Our Complete Guide to Ylang Ylang Essential Oil: Benefits, Uses and Cautions
Many people are aware of ylang ylang essential oil’s spiritual and love-inspiring benefits. But did you know that this floral essential oil actually offers quite a broad array of other benefits too?
From helping with mental strain to assisting those suffering from asthma, there’s a lot that this exotic-smelling essential oil can do. Every drop has phenomenal properties that have made it popular the world over. You can take advantage of all its benefits when you use ylang ylang essential oil in aromatherapy treatments, as a massage oil or when applying it topically. But be sure to educate yourself about it first so that you can use it safely and effectively.
Our guide tells you everything you need to know!
Content/Quick links
- What is ylang ylang essential oil?
- Ylang ylang essential oil - quick facts
- How is ylang ylang essential oil made?
- Benefits of ylang ylang essential oil
- Ylang ylang essential oil’s spiritual benefits
- Ylang ylang essential oil’s skin benefits
- Ylang ylang essential oil for hair
- How to use ylang ylang essential oil
- Pillow mist with ylang ylang essential oil
- Topical application of ylang ylang essential oil
- Aromatherapy massage with ylang ylang essential oil
- Inhalation of ylang ylang essential oil
- Ylang ylang essential oil research
- Ylang ylang essential oil for hair - 2002
- Ylang ylang essential oil for skin - 2018
- Ylang ylang for anxiety and self-esteem - 2014
- Ylang ylang essential oil and relaxation - 2004, 2006
- Side effects of ylang ylang essential oil
- Contraindications of ylang ylang essential oil
- Where to buy ylang ylang essential oil
- volant
- Amazon
- Pharmacies
- DoTERRA
- Ylang ylang essential oil FAQs
- What are the benefits of ylang ylang essential oil?
- How much ylang ylang essential oil can safely be used on the face?
- Is ylang ylang poisonous?
- Does ylang ylang have any side effects?
- Is it possible that I’m allergic to ylang ylang essential oil?
- How often should I use ylang ylang essential oil?
- In summary
What is ylang ylang essential oil?
When you’re harnessing ylang ylang essential oil’s benefits, you’re using a yellow, star-shaped flower from the Cananga tree. This tropical genus is found in countries around the Indian Ocean, including parts of Australia as well as India, Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines.
These flowers are used to make a variety of different kinds of essential oils, each one varying as per the intensity of its scent. You’ll also find this flower apparent as a top note in perfumes, most famously Chanel N°5 but also in cologne, lotion, soap and even food flavoring.
Another reason that it’s so popular is that ylang ylang essential oil blends well with so many other scents. This list includes bergamot, frankincense, geranium, jasmine, lavender, grapefruit and lemon. When you create these types of blends, you stand to benefit not only from the advantages of ylang ylang but also from those of whatever other essential oils you’re adding, too.
Ylang ylang flowers are handpicked early in the morning and distilled immediately thereafter so that their fragrance is preserved. As a middle-base note essential oil, you can expect a rich, floral, sweet smell when you use it. It has a reputation as an aphrodisiac, so it’s a great choice when you’re feeling romantic.
Ylang ylang essential oil - quick facts
💛 Latin name: Cananga odorata
💛 Country of origin: 🇦🇺 Australia, 🇮🇩 Indonesia, 🇵🇬 New Guinea, 🇲🇾 Malaysia, 🇵🇭 the Philippines, 🇸🇧 the Solomon Islands, 🇹🇭 Thailand, 🇻🇳 Vietnam
💛 Scent note: Middle-base, floral
💛 Annual production: Roughly 100 tonnes
💛 Popular uses: Memory, relaxation, libido, antibacterial, lowers blood pressure
How is ylang ylang essential oil made?
As is the case with most essential oils, ylang ylang is created by steam distillation, a process that involves injecting steam into a chamber with the plant matter which vaporizes the essential oils. The oil and steam is then condensed into liquid and then separated.
There are five grades of ylang ylang essential oil: Ylang Ylang Extra, First, Second, Third and Complete. The Complete grade is created by blending the Extra, First and Second grades. The number of times the flowers get distilled determines what grade of oil gets produced.
Benefits of ylang ylang essential oil
Ylang ylang essential oil has a wide range of benefits. Some of the main benefits of ylang ylang oil are that:
- 💛 It can awaken your spiritual side
- 💛 It can be used to treat dry or oily skin
- 💛 It does amazing things for your hair
- 💛 It can help you cope with a range of mental and emotional challenges
Let's take a look at each of these benefits of ylang ylang oil in more detail.
