Simply Earth Essential Oil Recipe Box is a subscription box that sends you therapeutic grade essential oils paired with ingredients, bottles, and extras to make 5-6 natural recipes. Simply Earth offers a monthly or quarterly subscription option.
This is a review of the $35 monthly recipe box (which arrived as a BIG bonus box this month!). According to the Simply Earth site:
Every month, we’ll send 4 full size 100% pure essential oils + 1 -2 extra + bottles to make 5-6 recipes. So you’ll have everything you need. Each month is a new theme. Plus, you’ll get more ideas and recipes on how to use the oils inside your box outside of the recipes included.
This month's box contained a lot more goodies as Simply Earth's March launch of the Big Bonus Box. It gets you set up for all the recipes to come in future regular-sized boxes.
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.)
About Simply Earth Essential Oil Recipe Box
The Subscription Box: Simply Earth Essential Oil Recipe Box
The Cost: $39.00/month + free US shipping or $45/every 3 months + free US shipping
The Products: 4 full-size 100% pure essential oils + 1 -2 extra + bottles to make 5-6 recipes around each month's theme. Simply Earth donates 13% of profits to fight human trafficking. This Bonus Box included a lot of extra items and containers to get us set us for recipe boxes to come!
Ships to: US free shipping + Canada ($9.99 shipping)
Simply Earth Essential Oil Big Bonus Box March 2018 Review
Cardamom Essential Oil, 5ml - Retail Value $13.99
Cardamom has been used in traditional Chinese and Indian medicine for over 3000 years to treat fever and digestive tract ailments. It can be massaged over the lower abdomen to ease stomach gas, or it can be used in a diffuser to ease respiratory inflammation and even aid concentration. It has a spiced, woody smell to it that I really enjoyed in my diffuser!
Blood Orange Essential Oil, 15ml - Retail Value $7.99
Straight-up oranges in a bottle, I tell ya. The scent is so vivid, bright, and tangy! I can totally see how this could have antidepressant therapeutic properties, as the site indicates. (It's also an insect-repeller, general mood-booster, and anti-inflammatory.) I applied this with one teaspoon of the almond carrier oil, as instructed on the bottle, and it felt SO rejuvenating. Rubbing the topical blend on my upper back and shoulders in the morning seems like it'd be the peppiest way to start my day!
Love Essential Oil Blend – Retail Value $14.99
Simply Earth describes this as "a sensual blend that's sure to add a little romance to your life." The blended ingredients are Ylang Ylang, Bergamot, Sweet Orange, and Amyris. It was claimed they "increase romantic feelings," so it really felt like I was pulling out a Love Potion from Harry Potter or something, ha!
As recommended, I added three drops of Love Essential Oil Blend to my diffuser to "set the mood," but was really surprised at its scent. I swear, it smelled mainly like bubblegum! No joke—I even called my roommate into my room to see what she thought, and she agreed. Bubblegum certainly isn't the first aroma I think of when considering "sensual" smells, so I think I'd ultimately pass on using this for anything but a peppy diffuser scent.
Lavender Essential Oil - Retail Value $9.99
I can ALWAYS get down with Lavender. It's actually the first essential oil I was ever introduced to! It's apparently "one of the most well-known and commonly used essential oils in aromatherapy, and boasts a wide array of benefits including promoting healthier skin and hair, supporting the immune system, and aiding in sleep."
I'll touch more on this later when diving into this box's recipe reviews, but I put lavender in my diffuser before falling asleep and it smelled amazing. The only thing is—and I'm not sure if maybe I was just catching a cold to begin with—I woke up with a runny nose the next morning. It was more like nasal drip (you know, the back-of-the-throat runniness that normally precedes a cold?) I was pretty surprised, and would love to know if any of you have ever experienced something similar when sleeping with lavender in your diffuser!
100% Pure Almond Oil, 4 oz. – Retail Value $7.99
This is what they call a "carrier oil," often used in conjunction with essential oils for skin application, as it's a good rule of thumb to avoid applying essential oils directly on your skin. This almond oil can also be used on its own to promote healthy skin, hair, and nails! The best part is—it doesn't clog pores. It has a slightly sweet, barely-there aroma to it.
Simply Earth Coconut Oil, 8 oz. – Estimated Retail Value $12.00
Up next: Coconut Oil! I wasn't able to find it on Simply Earth's website, so its value is estimated based on similar products from Amazon. This can be used as another carrier oil to blend with your essential oils. It can also be used on its own! It absorbs easily into the skin and won't clog pores as it nourishes and moisturizes.
