Softest pillow: which fills feel softest and who they suit
The softest pillows are filled with down (the fluffy clusters under a duck's or goose's outer feathers) or a down alternative such as polyester microfiber. Shredded memory foam comes next, with one advantage the others lack: you can pull fill out until it's as soft as you like. A very soft pillow works well for stomach sleepers and many back sleepers. Side sleepers often find that a very soft pillow collapses under the head, so for them the better buy is a pillow that feels soft but keeps its height.
What "soft" means on a pillow
People use the word for two different things, and a pillow can do well on one and badly on the other.
- Give: how far your head sinks when you lie down. This depends on the fill.
- Surface feel: whether the pillow feels smooth, plush or fuzzy against your cheek. This comes mostly from the cover and your pillowcase.
There's also squishability, which matters if you like to fold a pillow in half or hug it. Down and shredded foam bunch up easily. A solid block of memory foam feels soft when you press it slowly, but it won't fold under your arm.
Soft is not the same as flat
Loft is the height of the pillow, and it's the thing soft-pillow shoppers most often overlook. When your head sinks in, what's left underneath decides whether your neck stays level with your spine.
A side sleeper has to fill the gap between the ear and the outer edge of the shoulder, and that gap is wider for people with broad shoulders. A stomach sleeper wants almost nothing under the head. Back sleepers sit in between. The way to get softness without losing height is more fill, not less: an overstuffed down pillow, or an adjustable pillow kept fairly full, stays squishy on top while still holding your head up.
For down pillows, look at fill weight as well as fill power. Fill power tells you how fluffy the down is. Fill weight tells you how much of it is inside.
Soft pillow fills compared
| Fill | How soft it feels | Holds its shape | Heat | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Down | The softest and lightest | Poorly; needs fluffing most days | Breathes well | Stomach and back sleepers who like to sink |
| Feather or feather/down blend | Soft, with some quill feel | Shifts around during the night | Breathes well | People who want a down-like feel for less money |
| Down alternative (polyester microfiber) | Close to down when new | Clumps and flattens over time | Can trap heat | Anyone avoiding animal fill, or who wants to machine wash often |
| Shredded memory foam | Medium-soft, and adjustable | Well; can be reshaped by hand | Warmer unless gel-infused or ventilated | Combination sleepers and side sleepers who want soft |
| Solid memory foam | Soft surface, slow sink | Very well | Traditionally warm | People who want steady support more than plushness |
| Latex (Talalay) | Bouncy rather than sinking | Very well | Cooler than most foam | People who dislike the slow sink of memory foam |
Down and feather
If the goal is the softest possible pillow, down is the answer. Higher fill power means larger clusters that trap more air, so a 700 fill power pillow feels puffier than a 550 at the same weight. The downside is upkeep. Down shifts to the edges, flattens under your head by morning, and needs a shake to recover. Feather pillows cost less and feel firmer, and you may feel the odd quill through a thin cover. Some people skip both for allergy or ethical reasons.
Down alternative
Polyester fiberfill is the cheap route to soft. It usually washes well. But fibers mat together with use, and a fiberfill pillow that felt like a cloud in the store can feel lumpy within a year or so.
Shredded memory foam
Shredded foam is less airy than down, but it rebounds better and you control the firmness by adding or removing fill. Several brands sell this style, Coop Home Goods among the better known, and Dosaze makes two (more on those below). Foam can run warm, which is why many shredded foam pillows add gel or ventilation.
Latex
Talalay latex is the softer of the two common latex types. It pushes back gently instead of letting you sink, which some people describe as soft and others as springy. Worth trying if memory foam has felt like quicksand to you.
Who should buy a soft pillow, and who should be careful
Stomach sleepers are the clearest match. A soft, low pillow keeps the head from being pushed up and back, and some stomach sleepers do best with almost no pillow at all.
Back sleepers usually do well with soft to medium, as long as the pillow fills the curve behind the neck instead of letting the head drop flat.
Side sleepers should be more careful. If you like soft, choose an overstuffed or adjustable pillow and check that your head isn't tilting toward the mattress. If you wake with a sore neck or shoulder, softness probably isn't the fix you need.
Combination sleepers tend to like squishy fills (down, shredded foam) because they can push the pillow into a new shape every time they roll over.
Keeping a soft pillow soft
Fluff down and fiber pillows every morning; it puts air back into the fill. Use a pillow protector so you wash the pillow less often, since repeated washing wears fiberfill down faster. To check a fiber or down pillow, fold it in half: if it stays folded instead of springing open, it has lost its loft.
The pillowcase changes the feel more than people expect. Sateen feels smooth and cool, flannel feels fuzzy and warm. You can browse pillowcases and protectors in our bedding collection.
Where Dosaze fits, and where it doesn't
Dosaze doesn't sell a down or feather pillow. Much of our pillow range is shaped memory foam built to hold a position: the Contoured Orthopedic Pillow, the OrthoCurve Pillow and the Therapeutic Cooling Wedge Pillow. Those are good at what they do, but they aren't the softest pillows you can buy, and we wouldn't point a soft-pillow shopper to them first.
Our two adjustable pillows are the closest fit.
The Dosaze Adjustable Pillow (Made in the USA) is filled with gel-infused memory foam and has no polyester fill. It's fully moldable, so you can take foam out to make it softer and lower, and extra foam comes in the box if you go too far. The cover is silky-soft and hypoallergenic. It's a queen size, 18" x 26".
The Dosaze ThermaCool Adjustable Pillow combines a ventilated gel core with an adjustable cooling fill, so you can change the firmness while keeping the core in place. It's designed for side, back and stomach sleepers, and suits someone who wants soft but tends to sleep hot.
One caveat: even with fill removed, shredded foam is denser than down. If what you want is to sink into a puffy cloud, a good down pillow will match that better than either of ours. If you want soft with the option to firm it up later, the adjustable pillows make sense, and our 60-night sleep trial gives you time to find the right amount of fill.
Frequently asked questions
What is the softest pillow material?
Down is the softest common pillow fill, especially at higher fill power. Down alternative made from polyester microfiber feels similar when new but flattens sooner. Shredded memory foam is a little denser but lets you adjust how soft it is.
Is a soft pillow bad for your neck?
It depends on how you sleep. Stomach sleepers and many back sleepers do well on a soft pillow. Side sleepers need enough height to keep the head level with the spine, so a very soft pillow that collapses can leave the neck bent toward the mattress.
Are memory foam pillows soft?
Solid memory foam feels soft when you press into it, but it sinks slowly and doesn't fold or squish the way down does. Shredded memory foam is softer and more moldable, and adjustable versions let you remove fill to make them softer still.
How can I make my pillow softer?
With an adjustable pillow, remove some of the fill. With down or fiberfill, fluff it daily and try a smoother or plusher pillowcase. If a fiber pillow stays folded when you bend it in half, it has lost its loft and replacing it will do more than any fix.
Do soft pillows go flat faster?
Down and polyester fiber pillows tend to flatten faster than foam or latex because the fill compresses and shifts. Down recovers with fluffing, while fiberfill tends to mat permanently over time. Using a pillow protector and washing the pillow less often helps it last.