Ylang ylang essential oil’s spiritual benefits
If you want to focus on ylang ylang essential oil’s spiritual benefits, using it may induce a harmony between your masculine and feminine energies, promote emotional healing and help you access inner joy. It is said to strongly affect the heart and throat chakras, allowing you to handle high-tension situations more easily.
Ylang ylang essential oil’s skin benefits
When it comes to ylang ylang essential oil’s skin benefits, its powerful antibacterial properties make it an extremely effective cleanser. It will also boost your epidermis’ regenerative process and regulate sebum production. So whether your skin is dry or oily, ylang ylang can help balance it!
Ylang ylang essential oil for hair
If you want to use ylang ylang essential oil for hair, you’ll be pleased to know that it can drastically improve texture and reduce breakage by balancing sebum production.
When you use ylang ylang essential oil for hair, you’ll be joining a historical tradition that natives of the Molucca Islands have been following for many years where it was added to coconut oil as a type of pomade. Western European men of the 1800s also used macassar oil for beard and hair care, which often contained ylang ylang. It offers lasting hold and extra shine that never goes out of style!
How to use ylang ylang essential oil
Ylang ylang essential oil can be used in a variety of ways, depending on its intended purpose.
Here are some of the most common ways to use ylang ylang essential oil:
- 💛 Pillow mist
- 💛 Topical application
- 💛 Aromatherapy massage
- 💛 Inhalation
Let’s take a look at each of these uses of ylang ylang essential oil in more detail.
Pillow mist with ylang ylang essential oil
Now that you know that ylang ylang essential oil blends well with so many others, why not experiment with combinations and discover your new favorite bedtime scent! Try chamomile, lavender, patchouli, frankincense, and bergamot to get started.
Topical application of ylang ylang essential oil
Topical use of ylang ylang oil has been shown safe and effective. Always dilute essential oils in skin-friendly carrier oils like argan, evening primrose, hemp seed, jojoba or sweet almond. Because ylang ylang essential oil blends well with so many oils and is great for dry skin and acne, you can treat an array of skin issues with a topical application of your mixtures.
If you have dry skin, try blending ylang ylang with chamomile, lavender and sandalwood. If your skin is oily, try combining ylang ylang with clary sage, rosemary, frankincense, geranium or neroli.
Aromatherapy massage with ylang ylang essential oil
Massage is a great way to enjoy ylang ylang essential oil’s skin benefits. Because it can regulate oil production in the skin, you can use it to prevent excess dryness or oiliness while ensuring your skin is effectively cleansed.
This is also the way to use ylang ylang essential oil for hair. Dilute it in a carrier oil and massage it into your scalp to improve texture and help with problems of brittleness or hair loss.
Inhalation of ylang ylang essential oil
Invoking ylang ylang essential oil’s spiritual and harmonizing benefits can be as simple as adding it to your diffuser and breathing in its luscious aroma. It’s known to alleviate sadness, reduce anxiety, soothe stress, help you handle tension and it will help you sleep better too.
Ylang ylang essential oil research
Ylang ylang has been with us for a long time, so there’s plenty of scientific research behind it. With some notable outcomes, the following research is particularly interesting:
Ylang ylang essential oil for hair - 2002
While there isn’t much research on ylang ylang’s benefits on hair growth (although there’s much history of its traditional use), studies have found that it effectively combats head lice, especially when combined with coconut oil.
Ylang ylang essential oil for skin - 2018
A recent study from 2018 tested the antimicrobial activity of 408 combinations of essential oils against the two main bacterial offenders of acne. Ylang ylang was discovered to be involved in most of the combinations showing antibacterial activity, showing that this essential oil is good for skin health and a possible natural solution for acne.
Ylang ylang for anxiety and self-esteem - 2014
In this pilot study, 30+ professional nurses were divided into three groups. One received ylang ylang essential oil applications to the skin, the second was exposed to ylang ylang essential oil through inhalation and the third group received placebo skin applications.
It was found that the perception of self-esteem in the first two groups was significantly improved.
Ylang ylang essential oil and relaxation - 2004, 2006
Forty healthy volunteers participated in this experiment, with their blood pressure, breathing rates, pulse rate, and skin temperature included in the physiological parameters.
