Your sleep health is dependent on many factors, some of which you can control, others you may not. Your sleep comfort and body alignment is something you can manipulate, and if discomfort is something that keeps you awake, you should first consider your bedding choices. Rather than going big- like a mattress replacement, you may want to first consider the type of pillow you use.
Your pillow is a crucial product that influences your body alignment along with your mattress choice. It can even be argued it is just as important as your mattress, and your head, neck, and upper body position influences your spinal alignment and nervous system that influences your entire body health. The Purple Plush pillow was acquired and reviewed by the Sleep Judge Team to provide our honest options below.
The Purple Plush Pillow Company Story
The Purple Company made themselves famous with its unique hyper-elastic polymer mattress material that created an entirely new approach to bedding comfort. Their quirky advertising drew attention to their product and they have been producing bedding every since. As the company has grown, so has what they have to offer. Sheets, pet beds, seat cushion, and of course, pillows, have all made their way into their offerings.
Their first pillow, the Original Purple Pillow, mimicked the design of their mattress for a whole new sleep experience, but not everyone was as comfortable with the polymer design as a pillow as they were with the bed. Check out our review of the Original design. where we found it to be a fun, and overall comfortable sleep experience.
Wanting to expand and listening to their customers, (which is always a mark of an excellent company) Purple came out with an alternative choice: The Purple Plush Pillow, which I will be reviewing below. This pillow takes a more traditional approach to design, with a fun, adjustable twist to meet the needs of a larger pool of customers.
Breakdown of the Purple Plush Pillow
In short, the Purple Plush is just that: plush. It has a traditional shape and specialized fiber poly filling, and has a cleverly hidden way to adjust the firmness level for a wider variety of sleep positions. It is meant to breathe well and provides a cuddly fluffy feel, plus it is machine washable.
Pros
- Keeps its shape well
- Doesn’t flatten
- Very cooling
Cons
- Not a huge difference in feel from zipped to unzipper
- May not be the best for heavier bodies
Unpacking
Purple does an excellent job in their packaging, and two fairly plain cardboard boxes showed up on my doorstep pretty quickly after the order went out (think approximately a week). The only thing that distinguished the box as the pillows was a line of purple tape that was printed with the Purple logo to keep the boxes secure. Upon opening, the pillows (one per box) were wrapped in plastic, folded and sealed with a Purple sticker- and then covered with Purple tissue paper.
The pillows were not at all vacuum sealed, meaning that they were stored and shipped as they were made to avoid any crushing wear on the materials. There was a slight offgassing smell, but it dissipated incredibly quickly. The inside of the box was super fun as well and showcased the main selling points of the pillow on a slick purple background.
First Impressions
Honestly, I’m a sucker for fluffy soft pillows and I love hidden technological advances so I have a fun time checking this pillow out. The cover is smooth and soft, the filling is very responsive and doesn’t seem to bunch up, and the zipper adjustments are a seriously interesting touch. I also loved that this is machine washable pillow since I have kids who like to take over my bed.
Features and Benefits
Every product has a series of features and benefits that potential customers should review to decide if it is right for them. We’ve detailed these claims and our reactions to them below to provide you all you need.
Size
There is only one pillow size: 18 x 26 inches which compare well to the standard measurements of a regular queen size at 20 x 26 inches. The pillow fits well in my pillowcases without being tight or too small. At loft it was approximately 7.5 inches tall, meaning it was well fluffed. It doesn’t compress much more than this- may be only to about 5.5 inches overall when zipped ‘firm’. I found it to be a perfect size and comparable to other current pillow sizes on the market.
Smart Fluff Filling
The fill may be 100% polyester, but that’s where the similarities to other poly fiber fills ends. This is a patented Interlocking 3 denier poly fiber series of little ‘fluff’ balls that fit well together, move with one another, and allow excellent air passage to keep your pillow from flattening out over time and well fluffed.
From the surface, it is hard to tell how different the filling truly is compared to a similar product. But I had to give it credit – this pillow had some serious ‘bounce-back’ after weight was placed on it or after folding. It didn’t need to be fluffed back up at all after use and kept excellent shaping. I can’t speak for long term wear, but the initial impression of the fill was favorable.
This is a soft pillow, even with the adjustment (detailed below) that provides very responsive head and neck support without bottoming out to the mattress. The filling feels very supportive overall despite the softness and is definitely one a prefer personally.
Lyocell Blend Cover
Lyocell is derived from wood pulp and is processed into a fiber that blends well with both synthetic and natural materials. It is considered breathable, naturally hypoallergenic, and provides a soft, smooth surface. 60% Lyocell and 40% nylon is woven together to create a durable, yet soft cover that is both moisture wicking and thermal-regulating due to how well it allows air to pass through the pillow.
Dual Comfort Zipper Design for Adjustability
The dual comfort zipper design is what allows for adjustability. These are sewn flat into each long side of the pillow, and sit flush with the cover. Easy to open, they can be used to help soften the overall effect of the pillow and create a slightly lower loft for smaller bodies or certain sleep positions.
You can open one, or both, and keep them closed to provide a slightly more firm surface. Personally, although I thought the idea was a good one, I saw very little change in overall feel. The slight change may be noticeable to some, but I could place both pillow side by side with one unzipped, and the other closed, and not be able to tell which was which.
