Why We Use Horsehair In Our Mattress

Glencraft has been using natural fibres, since we were founded in 1843, that help keep us warm when it is cold and cool when it’s hot.

Choosing a mattress with horsehair will help create a micro-climate within your mattress. But getting horsehair to create the ultimate nights sleep, starts long before your mattress is made. It starts by processing the raw horsehair into a rope. The longer and thicker the fibres are, the better the quality.

The more twists in the product, the more curls in the layers of horsehair. The aim is to create as much spring as possible. Pocket springs are important, especially for stopping you rolling into the middle of the bed. But the way in which horsehair is processed, it acts as millions of individual springs across the mattress. This is why the horsehair must first be formed into a rope.

Firstly, the horsehair is washed and put through an electro magnetic process to remove any impurities. 

It's then manually fed in to the hopper, where it is worked and weighted. A set amount of air is used to evenly feed the fibres through to the rollers, which begins to open up the fibres. As the rope begins to form, the weight and tension helps it become very tight and the rope begins to spin. The more twists and curls in the rope, the more spring will be in the horsehair and ultimately the mattress.

To make the curls and springs permanent, the rope is heated. This changes the form of the horsehair and makes it keep it’s spring. The rope is then fed into a machine which untwists it. The horsehair is now curled and very springy.

Resilient

Horsehair has a natural resilience that helps it bounce back to its original shape when pressure is applied and then released. This property is particularly valuable in upholstery and mattress padding to ensure comfort and support.

Sustainable

Horsehair is a natural, renewable resource. When sourced responsibly, it can be considered an eco-friendly material, especially when compared to synthetic alternatives.

One of our mattresses that has a layer of Horsehair is The Merida.