About two years ago, a coworker of mine gifted me a MONQ Diffuser pen. Wrapped around the little cylinder was a yellow sticky note that explained that she thought I might be interested in trying this due to my anxiety. It was completely unexpected and I was so grateful for the gesture. Interestingly enough, I had seen advertisements for them before and was interested in them but had never purchased myself.
For anyone that hasn’t heard of MONQ before, it’s essentially a personal essential oil diffuser. It’s very different from your traditional e-cigarette or vape. Instead, it uses “vaporizer” technology to create an organic, aromatherapy experience. To use the diffuser, you inhale through the mouth, pause, and exhale through the nose. This allows the essential oils more direct contact to do more good! There’s also no nicotine or artificial flavors in these products!
I realized quickly that I liked the diffuser but I didn’t like that they were one-use and not refillable, which seemed wasteful to me.
Recently, it was revealed that they had created a new and upgraded version! The MONQ R, which uses the same technology, but comes in a rechargeable sleeve and uses recyclable “pods”. I’ve been interested in them for a few weeks and my loving husband purchased them for me to try out.
I received this beautiful, sleek case that charges quickly. The pen snaps into the charger and has room to store two extra pods. I was thankful that my husband chose the Zen (I’m clearly a creature of habit). Although I wanted to try the others, I was scared I would get a bunch of something I hated (despite hearing great things about their products and customer service). Good news though! MONQ sent a beautiful little bag of complimentary “sampler” of pods as part of a promotion. I tore through the packaging like a child on Christmas!
The designs were super attractive and the names were simple and thoughtful. The only issue I faced with my order was that one of the Zen blends tasted bitter. I thought at first that the formula might have changed but I tried one of the other pods that came with my case and it tasted fine. It seems to have just been the one pod because the others were fantastic! Here are my opinions on the samples I received!
Zen – This smelled (tasted?) just like I remember! There is a citrusy note in it and I enjoyed this blend as much as I did the first time. I’m glad that my husband went with what he knew I would like. It definitely helps with my anxiety as well!
Happy – There’s a sweet note of vanilla in this one that I really loved! I wasn’t sure I would like this one as much but I was proven wrong! I find myself using this one pretty often. This blend could certainly be uplifting and I would absolutely buy this pod again!
Ocean – This blend leaves a minty sort of feeling on your tongue, which wasn’t a bad thing for me! There was also a hint of lime that I enjoyed. My sister liked this the most and I could also see purchasing this in the future.
Sleepy – This blend had strong chamomile and lavender notes in it. Unfortunately, for me, it combined to create a taste similar to soap. My tongue felt almost numb after 2-3 inhales. It wasn’t a terrible experience, but it just wasn’t for me!
Relieve – I was most interested in this one and was so disappointed to immediately dislike it. After a few weeks, I tried it again, hoping to discover what specifically I didn’t like about it. This time, however, I found that I did like it! I’m not quite sure why I feel differently this time but I definitely noted the ginger in it and I felt almost instantly calmed.
I mentioned my experiences to my husband and wondered aloud about the Relieve blend. I was so certain I was going to dislike it again and surprisingly enough, I genuinely liked it! He explained to me that when providing aromatherapy to his clients, he always says to pick whatever smells the best to them right now. He said that he believes things sound, smell or look better to us when our body needs them most.
I really liked that explanation and the thought process behind it. It really clicked for me especially because I’m currently suffering through some frustrating hip pain at the moment.
Whatever the reason, I’m glad to have gotten this thoughtful gift and the opportunity to try out a few of the different blends available. I’m most excited to try out some of the new ones like Focus and Forest in the future!
My experiences with this company have been fantastic and I look forward to future orders. I’m really happy that they’ve made their pods recyclable and the diffuser reusable. In the off-chance they read this: SEND MORE SAMPLES!
Have you ordered from MONQ before? What have you tried? What are your thoughts?
Until our next adventure,
Brandi
Nearly Fearless 