Tea Tree Oil is an essential oil derived from a plant that is native to Australia. It is a natural disinfectant, and has been used for that purpose for many years, dating back to the Australian aboriginals! Tea tree oil is another one of those multi-purpose oils. It can be used for acne, dandruff, psoriasis, cuts/scrapes/boils, lice, eczema, yeast infections (yikes!), vaginitis (I have no idea what the heck that is but it sounds painful in a secret place), and much more!
My Tea Tree Oil:
Tea Tree Oil is very strong. The scent seems familiar to me, like strong minty eucalyptus or something. Very medicinal. Very strong scent. It lingered in the bathroom for a bit after I used it. I had a tiny bit on my face the other night and Greg commented that I smelled like motor oil. I have no idea where he got that because it really does smell medicinal-minty-eucalyptus-y. The smell wears off, though, so don't be worried. More importantly, Tea Tree Oil and must be diluted when used, so make sure that whatever you're using it for, you do a little research before you apply it. For example, I know you can add a few drops to shampoo to help with your scalp, or a little bit to your facial cleanser.
What particularly interested me is the use for acne. I decided I wanted to spot treat my stubborn acne spots with tea treel oil. I did so by dipping a Q-Tip in the bottle, running it under water to dilute it, and applied to problem areas. I noticed the spots dried up pretty quickly, but after a while, I sort of lost interest in it as it seemed to lose its bite on my acne. It really is used best on acne as a spot treatment, but I prefer a Benzoyl Peroxide treatment.
But this isn't a total loss, here...
One awesome use I accidentally discovered: Tea Tree Oil helps heal canker sores.
Yep! It relieves aphthuous ulcers (aka "canker sores" not to be confused with herpes, people!) in my mouth very quickly! I tend to get those little buggers every once in a while due to stress or hormones. They're very painful and can take up to two weeks to heal without any form of treatment. I actually have a prescription from my dentist for this (it's this little paste) to help when I get the ulcers. I thought, "Well, if tea tree oil is a disinfectant and can relieve other ailments, why not a canker sore?" Spot treating one like I did my acne (applied with Q-tip diluted with water) totally made the healing time much less and the ulcers far less painful! It actually worked much better than my prescription! YES to saving money and not refilling a prescription!
Bottom line:
I wouldn't buy Tea Tree Oil again for the sole purpose of acne, but I will definitely keep buying to treat canker sores! True story: I had two painful ones in my mouth last week and they healed within a matter of days with tea tree oil!
16 comments:
That's good to know about the canker sores! I get them too occasionally and I think it's because of stress :-/
I HATE canker sores! That's very good to know. Thanks for sharing!
Another thing it is good for is ingrown hairs...a must for summer bikini times haha!! A little cotton bud dipped in th dabbed on said hair and within a day or so the bad boy tends to come to the surface! I also use that in spots sometimes but prefer my witch hazel stick.
I get really bad mouth ulcers, so will try that! I already have some tea tree oil for some unknown reason.. I think all of us Australians just have Tea tree Oil and Eucalyptus Oil on hand because it's expected ;)
Hey! Great tips! I think I need to acquire some of this stuff!
Bumble & Bumble makes a great product with Tea Tree oil, their Tonic Lotion, that I am absolutely addicted to. It's like my one thing I can't be without. Super light leave-in conditioner and detangler. Smells great and leaves no heavy/sticky/oiliness. LOVE.
I love your reviews on stuff! I still need to get me a clarisonic, btw. I have heard good things about Tea Tree oil, but wasn't sure. Had no idea about the canker sore treatment. Good to know!
And might have to try your treatment for acne marks. You use Benzoyl Peroxide? Where can one pick something like that up?? If you don't mind sharing :)
tea tree oil is a great natural remedy for loads of things! i always have a big bottle on hand. a little goes a long way and it lasts forever.
it provides great respiratory relief when sick: add a few drops to a bowl of hot water and inhale.
or, add it to a hot bath for muscle relief after a rough workout or injury.
it's also a great disinfectant for minor cuts, and if you rub a little on a paper towel it can very easily remove gummy/sticky stuff from surfaces.
ok can you tell i love this stuff?
I love how you just find things like this out. I wish I was patient enough to do the same, but since I'm not - I keep you around as my friend ;) I kid, I kid.. you know I love you Meg! :)
Ohh, I wish I could just smell this - it sounds like it smells awesome (unless it really does smell like motor oil, haha).
For years, I have heard about tea tree oil but never really looked into it. Thanks for doing the research for me.
Interesting. I've heard that TTO is a magical elixir. So I'm glad to hear a real-life experience with it. I've really been meaning to pick up some Witch Hazel but never seem to remember to do so. Thanks for posting this!
Good for you for going the natural route! I like to keep things as natural as I can with skin care and I try to with makeup too...but your right, that is harder! :-)
I used to use Tea Tree Oil much more, mostly as a general face cleanser. Trader Joe's often carries a "pre-diluted" line of face care featuring TTO. I agree.. it wasn't the magical acne cure-all that some people say it was, but it always left me feeling refreshed after a long day!!
Also.. definite eucalyptus/mint scent to it. Tell Greg he's wrongggg ;) Hehe.
i would be careful about tea tree oil...i don't know a lot about it, but i've heard that it contains estrogen hormones in some way, which can cause elevated levels in both women AND men who use it. just sayin'.
I also tried tea tree oil for spot treatment. I had heard how great it was, and I was curious. Didn't work for me. Maybe it's just me, because it works for my friends. I went back to tretinoin, which always does the trick.
Good to know tea tree oil does the trick for canker sores, though. Dropping by from LBS. :)
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