Save hundreds a year by making your own beauty products, cleaning products, and spice blends…
That’s what I set out to do years ago when I was on a super-tight budget and just starting to raise my family. I realized the easiest way to save money and avoid harmful chemicals was to make them myself.
For many years, I shopped almost exclusively at Mountain Rose Herbs (MRH). They carry many of the products I use from organic herbs to tinctures, to carrier oils. I’ve since branched out to other companies, but MRH can still be a good option for many. Here are the pros and cons of my honest Mountain Rose herbs review.
What is Mountain Rose Herbs?
Most of us in the DIY and natural health space have heard of (or used) MRH. But for those of you who aren’t familiar, the MRH herb company sells a wide variety of herbal products, essential oils, and bulk herbs. You can also find supplements, herbal tea, and skincare items, like salves.
They’re based in Eugene Oregon and were founded in 1987 by renowned herbalist Rosemary Gladstar. They’ve changed owners over the past 30-plus years, but remain focused on quality products and are still considered a reputable company. In 2010 they became fair trade certified.
MRH also offers educational resources for those interested in learning more about herbs and natural remedies.
Bulk Herbs
For many years I got all of my dried herbs from MRH. Like all of their products, they’re sustainably sourced and grown with strict quality control measures. They have a wide variety of herbs, including some harder to find ones. In 1999 they obtained organic certification so all of their items are organic and focus on sustainability.
Aromatherapy
You can also find an increasing variety of essential oils and other aromatherapy products. Mountain Rose Herbs’ essential oils and essential oil blends are all certified organic. They also offer pre-diluted roller bottle blends for easy topical use. And they carry a variety of diffusers, natural perfumes, and hydrosols. If it has to do with essential oils, they probably have it.
Body Care Products
If you’re not into DIY or don’t have the time, then they also offer a wide variety of body care products. You can get everything from bar soap, to face wash and herbal hair dye. They even have a line of products specifically for babies and young children.
And Everything Else
Here are more categories of items you can find at MRH:
- Organic herbs, spices, and seasoning blends
- Mushrooms and seaweeds
- Sprouting seeds
- Teas
- Essential oils, including blends, diffusers, and roll-on bottles
- Hydrosols and aromatherapy sprays
- Burnables and natural candles
- Oils and carrier oils
- Butters and waxes
- Cosmetic clays
- Facial and hair care
- Containers and home goods
- Books
Pros and Cons of Mountain Rose Herbs
There are certainly plenty of advantages to ordering from Mountain Rose Herbs. But this wouldn’t be a balanced review unless I included the downsides of the company too. To recap, the upside of MRH includes:
- Organic products
- Commitment to sustainability and fair trade
- Large selection of herbal remedies and DIY ingredients
- Sometimes have really good sales
- If you’re enrolled in a recognized herbal program you get a student discount
As with everything, there’s a yin to the yang. Here are the downsides I’ve discovered with MRH:
- Long shipping times (usually several weeks)
- Higher prices than some of their competitors
- A portion of the company funds awards grants to projects that some may not agree with. We always encourage you to research the brands you support.
- Customer reviews are mixed. Some people love the products, while recently others have experienced some issues with herb quality.
What I Do
I encourage all readers to do due diligence and research all options before choosing where to purchase products. When I first started making my own products I heavily relied on MRH. Since then I’ve started using products from other companies.
They still meet my standards of organic, wild-crafted, or ethically sourced. And I’ve found they’re more affordable. I can get items delivered in 2 days, instead of 2-3 weeks. Most often I get organic items from Amazon. For essential oils, I like Plant Therapy.
Mountain Rose Herbs does occasionally have sales, and they’re more worthwhile if you’re stocking up on a lot of products at once.
I ordered from MRH for years and liked many of their products. I do believe they have a commitment to high-quality sourcing and share a desire to protect the environment and grow sustainably. As always, I encourage you to do your own research and support companies whose values you share and whose products you consider high quality.
