Pillows that are stuffed with down are called down pillows. Down pillows are prized for its softness, its ability to retain its supportive properties, also called loft, and its insulating properties. Products stuffed with down are desired because of down’s characteristic softness and warmth.

Down, the small soft feathers that are found underneath the outer feathers of birds, is used to insulate and protect birds. A tuft of down is an interlocking unit of fine fibers that hold warm air close to the bird. When a down pillow is stuffed with it, the down interlocks with itself to hold warm air close to the user’s head. This characteristic keeps the warm air close to the person and helps them keep warm.

It is important to note that a down pillow is not a feather pillow. Feathers are used by birds to fly. As such, they are flat and have a have a stiff quill in the middle. Pillows that are stuffed with feathers, therefore, tend to lose their structure easily and can poke the user’s skin.

Down, however, is a three dimensional structure that wants to return to its original shape when compressed. In addition, the purpose of down is to insulate and protect birds. Therefore, down pillows tend to retain its shape better over time because each tuft is trying to return to its original shape.

Geese down and duck down are often used to stuff pillows. Goose down is preferable to duck down because goose down is generally larger than duck down. However, age is also a factor of what down is best suited for stuffing a pillow. An older duck’s down will be bigger and better than a young goose’s down. The best down pillows are stuffed with down from the eider duck, a migrating waterfowl.

There are many ways that a down pillow can be stuffed and each design determines how soft and durable the pillow will be. Three of these designs are a single shell design, a double shell design, and a dual core design. A single shell design refers to the usage of one piece of fabric in which down is stuffed. Such pillows are not as durable as other designs because oil from the user’s hair and face can penetrate the down and degrade it. A double shell design is more durable. Two pieces of fabric are used in order to keep the oil away from the down. In this design, down is not stuffed between the two sheets of fabric but only in the core. Like a double shell design, a dual core down pillow also uses two sheets of fabric to hold in the down. However, the interior is stuffed with feathers, and the area between the two pieces of fabric is stuffed with down in order to increase softness.