ZEN BOX is a new monthly subscription box delivering essential oils and essential oil bends to your door. Every quarter (January, April, July and October), a 4th item is included in each box.
This box was sent to us at no cost for review. (Check out the review process post to learn more about how we review boxes.)
The Subscription Box: ZEN BOX
The Cost: $39 a month with a promised value of $59.99. There are discounts for longer prepaid subscriptions and you can place your account on hold at any time. There is also a one oil per month subscription available for $10.99.
COUPON: Use code 20ZENIMMUNE to save 20% off any subscription for life + a bottle of Zen Immune Boost Essential Oil Blend at sign-up! (Zen Immune Boost is for both topical and inhalation, and includes essential oils to strengthen and support the immune system.)
The Products: 3 full-size Zen Essential Oils or Zen Essential Oils Blends and information via email on how use the oils, what the oils do, and interesting information on how to improve overall wellness. Check out the ZEN BOX FAQs for more info.
Ships to: US, for free
Check out all of our ZEN BOX reviews and the Eco Subscription Box Directory!
Keep Track of Your Subscriptions: Add this box to your subscription list or wishlist!
ZEN BOX wants to help you “build your collection, have fun & be well!” Their website states that essential oils can aid help with anxiety, restlessness, pain relief, headaches, immune system, focus and vitality and that “almost all essential oils anti-fungal, antiviral, anti-inflammatory, antispasmodic and antibacterial.” If you’d like to know more about these claims, Kathy Hershelow, the founder of Sublime Beauty Naturals and ZEN BOX, just published a book on essential oils or there are plenty of other Internet sites with essential oil information.
The July ZEN BOX includes Tumeric Oil, Rosemary Oil, Sublime Sleep Essential Oil Blend, and the quarterly bonus item - Peppermint Eucalyptus Glass Cleaner.
ZEN BOX includes a business card with their contact information in the box and all other materials are sent electronically to the subscriber’s email address. I contacted ZEN BOX several times for information and received a response within the day – typically within hours. Their customer service is superb!
The information on each product and how to use it is sent as a link to a PDF document which you can see by clicking on this link. The information ZEN BOX sends is super useful and I like that they tell provide source and production information for their oils as this is one of the telltale signs of pure, high quality oils.
Zen Turmeric Oil – $25.00 (on sale for $13.99)
I’m rarely at a loss for words or limited in my ability to describe something but this one threw me. I would have described it as earthy, but ZEN BOX does a better job: “Turmeric has a very rooty, earthy, medicinal aroma. It is not a floral, not a pretty scent and not a 'high note' for pleasantness. It gets down to business and is grounding.” It is an unusual scent! I use turmeric when cooking sometimes and a friend of my takes a teaspoon a day for joint pain and now I know why (see the information below from ZEN BOX).
Dr. Weil notes that other studies of turmeric and curcumin have shown the following benefits:
- Turmeric extract worked as well as a non‐steroidal anti‐inflammatory drug for treatment of osteoarthritis of the knee in a study published in the August 2009 issue of the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine.
- Laboratory studies suggest that curcumin acts as a weak phytoestrogen and seems to have cancer protective effects.
- Lab studies have also shown that curcumin induces programmed death of colon cancer cells, and clinical trials are investigating the use of curcumin in treatment of colon cancer.
- Curcumin suppresses micro‐inflammation in the GI tract associated with inflammatory bowel disease (IBS).
Zen Rosemary Oil – $15.99?
Sublime Naturals is waiting on a new shipment from their supplier so check with their website later in August if you want to purchase some.
One of my joys in life is running my hand across my rosemary plant on the way out the door and then smelling that scent for a while. I find rosemary very calming and I guess other people do too since according to ZEN BOX, “Several recent clinical studies using Rosemary tested increase in attentiveness, alertness, liveliness, and joyfulness, while increasing breathing rate and blood pressure (Hongratanaworakit 2009). “
The ZEN BOX information says rosemary oil can be used as/for the following:
- Create an Environment: The uplifting woodsy scent is actually great for diffusion in the home or office, and you might consider it if the kids are studying for a test.
