8 Amazing Benefits of Tea Tree Oil

From skin tag removal to dandruff treatment, tea tree oil might just be nature’s do-it-all secret weapon that your medicine cabinet has been missing.

Also known as melaleuca oil, Tea tree oil is an essential oil that is distilled from the leaves of Melaleuca alternifolia, the native Australian plant. In recent years, the popularity of tea tree oil has grown across the globe because of its antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, antifungal, and antiviral properties.

Let us read on to find more about the amazing benefits and uses of this versatile essential oil.

Get Rid of Skin Tags: Tea tree oil demonstrates unmatched efficacy when it comes to skin tag removal.

For skin tag removal, you can soak a ball of cotton in tea tree oil. Thereafter, you need to use a piece of tape or bandage for securing the cotton ball to the skin tag and allow it to sit overnight. You need to follow this procedure every day until the skin tags fall on their own. (Note: Please don’t use or continue the use of tea tree oil if you experience irritation).

Alternatively, you may dilute tea tree oil with a carrier oil, such as jojoba or coconut oil. For this, you can mix 3-4 drops of tea tree oil with 1 tablespoon of carrier oil and apply the mixture for skin tag removal at least twice every day until skin tags fall off.

Glowing Skin: The essential oil is highly effective when it comes to soothing dry skin by reducing irritation and itching. It is equally effective to treat eczema and combat oily skin. It can also be used for healing infections that cause itchy skin. Furthermore, the anti-inflammatory properties of tea tree oil make it a good candidate to relieve and soothe irritated and painful skin. The essential oil may also be used to minimise swelling and redness. In addition to these unique advantages, tea tree oil can also heal wounds caused by bacteria.

Also Read : 10 Best Skin Care Tips for Healthy Skin

Strengthen Nails: Tea tree oil shows potency to treat fungal nail infections when used alone or in combination with other forms of natural remedies. For this, you can use a few drops of the essential oil or mix tea tree oil with an equal amount of coconut oil. The mixture can then be applied to the affected area. It is important to note that you must immediately wash off your hands to avoid spreading the fungus to other areas.

Treating Psoriasis: Anecdotal evidence suggests that the essential oil may prove advantageous to treat symptoms of psoriasis such as inflammation and infection while boosting immunity. For this, you can dilute 1-2 drops of the essential oil with a small amount of coconut or jojoba oil. The mixture can then be gently applied to the affected area many times a day.

Get rid of dandruff and promote clean hair: Tea tree oil can be used for treating dandruff by removing dead skin cells and chemicals from the scalp. The best thing is that it also promotes optimal hair growth by keeping hair healthy and moisturised. For this, you can try out applying a mixture of tea tree oil and coconut oil to your scalp and hair. Leave the mix for about 20-30 minutes and then wash with a tea tree oil shampoo containing 5-percent tea tree oil for about 3-5 minutes. Follow it with a tea tree oil conditioner.

Treating Acne: A popular choice for treating acne, tea tree oil is well known for its antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties. This essential oil has the ability to calm swelling, redness, and inflammation and demonstrates unmatched efficacy to reduce and prevent acne scars to leave you with clear, smooth skin.

Treats Ear Infections: Tea tree oil can be effective against infection of the ear, also called otitis, as it is rich in terpinen-4-ol. This chemical compound inhibits and kills off bacteria that come into contact with it. It is because of this property that tea tree oil is considered effective than some antibacterial cleaning agents. To use tea tree oil for treating ear infections, you need to dilute it with a carrier oil such as extra virgin olive oil, coconut, or jojoba oil. For this, you can use 1 teaspoon of carrier oil for every single drop of tea tree oil.

Fights Skin Cancers: Containing varied terpenoids, tea tree oil exhibits certain anti-cancer activity and is effective against basal cell carcinoma (BCC), actinic keratosis, and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). Studies have revealed that the essential oil in 10% dimethylsulphoxide leads to a direct and influential cytotoxic effect on tumour cells. It also induces local immune activation when applied topically.

According to studies on subcutaneous mesothelioma in mice, the topical application of tea tree oil demonstrates signs of death and damage, such as contracted chromatin, swollen mitochondria, and compressed nuclei in just one day. By day three, the endoplasmic reticulum had dissolved and the mitochondria had burst. These results suggest that topical application of the essential oil can potentially be used as an effective form of skin cancer therapy.

All in all, tea tree oil is unarguably nature’s do-it-all secret weapon!