Profile
- Latin name：Cananga odorata
- Family：Annonaceae / custard-apple family
- Extraction：distillation
- Note：middle-base
Before use, see where dilution percentages, phototoxicity notes, and notes for children or pregnancy belong. Aroma science.
Opening scene
A high-pressure day ends. You come home with a mind packed with figures, reports, and lists, the whole person like a string pulled tight, unable to feel ease or pleasure. A partner hopes for a romantic evening, yet you feel willing in the heart and short in strength, as if every sensual cell had stopped work. What you need now is a sweet breath from the tropics, full of a far-off mood, to melt the reasoning mind and wake the senses that have been asleep.
That breath comes from ylang ylang. Its extremely sweet, richly floral scent, with an air of elsewhere, is a final key for undoing what confines you and releasing the warmth within.
Then and now: the “flower of flowers” on the marriage bed
Ylang Ylang means “flower of flowers” in Malay. Its scent has been called the first among perfumes, and it is an indispensable soul note of Chanel No. 5. In Indonesia a romantic custom remains: the bed of a newly married couple is strewn with ylang ylang petals, in the belief that the sweet scent brings blessing, stirs affection, and opens a happy marriage. It is a flower born for love and romance.
The familiar gift: a warmer of feeling in a relationship
Ylang ylang is the best-known “aphrodisiac” in aromatherapy, yet its action is far from that simple. Its wonder is that it can deeply relax the nervous system and ease high blood pressure and a racing heart that come from pressure. When body and mind both loosen and are no longer taut, we naturally open the senses and feel again the capacity to love and to be loved. It does not create passion. It removes what stands in passion’s way.
A catalyst for a romantic hour
- A diffusion for two: blend 2 drops ylang ylang, 3 drops sweet orange, and 1 drop sandalwood. The formula holds the romance of ylang ylang, the cheer of sweet orange, and the steadiness of sandalwood, and it can make a relaxed, intimate atmosphere.
- A massage oil for two hearts: in 20ml sweet almond oil, add 4 drops ylang ylang, 4 drops lavender, and 2 drops bergamot. On a special night, use it for a soothing massage of shoulders, neck, or back, so scent and touch become the best exchange of feeling.
- A personal perfume of charm: in 10ml jojoba, add 3 drops ylang ylang, 2 drops jasmine, and 2 drops bergamot. Worn on the wrists and behind the ears, it can greatly lift personal presence.
An unexpected talent: a gloss oil for the hair
In the tropics, ylang ylang is not only used to stir affection. It is also a secret of local women for the hair. It can balance the oil of the scalp, whether the scalp is too oily or too dry, and it can care for the follicles, so the hair grows healthier and with more shine.
A tropical way with hair
- A “waterfall of gloss” oil: before washing, put 2–3 drops of ylang ylang into a spoon of warm coconut oil, spread it through hair and scalp, wrap with a warm towel for 15–20 minutes, then wash as usual.
- A luxurious scented spray: 5 drops in 50ml pure water, shake, and mist dry hair. The hair can carry a charming scent all day and feel less frizzy.
A release of joy in the soul: holding the inner dancer
The energy of ylang ylang is free, expansive, and full of joy. It helps us break the rigid lines of thought and release creativity and play that have been held down. It encourages us to set aside too much self-control and, like a dancer, to feel, to experience, and to enjoy life itself. For someone too hard on the self, whose life lacks pleasure, ylang ylang is an invitation to find pure joy again.
Find the joy within: when life feels dull and bound by rules, place 1 drop of ylang ylang — truly 1 drop is enough — in the palm and smell it. Close your eyes, play a favourite piece of music, and let the body sway with the rhythm. Let the scent lead you out of the bind and back to the first vitality of being alive.
Whispers from a small cosmos
- Rich: use little: the scent is extremely rich and sweet. Too much easily brings headache or nausea. Always begin at the lowest dose, such as 1 drop.
- Grades of distillation: as it is distilled, ylang ylang is separated by stage into Extra, first, second, third, and Complete. Extra is the finest floral note and is used more in fine perfume. Complete holds every fraction, with the fullest chemistry, and suits aromatherapy better.
Ylang ylang, this flower of flowers from the tropics, invites us with unreserved warmth and sweetness to set down our guard, meet again the joy of the body, and bloom fully in loving and being loved.