If you’ve been trying to figure out which is better, Stop. They are both great. The real issue is how do you want your new natural mattress to feel. Talalay latex is less dense than Dunlop latex and it gives you a more conforming feel. But, is that what you want? If you prefer a stiffer and more supportive feel, you may prefer Dunlop. Confused? Hey, we’re just getting started.
So what is latex and is it really a natural product? Sure is. It is made from the milky white sap produced by rubber trees. Just like we bleed when our skin is cut, the rubber trees are intentionally slit on an angle. The trees exude their sap where they are cut and it flows downward and drips into a waiting plastic cup or half of a coconut. The cups are collected by the rubber tappers and poured into larger containers. The sap is called latex.
There are some steps that must be taken before it gets to you. First it is taken to the large centrifuges that spin it to remove the excess water. Next it goes to a factory for processing.
That processing is what makes the difference between Talalay and Dunlop latex. The Dunlop process is the original one and it goes back a hundred years. The milky latex is poured into an aluminum mold that contains hundreds of protruding pins which are heated internally. Like a rectangular clamshell with these pins in the top and bottom section the mold is closed and the latex is baked from the inside out. When it’s ready the formerly liquid latex is now a soft yet solid slab. The latex is then washed several times and squeezed through wringers to remove the water. And there you have a beautiful 6” thick Dunlop latex core.
But the Talalay brothers figured out a way to make a great product even better. Their process vacuumed the air from the mold and flash froze the latex before baking it. By doing that the rubber particles stayed in place creating a uniform density throughout the latex core. The vacuum part of the process cause the liquid latex to rise in the mold like a cake being baked. Therefore they did not have to put as much latex in the mold and the end result is a lighter and airier latex.
If you live in southern Oregon you can now try out mattresses make with Dunlop and Talalay latex at Natural Mattress Heaven in Medford. If you live elsewhere we invite you to go to the Mattress Advisor section where we offer a questionaire that uses our proprietary algorithm designed to make a recommendation based on your individual needs and preferences.
