Spring is here — and with it brings flowers, bumblebees and of course, fluctuating weather. No matter where you are in the world, our bodies’ temperatures tend to be intimately connected with our sleep patterns. Because a good night’s rest sets the rhythm for the entire day, investing in your sleep is always a good idea.
That’s where high-quality bedding can come in — after all, we spend about one-third of our lives in bed — and a fabric that is breathable can do wonders for comfortable sleep. While cotton is typically the most common textile used for sheets, pillow cases and pajamas, bamboo is renowned for its lightweight and moisture-wicking qualities, making it perfect for both hot and cold sleepers.
Known for its popular weighted blankets made of luxury bamboo lyocell, bedding company Luxome is now offering bamboo pillows (that are actually adjustable!) and bamboo sheets, using both non-toxic and sustainable materials.
Bamboo fabric
Let’s take a moment to talk about bamboo fabric. It seems like fabrics made from bamboo have taken the fashion industry by storm over the last few years, and it’s safe to say that popularity has a lot to do with bamboo’s environmentally friendly features. But is bamboo fabric actually sustainable? Well, that answer is complicated.
Mechanically produced bamboo linen is considered the best choice when it comes to bamboo fabric, because it involves crushing the bamboo plant into pulp before adding natural enzymes to break it down. However, it is often a more expensive process and results in a rougher texture. There’s also lyocell (also known as the brand name, Tencel), which involves a closed-loop cycle where chemicals and water aren’t released into the environment. Although bamboo viscose can sometimes involve more chemicals than other bamboo-based fabrics, it is still considered better for the environment than conventional viscose. Oftentimes, traditional viscose or rayon use wood pulp from unsustainably harvested forests and even old-growth trees.
Bamboo fabrics have so many environmental advantages. Bamboo is self-regenerative, meaning new stalks naturally shoot out of the plant after some of the plant is harvested, without the use of pesticides, fertilizers or even irrigation — basically, all it needs is some rainwater to grow. It’s known for growing up to 12 inches per day and for growing in difficult environments. Perhaps best of all, studies have shown that bamboo plants can produce 35% more oxygen than trees.
Products made from bamboo can even be softer than cotton thanks to the micro-gaps in the fabric and are fully biodegradable (as long as they haven’t been loaded with a bunch of toxic chemicals). Luxome’s bamboo fabric is 100% certified bamboo, so it isn’t blended with other cheap fabrics. The fabric is also backed by OEKO-TEX. The third-party certifier tests products for harmful substances, meaning this bedding doesn’t contain any allergens or dyes known to be carcinogenic.
Luxome’s premium bamboo sheets
I had the chance to try out some of Luxome’s bamboo bedding ourselves, and let’s just say, I was impressed. I tried both the Premium Bamboo Sheet Set and the LAYR Pillow and found some seriously comfy results.
The bamboo sheets are 100% pure bamboo viscose with a 400 thread count, a feature that the company calls “the highest thread count of any bamboo sheets ever made.” Right out of the package, the sheets seemed surprisingly durable despite their light, airy texture. Plus, the bamboo bag they came in will work wonderfully as a soft, reusable bag for traveling. Even after washing them, the material stayed as soft as silk. The set (I went with the silvery “stone” color) included one fitted sheet, one flat sheet and two pillowcases. The fitted sheet has 17-inch-deep pockets, which is a huge plus for thicker mattresses or toppers.
Also naturally hypoallergenic thanks to the eco-friendly material, the sheets performed great over spring evenings that were cool one night and warmer the next. The temperature-regulating fabric is naturally moisture-wicking, helping it to absorb moisture from your body if you sweat. The bamboo fibers are more hollow than similar textiles, so the fabric can breathe and subsequently evaporate the moisture as you sleep.
The texture of the sheets is super helpful for those of us who move around a lot while sleeping. Hair glided over the smooth texture of the material (so I didn’t wake up to frizzy hair), and there was no getting tangled up in the sheets in the middle of the night.
The LAYR Pillow
The idea of an adjustable pillow makes total sense. By buying a pillow that can fit to multiple specifications and serve multiple needs, you’re less likely to end up with a bunch of unused pillows going to waste.
Inside the box, I found the bamboo pillow cover, along with a soft insert made with a down alternative filling, a medium insert with a mixture of gel-infused memory foam down alternative filling and a firm insert with 100% gel-infused memory foam (Luxome includes both a 2-inch insert and a 1-inch insert for preferred height). The memory foam is CertiPUR-US certified, so it has low VOCs and no harmful substances.
While the pillow comes pre-configured with the company’s most popular combination of one down alternative insert and one gel-infused memory foam insert, customers can add or remove inserts for their personal configuration. For me, it only took a few tries to find my perfect combination, but spending an entire night with the specific pillow combo was the true test. (Tip: because the inserts come with their own cotton covers, they won’t go to waste if you use them as smaller, individual pillows for your legs or back).
The pillow cover, also made from natural bamboo viscose, washed beautifully according to the instructions and was soft enough that I didn’t even need an additional pillow case on top. As it turns out, this was the right call, as the sides of the pillow are specially designed to optimize airflow.
Luxome’s bamboo bedding is breathable, soft and sustainable [Inhabitat]