Best Latex Mattresses (April 2024) - Rated by CherryPicks' Experts

Choose The Ideal Latex Mattress For Your Needs

What Is Natural Latex?

Natural latex comes from rubber trees. The sap of the rubber trees is used to produce the latex.  There are two different techniques utilized for the creation of natural latex. Since the 1930s, the Dunlop method has been popular. It involves molding, stem baking and stirring the sap from the rubber tree. The process involves an accumulation of natural sediment below in the bottom while heavy dense foam stays on top.

The Talalay method was developed more recently. The Talalay method vacuum freezes the sap before vulcanizing it while the Dunlop method vulcanizes it without freezing it first. The Talalay method produces lighter latex with a more homogenous structure because the vacuum freezing expands the sap and creates air pockets. In mattresses, 100 percent organic or natural latex is not possible because natural latex contains other natural ingredients.

What Is Blended Latex?

The mixture of natural and synthetic latex is known as Blended latex. There are plenty of combinations used in the development of blended latex.

Synthetic Vs. Natural  Vs. Blended  Latex

Pros and Cons of Using a Latex Mattress

>>Natural Latex

Pros

• Natural ability to isolate motion transfer. It means you won’t get disturbed when you share a bed with your partner.
• Helps in reducing chronic back and shoulder pain.
• Natural latex mattresses have a natural life of more than a decade which is highest when compared with any of the other types of mattresses
• It has natural anti-allergy and antibacterial properties that fight against dust mites and microorganisms.
• Natural latex mattresses are eco-friendly because they encourage large tracks planted in rubber trees that helps the Earth’s carbon situation and they don’t use petroleum or other products that can pollute the environment.
• 100% natural latex is healthier for the sleeper
• Although it is often portrayed as having limited variety in firmness levels, adjusting the prongs that hold the latex in the mold (having more of them or making the holes smaller or wider) provides the ability to adjust the firmness level in both Talalay and Dunlop natural latex mattresses.

Cons

• Due to the use of natural materials, it naturally becomes expensive. The overall weight of the mattress can be too heavy to move it easily.

>>Blended Latex

Pros

• Natural ability to isolate motion transfer. It means you won’t get disturbed when you share a bed with your partner.
• Helps in reducing chronic back and shoulder pain.
• It has natural anti-allergy and antibacterial properties that fight against dust mites and microorganisms.

Cons

• Some of the materials used to make blended latex can be harmful.
• It is not as eco-friendly as 100% natural latex.

>>Synthetic Latex

Pros

[su_list icon="icon: arrow-circle-o-right" icon_color="#6ee762"]

• Natural ability to isolate motion transfer. It means you won’t get disturbed when you share a bed with your partner.
• Helps in reducing chronic back and shoulder pain.
• The product design can have more flexibility

Cons

• It is less expensive than natural latex.
• It doesn’t provide the health or environmental benefits of natural latex.

Latex Processing

Talalay and Dunlop are the most common types of latex processing. Both Talalay and Dunlop 100% natural latex mattresses score very close to each other when it comes to user satisfaction. Talalay is newer than the Dunlop method that has been around for many years now. By adding ingredients other than sap and air, mattress manufacturing companies produce blended using the same methods used to manufacture 100% natural latex.

By adjusting the holes in the mold, both the Talalay and Dunlop methods can be used to create mattresses offering a variety of firmness levels.

Talalay produces a more consistent feel from finished each finished piece.   In the Talalay latex processing technique, the sections of latex are produced that must be glued later on. A small amount of latex is taken and poured into a mold. The foam liquid is distributed evenly within the mold to produce a consistent open-cell structure from which air is entirely extracted. The core of this mattress is then flash frozen so that the cell structure stays intact.

Dunlop is good for the people who prefer to sleep on firm surfaces with improved support. The Dunlop method produces one whole piece of latex. In the Dunlop method, the air is not extracted from the molds, and they are filled with the fluid. Unlike the Talalay method, it doesn’t involve a flash freezing process.

Talalay Vs. Dunlop

Latex (Impression load deflection) ILD & Density

There are two terms associated with latex mattresses; these are Latex Density and Latex ILD. Latex density deals with the weight of a piece of latex.

Density is calculated concerning the cubic foot (foam) and measuring its weight. If for instance, the piece weighs 3 pounds then the density will be 3 lbs./ft. The density will be 4 lbs./ft. if the piece weighs 4 pounds. Excellent durability and longevity are guaranteed with high density.

On the other hand, ILD deals with the firmness of a latex mattress, specifically, it means how much pressure is needed to indent the mattress by 25%. This rating varies according to the type of latex. Dunlop has a higher ILD than Talalay. Organic or natural latex has the lowest ILD as compared to synthetic or blended latex.

ILD reading of 30 to 37 means the mattress is firm while 14 to 22 means the mattress is soft. A reading between 23 and 29 refer to the medium firmness of the latex. Anything over 38 is considered to be very firm, and for this reason, most users go for 25 to 35 ILD rating.

