9 Most Effective Tea Tree Oil Uses

Tea tree essential oil is a popular ingredient in many products seen and used today. We will explore tea tree oil uses and the ways you will benefit from this essential oil.

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Tea Tree oil is quite versatile in the way it can be used. Personally, we have found tea tree oil benefits to be quite significant for our household. Using tea tree oil for skin care has been one of our favorite ways to use it.

You will be shown many ways tea tree oil can be helpful whether creating a do it yourself recipe or finding the right product to purchase. After seeing the applications for tea tree oil, you will feel more confident knowing whether it is the right essential oil for you.

Although we find tea tree oil helpful, we use it sparingly and in correspondence with correct dosing. Essential oils are strong, so knowing all you can about how to use them correctly is important.

This post discusses all of the ways to use tea tree oil and how it can be most beneficial to you .

1. Tea Tree Essential Oil for Acne

You will find tea tree oil in a lot of products marketed for acne. This is because tea tree has a property that fights the bacteria on the skin known as Terpenin-4-ol. It also speeds up the healing process of the skin. Studies show the positive benefits this oil has on fighting acne.

Keep in mind, even though it exhibits helpful healing properties against acne, other things go into making sure acne is not problematic. Choosing a product may be beneficial in fighting acne. However, taking care of the inside of the body is just as important as treating the outside.

Acne can be a symptom of many other ailments and problems going on. It is important to look at the whole picture when dealing with symptoms. Tea tree oil is proven in studies to be beneficial for acne, so using it is a great way to start fighting against the nasty face bacteria.

I am a fan of the brand below and use them for several of the products that we buy. I have not yet used this specific product, but I do feel confident in recommending it and would feel comfortable using it for my family.

Tea Tree Concentrated Spot Treatment

Organic Tea Tree Hydrosol for Acne

Two studies to view concerning the use of tea tree oil and how it benefits acne prone skin are linked below.

First study showing tea tree oil for acne

Second study showing tea tree essential oil for acne

2. Tea Tree Essential Oil for Dry Scalp

If you have a problem with a dry and flaky scalp, then this section is for you. This problem can occur all year round or may become worse certain times of the year. Either way, tea tree may be beneficial for your scalp problems.

Luckily, tea tree oil is useful in treating antifungal problems. Since there is linkage between dandruff and certain yeast, tea tree oil has shown to have beneficial effects in treating dandruff.

Studies like this one have shown that the oil can soothe itchiness and scaliness from dandruff and improve the condition of the scalp. Alleviating the dandruff altogether may need further treatment and study. Everyone’s hair is different and needs different things. Here is one shampoo containing tea tree oil that is worth looking into.

Avalon Organics Natural Shampoo.

3. Tea Tree Essential Oil for Skin

Skin becoming dry and irritated is a common problem. Many people have rosacea or eczema or fight other skin conditions that are red, itchy and down right annoying. We have dealt with this in our own family.

Tea tree oil can help soothe dry skin and fight against the redness of rosacea. It also fights against the itchiness and dryness that comes from having eczema. This is due to its helpful anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial and antiseptic properties.

To help with my families skin issues, I created a lotion bar. You can find the how to recipe here. This lotion bar recipe has been extremely soothing for our dry skin. This is the trusted essential oil brand I use in the recipe.

4. Tea Tree Oil for Fungus and Yeast

The species of yeast, candida albicans, is found in gut flora. This yeast needs to be kept in balance in order for the gut to be healthy. When the yeast gets out of balance, all sorts of problems arise.

Tea tree oil has been effective in treating this type of yeast. It helps by breaking the cell walls and membranes of the yeast . Although studies have shown tea tree to help, pine oil and red thyme oil have show to be effective as well if not more effective.

Candida is a problem that needs to be worked on beginning with diet and rebuilding of a healthy gut. Metal toxicity and mold biotoxins also need to be looked at because they can be problematic when dealing with candida as well.

Tea tree oil may be a helpful essential oil, but it is best to get the help of a professional who knows how to properly deal with candida. Using tea tree oil to help combat and soothe skin irritation can definitely be beneficial when used appropriately.

5. Tea Tree Oil for Lice

Ever feel scared when you heard someone you knew had lice? No one wants to get it, and if you do, it is not easy to get rid of. Tea tree essential oil has beneficial properties for getting rid of lice.

This study shows that tea tree oil used in conjunction with lavender oil is effective in the treatment of lice. Because of this. using tea tree oil in insect repellents is a good option as well.

