Which set to choose, and what is inside it
Starter kits are the easiest way in, oils such as lavender, lemon and peppermint, each useful alone and simple to combine. A sampler suits someone drawn to one botanical, or one family of scents, who wants its full range. Gift and themed sets are for giving, or for marking a season or a holiday.
The other divide is loose oils against ready-mixed. Single-plant sets and samplers hold single oils, each used alone or blended yourself. Blended sets, the seasonal and aromatherapy ones, come ready to use. So the choice turns on why you are buying, and on building your own scent or picking one ready-made.
Sets that gather one plant, or one aroma family
Samplers bring several related oils together to compare side by side. Some stay with one plant, the lavenders, chamomiles, myrrhs, frankincenses, vetivers, sandalwoods or melaleucas, each holding several varieties of that botanical. Others cover a whole aroma family, the woods, resins, conifers, florals and spices. Setting several beside one another shows which one you want.
Some samplers focus on the hard-to-find oils, the rare woods, the resins and the classical oils of India, for the connoisseur and perfumer we cater to. Every oil we bottle passes third-party testing and carries no synthetics, and a few come from small artisan batches. That standard holds for a rare sampler bottle as much as the everyday starter-kit oils.
Using the oils that come in a set
Not every oil in a set is handled the same, so check before opening one. A single oil wants a carrier first and is worn diluted, not neat. A few florals, though, come already thinned and go on as supplied.
A citrus sampler is the set to handle with sunlight in mind. Lemon, lime and bergamot are kept off skin heading into sun, while the sweet orange and mandarin in the same set are not. Citrus and conifer oils also oxidize, so finish them fresh, away from warmth and bright light. An oil held too long can bother skin.
Frequently asked questions
What is an essential oil sampler set?
An essential oil sampler set collects a group of related oils in smaller bottles, either different varieties of one plant or several from one aroma family. It lets you try them together and see how they compare before buying a full bottle of any single one. A sampler is an easy way to get to know a plant, or a whole scent family, without committing to every oil at once.
Which essential oil set is a good place to start if you are new to essential oils?
A small starter or intro kit of a few everyday oils is the easiest place to begin. Kits like these bundle oils such as peppermint, lemon and lavender, each one useful by itself and easy to blend. Starting with a kit gives you a working handful of oils without having to choose each one on its own.
What do the essential oil sets contain, single oils or ready-made blends?
The essential oil sets are of two kinds, samplers of individual oils and sets that come already blended. The samplers are made up of single oils you can use alone or mix yourself, while the aromatherapy and seasonal sets are blended for you. So the choice is between oils you combine yourself and a blend that is ready to use.
How is a hydrosol set different from an essential oil set?
A hydrosol set gives you the aromatic water left after a plant is steam distilled, not the concentrated oil an essential oil set holds. That water comes off alongside the oil during distillation and is far more dilute than it. A rose hydrosol set is the soft floral form of it, used much as it comes.
Are any of the oils in a set sold already diluted?
Yes, some of the florals are sold already diluted, mixed into a carrier so they are ready to use as they come. Most of the oils in the sets are full-strength, though, and are meant to be diluted into a carrier yourself before they go on skin. Checking the label tells you which kind you have.
Can you give an essential oil set as a gift?
Yes, many of the sets are put together as gifts, among them the seasonal sets and the themed aromatherapy sets. A starter kit or a single-plant sampler also makes an easy present for someone new to essential oils. The set arrives with a spread of oils to open rather than just one.
Do all the oils in a set get used the same way?
No, the oils in a set are used differently from one another, so check each one before you use it. A single oil needs a carrier before it touches skin and is never used neat. A few, the expressed bergamot, lemon and lime in a citrus sampler, are best kept off skin that will see sunlight. A floral that was sold pre-diluted needs no carrier of its own.
How does a starter set differ from a sampler set?
A starter set gives you a handful of everyday oils to begin with, while a sampler set collects several varieties of one plant or aroma family to compare. A starter kit is about breadth for a beginner, a few oils across different plants. A sampler is about depth in one direction, several of one kind side by side. Pick the starter to get going, and the sampler to go deep on a plant or a family.
