In building Latex Mattresses the best latex over the past 30 years has been "Blended latex manufactured by the Talalay process. This latex is the best for creating latex mattresses in terms of durability, consistency of cell structure, contouring comfort, and air circulation.
BE CAREFUL WHO YOU LISTEN TO BECAUSE THEY MAY NOT KNOW WHAT THEY ARE TALKING ABOUT!
Over the last couple of years many sellers of latex mattresses have popped up on the internet and written distorted information in an effort to sell their products. Unfortunately, when one person sees something in print it is easier to copy that information, taken as gospel, and use it in their own copy to sell the same product. The little snowball becomes quite large until the same bogus information becomes reality when it is seen in print so often.
This is the case with blended Talalay in latex mattresses. Websites selling the "natural story" are constantly berating blended latex because it has a great percentage of synthetic latex mixed with natural latex. They say the synthetic latex is made of petroleum and is harmful to your health and the only latex to consider is "all natural". Synthetic latex is made with by products of petroleum, as are thousands of products in our society. It is not harmful in any way and adds consistency and strength to any natural latex it is blended with. They are overlooking the superior comfort of blended latex when produced by the "Talalay Process" which has a more lively feel than any type of latex mixture produced by the standard dunlop process.
All natural products by their very nature are not always consistent and uniform. Are all coffee beans the same? Are all rubber trees the same? The synthetic is blended to make the natural, which is more elastic ( more stretch & recovery ), a better product. After the natural and synthetic latex mixtures are blended there are two methods of turning this liquid into a comfortable latex mattress core.
Dunlop or standard process, which produces a denser and less contouring feel in the mattress.
Talalay process which includes two steps in the manufacturing process not in the Dunlop process; vacuum expansion and freezing. These two steps give latex better air flow, and longer lasting strength. It also produces a softer more contouring feel without losing any support. The talalay process is more expensive and there are only THREE manufacturers in the world.
Unfortunately, in the search for being all natural many consumers have bought into the dunlop natural denser latex and given up the better feeling and longer lasting Talalay blended latex. In addition sellers are playing on the consumers rush toward natural and the public is paying much more for,in my opinion,a lesser product.