Award winning sleep isn’t something that happens by chance. Nobody knows that better than Simba, the brand famous for their clever and comfortable mattresses. And now, with the results that their Simba Hybrid Pillow boasts, they’re bound to be famous for more than just the base of your bed.
The Simba Hybrid is easily one of the best pillows on the market. It has received a Menopause-Friendly award, which means that it officially eases or relieves symtoms of menopause. Moreover, it’s packed with memory foam cubes, it cushions, cradles, and supports your neck and head while you sleep. If you unzip the pillow case, that’s where you unlock the real genius.
This pillow is completely customisable. As a front sleeper who likes to keep spinal alignment, I turned this into one of the best thin pillows I’ve ever snoozed on. Thanks to the quality and custom features, it’s one of those pillows that you just know you can’t go wrong with.
Simba Hybrid Pillow review
(Image credit: Future)
It helps to know a little more about what’s inside the pillow than the specifications will tell you. Simba’s ‘Renew’ cubes are crafted from something they call ‘down-like cushioning’. It’s made from recycled PET bottle fibres, which are “gently foleded into airy, cushioning layers.” In essence, they feel like memory foam, but Simba promises that they encourage more air flow through the pillow, so that it feels as soft as clouds, but can also do cooling work too.
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Dimensions |
Variable |
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Weight |
Variable |
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Fill |
Simba foam |
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Case |
Simba Stratos Quilted cotton cover |
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Washable? |
Yes |
Who would the Simba Hybrid Pillow suit?
(Image credit: Future)
Simba ticks a lot of boxes with the Hybrid pillow, but my top two are the customisability and the cool touch technology that has the GenM Menopause tick of approval.
The first, personalised support, is brilliant. Simba backs the pillow with small nanocubes, which are made from Simba foam. You’ll see further down that these can compress to nothing when put under a lot of pressure, so you can adjust the fill to make sure that it cradles your head in just the right way. With that in mind, it makes a really natural choice for back, side, and front sleepers, because it’s easy to keep your spine in proper alignment.
The second aspect of the Simba Hybrid Pillow that really stands out is the ‘cool touch‘ Stratos technology. The quilted cover naturally creates a cool surface that does a really good job of heat transfer. There’s also open mesh at the side that helps with heat flow through the pillow. It’s not going to stop your night sweats, but it might help to make them a little more bearable.
There are, of course, plenty of other little touches that make this a brilliant pillow: the case zips off and can be easily washed, the filling is really soft, and it’s coming from a B-Corp-certified company. You can see why it’s a popular pillow.
Unboxing the Simba Hybrid Pillow
(Image credit: Future)
Simba is a certified B-Corp which means that their packaging has some thought behind it. The pillow packaging, which is a storage bag, is crafted from recycled and recyclable plastic. It’s simple and useful. That’s all you need.
Inside is the pillow, which is a plush outer case and then thinner case which is packed full of nanocubes. Simba comes with another special bag to put any excess cubes into for storage. I’d keep hold of these for if you ever want a pillow refresh as cubes can compact down over time.
What is the Simba Hybrid Pillow like to sleep on?
(Image credit: Future)
I tested this out for two weeks before passing it around some of our other sleepers too, so that I could give a holistic idea of how this suits different sleep styles.
I am a hot sleeper and I like to lie on my front mostly, which makes it hard to find a genuinely good pillow. The Simba, once almost emptied of nanocubes is the closest I’ve come to finding a pillow that actually suits me. The case is plush enough to give some subtle cushioning and the nanocubes did a brilliant job of expertly fitting themselves in around my face. I slept though the whole night without waking with a hot head or painful neck. For me, that’s a real result.
When I read about the Stratos, cotton cover and mesh edges, I wasn’t sure how effective they’d be at actually keeping me cool. However, true to their promise, the cover did a wonderful job of helping my skin to feel fresh in the morning (where normally it’s more clammy). Whilst I certainly felt it was cooling, there is a much better person to ask…
(Image credit: Future)
The next person to test this out was my mum. She’s struggled with night sweats pretty chronically and sleeps on her back, so has very different needs to me. I stuffed the pillow so that it was half full, playing around with adding and removing handfuls of nanocubes until she had found the position that she deemed to be ‘perfect.’ Two weeks later, I almost regretted giving her the pillow. I got daily updates on how much she liked it.
The pillow was cushioning my mum’s head in a way that she didn’t think another pillow could, shaping perfectly around the bottom of her head where she often gets headaches from her sleeping position. She also found that it kept her head nicely cool, even through the summer, and liked the plush casing too. “I didn’t think a foam pillow would be any good at keeping me cool, especially not with warmer weather,” she said, “but I can see why this has an award. It’s genuinely good at easing the extreme night sweats that I find myself experiencing with normal pillows.” For both of us, it scored top points on the comfort and cushioning front.
Cleaning the Simba Hybrid Pillow
(Image credit: Future)
One of the brilliant things out the pillow is the double case. The exterior easily unzips, leaving the nanocubes tucked away and the pillow case free to go in the wash. If your night sweats are bad, you can bundle this in as often as you like. It’s quick to clean and tumble dryer safe. Even if you don’t soak your pillow and sheets, it’s good practice to wash your pillow protector — essentially what this is — so the Simba Hybrid also gets top marks for hygiene for me.
How does the Simba Hybrid Pillow compare?
(Image credit: Future)
Whilst Simba’s nanocubes and easy clean technology sound dreamy, it’s not the only pillow that’s boasting this kind of set up. However, in terms of a microfibre pillow; there isn’t one of comparable quality that’s still adjustable. I’d only go for the Simba Hybrid.
My alternative suggestion is a more natural option, in the form of Woolroom’s Deluxe Washable Wool Pillow. This is more expensive, but it works hard for the money. Wool is a naturally brilliant temperature regulator, so it is a brilliant cooling option. Paired with a cotton case, I found it to be better at managing night sweats than the Simba Hybrid. All the materials are unbleached and traceable, which adds a really feel-good, wholesome element to the pillow. On top of that, the wool filling is completely adjustable, so you can grab and stuff handfuls in as you see fit.
Should you buy the Simba Hybrid Pillow?
(Image credit: Future)
Simba are known as the sleep experts for a reason and this is proof of why. The adjustable fill, washable pillow, and comfortable technology combine to make a pillow that dreams are made of and on. It’s reasonably priced too, so I think you’ll find it hard to beat.
How we test pillows
(Image credit: Future)
At woman&home we have a series of standardised tests that we follow before we review a pillow. This starts with notes on the packaging and delivery of a pillow and runs through what it’s like to sleep on, how easy it is to clean, as well as how it compares to other models on the market.
Naturally, we focus heavily on what the pillow is like to sleep on, scoring each on how comfortable, supportive, and cooling it is. For us, the cooling element is really important, because lots of us struggle with night sweats. We’ll let you know all the places that the pillow really is dreamy, whilst also picking up where it might not quite deliver.
If you want to find out more, your can visit our dedicated page for how we test pillows.