The Feel of Latex

• Conformance

Latex will conform to your body and helps to align the spine and improves the pressure points throughout the body. Although, memory foam mattresses provide more conformance to all sleeper’s as compared to latex mattresses. The natural latex shape recovery makes sure that you will not produce permanent indentations on the top layer or surface of mattresses.

•  Adjusting

Just like memory foam, latex adjusts to all of a sleeper’s curves, rather than sink under their weight. Consequently, for side and back sleepers, latex is considered a good option, especially for those who are suffering from shoulder and chronic back pain.

• Point elasticity and motion isolation

Point elasticity refers to the ability to compress a specific area of a mattress without affecting other areas of the mattress. Softer mattresses will have a higher point elasticity.   Low motion transfer means your sleeping partners movements won’t distract you from your sleep.

• No noise

A latex mattress does not produce any sound when bearing weight.

Points You Need to Consider Before Buying Latex Mattress

Latex is among the best materials for construction of mattresses due to its resilience, breathability, and hypoallergenic properties. Let’s find out what other factors you should consider before purchasing a latex mattress.

• Support Core

In a latex mattress, it is a very elastic and resilient section. This inner layer retains bounciness and offers pressure relief to your body with no permanent indentations in accordance with the curves of the body. All latex mattresses come with support cores; the cores in synthetic latex and hybrid models may be comprised of other materials including pocketed coils or Polyfoam. A natural latex mattress is the best choice when it comes to the durability of the support core. It improves longevity by five times as compared to polyfoam support cores.

• Cooling elements

Latex is the best material in terms of breathability when we talk about the construction and development of mattresses. Mattresses made from natural latex give you refreshingly cool sleep as compared to other materials. Talalay layers like Celsion Talalay is highly breathable and cool.

• Comfort Layer

Manufacturers use Talalay more frequently in comfort layers as compared to Dunlop due to its softness.   The comfort layers of a hybrid made of Blended Talalay is a cheaper option if the price is a crucial concern, and it will still be quite resilient.

• Off-gassing

Off-gassing is a critical issue since you don’t want to expose your body to harmful chemicals. It is caused due to the use of petrochemicals in the manufacturing process of the mattress. You should opt a mattress made with 100% natural latex for good night’s sleep free of all odors and potentially harmful chemicals.

• Hypoallergenic properties

Latex mattresses are made from materials which have the natural tendency to fight against dust mites, bacteria, fungus, and other allergy-causing organisms. However, you should be aware of the fact that synthetic or hybrid latex mattresses are not hypoallergenic. If you suffer from allergies, you should go for a natural latex mattress unless you’re allergic to latex.

• Overall thickness

There are plenty of thicknesses available on the market related to all-latex and blended latex mattresses. All-latex mattress usually comes between six-inches and twelve-inch depths.

Blended-latex mattress generally ranges between eight-inches and twelve-inch thickness. The all-latex bedding is the best option for heavyweight sleepers who need optimal support, which should be at least 10-inch thick.

• Lifespan

The lifespan or durability of latex mattress will primarily be based on the materials used in the construction. Natural and organic latex mattresses tend to last for approximately eight to ten years although some now have lifetime guarantees. On the other hand, synthetic and blended latex mattresses can only last up to 6 years. By replacing the individual layers, you can improve the lifespan of a latex mattress but not for all models.

• Warranty

When looking for a latex mattress, you must consider its warranty very seriously. As mentioned above, latex beddings last approximately six to nine years but their warranties can go up to twenty or even twenty-five years. The manufacturers fragment these warranties into two sections including prorated and non-prorated coverage.

During the prorated phase, being the owner, you will pay out more from your pocket. For this reason, it is the most extended phase. Therefore, you must know and understand what the warranty of your mattress covers. You need to go through the brand’s warranty claims handling procedures. You must also have a close look at the turnaround period for any repairs, replacements or shipping costs.

Also, be aware of any requirements to set the mattress on a specific type of foundation, encase it in a mattress cover, retain your receipt, or leave the law tag on the mattress.

• Price

When it comes to price, the material used in construction is the most significant factor influencing the cost. Natural and organic latex come at high prices. Blended and synthetic latex will also cost a lot but not as much as organic and natural latex.

[/su_list]

Know more: Best Eco-Friendly Mattresses

Conclusion

Mail-order latex mattresses are the latest edition to the bed-in-a-box offerings and have taken the sleep industry by storm. They sleep cooler than memory foam and are more durable than innersprings. Latex prevents irritants that cause allergies, like dust and mites, and it also provides excellent conformance and support to the entire body.

The highly breathable latex mattress doesn’t contain materials that cause off-gassing, and you will tend to sleep very coolly on it without becoming sweaty. It offers an excellent sleep trial and warranty for your peace of mind.

Top 10 Latex Mattresses Sellers: CPR Seller Rank List

CPR sellers rank is based on CherryPicks-AI bestselling ranking system that helps us analyze each seller's sales trends. The List of top seller ranks is our in-house data, essential for our product ranking to help you make the right shopping choice.