Beeswax, 2 oz. - Buy a similar 1-lb. bag for $11.95 here
This was such a neat item to receive! I've never seen what natural beeswax looks like in pellet form. This item is used for natural skin care and came into play with some of the recipes included in this box. It melts down very easily over a double-boiler and can be used for lots of home remedies and creations.
Essential Oil Jewelry Tassel Necklace – Retail Value $24.00
This is not only a cute scarlet accessory—it's also a way to use your essential oils! The tassel and charm necklace is crafted from genuine leather and a hand-rolled terracotta bead. To keep the aromas of your essential oils around you all day, you simply place a drop or two on the terracotta bead, which soaks it up and diffuses on its own!
The "World Changer" charm is stamped by a Haitian artisan group, and its words help share the story of how sustainably-made products can bring tangible changes to Haitian communities.
Set of 2 Aluminum Fine Mist Spray Bottles – Buy a set of 4 for $9.99
The box came with two of these aluminum spray bottles, which can be used for any liquid. It's well-crafted and sprays a thin mist, rather than big droplets, which makes it perfect for essential oil sprays! There's also a well-fitting lid to prevent leakage. The price for each bottle seems a little steep to me, however.
Essential Oils Plastic Spray Bottle, 2 oz. – Buy a similar pack of 4 for $7.99 here
Another sprayer! I like the durability and safety that comes with plastic bottles. This mist isn't as fine as the aluminum's spray but it's a great spritzer. This lid also screws on to prevent leaks.
Essential Oils Plastic Amber Squeeze Bottle, 2 oz. – Buy a similar set of 24 for $19.95 here
This is a squeeze bottle—it looks a lot like those cosmetic containers used to hold beauty products for air travel. It's the same plastic material, but a bit more squeezable to allow for easy use with thicker mixtures.
Set of 6 10mL Glass Roll-On Bottles – Buy a set of 12 for $13.99
Roll-ons are used for skin application of small batches of oil blends and carrier oils. They have metal roller balls that move quickly and easily across the skin. The roller ball is attached to a plastic piece that pops off to allow you to pour in your oils and blends.
Set of 6 5mL Amber Glass Bottles – Buy a set of 12 for $11.99
These tiny, 5-mL bottles are perfect for mixing your own small batches of blends. The dark amber glass also protects oils from sunlight, which can harm or weaken their effect! There's a small plastic covering atop the inside of the bottles that helps the oil come out in drops rather than pouring out quickly.
Essential Oils Plastic Jar, 4 oz. – Buy a similar set of 12 for $14.99 here
More storage! These 4-oz. jars have a secure screw-on lid and a protective cover inside to prevent leaks. They're great for lotions, creams, balms, butters, and makeup products.
Set of 3 Aromatherapy Nasal Inhaler Tubes – Buy a set of 24 for $11.15 here
These nasal tubes are great for a little aromatherapy on the go. A tight-fitting cap secures the wick inside securely in order to preserve the oils' healing properties to garner best effects.
Set of 4 Lip Balm Tubes – Buy a set of 50 for $10.77 here
I was SO excited about these. Chapstick is my go-to lip treatment, always, so I was pumped to know I'd be able to make my own! These lids also snap on tight, and the twister at the bottom of the tube feels pretty sturdy. (Sometimes cheaper tubes have a twister that spins too much!)
Essential Oils Glass Jar with Lid, 2 oz. – Buy a similar set of 3 for $5.99 here
Yet another jar. So many jars! These glass ones are really sturdy with a good bit of weight to them. These durable jars can also be used for creams, lotions, aromatherapy, balms, and other remedies. Their lids screw on tight!
Set of 2 Essential Oils Glass Jar with Lid, 1 oz. – Buy a similar set of 12 for $14.75 here
The final jars—in miniature size! These are so dang cute and would be great for essential oil lip balms and lotions to take on the go. This is the container I'm most excited to use!
Now, onto the recipes!
Energizing Jewelry Blend
This is the recipe that put the World Changer necklace to good use. I mixed a blend of 40 drops Cardamom and 40 drops Blood Orange Essential Oils in a 5-mL amber glass bottle. Once gently mixed, I placed 2 drops on the terracotta bead of my necklace to let them absorb and diffuse. The ultimate aroma was an AMAZING combination of citrus and earth tones. I would be energized by this any time of the day. It smelled so pleasant—like a gentle, enticing perfume!
