Ylang-Ylang and Kombo Butter Soap

Last updated: July 2026

Some soaps clean, others transport you somewhere entirely different — this one does the latter. Ylang-Ylang and Kombo Butter Soap combines ylang-ylang essential oil's exotic, floral scent with rich, traditionally hand-processed Kombo Butter into a cold-process bar that turns an ordinary wash into a genuinely luxurious ritual. If soap-making is new to you, our guide to simple DIY shea butter soap-making covers the fundamentals before you start. This is a beginner-friendly recipe that makes a genuinely indulgent, floral everyday bar.

In This Recipe:

• What This Recipe Helps With
• Before You Begin: Soap-Making Safety
• Ingredients
• Directions
• Customisation Ideas
• Storage & Shelf Life
• Voice Search FAQ
• Try These Next
• Disclaimer

What This Recipe Helps With

• Everyday cleansing with a luxurious, floral scent
• Oily skin looking for a balancing, naturally scented cleansing bar
• A relaxing evening bath or shower ritual
• A gentle bar soap alternative to commercial, stripping cleansers
• Dry or normal skin wanting a moisturizing, richly-scented everyday bar

Before You Begin: Soap-Making Safety

Cold-process soap making involves working with lye (sodium hydroxide), which is a caustic substance that requires care and preparation. Before you begin:

• Wear protective gloves and eye protection whenever handling lye.
• Work in a well-ventilated area.
• Always add lye to water, never water to lye — this order matters for safety.
• Keep lye, raw soap batter, and curing soap well away from children and pets at every stage.
• This is an adults-only project.

Why This Is a Great DIY Recipe

There's a reason ylang-ylang shows up in high-end perfumery — its rich, exotic floral scent feels genuinely luxurious in a way few other fragrances match. Compared to a scented artisan bar from a specialty shop, which can run $9–$14 per bar, this recipe produces a full batch of indulgent bars for a fraction of that per-bar cost. Skill Level: Beginner — the process follows the same core steps as a standard cold-process soap, with ylang-ylang simply stirred in at trace. This recipe yields approximately five to seven 4oz bars depending on your mold. It's forgiving in fragrance amount but not in lye measurements: those must be followed precisely for safe, properly saponified soap.

Why These Ingredients Work Together

Kombo Butter brings rich moisturizing and hardening qualities to the bar, along with a naturally softer lather. Coconut Oil contributes cleansing power and a rich, bubbly lather. Olive Oil softens the overall feel of the bar with its gentle, conditioning qualities. Ylang-Ylang Essential Oil adds an exotic, floral fragrance long valued in perfumery, while optional ylang-ylang flowers add rustic visual texture. Together, the oils balance cleansing and comfort, while the ylang-ylang ties the whole bar together with a genuinely luxurious sensory experience.

Hero Ingredient Benefits

Kombo Butter: A rare West African butter valued for deep moisturizing and comfort, plus its ability to firm up a soap bar and soften its lather.

Coconut Oil: Provides cleansing power and a generous, bubbly lather while adding hardness to the finished bar.

Olive Oil: A mild, moisturizing oil that softens the feel of the bar and balances the cleansing action of coconut oil.

Ylang-Ylang Essential Oil: A rich, exotic floral fragrance long prized in perfumery, popularly valued for its balancing quality on oily skin.

Ingredients

• 227 g (8 oz) Kombo Butter
• 113 g (4 oz) Coconut Oil
• 113 g (4 oz) Olive Oil
• 85 g (3 oz) Lye (sodium hydroxide / NaOH)
• 142 g (5 oz) Distilled water
• 28 g (1 oz / 2 tbsp) Ylang-ylang essential oil
• Ylang-ylang flowers (optional)

Lye amount calculated using standard saponification values: Kombo Butter 0.137, Coconut Oil 0.183, Olive Oil 0.135 oz NaOH per oz of oil, at approximately 5% superfat. Water calculated at roughly a 2:1 water-to-lye ratio. Ylang-ylang essential oil is used at approximately 6% of oil weight, within typical safe usage rates for cold-process soap — ylang-ylang is a recognized sensitizer at higher concentrations, so don't exceed this amount. If you change any oil, water, or fragrance quantities, always re-run the recipe through a soap calculator such as SoapCalc or Lye Calculator, and check essential oil usage rates before making the batch.

Directions

1. Put on gloves and eye protection. In a well-ventilated area, slowly add the lye to the distilled water (never the reverse), stirring until fully dissolved. Set aside to cool.
2. Melt the Kombo Butter, Coconut Oil, and Olive Oil together in a double boiler until fully liquid.
3. Once both the lye solution and the oils have cooled to roughly the same temperature (around 100–110°F), carefully pour the lye solution into the oils.
4. Blend with an immersion blender until the mixture reaches trace — a thick, pudding-like consistency where a drizzle from the blender leaves a visible trail.
5. Stir in the ylang-ylang essential oil and ylang-ylang flowers, if using, until evenly distributed.
6. Pour the batter into your soap molds and tap gently to release air bubbles.
7. Cover and insulate the molds for 24–48 hours, then unmold and cut into bars.
8. Cure the bars on a rack in a cool, dry place for 4–6 weeks before use, turning occasionally for even air exposure.

