The Many Uses of Tea Tree Oil

Tea Tree Oil is a natural disinfectant that can be used not only for cleaning, but also for skincare and health remedies! The bottle I own is from Holista, and it is 100% Pure (very important) Tea Tree Oil. Like it says on the bottle, it's considered a herbal antiseptic.

1. Treats acne
This is the main reason why I started keeping a few bottles of Tea Tree Oil in my house. Because it is a natural disinfectant, it will clean out your pores and make acne disappear. I find the best way to use it is to put a drop on a cotton swab, and press it directly on any pimples you may have. Another option is to add 20 or so drops to you bottle of face wash, though I would only recommend that if your face wash is a mostly natural product. You don't want to risk adding Tea Tree Oil to something that won't react well with it. It could cause irritation and redness.

2. Insect repellent
Add 15 to 20 drops of oil to 1L of water, and place in a spray bottle. Very effective, and this way you're not putting chemicals all over your skin!

3. Antiseptic for cuts, blisters, and burns
We all know that blisters on your heels hurt like crazy and prevent you from wearing your favourite (though uncomfortable) shoes. With Tea Tree Oil, just clean the blister, burn or cut. Then, apply 2 to 3 drops of Tea Tree Oil on the wound, and let it sit for a few minutes before putting on a bandage. This keeps the wound from getting infected, and also speeds up healing!

4. Helps relieve cold and flu symptoms
There are multiple ways of using Tea Tree Oil for relief of cold and flu symptoms. The first, add 2 to 3 drops into a pot of boiling water. Remove the pot from the stove, and breath in the steam once it has started cooling down. This is also good for any kind of chest congestion or asthma. The second, add 10 or so drops with some Epsom salt in a warm bath. This also helps with muscle pains, and any chest congestion. You can also dilute it with another oil (like grapeseed or olive oil, 1 drops per tbsp. of cooking oil), and apply directly on your chest. It acts like VapoRub.

5. Anti-fungal treatment (for Athlete's Foot and Eczema)
For Athlete's Foot, clean your feet, then apply Tea Tree Oil directly on any affected areas. You can dust corn starch on it after to wick any moisture. Do not do this more than twice a month, since Tea Tree Oil is very strong, and should not be used in large quantities.

6. Help with dandruff, dry scalp and head lice
Add 20 to 30 drops of Tea Tree Oil to your daily shampoo. You can also add a drop or 2 to your lip balm to help with dry, chapped lips.


Hope you find this helpful! It's definitely a cheaper, more natural solution to most of these problems. Plus, there are dozens more uses for this natural antiseptic! These are just the ones that I've heard good things about.

P.S. I'll have a post on travelling carry-on up later this week! You can follow me on Twitter @PennilessBlog