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I was really excited when Arbonne released their new products for the year and tea tree oil was one of them. As a company I love the ethics of Arbonne, the fact that all of their products are of high quality, PETA approved, vegan and so much more means that I will be using their tea tree oil.
How Do I Use Tea Tree OIl
Treating Things with Tea Tree Oil
Over the years I have used tea tree oil in many ways, from household uses to medicinal uses and there are lots of other uses that I haven't tried.
Tea Tree oil has antiseptic properties and is both a germicide and a fungicide, in fact according to Valerie Ann Worwood (The Fragrant Pharmacy) it's antiseptic properties are thought to be 100 x more powerful than carbolic acid.
I have used it in a diffuser or burner when I've been sick (although to be honest I prefer lemon oil as it doesn't make the house smell like a hospital!).
My husband used to get a recurring fungal infection on his toe nail and was constantly using a cream from the doctor which would help it, but it would never go away completely. I decided that we should use tea tree oil (much to the dismay of my sceptical husband!) I put one drop of tea tree oil onto a dampened cotton bud and wiped it over the nail twice a day. Much to my husband's disbelief it actually worked and the fungal nail infection went away completely.
The owner of the health food store I managed used to get dandruff and he found that once he used a tea tree shampoo and conditioner it cleared up. Well to be honest I didn't think my husband would like the smell of the shampoo and conditioner and I already had the oil so I told him to put the shampoo onto his hand and then add one drop of tea tree oil, mixed it together and then use it on his head. Lo and behold his dandruff disappeared.
It's amazing how over the years my husband has been much less of a sceptic!
Beauty Uses for Tea Tree Oil
When I worked at the health food shop there were a few products for acne that were based on tea tree oil that were very successful for our customers, but I heard of a couple of cool ideas on a training I recently attended.
Tea Tree Skin Tonic
2 drops of tea tree oil
40 drops of witch hazel
Use this on your skin in place of a toner. I think this is awesome as I know a couple of years ago I worked with a young lady and she used straight witch hazel to clear up her problem skin, coupled with my previous customer's experience with tea tree I think this is a winning combination.
If you have blemishes anywhere on your body you could add a couple of drops to coconut oil or jojoba oil and apply to your skin.
You can add 1-2 drops to your existing masks, scrubs or face creams. The only thing you can NOT do is add it straight onto your skin. This is a pure essential oil which means it's highly concentrated and should always be diluted before using.
Steam Bath for Acne
Of course you can always add hot water to a bowl with 2-3 drops of Tea Tree oil and then pop a towel over your head and the bowl and let the combination of steam and tea tree work it's magic. As a disclaimer although I remember my friends steaming their face as an 'acne cure' as a teen I didn't suffer from acne so I'm not sure if it worked. My daughter tried it a couple of times, but didn't like the smell as it reminded her that I used tea tree on her when she had nits! (I can't remember the ratio I used for that). As she wouldn't give it a chance it didn't work.
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Household Uses for Tea Tree Oil
My favorite way to use tea tree oil around the house was in the toilet! I would lift the cistern up and pop a dozen drops of tea tree oil to the water in there. Every time you flush you get a very faint odour of the tea tree oil, when I couldn't smell it anymore (or a week had passed) I would add more drops.
Now I wasn't doing it for that fragrance by the way, I did it because it really helped to keep the toilet bowl cleaner. I haven't done this in a while because with our last toilet I couldn't easily access the cistern, but with our newer toilet and Arbonne releasing their tea tree oil I will start this again!
I have also used tea tree oil for removing scuff marks off of lino floors (add a drop to a damp cloth and wipe). Talking of floors you can also add 1 tsp of tea tree oil to 1 1/5 gallons of water and use that to wash your floors. My husband's response was that it smelt like a hospital, so the next time I also added a couple of drops of lavender to try and mask the smell. I no longer do this because my husband really didn't like the smell and sometimes you just accept defeat in some areas!
If you like the smell of tea tree oil you can also add it to your vacuum bag when vacuuming - I tended to only use lavender essential oil (see above re husband's complaint!), but I now have a bagless vacuum so I don't get the lovely smell as I'm cleaning the house!
Dogs & Tea Tree Oil
Now dog's have very sensitive skin so do NOT put tea tree oil directly onto a dog's skin, but it can help if they have sores or are itchy, it just must be diluted. If your dog is itching a bit then simply pop 1 drop into the shampoo before washing him/her.
My late dog got a nasty sore on his tummy so I diluted a drop of tea tree oil in a natural base cream (I can't remember the name of it) and rubbed that on it. It worked really well. For my current dog I've always used pawpaw ointment (no need to mix anything).
There are lots of uses for tea tree oil which I haven't even touched on, I'd love to know if you've used it and what your experiences of it have been.
Have You Used Tea Tree Oil?
There are lots of uses for tea tree oil which I haven't even touched on, I'd love to know if you've used it and what your experiences of it have been.
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This is the first time I have heard of Tea Tree Oil. It certainly has a lot of beneficial uses. Thanks for your review, Louanne.
ReplyDeleteSounds like amazing stuff! I've never used it for anything that I know of. I guess I wouldn't know if it was an additive in a store bought product. I find it very interesting that it has medicinal uses as well as cleaning power. I wonder if it would help with the soap film on the shower tile. Anything that helps me keep the toilet bowl clean would certainly be welcome in our home.
ReplyDeleteI have used tea tree oil for years as well, this is a great review of all the benefits and some that I did not know. So thanks for the update on this amazing product.
ReplyDeleteI think I actually have some tea tree oil around. I might try it on my nails where I'm fighting fungus. Thanks for the suggestion. I would not have thought of it.
ReplyDeleteI have heard good things about tea tree oil but have never tried it. I might have to give it a try (diluted of course) on my poor Willy dog. He gets so itchy in the summer and nothing from the vet has cured it yet. I'm glad to read your review.
ReplyDeleteWow, there are some uses I hadn't considered for Tea Tree Oil! I'll have to grab another bottle when I'm out next time. My youngest son only uses Tea Tree Shampoo, he says its the only shampoo that works for dandruff. As an antiseptic? I had no idea. I'll absolutely try it for that. Also, putting some in the toilet tank, I'll have to try that as well.
ReplyDelete