You can find all of Mountain Rose Herbs’ products and learn more about them here.
Where do you get your herbs and other DIY products? Do you use Mountain Rose Herbs? Leave a comment and let me know!
I haven’t checked for a while, an can’t do it now either, as my computer is really playing up – so I might have out of date news – but I think they don’t post to Australia – where I am – such a shame as they look like the best!
They are my favorite! I love their products and service. Their website and catalogue are just lovely to look at as well. I could spend so much money buying stuff from them if I was able to. I always have to restrain myself when I order.
I love mountain rose herbs! I don’t buy their stuff in large quantities but I still find it’s a good value.
Thanks for this Kaite, I get SO overwhelmed when it comes time to decide WHAT to order from WHOM. I have ordered a couple times from MRH and do love them. I also have an account with Thrive and they offer spices under their name brand. Ugh, so much to sort out. And then there are storage issues. Where do you keep all your bulk orders??? I love to save money, but sometimes I wonder if I spend more trying to save :/ Keep the tips coming as it helps me get a grip on it all!
Tess, it is overwhelming! I completely agree! I’ve looked all over. I haven’t joined Thrive because of conflicting reviews about being able to cancel. But I have tried other well known herbal sites and Amazon, and still find MRH to be the best. After having my order arrive, I knew the quality was there, and I decided that was enough to keep me shopping there. As for storage, I keep all my stuff in my walk in pantry. I have an entire 2 shelf area for herbs and tinctures. My husband even built extra shelves, lol.
Glad I’m not alone. I’ll keep plugging along 🙂
I keep my bulk spices from Azure Standard in big Mason jars and repurposed jars from whatever that Is cleaned out. I made them nice with Chalk labels from Amazon. I have one small cabinet with two shells. One has a riser for the small things, plus I have a spice rack in the counter for my frequently used items. Things I use more often and my own mixes are in smaller jars. Bulk /extra is in bigger.
I’ve been ordering from them for years. I really do like their selection and prices. This family orders a lot of things together. I always put out the call before ordering so we can get better deals. I’ve never thought of comparing the cooking herbs and spices with what I pay on Azure Standard. I get great deals there, no shipping since we have a monthly drop point here, and they are a company to trust too!
I prefer to order my herbs from Mountain Rose Herbs verses some chain stores that have organic herbs. I get larger quantities and know it’s great quality.
I am always ordering numerous items from Mountain Rose Herbs and am always recommending them to friends.My friends are always asking for places to get their essential oils, I tell the MRH are the cheapest price I can find yet great quality and herbs are exceptional.
I love vibrant blue oils but they are very expensive. Any one know why? Am I missing something?
Is cummin & tumaric the same.? If not, why & which one is better ?
No, they are different spices. One is not better than the other, they taste different and are used in different recipes…
I found a wonderful company up in Boston that sells a bunch of products used in soap and cosmetic making with a ton of low cost oils, butters and certain culinary items. They carry organic and non organic versions of most which are all clearly labeled. They come with full production info including chemical analysis when appropriate. The prices aren’t always the cheapest I can find for high quality items but sometimes they’re incredible. The company is jedwards but you can also find them on bulknaturaloils. Shipping is a lot unless you order a ton and they have limited selections but if you make a lot of soap, this place is great
I love MRH! I buy soap nuts from them too.
I just ordered my first bulk order from MRH this month. I’ve never been happier with a company and it’s products! The service is impeccable, and the quality can not be beat! For everything I got, it was well worth what I paid. I actually made a list and put everything in my cart at MRH and the exact same on Amazon. Sure, the shipping was faster from Amazon as a Prime member, but the total price was more! Also, I felt the quality seemed higher with MRH. MRH has a customer for life out of me. Not only do I trust you, Katie, with your recommendations, but MRH was in 2 issues in a row of one of my favorite magazines (Mother Earth Living) as a most trusted company. (Wellness Mama had a featured recipe too! ) I recommend MRH to everyone!