Tea Tree Oil Conditioning Spray for Lice

6. Tea Tree Oil for Mold

Since tea tree has antifungal properties, it can be beneficial when combatting mold; It has been shown to reduce spore count like in this study. However, there is a difference between combatting mold and a serious mold infestation. Tea tree can be added to a DIY cleaning remedy or purchased as an ingredient in a cleaning product to fight mold. However, it should not be expected to solely clear a house of a mold infestation.

Related Post: 10 most useful Products for Mold Prevention

7. Tea Tree Oil for Minor Wounds

The Aboriginal tribe used to use it in poultices for cuts and burns. In 1923, a doctor named Arthur Penfold reported the strength of tea tree oil used as an antiseptic being 11 times stronger than phenol. This brought about soldiers in World War II using this essential oil to heal minor wounds and infections.

8. Tea tree Oil for Cold Sores

Tea Tree oil is an astringent, therefore, it is naturally effective in fighting against old bacteria and preventing new bacteria from forming. Cold sores, which come from the herpes simplex virus, are treated effectively with tea tree oil.

Also, It is said that the oil can be applied directly to the skin, however, I recommend mixing it with a carrier oil such as coconut or jojoba oil to be safe. You can mix it together and use a cotton ball to apply it.

Applying it consistently for a few day, especially at night, will best ensure its efficacy. Apply it until the cold sore is gone completely.

9. Tea Tree Oil for Cleaning

Since Tea Tree contains antimicrobial, astringent and antifungal properties, it is an ideal candidate for house cleaning.

Simply whip up a mixture using vinegar, water and tea tree oil, put it in a spray bottle, and you have yourself an inexpensive and clean smelling household disinfectant. The brand linked below is a good choice if you decide to purchase tea tree essential oil for your own personal house cleaning use.

Tea Tree Oil For Cleaning

To conclude, tea tree oil provides many benefits which makes it quite versatile to use. Purchasing the essential oil may be a good investment due to the many ways you can implement it into your routine.

This post was all about tea tree oil uses and the all of the reasons that it is such an effective and versatile essential oil.

Resources

Pazyar, Nader et al. “A review of applications of tea tree oil in dermatology.” International journal of dermatology vol. 52,7 (2013): 784-90. doi:10.1111/j.1365-4632.2012.05654.x

Malhi, Harsimran Kaur et al. “Tea tree oil gel for mild to moderate acne; a 12 week uncontrolled, open-label phase II pilot study.” The Australasian journal of dermatology vol. 58,3 (2017): 205-210. doi:10.1111/ajd.12465

Andrew C. Satchell, Anne Saurajen, Craig Bell, Ross StC. Barnetson,
Treatment of dandruff with 5% tea tree oil shampoo, Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, Volume 47, Issue 6, 2002, Pages 852-855,
ISSN 0190-9622

Bona, E et al. “Sensitivity of Candida albicans to essential oils: are they an alternative to antifungal agents?.” Journal of applied microbiology vol. 121,6 (2016): 1530-1545. doi:10.1111/jam.13282

Barker, Stephen C, and Phillip M Altman. “A randomised, assessor blind, parallel group comparative efficacy trial of three products for the treatment of head lice in children–melaleuca oil and lavender oil, pyrethrins and piperonyl butoxide, and a “suffocation” product.” BMC dermatology vol. 10 6. 20 Aug. 2010, doi:10.1186/1471-5945-10-6

Rogawansamy, Senthaamarai et al. “An evaluation of antifungal agents for the treatment of fungal contamination in indoor air environments.” International journal of environmental research and public health vol. 12,6 6319-32. 2 Jun. 2015, doi:10.3390/ijerph120606319

Labib, Rola M et al. “Appraisal on the wound healing potential of Melaleuca alternifolia and Rosmarinus officinalis L. essential oil-loaded chitosan topical preparations.” PloS one vol. 14,9 e0219561. 16 Sep. 2019, doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0219561

Carson, C F et al. “Melaleuca alternifolia (Tea Tree) oil: a review of antimicrobial and other medicinal properties.” Clinical microbiology reviews vol. 19,1 (2006): 50-62. doi:10.1128/CMR.19.1.50-62.2006

Di Campli, Emanuela et al. “Activity of tea tree oil and nerolidol alone or in combination against Pediculus capitis (head lice) and its eggs.” Parasitology research vol. 111,5 (2012): 1985-92. doi:10.1007/s00436-012-3045-0