Latex is healthy
There are many healthy side-effects that go with sleeping on natural latex foam. Pure, natural latex is inherently hypoallergenic, because it is not a man-made product, or a derivative of petrochemicals. It’s a botanical product that is made from the sap of a rubber tree (Hevea brasiliensis). So 100% natural latex won’t cause general allergies, especially because of the way it is processed and the end product being open celled.
Another health benefit is that these natural mattresses are antimicrobial and dust mite free. The botanical properties and chemistry of the latex don’t allow for the harbouring of bacteria or other microbes, and dust mites cannot thrive within the natural latex foam.
Natural latex also does not off gas. Because the mattress is not made up of harmful chemicals, there is no off gassing of noxious fumes. The only odour that the owner of a Snoozel Green mattress may detect is a faint, sweet vanilla-type of smell.
Perhaps one of the very best health benefits of natural latex is that your spine is aligned all night long as you sleep. Latex foam contours to your body’s curvature, offering the perfect combination of comfort and support. And because natural latex is so resilient, you are less likely to get indentations that are common with other mattress surfaces. And right along with that, because latex has a nice amount of springiness, or kickback (unlike memory foam), it changes shape as you change sleeping positions. So, all night long you will be able to experience comfort and support, while easing the tension on any pressure points or injuries that you may have along the whole course of your body. Natural latex foam is noted for its excellent pressure point reduction and back pain relief.
What is Dunlop latex?
Dunlop or Talalay....? You've probably seen these two terms flying around if you have shopped for latex bedding, but they simply refer to two methods for manufacturing latex foam.
At Snoozel Green we use the classic Dunlop method, developed in 1929, instead of Talalay, which is a relatively new method that is more complex, costly and time-consuming.
The Dunlop method uses natural latex and the production process starts by mixing the raw liquid latex with water. There are small amounts of other materials required for processing liquid latex into a solid form, which are necessary for all latex production. These are natural soaps, sulphur, and gelling & vulcanization agents. When the latex mixture is ready, compressed air is pumped into it to make a foamy liquid. This foam is then poured into the mattress mould, and is vulcanized (baked) at a temperature over 110 degrees for about 50 minutes. The finished mattress layer is then taken out of the mould, washed and dried.
What's wrong with Talalay Latex?
The Talalay process has a couple of additional stages that means it takes four times longer to produce and consumes five times more energy than the Dunlop process, so it is usually more expensive and has a much bigger carbon footprint. The Talalay process does result in high quality natural latex, which is great for 100% latex mattresses using a thick layer of foam. However, the Snoozel Green mattress is a hybrid, using the latex as one of several layers, which the Dunlop method is perfect for.
Hopefully that clears up any latex questions you may have, it really is a great natural material that we are proud to use.
Read more about our Latex here.