How to Soften Memory Foam Pillow? [Top 3 Soft Foam Pillows]

Just like a memory foam mattress, memory foam pillows are also very comfortable, supportive and are designed to adapt to the shape of your head and neck.

These pillows are built as medium-firm to improve your sleeping posture and offer pressure relief to your head and neck muscles.

However, a memory foam pillow may feel a little bit hard and uncomfortable at the beginning.

Sleepers may find it a bit stiff and feel too firm and may take some time to adjust itself to the newly bought memory foam pillow.

Does A Memory Foam Pillow Get Softer?

If you are a first-time buyer or user of memory foam pillows, then it may be possible that you may have a different experience with the product. These pillows seem hard when new.

This is because they are designed with more firmness than regular pillows to support your neck. Manufacturers need to maintain the balance of rigidity and conformity.

Further, with time it should reshape itself as per your sleeping position. The more it gets warm-up, the softer it becomes due to its temperature-dependent adaptability feature.

The moment you buy the pillow, the open-cell structure of the memory foam is compacted, and it is cool. So, at first, you will feel that your pillow is hard. But after you unwrap it and start using the product, it warms up because of its ability to trap body temperature.

Following this, its density and indentation load deflection (ILD) dropdown. Thus, with consistent body pressure and temperature, the pillow will become much softer with time.  

However, if the memory foam pillow still feels hard even after using it for about two-three weeks, there are some steps that you can try to make it softer.

Why Do You Need to Soften Memory Foam Pillow?

There are several reasons why you feel that there is a need to soften a memory foam pillow. 

As we all know, Memory foam is viscoelastic foam. This type of foam is temperature-sensitive and becomes more pliable when heat is applied to it.

Talking about memory foam pillows, when a person’s body heat comes into contact, the pillow gets softened. It easily contours and molds accordingly. 

Memory foam is a slow material and thus has a tendency to resist any attempts to change its shape, but it can’t do for a long time and eventually gives up. So, it might be possible that you may feel it hard to squeeze it in the beginning.

Regular pillows like poly fibers very quickly adapt to your sleeping position as compared to memory foam pillows. Foam pillows take more time, say at least a week or so, to become pliable.

Sometimes the body heat cannot warm the interior structure of the foam due to different reasons like when the weather is cold, etc. The pillow can remain rigid and uncomfortable. In such a case, to soften a memory foam pillow, external heat should be used.

How to Soften Memory Foam Pillow?

There are several ways to make your memory foam pillow or mattress softer. You can follow these methods:

1. Warm it up

Memory Foam is temperature-sensitive. Hence, if we can provide enough warmth to the pillow, it will become softer. For instance, by applying little hacks, we can pre-soften the pillows.

You can keep a heating pad or electric blanket, hot water bag/bottle under the pillow or place them near heating radiators, etc., as an additional heating source:

• Remember that this method is temporary and must be carried out daily to get the pillow decompressed and softer.
• Do the process just 15 minutes before going to sleep.
• You must be careful to place the pillows near heating elements as they can easily catch fire/flames.

2. Squeeze Or Apply More Pressure on Memory Foam Pillow

Another DIY method intensifies the pressure on the product. You can either squeeze the pillow or place a heavy object on it. This will reduce its firmness. The memory foam takes time to regain its shape.

Hence pressing it or applying extra pressure will make the foam sink in. You can place your head on the pillow before it reverts to its shape. During the expansion process, the foam will conform to the shape of your head and adjust to your sleeping posture.

One easy way to apply pressure is to lay your pillow flat on the floor and keep walking on it a couple of times. The motion will loosen the structure, and it will expand.

Tip: You can also use Broom handles and rug cleaners to punch it or a give it few resounding whacks

3. Put The Pillow in Washing Machine

This is a bit tricky. First of all, this method can be adopted only if the memory foam pillow is notified as machine washable. Otherwise, if you put the pillow in the machine, it may break the internal structure of the foam and lose its effects.

Though this is a one-time process, it is recommended to be used with caution. Use this handy tip if you are not affected by the loss in the adaptability of your memory foam and just want to use the product by softening it, or your product is listed as machine-washable.

Pro tip: Use the Dryer mode to soften the memory foam pillow. It will not only save the structures built of the foam but also effectively soften it.

4. Expose Pillow to the Sun

A widespread method. But applicable during the day. If you need the pillow for a daytime nap, then lay it outside under the sun. Flip it once in a while, and after some time, you can enjoy sleeping on a soft memory foam pillow.

Top 3 Soft Memory Foam Pillows from Popular Brands

Memory foam pillows are a clear winner for your well-being over regular pillows. It comes with manifold benefits such as helping in getting more relaxed and better sleep and providing relief for your overstressed and tired neck muscles in the process. 

Let’s dive in to check the top three memory foam pillows online: 

1. Tempur-Pedic Symphony Pillow Luxury Soft Feel

In contrast, the other side is flatter & has a more traditional pillow feel for side and stomach sleepers. The contoured side offers extra head and neck support for back sleepers.

The pillow is built with a single & exclusive soft brand proprietary memory foam that has plush firmness and one really deep sink into the material.

The memory foam scores high on adaptability and shows a slower response time. It contours around the face uniformly. The pillow has a removable and washable 100% polyester soft and hypoallergenic cover.

So, if you are a combo sleeper, this one is your pick.

2. Snuggle-Pedic Ultra-Luxury Bamboo Shredded Memory Foam

Talking about its construction, this Snuggle-Pedic gel-infused shredded memory foam pillow uses an exclusive mix of unique hypo-allergenic Biogreen® memory foam that is toxic-free and GreenGuard Gold certified foam offer you an ultimate sleeping experience.

The top-quality pillow comes with an extra bag of shredded memory foam so that you can adjust your firmness(softness) level by inserting or taking out fillings.

The use of luxurious and extra Kool-Flow Micro-Vented Bamboo Cover helps you to stay cool all night. The pillow has the best combination of resilience and fluffiness that makes it ideal for each kind of sleeper.

3. Perfect Cloud Dual Option Cooling Gel Pods Memory Foam Bed Pillow for Sleeping

One side is contoured with gel-based foam, and the other side is layered with high-quality memory foam. The blend of dual-layer thus provides a customized level of softness and comfort.

The pillow is a blessing for people who sleeps hot. There is a mesh gusset around the pillow for increased airflow. The construction makes it highly temperature-sensitive.

These pillows are duly tested and certified in THE USA. The firmness rating is medium and thus has a soft feel. The breathable cotton fabric cover is removable and washable.

Again, the pillow comes with a 30 night-free trial with a 3-year warranty. 

Final Comments:

By default, all brands manufacturers make memory foam pillows on a firmer side. It’s a fact that the more stiffness and hardness a pillow has in the beginning, the more durable and high-quality it bears.

Memory foam sinks in places where the pressure is exerted while the rest of the surface is in its original shape. This aspect makes it more durable.

It will not break down so easily if its firmness level is high. So now, don’t bother about the pillow’s hardness as you can very quickly and with some quick DIY tricks can make it soften.