Is a Natural Dunlop Topper Right for You?

Natural Dunlop Toppers

A natural Dunlop topper can give you some of the high-quality comfort attributed to latex foam on any mattress. When considering latex bedding, latex toppers in particular, there are several factors to consider:

• Do I want natural latex, synthetic latex, or a blended mix of the two?
• Which is better for my needs, Dunlop latex or Talalay latex?
• Do I want a latex topper or a latex mattress?

To make an informed decision, you'll need to know a few things about each set of options.

Natural or Synthetic?

Natural latex foam is a prime mattress material because it matches an almost bouncy support with body-contouring support that outstrips anything else on the market even memory foam. But it's expensive.

Synthetic latex is a decent approximation of the real thing, but it doesn't quite manage to mimic the resilient, buoyant qualities of natural latex. However, since it's produced in a lab without the overhead of managing a rubber tree plantation and paying to ship the liquid latex, it tends to be less expensive than all-natural varieties.

Dunlop or Talalay?

Both Dunlop and Talalay latex can be soft or firm, depending on how much air is mixed in with the latex during production. But the Dunlop vulcanization process actually produces a denser foam than Talalay, with a more closed cellular structure.

This density means that even soft Dunlop tends to be more supportive than Talalay, but may not have the pressure-relieving qualities of more airy Talalay products. Dunlop makes an excellent supportive core in a full latex mattress, but can make for a topper with more bounce and less give than Talalay.

Topper? Or Mattress?

A latex topper can allow you to sleep on the comfort of latex when a full latex mattress is out of your price range. Generally, if you want the very best that latex bedding has to offer, we advocate for a 100% natural latex mattress on an approved foundation.

However, latex is a natural resource that must be sustainably grown, harvested, and then transformed from a thin liquid into a luxurious foam bedding through foaming, drying, and vulcanization processes. It's a long and involved process, which means that 100% natural latex bedding is an expensive product.

If 100% natural latex is out of your price range, a topper can help you attain some of that resilient, body-contouring support that can relieve pressure and bring your spine into natural alignment for a deep and pain-free night of sleep. Toppers let you turn any mattress into an approximation of the luxury of latex sleep.

When a Natural Topper is Right for You

If you can't afford a 100% natural latex mattress, consider a hybrid mattress of polyurethane or conventional inner springs under a thick latex sleep surface (or "comfort layer"?). A blended latex mattress may also be a possibility blended latex contains about 30% natural latex mixed with synthetic latex, for a close approximation of natural latex at a more affordable cost.

If hybrid and blended options are too expensive, a topper is your next best option for sleeping on latex. If you choose a topper, you definitely want to claim an all-natural latex topper that gives you the very best support for your money. But is a Dunlop topper right for you?

When a Natural Dunlop Topper is Right for You

Dunlop tends to be denser and more supportive than cloud-light Talalay. It's an excellent base for a mattress but can make for a very bouncy? topper. If you're a back or a stomach sleeper, you may like the feel of a Dunlop topper. Dunlop is also less likely to bottom out? with continued use than Talalay, which may eventually compress so that you're essentially lying on the mattress beneath your topper.

If you're a back or stomach sleeper and choose a Dunlop topper, pick a thick one with a medium- to medium-soft ILD (or measure of firmness). It's a safe bet at an affordable price point. You'll be assuring yourself a resilient night's sleep that won't bottom out, with an ILD soft enough to feel comfortably cozy, night after night.