our top five essential oils (and how we use them).

i personally think essential oils are awesome, but at the same time, i can totally see why someone new to the essential oil scene would be turned off to the idea of them after meeting a few "essential oil people". mainly because it seems like people either dont use them at all OR they have 239847832648712 that they use 300 times a day and they insist that everyone needs all oils or theyll die. its intimidating for sure, and if youre on the budget-conscious side of things, well...
so today i want to share a short list of our 5 most used essential oils and what we use them for. this list may seem a little different than other top essential oil lists because 1. im not trying to upsell you a big "starter kit" and 2. im going to focus on the most budget friendly and multipurpose oils in our arsenal because, frankly, thats whats going to be most useful to you if youre new to oils. also, i think its really important to give a reasonable, not-crazy perspective on essential oils. 
again, in the interest of transparency: while i am very much not in the business of selling oils, i am technically a doterra wellness advocate and any purchases made through any links in this post would, in theory, earn me a commission. also, anything i say here is my own personal opinion/experience, has not been evaluated by the FDA, and is not intended to diagnose, treat, or cure any disease. 
so with that out of the way, what are our top five essential oils (the essential essential oils,  if you will)?
lavender.  used for: relaxation, headaches (combined with peppermint), allergies (combined with lemon and peppermint), skin healing (combined with melaleuca), and swelling. 
lemon.  used for: increasing energy, mood lifting, allergies (with lavender and peppermint), cleaning up sticky stuff, and flavoring water (note: be sure to do your research about the quality of the oils you use and the safety of ingesting them). 
peppermint.  used for: headaches, focus, allergies (with lemon and lavender), relief from fevers, and breath freshening (again with the reminder to research quality and safety). 
oregano.  used for antibacterial, immunity-boosting, and anti-inflammatory purposes. 
melaleuca.  (also known as tea tree oil) used for: skincare (especially acne!), skin healing (with lavender), cleaning, and as an antibacterial/antifungal. 
if you ask 100 different essential oil people what their favorite oils are, im sure youll get 100 different answers. these five oils are the ones that we use the most, for the most things, and are probably the ones id recommend to anyone just starting out with oils. but then again, thats my opinions.