This is a new pillow for the company, so I would expect they would have some changes to make based off feedback. Based on my experience, I’m not so sure I would claim this pillow as the one you can adjust as the main selling point.
Inner Mesh Panels
When unzipped, the pillow displays durable nylon mesh panels. This aide in both airflow and allow the filling to redistribute underweight. As mentioned, this slight change is barely there, but the overall design is well executed in reference to quality and workmanship. The seams are double stitched, well sewn, and durable, and the zippers are easy to open and close. Everything lays flat no matter which way you decide to use it and does not interrupt the overall comfort of the pillow.
Comfort Claims
As mentioned above, this pillow is technically ‘adjustable’ but I think it is too strong a word. Can comfort be altered slightly for personal use? Yes. Is it adjustable for side to stomach sleepers or varying body types? No, I would say there is not enough of a difference in support to make this claim.
Basically, what you can control is plush to slightly more softer overall feel. Opening the zippers allows more room for the fill to spread out in while closing them compresses them slightly. I talked about how this is not even noticeable by initial feel when tucked into a pillowcase. When you lay upon it, especially on your stomach, you can tell the slight difference- which may be enough for some people to hang their hat on (especially if they are of smaller stature).
Pillow Care
Washable pillows are the bomb. Especially if they do not break down and flatten (and you have children and/or pets). I love when a pillow is deemed machine washable and dryable since I can toss it in the wash to freshen it up quickly. I went ahead and tested this out. I find that many polyfills feel clumped up after washing and before drying and that many times it nevers truly fluffs back up quite as well as it should. I am happy to say that this one washed extremely well, was not ‘clumpy’ feeling while wet and dried in a decent time without losing any of its loft or ‘bounce-back’ traits I commented on earlier.
100-Night Sleep Trial, 1 Year Warranty
And to sweeten the deal- the pillow comes with a 100-night sleep trial and free shipping! You don’t like it- send it back! This makes it a no-risk purchase. There also is a 1-year warranty on workmanship and material. If your pillow flattens or comes unraveled, let them know. They will replace it if deemed a reasonable warranty coverage (i.e. your dog didn’t chew it, it isn’t stained, etc) as long as you registered the pillow upon purchase.
Consumer Reviews
This is a very new pillow in the sleep industry, but despite that, the company sold out their initial launch. It became very popular very quickly and the reviews surrounding initial impressions explain why. The softer take for support and comfort was a welcoming change against the Original Purple Pillow design which focused mostly on the back and some stomach sleepers. Side sleepers, who comprise the largest percentage of sleep positions, struggled with proper support and form. This pillow, with its foldable, huggable filling allows for better adjustment for a wider variety of sleep needs.
Claims surrounding sinus and neck pain relief are noted, as are shoulder and hip stiffness alleviation. The fact that it seems to hold up well through use is also noted upon. Side sleepers were not as impressed with the pillow overall as they felt they needed more support, and back sleepers seemed to be the happiest with the purchase.
My Sleep Trial Experiences
I am a stomach and side sleeper, and so gravitate towards soft pillow surfaces I can manipulate into comfortable support. Down and feather pillows are some of my favorites, as are quality micro poly fiber fills. I commented that I liked the feel of the pillow initially as it was soft and very responsive- exactly what I look for.
Back
I’m not a big back sleeper, but do doze off when taking afternoon naps in this position from time to time. What I find to be problematic is how my head is often lifted, or too much pressure is put along the back of my head, creating an uncomfortable situation. This pillow is soft, cradled my head, and provided a comfortable amount of fill under my neck for spinal support.
I tried it with both zippers closed and open and preferred the slightly lower aspect of the open zippers. I did not notice really any difference in firmness between the two.
Side
Again, I tried this with both the zippers open and closed and did not notice any difference at all in the feel while sleeping on my side. This pillow bunches up well to support the head and neck, although I could see where it might not be lofty enough for larger sleepers. My smaller frame worked well with it, but it is not a thick pillow, to begin with, and anyone with broad shoulders may find it too low.
Stomach
I am a stomach sleeper for much of the night. This pillow was much more comfortable unzipped (again, that slight change made a difference) than the zipper, and provided a flatter surface to sleep on. This pillow is very supportive, however, and the fill keeps its strength and shape, so I found my head lifted higher than I prefer and did not like this pillow for this position as much as I do my down pillow. I would suggest it would work perfectly for larger framed bodies than mine, however.
Conclusion
This is a great pillow overall. It is very well made, is of quality material and comfort, and does (for the most part) stand up to the claims it makes for such a new product. I would not say it is adjustable for a wide range of body shapes and sizes or their sleep positions, but it is comfort adjustable and allows you to make a small change for personal preference and support.
I will say I was expecting it to adjust more than it did, especially in terms of firmness levels- which takes a bit away from the overall score. But everything else is seriously top-notch, and the easy washing and sleep trial makes it a product seriously worth considering.
If soft, plush comfort and support sound like a pillow you need, then you most definitely should check out the new Purple Plush Pillow. Initial reviews seem to suggest it is a perfect match for back sleepers and a hit or miss for stomach and side sleepers depending on body size. This personal preference doesn’t negate the quality of the design, which is well executed for long-lasting wear.