- If you feel highly stressed and cortisol levels are up, diffuse Rosemary or add 3 drops to your favorite cream and massage on.
- Feeling depressed, fatigued, uninspired or just “blah”? Research shows Rosemary (along with a few other essential oils) can be nicely uplifting!
- Massage for alertness and joyfulness.
- Congested? Rosemary is an expectorant. It is a good one to use if eucalyptus is too strong.
- Numbness of Joints? Early Herbalists in Europe recommended Rosemary for this condition. Try blending 3 drops Rosemary with 2 drops Frankincense and 1 drop Turmeric into an ounce of cream and massage on those joints.
- Compress. Rosemary is known for so many qualities, including relieving pain and tightness, numbness of joints, congestion and stress.
- Cold, Flu or Coughing in the House? Add Rosemary to your list of essential oils to diffuse and kill airborne microbes. It is nice to change it up from day to day (Frankincense, Lemon, Eucalyptus, Lavender, Rosemary, etc.) and enjoy different aromas while purifying the air.
Zen Sublime Sleep Essential Oil Blend – $25.00 (on sale for $14.99)
Sleep is so important! I love seeing this oil in the box. ZEN BOX recommends using this oil topically (e.g., wrists, under nose, pressure points) when you want to sleep or relax. Using this in a diffuser is okay as long as you mix it with jojoba and sunflower oil but they say lavender oil is probably best for nighttime diffusing.
ZEN BOX uses the following ingredients, and for the indicated reasons, below for the Sublime Sleep Essential Oil Blend:
- Certified Organic Jojoba Oil & Sunflower Oil as the carrier oils (remember, carrier oils are the oils blended with the essential oils so that you may apply it topically.) These oils love your skin and help with absorption of the essential oils.
- Lavender – well known and most used essential oil for sleep assistance. Lavender calms, soothes and nurtures. It helps to balance the spirit, and reduces any existing anxiety. It also helps reduce pains which may hinder sleep.
- Rose Geranium – fosters a sense of security and protects from disturbing energy or thoughts.
- Orange – unblocks energy; found in clinical tests to be a sedative that calms, pushes down pessimism and is a tonic for mind and body.
- Neroli – relaxes nerves, soothes the heart and psyche, and helps relieve pain.
- Cedarwood – is very grounding, a tonic for the nervous system and is of course anti‐ inflammatory (like most of the oils in the blend.)
- Clary Sage – well‐known to reduce anxiety and stress. It works synergistically with lavender for sedation and calming effect.
Gold Canyon Homeology Peppermint Eucalyptus Glass Cleaner - $1.50?
This is a sample size of the glass cleaner so I don’t really know how to price it since it’s very small – maybe an ounce? I used it to clean a mirror today and it worked well with the added benefit of smelling wonderful! I make a vinegar, water and alcohol window cleaner so this was a big improvement in the olfactory department.
Verdict: I really enjoy ZEN BOX. I love trying new oils each month and learning about their various uses. The information ZEN BOX sends has been one of the best parts for me. I like reading the history on each oil that is included in the information they send. I always learn something new about the flower or herb and how to use the essential oil.
These oils are not the cheapest you can find but remember that it’s important to buy essential oils from a reputable supplier since they are not regulated. Many cheaper oils are cut with other oils and are not be pure. ZEN BOX says their oils are 100% pure therapeutic quality and are gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC/MS) tested, which is the way essential oils are tested for purity. The tests are conducted by Société Générale de Surveillance (SGS), a multinational company providing inspection, verification, testing and certification services. I requested to see one of the GC/MS reports and ZEN BOX sent it to me the same day. I’m certainly no expert but at this point I feel comfortable purchasing oils from ZEN BOX.
I’m happy with the value too. The box costs $39 (you can get it less with the 20ZENIMMUNE coupon) and ZEN BOX promises a value of $59.99 which seems fair to me. The full price value of just the oils is $60.98 and the current sale price value of the oils is $47.97 which is still more than the cost of the full price box.
What do you think of ZEN BOX?
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