Affordable Essential Oil Sets for Beginners: Save Money on Top-Quality Oils
If you’re just getting started with aromatherapy, looking for essential oil sets for beginners can feel overwhelming very fast, and that’s before you even get to the question of which brand to trust.
After more than twenty years of working with essential oils, I’ve learned the best way to begin isn’t to buy the biggest set you can find. It’s to start with a handful of true workhorse oils, get comfortable using them, and build from there.
That’s the approach I’m taking with this guide. I’ve stuck to Plant Therapy, Organic Aromas, and a few widely known names available through Amazon. These are established brands with a track record, rather than hunting for the single cheapest set on the market.
You can find less expensive options out there, but I can’t speak to the quality or consistency of brands I haven’t worked with myself, so these are the ones I feel comfortable actually recommending.
It’s also worth saying plainly: buying oils individually adds up fast. These sets typically work out to a meaningfully lower cost per bottle than buying each oil on its own, real savings on oils you’re likely to reach for often, without any compromise on quality.
Instead of ranking every set on the market, I’m walking through a few tiers you can grow into, plus a couple of standout options if you want something a little different from the start.
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Start Small: Building Your Collection One Set at a Time
Plant Therapy has become my go-to recommendation for beginners because they offer the same core oils across multiple set sizes, so you can start small and add on later without duplicating anything you already own.
Top 3 Set: Lemon, Lavender, and Peppermint
This tiny trio covers an enormous amount of ground for $28.97.
Lemon brings a bright, clean citrus note that works in nearly anything. Lavender is the herbaceous, floral standby that shows up in more DIY recipes than any other oil. And peppermint adds a cooling, minty edge that’s hard to replace.
If you’ve never used essential oils before and want to see what the fuss is about without a big investment, this is one of the most affordable essential oils.
Plant Therapy runs sales on this set fairly often, so it’s worth checking the current price before you buy. You may catch it for a fair bit less than the listed price.
Top 6 Everyday Oils Bundle
The Top 6 Everyday Oils Bundle rounds out your collection with three more staples, eucalyptus, tea tree, and sweet orange, alongside lavender, peppermint, and lemon, in 10 mL bottles.
This size makes sense once you’re ready to build actual recipes rather than just testing the waters. Eucalyptus and tea tree, in particular, open up cleaning and home-fragrance projects the Top 3 set can’t cover on its own.
At less than $50, this is a great buy for beginners looking to explore aromatherapy beyond the basics.
Top 14 Singles Set
For a genuinely broad foundation, Plant Therapy’s Top 14 Singles Set is worth the jump.
I’ve written a full breakdown of what’s inside the Top 14 Set and how to use each essential oil in the set. You’ll find lots of useful information on how to make the most of this very versatile set.
This is the best and most affordable essential oil set if you want to diffuse regularly or make scented bath, body, and home products. It will save you a lot over buying individual bottles.
A Gift-Ready Option: Organic Aromas Favorites Sampler – $49
If presentation matters as much as the oils themselves, Organic Aromas’ Favorites Sampler Pack is worth a look.
Six bottles, a mix of pure singles and two of their own blends, arrive in a handcrafted wooden box with a brass lock.
It’s less about building a working collection and more about having something beautiful to give or unwrap, which makes it a stronger fit for a holiday or birthday gift than a first purchase for yourself.
Other Sets Worth a Look
If you’d rather compare across brands before committing to one, these three sets are widely available and easy to find. I haven’t formulated with these myself, so consider this a quick overview rather than a full review.
doTERRA Family Essentials Kit: The doTERRA Family Essentials Kit includes ten 5 mL bottles, including lavender, lemon, and peppermint alongside several of doTERRA’s proprietary blends.
Rocky Mountain Oils Essentials Kit: Similarly priced to the Plant Therapy Top 6 Bundle, the Rocky Mountain Oils Essential Kit includes six 5 mL bottles covering lavender, lemon, orange, peppermint, tea tree, and rosemary.
