The Chillow is a cool pad that is placed between your head and the pillow and promises to keep things nice and cool for you while you’re sleeping. We’ve seen other pillows that promise not to get hot, but this is the first one that we’ve seen that has a cooling effect to it. So how does this pan out in real world tests?
Overview
Some may be familiar with the popular catchphrase of ESPN’s Stuart Scott “cool as the other side of the pillow”. They seem to be trying to take that to a whole new level here by making the pillow stay cool without you having to flip it.
It’s easy to see why pillows get hot, they prop up our heads and during the night it’s possible to heat up before the body finally cools down during its later sleep phases. This can become almost unbearable if the room is already hot, as it’s hard to get to sleep when you’re sweating and miserable.
The Claim
They say that ordinary pillows end up trapping your body heat, leading to an increased chance of perspiration. They say that the Chillow helps to keep your head cool and therefore dry by using a special memory foam that can has water inside it that is supposed to circulate while you’re sleeping so that the heat dissipates and you never get that hot feeling that can even lead to waking you up. They say it can help with all sorts of problems including insect bites, migraines, muscle aches, and hot flashes. They also say it can help settle disputes between bedmates that like the room at different temperatures.
The Hype
This is a common problem experienced by many, which is why so many will resonate with it and wonder if this could work as a way to keep cool at night and get better sleep. With all of the different conditions out there that can lead to a hot head while you slumber, such as night sweats, fevers, and sunburns, it’s no wonder that a product like this has emerged promising to help with all of them. It’s best to set reasonable expectations for it, and then see how it performs under direct testing.
The Cost
This is the kind of offer we like to see, because they give you the option of getting the second one free. Many companies force you into getting two so that they can inflate the order total. But with the Chillow you can opt to get one for $20 including shipping, or two for $27 including shipping. This means that if you just can’t see yourself using two of them you can just order one and it’s still less than buying it through Amazon.
The Commitment
All that you are required to do is switch out your current pillow with this one. If you want it to be really cold they say you can put it in the refrigerator for up to 30 minutes, but aside from that it should be a set-and-forget style pillow. This may actually end up being a reduction in the amount of time you spend fussing over your pillow if you spend less time tossing and turning and readjusting your pillow so that you can sleep on the cool side.
Evaluation
The Chillow has gotten mixed reviews, with some saying it was exactly what they were looking for and others saying that it didn’t live up to their expectations. Some have said that it only stays cool for a little while and then loses its cool and returns to a regular temperature. But overall most people are happy with it, and say that it performs as they expected. Sleep is a very subjective thing, and everyone has their own special ritual before they finally zonk out for the night, so it’s not easy to put a finger on whether this will work great for everyone that tries it.
The biggest complaint people have is that it’s heavy, which makes it a bit cumbersome and this is not very conducive to trying to get to sleep and finding a comfortable position. It seems they could have made it a bit lighter, and the above video demonstrates the proper way to fill it, so perhaps some of those complaints are from those that overfilled it.
Final Chillow Review
The Chillow is getting our Solid Try rating. If you are bent on trying it out you can because it’s covered by a 30 day money back guarantee and the price point is not so high, but with all of the spotty feedback we’re not quite sure it will live up to your expectations, but it stands a chance. If a larger majority of users gave it the green light with no asterisks we might be more comfortable giving it our Thumbs Up rating.
Our Recommendation
There are plenty of pillow out there that don’t heat up when you use them, such as the Sobakawa pillow, or the Watanabe Pillow. Instead of using cotton or down they are filled with special material that doesn’t absorb or retain heat, and promises to keep your head cool throughout the night. They are both claiming to use Japanese style sleeping techniques whereby you keep the rest of the body warm but have a cool head. It’s good to check out all that’s available before making your final purchasing decision.
Ended up with a waterbed at 2.20 am today. I have used this pillow 5 times the first four went without a problem this morning the bung came out, no idea why as the pillow was flat and the water went all over the bed. No happy with it.
Yes, my chillow leaked all over the bed too. Horrible.
You are right to worry. It flooded my whole bed. I had to throw it out 2 days later.
Yes, my chillow leaked all over the bed too. Horrible.
This product worked for about 2 hours the first day then got too warm. It never was really that cold. The instructions say, “everyone has a different idea of what cool is.” The second day, I took a nap with it and up to a soaking mess. The cap did not open but somehow all the water came flooding out and soaked the bed. I will never buy a product that requires so much water and your bed. A total disaster.