Application Tips

Once fully cured, use this bar for everyday hand or body washing, working up a lather with warm water. For a genuinely luxurious experience, use in the evening as part of a relaxing bath or shower ritual. A single bar typically lasts several weeks with regular use. Keep the bar on a well-draining soap dish between uses to extend its life.

Storage & Shelf Life

Cure bars on an open rack in a cool, dry, well-ventilated space for 4–6 weeks before first use — do not use before curing is complete. Once cured, store bars in a dry dish away from standing water between uses to extend bar life and preserve fragrance. Properly cured and stored, bars remain good to use for 12–18 months.

Customisation Ideas

• Add texture — press a few dried ylang-ylang flowers into the top of the batter for a decorative finish.
• Blend scents — pair ylang-ylang with a touch of vanilla for an even richer, more indulgent aroma.
• Layer colours — add a soft yellow or cream colourant for a floral-toned bar.
• Swap the oil — replace olive oil with baobab oil for a lighter finished bar (re-run a soap calculator first).
• Go unscented — simply omit the ylang-ylang essential oil for a fragrance-free version.

Essential Oils

• Ylang-Ylang — 1 oz per batch (added at trace), the featured exotic, floral scent of this recipe.
• Vanilla — a few drops per batch, deepens the warmth of the floral fragrance.
• Sandalwood — 0.5 oz per batch (added at trace), adds a grounding, woody base note.

Always add essential oils at trace and stay within safe usage rates for soap. If you prefer a fragrance-free version, this recipe works well as an unscented formulation.

The Impact of Your Purchase

When you make skincare with Baraka ingredients, you're supporting women's cooperatives who earn fair wages and preserve traditional processing methods. According to Baraka's Social and Environmental Impact Report, this direct trade model provided income for over 1,000 women and prevented 47 metric tons of CO2 emissions. You also gain complete transparency — knowing exactly what touches your skin and your family's skin, without hidden synthetics or uncertain supply chains.

Meet Adams Alimata, one of the shea processors behind these ingredients, and hear her story of earning income as a shea processor in Ghana.

Shop the Baraka Ingredients in This Recipe

Pure. Natural. Ethically sourced. Hand-crafted by women's cooperatives. These are the ingredients trusted throughout Baraka's DIY guides and recipes.

Kombo Butter — Shop Now — A rare West African butter known for deep conditioning and soothing qualities. Comforts tired skin and supports long-lasting moisture in intensive care formulations.

Traditional Coconut Oil — Shop Now — Lightweight and versatile, softens skin and supports gentle cleansing. Adds slip and glide to balms, soaps, and body products. Absorbs well and helps protect hair proteins.

Voice Search FAQ

How do I make ylang-ylang soap at home?
Melt kombo butter, coconut oil, and olive oil, combine with a lye solution to trace, then stir in ylang-ylang essential oil. Pour into molds, let set for 24–48 hours, and cure for 4–6 weeks before use.

How much ylang-ylang essential oil should I use in soap?
A safe usage rate is roughly 1 oz per 16 oz of oils, or around 6% of total oil weight. Ylang-ylang can irritate skin at higher concentrations, so don't exceed this amount.

Is ylang-ylang soap good for oily skin?
Ylang-ylang has a long-standing reputation for helping balance oily skin, making it a popular natural fragrance choice for those looking for a floral bar with a functional benefit.

What does kombo butter do in ylang-ylang soap?
Kombo butter adds rich moisture and hardness to the bar, helping balance the drying effect that stronger-scented essential oils can sometimes have on the skin.

Try These Next

If you enjoyed this recipe, you might also like:

• Eucalyptus and Kombo Butter Soap — a fresh, crisp variation using the same base recipe.
• Chamomile and Kombo Butter Soap — a gentle, soothing variation using the same base recipe.
• Frankincense and Kombo Butter Soap — a warm, grounding variation using the same base recipe.
• Patchouli and Kombo Butter Soap — an earthy, exotic variation using the same base recipe.
• Cedarwood and Kombo Butter Soap — a warm, woody variation using the same base recipe.

About These Ingredients

This recipe is adapted from Kombo Butter Soap Making, which explores additional formulations, ingredient options, and variations. Consult the full book for more approaches to natural soap making with kombo butter.

Disclaimer

The recipes and ingredients on this page are intended for cosmetic use only — for application to the skin, hair, and nails to cleanse, condition, and beautify. They have not been evaluated or approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) or any other regulatory authority. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease or medical condition. If you have a medical condition, skin condition, or known allergies, consult a qualified healthcare provider before use. Always patch-test new ingredients before full application. Keep all products away from eyes and out of reach of children. Results will vary between individuals.