Ylang Ylang essential oil, which comes from the Cananga Odorata tree, has developed a big reputation as an aphrodisiac. An often cited example of this reputation comes from the fact that many newlywed Indonesians sprinkle Ylang Ylang flower petals across their bed. Aside from its romantic connotations, Ylang Ylang (pronounced "ilang ilang") has a variety of other uses, including stimulating hair growth, soothing nerves, and balancing sebum production for varying skin types. We'll get into Ylang Ylang essential oil benefits more later, but right now, let's take a look at this oil's appearance and scent.

Ylang Ylang Essential Oil Appearance and Scent

As mentioned before, Ylang Ylang comes from the Cananga Odorata tree, which is often found in Indonesia, Malaysia, Madagascar, the Comoro Islands and the Philippines. Cananga Odorata trees normally grow in the range of 15-40 feet tall, and they feature evergreen leaves. The actual Ylang Ylang essential oils are extracted from the flowers of Cananga Odorata trees during the nighttime. It’s important that people extract the essential oil when the sun is down because the oils go back into the tree during the day.

One of the most pleasing characteristics of this essential oil is that it features a sweet, floral scent that’s very similar to what people smell with Jasmine or Neroli essential oils. Because of its pleasant smell, many people enjoy using Ylang Ylang essential oils for aromatherapy and other medicinal uses.

Ylang Ylang Essential Oil Benefits and Healing Properties

Aromatherapy for Relaxation
The most popular use of Ylang Ylang essential oil is to relax oneself and alleviate stress. The warm, soothing scent offered by this oil is great for reducing stress, and will certainly brighten your mood.

High Blood Pressure
One very practical benefit of Ylang Ylang involves lowering blood pressure. Over the years, many people have vouched for this oil's ability to drop their blood pressure and improve overall health.

Skin Balancing Agent
Anybody who suffers from dry or oil skin should strongly consider using Ylang Ylang essential oils. After all, this product is said to counteract either skin type by balancing sebum production. You can also count on Ylang Ylang to help soften and moisturize the skin.

Hair Growth and Conditioner
Many people rave about how good of a conditioner Ylang Ylang essential oils can be. Adding just a little bit of this oil to shampoo goes a long way to promoting healthy, shiny hair. Some Ylang Ylang users also claim that it helps hair grow longer, and even treats split ends.

Sleep Aid
As is commonly seen in other essential oils, Ylang Ylang is said to treat the dreaded insomnia. When a person inhales the scent of Ylang Ylang essential oils, they may feel a bit drowsy and sleep better at night.

Aphrodisiac
Many historic connotations depict this oil as an excellent aphrodisiac. Event today, many people in Indonesia and other South Pacific countries use Ylang Ylang for arousal purposes.

Using Ylang Ylang Essential Oil

Depending on what benefits you want from Ylang Ylang esseential oils, the method in which you use this product will differ. For example, if you want the aromatherapy benefits of Ylang Ylang, you can fill up the bath tub, put a couple of Ylang Ylang essential oil drops in the water, and soak in it. Likewise, you can also put a drop or two on candle wax, then start burning the candle (don’t put the oil right on the wick though because this could cause a fire).

Interestingly enough, you can also add this product to massage oil or lotion, then rub it into your skin. This method works nicely for people who are looking to balance their skin type, sooth nerves, and help lower blood pressure (over time).

Those hoping to use Ylang Ylang essential oils to repair split ends should put a drop or two onto their hair brush; once you comb from root to tip, the oil will get to the ends. Also, if you want to condition your hair or possibly promote hair growth with Ylang Ylang, you can add a couple of drops to your shampoo and/or other hair products.

Ylang Ylang Essential Oil Grades

All essential oils differ in quality, but Ylang Ylang essentials oils have an especially large disparity from top to bottom. As you might've guessed, the higher the quality, the more Ylang Ylang essential oil benefits you'll be getting. Manufacturers use grades to determine the quality of the specific product, and here is a look at those grades:

Grade III: Consumers who want Ylang Ylang with a powerful scent can purchase the cost-efficient third grade. Most people who buy cheaper Ylang Ylang essential oil like this put it in candles or lotions.

Grade II: This grade offers a slightly higher quality than the third grade, but costs a little bit more too. Rather than letting the oil distill all day, the Ylang Ylang is extracted within three hours in the second grade.

Grade I: While first grade Ylang Ylang essential oils come at a higher price, they’re also affordable for people who want a higher quality product. You can expect much better aromatherapy and skin benefits with the first grade.

Complete Grade: The complete grade offers yet another high quality Ylang Ylang product, and it includes all three of the aforementioned grades. This is a good choice for people who want a powerful aroma like in Grade III, but a better product like with Grade I.

Extra Grade: Some of the best Ylang Ylang essential oil is Extra Grade, which is a term for oil that’s distilled for just one hour. People love how floral the Extra Grade Ylang Ylang smells, and it offers excellent benefits to those who use it. Just be warned ahead of time though that you’ll be paying for the better quality as well.

In any case, you should experience a wide array of advantages no matter what grade of Ylang Ylang essential oils you use.