7 Practical Ways to Use Tea Tree Oil

INSIDE: CHECK OUT 7 WAYS TO USE TEA TREE OIL AND LEARN HOW TO PICK A RESPONSIBLE ESSENTIAL OIL COMPANY.

It’s all the RAGE….essential oils to make you healthier, not really but they are an alternative to strong chemicals…but what do they really do? Let’s explore one of the most popular…come along and learn 7 ways to use Tea Tree Oil.

Tea Tree Oil (TTO) is derived from the Melaleuca alternifolia plant naive to Australia. Thanks to modern science, the oil can be extracted from the leaves and delivered right to your front door. The Australians found that TTO has many antiseptic and anti-inflammatory properties.

There are a few main components of the oil that you need to check for when you are purchasing your oil:

• Terpinen-4-ol  – is the ingredient with the antiseptic properties, high levels equal higher antiseptic qualities
• Brown, GLASS bottles – light and air can decrease the oxidization AND plastic will absorb the oil faster than you can use it thus making it useless
• Products with other oils – decreases the efficacy of the TTO
• Go organic – they tend to be more pure and have higher percentages of terpinen-4-ol

While doing this research, I found hundreds of sites claiming to have the BEST TTO. BUT…how do you know? They all claim to be therapeutic and natural, but as consumers, do we just trust the word of sales people?

Disclosure Statement: The links in this post contain affiliate links and I will receive a small commission if you make a purchase after clicking on my link. Those funds help keep this site alive and kickin’ but it doesn’t cost YOU a thing! Click here for the full disclosure.

Well, sorry peps, I don’t. So….I went digging. I found some important things to look for BEFORE you buy!!!

• Sustainability – how does the company prepare for extraction and who are their farmers? This is important….what if they use child labor? Still interested in their oil? What if they don’t replant what they cut down? Still want to line their pockets? NOT ME!!!
• Organic certification – USDA has strict guidelines for growing, producing, and manufacturing organic stuff….look for the green and white label!
• Full disclosure – attaching the scientific report of the quality of the oil goes a long way to show you how much oil is in YOUR bottle!

I found a few companies that I’m ok with mentioning –

https://www.planttherapy.com/quality/essential-oils

https://www.nowfoods.com/essential-oils/quality-safety

https://www.mountainroseherbs.com/catalog/aromatherapy/essential-oils

Now, for the 7 ways to use your Tea Tree Oil:

1 – Acne

Acne plagues many of us…even into adulthood. Serious EYE ROLL here! I am almost 40 – I have worse acne now then I did as a teenager!!! So annoying!

The bottom line is oily skin is often the culprit. Sure diet, hormones, and stress all play their part too…but the one thing YOU cannot control is your oily skin. Thanks DAD!

To clean AND treat your acne prone skin:

• *****Please spot check your sensitivity to TTO before spreading it all over your face!!! Some people with sensitive skin might need to add more water******
• Add 15 drops of TTO to ONE tablespoon of regular old water
• Mix it well with a cotton swab (tip: water and oil don’t mix well, but keep stirring and eventually they will)
• Use a new cotton swab to spot treat your acne OR
• Use a cotton ball to cleanse your whole face

2 – Athlete’s Foot

Athlete’s foot is caused by a fungus that grows between the toes of affected people. This can be SUPER itchy and really agitating!

The first thing I NEED to say is – make sure it is actually Athlete’s foot and not something else.

Once you have established that is WHAT it is – you can treat it with TTO.

To treat Athlete’s Foot:

• Wash and inspect skin
• If skin is broken, make sure there are no signs of infection
• If infection cannot be ruled out, consult your primary care provider! Infections are no JOKE!
• If skin is still intact, and you are confident there is no infection, you may proceed
• Mix 1 tablespoon your favorite carrier oil (coconut, olive, sunflower) with 15 drops of TTO. **You can also make smaller batches using 1 TEAspoon of oil with 5 drops of oil**
• Apply liberally to the affected areas two to four times a day

3 – Lice Repellent

You can read more about my trials and tribulations with these ratchet beasts here.

But adding TTO to your regular shampoo, conditioner, leave-in conditioner, or detangler is very helpful in repelling the DUMB bugs. They don’t like the smell…..unfortunately, neither do the kids, that’s why it is helpful to add it to currently used products. It will help the kids get used to the smell.

