Buckwheat Hull Pillow

Somewhere on the vast internet I came across the idea of making a buckwheat hull pillow.  It's supposed to be fantastic for neck support, something I was having issues with, and anyone who leans "green" loves them because they are natural and not petroleum based like most pillow inserts.  Here's a link to an article on apartment therapy about why you should choose a buckwheat hull pillow.

First I had to google buckwheat hulls.

And this is what they look like.  I have to admit at first this did not seem like a good idea for a pillow. But I have been going through about 2 pillows a year so it seemed worth a try.

I bought 5 pounds of hulls through Mountain Rose Herbs.  I love this store and have bought quite a few things from them before.  I read between 5-7 pounds will make one pillow.  I literally dumped them into a pillow case and sewed it shut.  I'd probably recommend a zippered pillow case, but I didn't have one or a zipper to add to my existing pillow case and I was super  impatient so I just sealed it shut.

It will be annoying later when I need to seam rip it open to take out the hulls and fluff them up and wash the pillow case....  I ended up putting my pillow inside another pillow case so I don't have to seam rip as soon.

There is a bit of a learning curve with this type of pillow.  It makes noise whenever you adjust it.  Oh my goodness I thought I was going to go crazy with the rustling.  I didn't, stick with it and you will get used to it, I promise.  Then you had to learn how to move the hulls around where you need support.  That took a little bit of time as well.  And then it just seemed so hard compared to a regular pillow.  

I spent about $22 for the hulls, and so I was determined to stick with it.  And I am so glad I did.  After about a week I got used to the sounds and the feel of the pillow, and I love it.  I can move the hulls exactly where I need them for neck and head support.  The only thing I wish was different is that I would have bought 6 or 7 pounds instead of 5 since the hulls spread out more than I like so I have to move them back into place a little bit more.  I could solve this by buying more hulls or sewing the case smaller so they can't spread as much.  

Regardless, it is well worth the effort to make one of these pillows.