Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. It is very important to us to support locally owned farms and companies. All Harvest Pillows’ product materials are sourced in Canada and manufactured in Ontario, Canada.
We take great pride in producing the best quality buckwheat hull pillows possible. Our Canadian-grown buckwheat hulls are certified organic. This means all crops are grown without herbicides or pesticides.
Buckwheat hull pillows are a sustainable product with an extremely light environmental impact. Harvest Pillows’ certified organic buckwheat hulls are air cleaned and air dried in a process that is energy efficient and does not add any chemicals or fertilizers to the outside of the hulls – a process only found in North America. Foreign-produced buckwheat hulls are fumigated, creating many negative impacts on our heath, and overall environment.
Harvest Pillows’ products live up to the number one rule of green living – use less. The average pillow wears out in 2-3 years, where as properly milled buckwheat hull pillows can last upwards of 10.
There are many various methods of milling buckwheat – both good and bad. Without considering the milling and cleaning processes involved it is possible to end up with hulls that are unwashed, rolled (flattened), or broken into small pieces – all of which compromise the integrity of the hull and ultimately the overall use for them in your pillow.
Harvest Pillows has taken care to source Canadian hulls that are “crack milled” and properly cleaned, creating hulls that are, large enough to allow good air circulation, completely intact, malleable, dust free, and certified organic
Buckwheat pillows can last 10 years or longer with proper care. Apart from that, as long as you are not entering into any high-intensity pillow fights, your pillow will be with you for quite a long time!
A unique quality that buckwheat hulls possess is the high level of air flow and breathability of the hulls. Dust mites (and other pests such as bed bugs) are attracted to warmth and humidity and thus reject the pillow as a place to dwell, making them an ideal alternative to feather or synthetic fiber fills for pillows.
The pillows do not have any odour.
Buckwheat hull pillows make a gentle rustling noise when moved. Luckily, it is a white noise (similar to rain) which usually does not disrupt your sleep. It may take a night or two to get accustomed to, but we have been told time and time again that that, with time, the sound in-fact becomes soothing and unnoticeable. We have also found that the noise actually decreased over time as the hulls become polished and slide past one another with more ease. After a couple of months, the pillow is significantly quieter.
While many people think that buckwheat is a cereal grain, it is in-fact a fruit seed related to the rhubarb family. (This doesn’t seem to be quite enough information – it answers the question in a roundabout way, but doesn’t say for sure yes or no or consult your physician).
While pillows are certainly not a foolproof cure, proper support and alignment of your neck and airway can often greatly reduce and even eliminate snoring. Snoring often occurs when the soft tissue in the back of the throat vibrates due to a compromised passage of air during breathing. When our alignment is not supported and straight, the throat is “kinked,” reducing the amount of space air has to pass. This “kinked” alignment often creates a build-up of mucous in the back of the throat which also contributes to compromised breathing. By properly supporting and aligning your neck and airway you can reduce your snoring.
Furthermore, buckwheat hull pillows are dust mite-free which greatly reduces nasal congestion that is often a contributor to snoring.
Many people enjoy the soothing comfort of our buckwheat hull pillows the very first night they use them, however, it may take 2-3 nights to become familiar with sleeping on a Harvest Pillow. Buckwheat hulls are different from what most consider traditional pillow types. Western culture has taught us that a pillow should be soft, fluffy and light. In theory it sounds perfect, but in reality this is wrong. Choosing to sleep on a flatter and firmer pillow is the key to properly aligning your head, neck, and spine in order to relax your muscles. Give it a few nights and you will surely become a converted buckwheat hull pillow addict!
There’s nothing worse than having to flip your pillow over and over throughout the night to keep your head cool. Harvest Pillows’ all natural buckwheat hull filling allows air to circulate throughout the pillow maintaining a cooler temperature. They are made with a double-lined 100% cotton shell that provides better air flow as the cotton “breathes.”
Caring for your Harvest Pillow is a breeze! The first and most important thing you can do to keep your buckwheat pillow clean is keep it covered with a 100% cotton pillow casing along with cotton pillow protector, if you prefer. As buckwheat hull pillows are cool pillows (reducing perspiration and dust mites), there is very little need to wash the actual hulls themselves.
We suggest washing your casings, and simply air out the pillow from time to time. Place it outside on a sunny, windy day – sunlight is a natural sanitizer.
If you must wash the pillow, do not machine wash, as the hulls are too heavy when wet. Instead, simply sponge with vinegar and water and put it in the dryer on air fluff cycle, or put it outside on a windy day and allow it to simply air dry. As the hulls have a great amount of air flow, your pillow will dry in no time!
* Note that discolouration of the cotton casing will occur over time due to the natural colour of the hulls.
Most everyone knows that good posture is important, but good posture doesn’t apply just to sitting and standing. The muscles and ligaments of your back relax and heal themselves while you sleep. In order to protect your back, good posture is important while sleeping.
The pillow for your head should support the natural curve of your neck and be comfortable. A pillow that’s too high can put your neck into a position that causes muscle strain on your back, neck, and shoulders. Buckwheat hull pillows, are adjustable for desired thickness.
Learn more about why proper spinal alignment is so important to your overall heath and well being
The main thing to keep in mind regarding your sleeping position and pillow is the proper support of your neck and spine. You want a pillow that conforms to and supports the curve of your neck with enough firmness to support your head without collapsing. For those who sleep on their back or side (or both) it is important to keep a neutral position and not bend out of alignment. If you sleep on your stomach, you want a pillow that has less fill. If you sleep with a pillow that is too thick, your spine will be bent at an angle which is more likely to cause aches, pains, numbness, or tingling of your spine and limbs. All Harvest Pillows are adjustable to support and conform to individual neck sizes, and malleable for desired thickness to allow you to sleep in different positions.
Although many people have a hard time sleeping without their buckwheat hull pillow, they would still opt not to take their bed sized pillow on long trips simply due to their weight. Luckily, we have a travel sized pillow that is designed to be much lighter and easy to take on the plane, in the car, or any other means of travel.
We have been asked if there have been any issues bringing such a pillow on a plane or crossing borders. We have many international customers, and many that travel frequently and have yet to have any complications.