Cliganic Top 8 (The Iconics): With the Cliganic set, you get eight organic-certified oils, and the most reviewed of the three on Amazon by a wide margin.
Getting Started: How to Use Your Essential Oil Set
Most of the oils in these sets can be diffused, added to an aromatherapy inhaler, or diluted in a carrier oil for topical use. Always follow the dilution guidance printed on the bottle before applying anything directly to skin.
Note on Ratios: The Top 14 Singles Set includes Cinnamon Cassia, which is a hot oil. It shouldn’t go on skin undiluted, and it needs a much lower dilution than the other oils in the set even when mixed into a carrier. Keep it out of leave-on blends and save it for diffusing or well-diluted rinse-off products.
New to Essential Oils? A Few Things Worth Knowing First
Before you start using your set, a handful of basics will save you some trial and error, especially around safety.
Start with the essential oil safety guide to understand 10 simple basic rules. Then learn how to store essential oils correctly so your new set stays potent and you’re using it the right way from day one.
Worth noting: Bergamot, lemon, and sweet orange all show up across these sets, and all three are photosensitizing, meaning they can increase your skin’s sensitivity to sunlight after topical use. This article on essential oils and sun exposure covers important information on what oils to avoid when stepping outdoors.
If you plan to use your oils on skin, it’s important to know how to dilute essential oils. Here you’ll find a complete guide with a dilution chart. If you want to use essential oils in topical applications, you should also understand how to use essential oils on skin. This beginner’s guide to topical application goes into ratios and application in more depth than I can cover here.
And if you want the bigger picture before diving in, these two posts are solid starting points. What is aromatherapy: a beginner’s guide and Beginner’s guide to essential oils.
Now That You Have Your Set, Put It to Work
Once your oils arrive, the real fun starts. Here’s where to go next depending on what you want to do with them.
If you don’t have a diffuser yet, start with our guide to buying an essential oil diffuser to determine which style fits your space and budget.
I’ve also shortlisted 3 affordable essential oil diffusers from Plant Therapy. These three cover different types of diffusers at different price points so you can choose one based on where you want to use it and your budget.
Once you’re set up, explore my Diffuser & Blends collection for lots of essential oil combinations organized by season and mood, so you’re not stuck guessing at ratios on your own.
And plenty of these same oils show up throughout my DIY collection, whether you’re making a room spray, a sugar scrub, or a simple roll-on.
Frequently Asked Questions
What’s the difference between Plant Therapy’s Top 3, Top 6, and Top 14 sets?
They all use the same core Plant Therapy oils, just in different combinations. Top 3 covers the basics, Top 6 adds a few more everyday staples, and Top 14 gives you a full working collection. Each tier builds on the last, so you’re not duplicating anything as you move up.
Are essential oil sets actually a better deal than buying oils individually?
Generally, yes. Buying a set works out to a lower cost per bottle than picking up the same oils one at a time, and you’re getting the same quality either way, so it makes sense to start with a set if you already know you’ll use more than one or two oils regularly.
Do I need a diffuser to use these sets?
No. Every oil in these sets can also be used with an aromatherapy inhaler or diluted into a carrier oil for topical use. A diffuser just makes it easier to fill a room, so it’s worth adding once you know how often you’ll actually use your oils.
Which set should I start with if I’m not sure?
If budget is your main concern, start with the smallest set – the Top 3. If you’d rather have everything in one go, go with the Top 14. And if you’re shopping for someone else, the Organic Aromas sampler makes the whole thing feel like a gift.
Which oils in these sets should I be extra careful with?
Cinnamon Cassia, included in the Top 14 Singles Set, is a hot oil and needs a much lower dilution than the rest. Bergamot, lemon, and sweet orange are photosensitizing, so give your skin some time before sun exposure after using them topically.
Whichever set you land on, the goal is the same: get a few good oils in hand, get comfortable using them safely, and build from there. You don’t need to buy everything at once to get real use out of what you have. Choose one of these affordable essential oil sets and get started with aromatherapy today.
