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Latex is natural whereas foam is synthetic product.
Latex is natural and memory foam is synthetic; memory foam is temperature sensitive, while latex foam is not; lastly memory foam is denser (heavier) than latex foam.
Natural latex is made from 100% natural rubber. Talalay latex is a type of latex that combines natural and synthetic latex usually 70% natural latex and 30% synthetic rubber made from raw materials derived from oil based products.
100% Natural Latex is recommended for people who wish to remove all synthetic material from their sleeping area. This may be as a result of allergies, sensitivities to the chemicals introduced in the 'talalay' process, or other environmental concerns.
Natural Latex is naturally anti-microbial, naturally hypoallergenic and naturally dust-mite resistant as well as mould and mildew resistant
Priestley in England was responsible for the name rubber as it could be used to erase writing.
Unvulcanized rubber, India rubber, or caoutchouc, suffers from softening at high ambient temperatures and hardening at low temperatures. Charles Goodyear found vulcanization by accidentally heating sulphur-coated rubber. This strengthens the rubber, keeps it stable over a wide range ot temperatures and enables it to be made into a wide range of products, including pillows.
Natural latex is obtained as the sap which is exuded when the bark of the tree, Hevea Brasiliensis, is cut or “tapped”. The rubber phase is ca 93% natural hydrocarbon; the remainder comprises natural products such as mineral salts and proteins.
Rubber tress are cultivated, mainly in South East Asia, through a new planting and replanting program by large scale plantation and small farmers to ensure a continuous sustainable supply of natural latex.
Synthetic lattex is derived from petrochemicals. They are manufactured by polymerization of emulsions of various petrochemical substances, most often butadiene and styrene. Synthetic additives are added to achieve stabilization.
Being wholly petroleum based, the source of supply for the production of synthetic lattices is certainly non-sustainable and diminishing as well.
Natural Latex Foam retains the intrinsic green strength of natural latex. It possesses excellent dynamic properties such as resilience, low hysterisis, low permanent set, high elasticity, excellent tensile properties and highest recovery to original shape from deformation. There is no other man-made substance which can imitate such properties that provide such support without losing its sleeping comfort.
Natural Latex Foam is biodegradable through biological activities when it is disposed off to land fill. It is environmental friendly.
Basically, there are two methods in the production of latex foam in this world. They are Dunlop Process (1928) and Talalay Process (1935).
In the Dunlop Process air is beaten into liquid latex to form wet foam; minute amounts of fluoride (found also in tooth paste) is used to gel the foam in a mould. The moulds are then steamed to vulcanize to cure the foam. Subsequent to stripping, it goes through washing and drying.
In the Talalay process, foamed latex is expanded by vacuum to fill the mould and freeze it to capture the bubble structure at –30°C, treating it with gaseous carbon dioxide and quickly rewarmed at 25°C and vulcanized at 110°C. Then it goes through the same process of stripping, washing and drying.
Dunlop Process
Latex fillers are fine particles of chemically inert materials. They are commonly used to enhance the hardness of latex foam and because they replace some of the natural latex production costs are lower! The most common fillers are China Clay (Kaolin clay), calcium oxide, or titanium dioxide. Very often, latex foam with fillers can be easily identified with un-natural dull white colour or greyish cream colour.
Naturelle latex products do not use fillers!
Harmful – the insertion of fillers destroys the antibacterial property of Natural Latex. Hence, its presence induces the growth of fungus and bacteria which encourages the habitat of dustmites.
Inorganic fillers reduce tensile properties, in particular elongation at break, suppress resilience, promote high long term compression deformation, and reduce the ability to recover to original shape.
Pure latex means "no fillers". The chemicals used should be no more than 6-8% of the total polymeric content. The rest of the constituent should be just latex polymer, regardless of Natural (NR) or Synthetic Latex (SBR).
A multiple stage of washing is employed. The pillow is thoroughly washed to remove chemical residues of the gelling and curing process, which otherwise affect the quality of the pillow especially in respect of discolourization and resistance to hardening.
Being a natural product, latex has very poor resistance to detergents and repeated flexing or pounding activities. Therefore, when the pure natural latex pillow is frequently exposed to such an environment, it reduces the "life-span" of the pillow.
A pure natural latex pillow should have a hygienic life span of 3 years under normal use, provided it is not exposed to elevated temperatures, intense (UV) light, and oil contamination.
The question is asked do these make a difference? They do!
They enhance the 'feel' of the pillow, and eliminate high compression zones as found on most smooth surface pillows. You might say that such convolutions 'spread the pressure' by cushioning and diffusing pressure zones under the neck in particular. Such undulations are put there for a reason. End of story!
Yes. Many (most) contoured pillows have in our opinion got it wrong! The contours are poorly thought out, and only allow for the smaller percentage of folk with long necks. The curved area under the neck needs to be quite short in order to allow your head to comfortably reach the shallow area. This not only ensures the natural alignment of the spine, but also avoids 'ear crush' which is a common problem with most contoured pillows, as well as traditional pillows of course.
Naturelle Medium Profile: 13cm high side, 12 cm low side.
Suits side sleeping position for average physiques, and for those who like a higher pillow.
Naturelle LowProfile: 11.5cm high side, 10cm low side.
For those preferring alower pillow, and for back sleepers.
Both Naturelle natural latex pillows will fit standard pillow cases of 48cm x 73cm.
Yes. Naturelle allows your body to adjust no matter whether you are sleeping in the side, back, or front position.
Naturelle will encourage your spine’s natural alignment in a relatively pressure free environment. Of course it is impossible to be totally pressure free, but Naturelle Latex pillow get you as close as possible!
Yes is comes in a white bacteria and water resistant cover.