Love is In the Air Blends
Hooooo boy. The good ol' love potion. As I said before, this blend isn't for me. All three recipes used only the Love Essential Oil Blend itself, so they all ended up smelling like bubblegum. (In my opinion!) The ease of this recipe was very appreciated, however. Sometimes its nice to keep things simple.
Now, I unfortunately misplaced the next two recipe cards before I was able to photograph them, but as Simply Earth keeps their recipes online, I was able to get a little crafty with Photoshop to type up and replicate the cards themselves! These are the exact recipes I followed—some of them were trickier and messier than others!
Winter Lip Balm
This recipe called for:
- 1 Tbsp Beeswax
- 2 cups water
- Double Boiler
- 2 tsp Coconut Oil
- 1 Tbsp Carrier Oil
- 1 tsp Honey
- 4 drops Lavender Essential Oil
- 4 drops Blood Orange Essential Oil
- 3 Lip Balm Tubes
I had to do a little research to find out how to go about melting the beeswax after misplacing my recipe card, but luckily Simply Earth explained it in a variation recipe for another lip balm. I brought two cups of water to a boil in the lower double-boiler pan, and once it was bubbling, placed my 1 Tbsp of Beeswax above it. Once it was juuuust melted, I moved onto step two and combined it with all the other ingredients.
Gave it a little gentle stir, and quickly poured it into my lip balm tubes to let it cool and slightly solidify! That part was super-messy, I will tell you. For those with not-so-great pouring aim like myself, be careful!
I was SO surprised at how wonderful this lip balm turned out! It's smooth but isn't very glossy when applied to your lips. The smell is bright and cheery, and slightly sweet thanks to the honey! It'll be hard to give up my go-to Vaseline, but knowing this lip balm is chemical-free and helps fight human trafficking through Simply Earth's donation makes it an obvious switch.
Laundry Scent Booster
Now, this was a way to get me excited about doing laundry for once. I was so pumped to see if this natural boost would make a difference! For those concerned about the increasing presence of chemicals in store-brand laundry detergents, this would be an amazing and natural alternative.
It was a very simple recipe—it only took a bit of mixing—and pouring the grainy, final mixture into a glass container was strangely satisfying. I added 1/8 cup of this mixture to a normal-sized laundry load, along with my normal detergent tabs. (This mixture isn't meant to fully clean—only freshen!) I could definitely smell its refreshing citrus aroma after pulling my clothes out of the wash, but once they went through the drier, I couldn't get too much of a whiff. I might try it again and add a few more drops of each oil next time!
Brighten That Mood Blend
A triple-threat combo! The Love Essential Oil Blend, Blood Orange, and Lavender Essential Oils all combined in this one to make a VERY invigorating mixture. Waiting for 40 drops to drip three times in a row was a little tedious, but the ultimate result was worth it. The Lavender and Blood Orange definitely masked the bubblegum flavor I was smelling, and they combined to create a citrusy, peppy-yet-subtle scent.
Be Calm Blend
Another simple recipe! I LOVED the smell of these two oils combined. It creates an earthy-yet-floral aroma that is deeply soothing. This is the blend I put in my diffuser to help me sleep! (Once again, it may have possibly caused a runny nose being next to me all night, but the jury's still out on that one.)
Verdict: I was elated—and almost overwhelmed!—at the sheer amount of items included in this Bonus Box. It is a FANTASTIC value. The number of containers that came in addition to the four oils (which are often expensive when purchased individually!) make it an incredible deal. Simply Earth totaled the values of all the items included on the back of their insert and said the additional items included amounted to over $50 in value. Here was their breakdown:
Coconut Oil: $8
Carrier Oil: $8
Beeswax: $5
Roll-On Bottles: $8
5mL Bottles: $6
Inhalers: $5
Spray Bottles: $5
Extra Containers: $10
Combine that with the cost of each Essential Oil, plus the creations that come from their included recipes, and you're approaching $100! And on top of the amazing value, it's an added feel-good factor to know that portions of the cost are going to fight human trafficking.
To Wrap Up:
Can you still get this box if you sign up today? Yes!
Coupon - Use code MYSUBSCRIPTIONADDICTIONFREE to receive a $20 gift card towards future purchases!
Value Breakdown: This box costs $39.00 (with free shipping) so you’re paying roughly $1.05 per item—37 items in total!
Check out all of our Simply Earth reviews!
Keep track of Your Subscriptions: Add this box to your subscription box list or wishlist!
What did you think of the Simply Earth Big Bonus Box?
Please do not enter your email address in the Name field or in the comment content. Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *. Remember to post with kindness and respect. Comments with offensive language, cruelness to others, etc will not be approved. See our full comment policy here.