It was found that the topical use of ylang ylang essential oil brought about a notable decrease in blood pressure along with a significant increase in skin temperature. Behaviourally, participants rated themselves more calm and relaxed overall, too. The study authors surmised that these effects are what contribute to people using ylang ylang in depression and anxiety.
In another study, 24 subjects inhaled ylang ylang essential oil, and its effect was described as “harmonization”. Again, blood pressure and pulse rate decreased while subjective attentiveness and alertness were said to increase.
Side effects of ylang ylang essential oil
As amazing as the results of ylang ylang essential oil’s spiritual benefits may be, it also contains allergens like isoeugenol which has been linked to contact dermatitis and can cause skin irritation when applied topically.
Don’t apply undiluted ylang ylang to any part of your body, always mix it with a carrier oil and do a patch test first.
Ylang ylang is toxic for cats and dogs so make sure your pet’s coat, paws and skin never come into contact with it. Don’t use it where they could inhale or lick it, either.
Contraindications of ylang ylang essential oil
Ylang ylang essential oil should not be used by women who are pregnant or breastfeeding. Its safety in these capacities is not fully known and, along with nausea, it may have adverse effects.
Avoid using it on children less than six years old without medical supervision, too.
Avoid it if you or anyone in your household is hypersensitive to any of its ingredients or to essential oils in general.
Treatments with essential oil should also not be combined with anticoagulant medicine or plants. The resulting blend may increase the effects of coagulation, heart and thrombi-related drugs due to eugenol’s anticlotting effects.
In certain doses, ylang ylang essential oil can cause dermatitis or irritation. In high doses, it can be irritating and cause blisters or even burns.
Where to buy ylang ylang essential oil
Ylang ylang essential oil is widely available online and in stores. When purchasing this oil, be sure to look for a 100% pure essential oil - not an extract. This ensures that you're getting an authentic product with all of the therapeutic benefits. If it’s organic, even better!
Here are some of the places where you can purchase ylang ylang essential oil.
Volant
Volant’s Organic Ylang Ylang Essential Oil presents the floral, light tones of this fragrance in all their glory. If you’re looking to create a relaxing atmosphere free of stress and tension, you don’t have to search any further for a quality product that’s ethically sourced, vegan friendly, 100% pure, organic and cruelty free.
Amazon
There are hundreds of results for the search entry “Ylang Ylang Essential Oil” on Amazon. As a marketplace, you’ll find a great range of prices here, but bear in mind that this applies to quality too. Read reviews and check ingredient lists to make sure you’re getting the best possible product for your budget.
Pharmacies
Because ylang ylang essential oil has so many benefits for the body and mind, you should have no trouble finding it at your local pharmacy.
DoTERRA
DoTERRA’s commitment to responsible, sustainable sourcing means that you can rely on the quality of their ylang ylang essential oil. The fact that they prioritize the environment during the production phase and ensure that fair treatment is in place for growers and harvesters just sweetens the deal.
Ylang ylang essential oil FAQs
What are the benefits of ylang ylang essential oil?
It kills bacteria and head lice, lowers blood pressure, promotes relaxation and can have a stimulating effect on libido.
How much ylang ylang essential oil can safely be used on the face?
Because it poses a moderate risk of skin sensitization, the maximum recommended dermal use percentage is 0.8%.
Is ylang ylang poisonous?
While toxic to cats and dogs, it doesn’t carry a risk to humans.
Does ylang ylang have any side effects?
Although rare, there is a risk of side effects when using ylang ylang essential oil. If you are overly sensitive to it, it could cause skin irritation.
Is it possible that I’m allergic to ylang ylang essential oil?
It is, though these kinds of reactions are very infrequently found. Usually, when someone has some kind of reaction, it’s because they’ve failed to dilute it sufficiently or at all.
How often should I use ylang ylang essential oil?
This is really up to you and depends on what your reasons for using it are. When diffusing, it’s advised to put it in your diffuser and then set it to intermittent.
In summary
Ylang ylang is one of the better-known essential oils and has been used by people the world over for many years for spiritual purposes and to benefit their skin and hair. It’s relaxing and promotes healthy sleep and may increase your libido while lowering blood pressure.
If you are considering giving ylang ylang essential oil a try, make sure that you purchase a quality product. At Volant, we’re proud to say that this is exactly what we offer. Our essential oils are pure and organic and 100% free of toxins and chemicals. When you buy ylang ylang essential oil from us, you’re getting the best there is, and you can use it with a totally clear conscience.
We are happy to help with any other questions you may have. Reach out to us at support@volantaroma.com any time.