To avoid sticking to it’s surface slip the Chillow into your pillow case. This should also keep it flat instead of bunching.
I hope this helps!
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I dont think chillow is recommended because of its rubbery scent OMG i cant sleep and be comfortable of its smell i wish i could get rid of it by a sort of cleaning its surface …👎👎👎
Chillow started of great a bit of getting used to, but after few days a week or so BUNCHES UP, nightmare then it only makes you 20% happy, I was disappointed, needs to address this problem, tried to flatten as instructed but to no avail 😬
It did stay cold but wasn’t very comfortable. And it leaked all over the bed!
You really do have to worry about water leaking out! I bought one and the cap was too small which I learned once I filled it, put it inside the pillow case and put my head down. When I woke up the whole bed was soaked.
After making sure it was not my issue of not doing something right, I contacted them and asked if I could buy a new plug. How much could it cost, $0.35? They wouldn’t even answer me. I tried several ways of contacting them but I guess they got my money and it’s just too bad.
BEWARE!
I’ve had migraines for over 20 years now and am always looking for something to keep my head cool as my head and face gets ridiculously hot when it’s bad. I have always used kool n soothe strips which were great to start just not big enough. I bought the chillow to give it a go and after fiddling with the amount of water for a few nights I finally got it right. I don’t put mine inside my pillow as it does move around which is annoying so it’s better left out. I think it’s amazing. Obviously the longer you lay on it the more it warms up (absorbs your heat) but I find it works if you use one half and when that’s warmed up I switch to the other half allowing the other side to cool down so I always have a cool side. I loved it so much because it’s reusable that I bought another 3 but from a different company and those 3 leaked straightaway which was upsetting. However easy remedy just get some superglue on those seams and no more leaks! I love it when I’m hot because I actually do mold it around my face which gives amazing pain relief. I also find it great at the bottom of my bed to keep my feet cool in summer! I would recommend the product to anyone just make sure: you don’t overfill it; you get all the air out otherwise the foam inside twists about; it doesn’t leak when leaned on or you’ll get a wet bed and finally make sure you alternate between chillows or different sides of it to keep the cooling effect.
I found that most issues people have with it are easily fixed. If it bunches up inside, grab the foam insert by the corner (use two fingers through the valve to reach) then while holding the corner in place, shake the pillow hard a few times and it straightens out. It does not stay cool if there’s air in the pillow so make sure it’s out! Don’t overfill as this really stops it working. Only the foam should be holding the water it shouldn’t be swishing around in the pillow and it definitely shouldn’t be heavy. Super glue the seams if it leaks. And remember that it will warm to your temperature just lay on different sides of it.
I love the chilling effect of the Chillow.BUT the fact that both my Chillows have bunched up. IT IS ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO FIX THE BUNCHING PROBLEM!!!! The other problem,for me,was that I had to keep going from one end to the other to stay cool. The vinyl seems to retain heat and stick to me skin. Buy it, but be aware of these problems.
Not really. Mine worked a few weeks, now it hardly does. And it heats up during the night, maybe not as bad as another , but yes, in a way it does . it vinyl after all, retains heat.
This is the real deal, I about froze my face off last night, can’t wait until it gets warm in the Summer, it was -38 last night in MN! It was so very cold!
The Chillow does work as far as staying cool. But if you are a fitful sleeper, the Chillow can become bunched up and it is impossible to flatten back out. Now I am stuck with an uneven Chillow that is uncomfortable to sleep on. I followed the instructions included to flatten it back out but never could get it back flat.
I would be afraid of this pillow leaking on me in the middle of the night. I don’t think I would like a pillow that has water in it, because even if it keeps me cool at night, I would worry about getting a leak throughout the night, and I wouldn’t totally relax. Plus, I’m not totally into the idea of making a big deal of having to fill up my pillow with water. It seems like a bit of a hassle to set up.
Plus, you wouldn’t be able to mush it around or anything. You would just have to sleep on it straight, but that’s not how I sleep. I like the idea of staying cool, but that’s the only thing I really like about this. Well, I also appreciate that they don’t trick you into paying more money by forcing you to buy one get one free. But still, I don’t think this chillow is for me.