat - a down pillow should not become uncomfortably hot.
Q: Do down pillows go flat?
Down pillows do sometimes go flat as a result of the compression caused by your head and neck. But the flattening isn't permanent and it is quite easy to fluff your down pillow up so that it retains its original loft (height). Normally this can be done manually, with a bit of vigorous shaking and a few karate chops in the right place. But if the manufacturer's instructions allow, another option is to put the pillow in the tumble dryer. This is a great way to refresh the down and really helps make the pillow feel a lot plumper!
Q: How do I wash a down pillow?
If the instructions with your down pillow tell you that it should only be dry cleaned, then you may prefer to stick to that method rather than risk putting the pillow in the washing machine. If you do decide to go ahead and wash your pillow, then the best option is to do it gently by hand. If you prefer to use your washing machine, set it to a hand wash cycle. There are a few other tips to bear in mind for machine washing down pillows. First, make sure that you wash your pillows two at a time. If you wash one pillow by itself, it will cause an imbalance in your washing machine when it spins. This can cause the washing machine to 'walk' or rock noisily and is quite damaging. You should put the pillows through the rinse cycle twice to make absolutely sure there is no soap left in them, then spin them at the highest setting to ensure that all the water is removed from them. Finally, do not add fabric conditioner when washing down pillows. This is because it puts a coating on the down that makes it far less fluffy.