Ylang Ylang Essential Oil: Uses, Benefits and Precautions

Ylang ylang essential oil is particularly appreciated in the cosmetics, perfumery and hair care industry. Its fragrant, warm, floral and sweet notes characterize it as an asset.

Talking of the roots….

The ylang-ylang or Cananga odorata in Latin is a Malay word meaning the “flower of flowers”. It is a large tropical tree with gray bark and can reach about 25 meters high in the wild. To facilitate the picking, the tree is usually kept short by pruning to approximately 3 m (10 ft) when cultivated.

Its leaves are shiny and hard. Its pink, yellow or mauve flowers are very fragrant and have petals in the form of small yellow-green bands.

This stunning yellow and white flower grows on a large, exotic tree of the Annonaceae family. And then essential oil is extracted from these beautiful flowers.

How to Use It?

It is used by direct application to the skin or diluted in vegetable oil (sweet almond oil or apricot kernel oil).

In external use, it will be used in massages or mixed with the bathwater. If you prefer internal use, you will use a diffuser.

Typically Ylang Ylang uses for the following problems:

• Anxiety
• Athlete’s foot
• Colds
• Cough
• Depression
• Fever
• Headaches
• Insomnia
• Muscle tension
• Sinus infections

Ylang Ylang Essential Oil Uses

1. To promote sleep

If you are having trouble sleeping, this grandma remedy should interest you.

To get better sleep –

• Take a small amount of your night cream.
• Add only 1 drop of ylang-ylang essential oil.
• Mix! Apply the cream on yourself, avoiding the eye area.

Note that this recipe is best suited for oily or combination skin. 

2. To boost morale 

There are times in the year when you feel slack, tired, without energy or desire. The essential oil of ylang-ylang can help you get through this.

• Pour 2 tablespoons of sweet almond oil in a cup.
• Add 3 drops of ylang-ylang essential oil.
• Mix and massage your plexus or back with this mixture for 5 min.

3. To relax

To relieve all the tension before going to bed, take a relaxing bath with a few drops of ylang-ylang essential oil.

Try this recipe:

• Run a hot bath. Put 150 g of powdered green clay in it. Pour in 1 litre of milk. Add 150 g of honey then 15 drops of essential oil of ylang-ylang.
• Stir the water to mix. In a muslin bag, put 250 g of bran. Close it. Immerse it in the bath. Take your bath for at least 20 minutes.

4. In slight depression and minor anxieties

• Mix 20 drops of Roman chamomile essential oil, 40 drops of true lavender essential oil, 10 drops of frankincense essential oil and 10 drops of ylang ylang oil in a glass roll-on bottle.
• Add 2 ml of a neutral and low-fat vegetable oil such as jojoba or hazelnut.
• Shake the bottle to homogenize the preparation.
• Apply on the inside of the wrists (or on a handkerchief) then breathe slowly and deeply 3 times a day if necessary.

5. Aphrodisiac massage

• Mix  50 ml of apricot kernel vegetable oil, 5 drops of ylang-ylang essential oil, 7 drops of rosewood essential oil and 3 drops of essential oil of sandalwood in a measuring bottle.
• Gently massage the lower back after a bath or shower.

6. Soothing massage

• In 100 ml of sweet almond oil, mix 10 drops of ylang-ylang essential oil, 15 drops of lavender essential oil and 10 drops of bigarade petitgrain essential oil.
• Slowly massage the back, solar plexus and arch of the foot when the need arises.
• For maximum relaxation, the scent of this synergy can be breathed in by applying the mixture to the inner side of the wrists.

7. Shine and tone shampoo 

• Add to your usual shampoo (for 250 ml of shampoo) 3 ml of rice protein, 2 ml of phytochelatin and 10 drops of ylang ylang essential oil.
• Shake to homogenize the preparation.
• It should be used 2 to 3 times a week as a classic shampoo.
• Apply to damp hair, massage the scalp then rinse.

Read: How to Use Essential Oils Beginners Guide

Benefits of Ylang Ylang Essential Oil

The ylang-ylang essential oil is perfect for finding a good mental balance. It helps to fight against depressive states, insomnia, stress, tension and spasms, thanks to its relaxing and soothing effects that facilitate sleep!

It is an oil that is known to be soothing or euphoric. It decreases heart palpitations, hypertension, anxiety and anger. In short, it makes you relaxed and puts you in a good mood (1, 2).

But better than that still! This essential oil of ylang-ylang has a peculiarity. It has the reputation of being an aphrodisiac. Its scent works as a powerful sexual stimulant. Bewitching, it helps awaken a sluggish libido. In massage, it treats the frigidity and even the impotence to what one says.

Beyond being a famous aphrodisiac, it is an effective antispasmodic for the uterine muscle, useful for soothing pain associated with premenstrual syndrome. Let us not forget either its antiseptic properties.

As we said, the hair loves it too. It gives them shine and promotes their growth.

