Drooping yellow star-shaped flowers adorn tall tropical trees rooted in the soil of Madagascar. These delicate beauties bloom year round, and though they experience high and low seasons, they can be harvested 365 days out of the year. They blossom on what is known as the perfume tree, also called the cananga or ylang ylang tree; and they’re prized for their amazingly rich, sweet oil. Ylang Ylang essential oil often gets compared to Jasmine, the mere mention of which is enough to trick the brain into basking in an imaginary sea of luxurious floral aroma. To set the stage, let dōTERRA® Ylang Ylang create a rich and calming base for a hopelessly romantic blend. Place it into your most effective mood-setting diffuser!

Winter Romance

• 5 drops Ylang Ylang

• 4 drops Bergamot

• 2 drops Lime

In some parts of Asia, sweet ylang ylang flowers are fittingly used to adorn the beds of newlyweds. With that in mind, you may want to combine the oils from the Winter Romance diffuser blend in a roller bottle filled with Fractionated Coconut Oil, then apply as a perfume to pulse points. Ylang Ylang pairs well with Geranium, Clary Sage, Vetiver, and Patchouli, among other matches you’re sure to discover. Just know that the two pounds of star-shaped flowers that went into each bottle of Ylang Ylang love to steal the show wherever they’re invited, leaving behind the scent of their delightfully heavy sweetness.

If you’re like me, you might have once pronounced this oil’s name “ee-lang ee-lang,” but it actually has an almost silent y, causing the syllables to roll off the tongue sounding more like “lang lang.” Ylang Ylang brings emotional calmness, soothing, and invigoration with its exuberant aroma. If there is an area of the heart in which you tend to feel burdened, begin to experiment with Ylang Ylang’s aroma in addressing that delicate place. Here’s another diffuser blend that employs a measure of that soothing capability. As Ylang Ylang helps ease feelings of tension, it also promotes a renewed sense of gratitude.

Just Grateful

• 3 drops Ylang Ylang

• 3 drops Geranium

• 3 drops Lemon

You can also use Ylang Ylang to promote hair health and protect your silky locks. Work a drop into your haircare routine by adding it to a conditioning spray, or simply brush a drop into your hair. Ylang Ylang oil is also nourishing to the skin, and can be easily enjoyed in the context of a warm bath or an at-home steam facial. Add a drop of Ylang Ylang to your moisturizer or lotion for a supportive kiss to the skin and a divine floral scent. Both skin and hair are left feeling pampered after being treated luxuriously by this sweet winter floral oil.

After learning about such lovely and romantic uses for the blossoms of the perfume tree, it’s peculiar to note that these flowers are perfectly unassuming in their appearance. Sometimes they’re even mistaken for leaves! Clearly, appearances can be deceiving. As a uniquely understated beauty, Ylang Ylang invites us in no uncertain terms to get blissfully lost in the intoxicating garden of dōTERRA’s florals.