How to Use Tea Tree Oil to Treat Skin Conditions

Tea tree oil, popular in holistic and herbal medicine circles, comes from the melaleuca tree that is indigenous to Australia. The naturally occurring ingredient, terpinen-4-ol, is responsible for the oil’s antifungal properties. Long held by aboriginal tribes as a cure-all for many skin disorders, it wasn’t until the 1920’s that researchers found that making an essential oil by extracting the terpinen-4-ol produced a concentrated oil that is successfully used in many skin lotions and ointments.

Things You'll Need

• Tea tree oil
• Carrier oil
• Cotton-tipped swab
• Shampoo and conditioner
• Liquid hand soap

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Instructions

• 1

  Purchase tea tree oil from a reputable health food store and make sure it comes in a dark bottle. When exposed to light, tea tree oil loses its stability and effectiveness as a skin aid.

• 2

  Dilute one or two drops of tea tree oil with a teaspoonful of olive oil, castor oil or almond oil to make an anti-bacterial oil to smooth over a poison ivy rash. The oil reduces itching and encourages the liquid-filled pustules to shrink. Be careful when applying tea tree oil if you're suffering from broken skin, as it will sting.

• 3

  Use tea tree oil in your shampoo and conditioner to invigorate the skin of your scalp, helping it to slough off the old layer and encourage new skin growth. This is good news for dandruff sufferers who fear shedding flakes of their scalp on a daily basis. The tea tree oil will work within 24 hours after shampooing and at that point you will have a lot of flakes, but after that, you will be flake-free for a couple of weeks.

• 4

  Add a couple of drops of tea tree oil to your liquid hand soap dispenser and shake well. Every time you wash your hands, you will be giving them an anti-fungal boost while destroying harmful bacteria.

• 5

  Dip a cotton swab into undiluted tea tree oil and press it against the side of the bottle to make sure the swab is barely damp. Lightly touch acne blemishes with the swab, taking care not to spread the tea tree oil to the surrounding tissue. Tea tree oil shows promise in treating adolescent and adult acne.