Cardiovascular and Circulatory Benefits

• High blood pressure, spasmophilia, benign heart disorder, palpitations: In olfaction, throughout the day either apply a drop to each wrist or directly from the bottle. Diluted at 20% in vegetable oil (2 ml of essential oil and 8 ml of vegetable oil) to apply to the solar plexus, along the spine, in the upper back and on the soles of the feet.

Uro-genital Benefits

• Painful periods, menopause disorder: Dilute 1 to 2 ml (35 to 37 drops) with 8 ml of vegetable oil to massage the lower abdomen.
• Irritability due to menstruation or menopause: Take through smelling, diffusion or inhalation.

Respiratory and ENT Benefits

• Respiratory spasm: Dilute 10-20% in vegetable oil to massage the thorax and the spine. In olfaction, diffusion or inhalation works better.

Muscle and Joint Benefits

• Contracture, cramp, muscle and spasmodic pain: Dilute in vegetable oil to massage the painful area.

Aromatic Benefits 

If you want to give your laundry a delicate scent, you will be enchanted by this use of Ylang essential oil. It will remind you of tender childhood memories of the little lavender sachets that your grandmother installed in the cupboards.

Again, place a few drops of the precious liquid on a scented pebble. Place it in your cupboards and you will instantly feel a floral veil enveloping your clothes and other textiles. You can even integrate a small quantity directly into the drum of your washing machine to personalize the smell of your laundry!

Precautions for Use Ylang Ylang Essential Oil

Ylang Ylang essential oil is relatively flexible in use. It can indeed be used by everyone except pregnant women under 3 months or those who are breastfeeding and infants under 3 months.

However, it must be used with care, particularly, in the cutaneous application, for which it is recommended dilution in vegetable oil. Likewise, in diffusion, it is preferable to dilute the pure Ylang Ylang essential oil in other essential oils.

Other Precautions

Skin application

Ylang Ylang pure essential oil is irritating to the skin, it must therefore be diluted in vegetable oil before any skin application (20% essential oil for 80% vegetable oil).

In ingestion

• The use of Ylang Ylang Complete essential oil orally is reserved for the therapist.
• This essential oil can be used in cooking if it is diluted beforehand in a fat (oil, cream, yogurt, milk) or sweet (syrup, honey). None should take it pure.

In diffusion

• Do not diffuse pure: Dilute at 10-15% in other essential oils.
• Women who are more than 3 months pregnant can use this essential oil in atmospheric diffusion.
• May cause headaches or even nausea if the dose is too high.

Allergenic components

Ylang Ylang Complete essential oil contains allergenic biochemical components:

• Linalool (2 to 16%)
• Benzyl benzoate (≤ 12%)
• Geraniol (≤ 5%)
• Farnesol (≤ 5%)
• Benzyl salicylate (≤ 4%)
• Eugenol (≤ 0.9%)
• Benzyl alcohol (≤ 0.5%)
• Isoeugenol (≤ 0.3%)

Note: It is best to test the essential oil before using it (two drops in the crook of the elbow for at least 24 hours to check that there is no reaction).

Precautions

• Do not use it on pregnant or breastfeeding women.
• Do not use it on children under 8 years old.
• Dermocaustic: Make sure to strongly dilute in vegetable oil when used by the cutaneous route.
• Internal use reserved for healthcare professionals.
• Keep your essential oils properly closed and out of the reach of children.
• Respect the precautions while using this essential oil. For therapeutic purposes, consult a doctor. The information given on the site does not serve as a prescription, they remain data for informational purposes, they do not engage our responsibility.
• In general, do not use pure essential oil on the skin or mucous membranes. Essential oils should not be applied to the eyes, the eye area, or the ears.
• Storage: Keep it protected from light and heat.

Ylang Ylang Side Effects

As with all-natural active ingredients, essential oils such as ylang ylang can also have side effects in the wrong dosage. These include headaches, nausea and malaise in the event of improper use.

Besides, ylang-ylang comes with a hazard label for aquatic organisms. So, it’s important, especially for sensitive people, who may react to the intense and heavy scent, to discuss in advance with the attending physician about how to use it.

What Does Ylang Ylang Essential Oil Smell Like

What can we do to rediscover this warm and bewitching atmosphere that made us dream in our home? Light the scented candles, spray with aerosol?

Artificial scents and scattered particles irritate you instead of soothing you. However, natural solutions turn out to be our best allies, and in this specific case, it is the diffusion of Ylang Ylang essential oil that we recommend.

Because the smell of ylang-ylang essential oil is exotic: flowery and very warm. Its color is pale yellow and its texture, syrupy.

Final Thoughts

Essential oil with a powerful and recognizable scent, Ylang-Ylang gives a boost to tired bodies. In the event of sexual fatigue, its aphrodisiac qualities are no longer to be demonstrated.

In addition, hypotensive people suffering from tachycardia or hypertension will find in Ylang-Ylang essential oil a natural way to relieve from these disorders. Through its cardiac rhythm regulating effects, Ylang Ylang also helps to calm anxiety attacks or excessive stress.

So, what benefits are you looking for in the Ylang Ylang essential oil? Let us know!