To use as a lice repellent:

• Add 5-10 drops of TTO to current hair product (depending on the size of your bottle)
• Rule of thumb – 5 drops to every 5mL (5mL – teaspoon)

4 – Dandruff

Another common aliment of us oily skinned people – dandruff. No matter how much shampoo you use, it still happens. It can also be caused by not ENOUGH shampooing, yeast on the scalp, or maybe it isn’t dandruff at all. So before you use this – be sure it is actually dandruff and not something more – consult a medical professional first!

In addition to the antiseptic and antifungal uses of this wonder tree, TTO also has anti-inflammatory properties. Placing the oil in your shampoo can help unclog hair follicles, reducing the amount of oil that gets trapped inside the follicles and allowing them to breath…thus reducing the build up oil, yeast, and dirt. You can buy special TTO shampoo OR you can add the oil to the shampoo you use every day.

To treat dandruff:

• Use about 15 drops of TTO in your shampoo (again rule of thumb is about 5 drops per 5mL).

5 – Muscle Aches

Living with every day aches and pains seems like it is just the thing to do as we age….sucks I know, but it could be worse….

To help calm your muscles after a long day, or even to start your day off with a bang, try adding TTO to your bath.

Epsom salt is a wonderful thing. It is made from magnesium sulfate which helps heal, rejuvenate, and replenish our muscles. You know what else it does??? Reduces anxiety! Which one of YOU doesn’t need that?

Studies have shown that increasing our magnesium intake (whether orally with supplements or soaking through an Epsom bath) can improve our sleep and make us less anxious for the next day. And with all our “to-do” lists, I think we can all benefit from a good soak.

As if Epsom salts weren’t enough on their own, when you add TTO to them (and your bath) you can get rid of those stinky toxins from the day and emerge from your bath a NEW you!

To use TTO with Epsom salts in a bath:

• Take 2 cups of Epsom salt (double this for a garden style soaking tub), drop about 16 drops of TTO into the salts (rule of thumb here is 4 drops per 1/4 cup of salt)
• Run a bath as you normally would, however, while the water is still running, add you Epsom/TTO salts
• The running water will dissolve the salts, leaving you with a relaxing, rejuvenating bath
• Soak for at least 15 minutes to get the full benefits
• You can drain the tub as normal because all the salts should be dissolved.

6 – Yeast Infections

We all get them. Yeast infections are annoying, and for all the things we do to avoid them (if you don’t know how to avoid them – we need to talk) we can still get them. However, we don’t have to use powerful OTC medications that sting and burn, and we don’t have to call and beg our doctor to write a prescription (unless it is BAD, only you know your body….don’t listen to me if you know the only way to cure YOU is with prescription – this is NOT medical advice!!!!!!).

See above. Soak in an Epsom salt bath with TTO. The TTO has antifungal properties that will help rid you of your yeast.

2 warnings – make sure it is a yeast infection first! Obviously, there are ways to know this – I will let you Google those because I am not here to give medical advice. Second warning – make sure you aren’t sensitive to the TTO before submerging your ENTIRE body into the mixture!

You can also use TTO in a SITZ bath:

• Sitz baths can be done in a regular tub by filling only a few inches of water. Essentially you fill it enough to submerge whatever body part you are cleansing.
• TTO is an oil – it does not mix GREAT with water – so before entering the water, make sure that the oil is well mixed and spread evenly. You don’t want straight TTO on your sensitive parts.
• Hot or cold – up to you. You can start with hot and sit for 15 minutes, then it will be cold. There are benefits to both.
• HINT: this can also help with hemorrhoids – remember TTO has anti-inflammatory properties too.

7 – Air Cleanser

I have dogs….they stink sometimes. I really dislike when I know people are coming over and my dogs have made my house smell like a kennel. BUT – I have found a CRAZY air spray that doesn’t smell like fake flowers or chemicals!

To make the air cleanser spray:

• Do NOT laugh!
• Take a glass spray bottle (remember plastic soaks up the essential oils) like these
• Add 2 tablespoons of WHITE Vinegar
• 2 tablespoons of vodka (doesn’t matter what kind – you aren’t going for flavor here)
• 30 drops of TTO
• And you shake it all about….do the hokey pokey….NO that’s not it. Spray until your little heart feels better about your smelly dogs!

Do you have other uses for Tea Tree Oil? Help a sister out….comment below and share the love!

Happy Healing,