What is tea tree oil used for?
Melaleuca alternifolia, most commonly known as tea tree oil, is a catch-all when it comes to solving the world’s problems. Okay, well, not the world’s problems, but it does have a number of household uses, as well as features prominently in a number of holistic remedies for the skin and nails.
This is because tea tree oil has been touted for its ability to encourage a healthy environment and healthy skin.
Whether you another Greta Thunberg in the making or not, you’ll love to stack your cupboards with this action-packed essential oil. So what is tea tree oil good for and how can you benefit from tea tree essential oil? Read on to find out!
Note: Tea tree oil can agitate the skin when it is not diluted, so be sure to dilute it with a carrier oil, water, or other liquid as the recipe calls for.
Here are 10 Surprising Uses for Tea Tree Oil
1. Use tea tree oil for acne treatment
You wake up the morning of an extremely important event and what’s that you see? An enormous blemish smack dab on your face where everyone can see. And it’s not the teeny tiny spot that can be covered easily with make-up (if you’re a lady). No, it’s big and red and swollen and there’s no escaping it. Tea tree can offer its soothing properties to come to the rescue.
How to use
Simply dilute a few drops of tea tree oil in a carrier oil, such as coconut, almond, jojoba seed oil, or olive oil and apply the solution to your skin with a cotton ball or tissue.
Save yourself some time by using CBDMEDIC™’s Foaming Facial Cleanser, complete with tea tree oil, peppermint oil, lavender oil, and CBD hemp extract from the Cannabis sativa L. hemp plant alongside other natural ingredients to promote healthy, glowing skin. And if blemishes do appear, you can also use our Acne Treatment Medicated Cream at the source of the irritation. The cream is action-packed with salicylic acid, tea tree oil, colloidal oatmeal, bentonite clay, CBD hemp oil, eucalyptus oil, and other natural ingredients that can help dry up excess oil while soothing the skin.
Maintain a healthy glow. Take care of your skin with nature’s remedies.
2. Make a multi-purpose cleaning spray with tea tree oil
Tea tree oil a popular natural ingredient to add to natural, commercial cleaning products. You can save money and joint the no-waste movement by making your own DIY cleaning spray.
How to use
To make a safe and effective all-natural multi-purpose cleaning spray that will kill a broad range of fungi, viruses, and bacteria you’ll need the following:
- ½ cup white vinegar
- 3 cups water
- 10 drops tea tree oil
- 5-10 drops scented essential oil, such as lavender or lemon (optional)
To make, combine all the ingredients in a quart-sized spray bottle and shake well.
3. Make a homemade hand sanitizer with tea tree oil
To the same end, tea tree oil also makes an excellent ingredient added to any hand sanitizer. Look for all-natural hand sanitizers with tea tree oil as the main ingredient, or make your own.
How to use
Ingredients:
- 3 tablespoons aloe vera gel (Buy a tube of aloe gel or make your own simply by picking a stem from your garden and peeling it with a potato peeler to get the most juice out of it. Pulverize the pulp with a fork or mortar and pestle).
- 7 drops tea tree oil
- 1 tablespoon water
Directions:
To make, combine all the ingredients in a small pump or squirt bottle and shake well.
4. Create your own wound care with tea tree oil
When it comes to soothing minor cuts and scrapes, make tea tree oil your new best friend. Adding a drop or two of tea tree oil to wound healing cream you would typically use can help speed up the healing process. In fact, one study showed that nine out of ten people who participated in the study saw a decrease in healing time when they applied a tea tree oil-infused ointment to a wound. The wondrous combination of tea tree oil and coconut oil is worth keeping on-hand.
How to use
Add 2-5 drops to a salve, wound healing cream, or coconut oil and apply the solution to your scrape or cut.
5. Care for your nails with tea tree oil
Nail health is important. Not just from the standpoint that you need to maintain nice, manicured nails so they don’t snag on things like your favorite sweater, but from the standpoint that biting them or picking at your cuticles and hangnails could lead to infection. Taking good care of your nails can also help you become hyper-aware of any changes that may occur, which could be an indication of a larger, more serious issue. Be sure to add tea tree to your cuticle care regimen.
How to use
Add 2-5 drops to a carrier oil like coconut oil, jojoba seed oil, or olive oil and apply the solution with a cotton ball or tissue. You can also add 5-10 drops of the tea tree oil to a small bucket of warm water and soak your whole foot. For added benefits, add ½ cup of apple cider vinegar to the solution in order to chase the fungus away with an acidic environment.
6. Make your tea tree oil mouthwash
Using a mouthwash containing tea tree oil may prove effective in reducing the supporting healthy teeth and gums, for this reason, countless natural-health companies add tea tree to mouth wash. But you can save money and have fun in the process by making your own refreshing mouthwash.
As with applying tea tree oil directly to the skin, it is extremely important that you do not ingest undiluted tea tree oil, as it can prove harmful if swallowed and may irritate the mouth.
How to use
You can either buy a mouthwash with tea tree oil in it like Desert Essence’s Natural Tea Tree Oil Mouthwash or you can make your own mouthwash.
Tea Tree Oil Mouthwash
Equipment
- glass container with a lid
Ingredients
- ½ cup hydrogen peroxide
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 2-3 drops tea tree oil
- 5-10 drops peppermint and/or spearmint essential oil (use to taste)
- 2-3 drops eucalyptus oil
- ¼ tsp neem oil (optional)
- ½ tsp turmeric (optional)
- 1 cup warm water
Instructions
- Add the baking soda, turmeric, and neem oil to warm water and stir until it dissolves.
- Add the rest of the ingredients and stir.
- Pour the solution in a glass container with a lid (if you plan of storing the solution for multiple uses).
- Swish the mixture in your mouth as you would any other mouthwash. (Do not swallow the solution, not that you’d want to drink it).
Notes
7. Add tea tree oil to your laundry
Adding tea tree oil to your regular laundry detergent will not only leave your clothes smelling fresh and clean, but it will effectively help clean your washing machine, as well.
How to use
Add 2-3 drops to your laundry detergent dispenser when you add it to the load. If you are using liquid detergent, you can save yourself time by adding about 10-15 drops to your bottle of detergent. We recommend that you use a natural detergent like ECOS.
8. Erase mistakes with tea tree oil
Tea tree oil is a safe way to remove stains like permanent marker without running the risk of damaging or ruining surfaces. Plus, tea tree oil smells way better than other stain removers like rubbing alcohol or nail polish remover.
How to use
To remove a permanent marker stain using tea tree oil, place a few drops of tea tree oil on a cotton ball or Q-tip and rub it over the stain.
9. Use tea tree oil in a natural deodorant
When tea tree oil is added to deodorant, an all-natural deodorant that contains tea tree oil will help keep you clean, dry, and smelling fresh.
How to use
Make your own deodorant with a few household staples. Follow our recipe here —and by all means, experiment to make it your own.
Tea Tree Oil Deodorant
Equipment
- metal pot
- storage container
Ingredients
- 2-3 tbsp coconut oil
- a few drops tea tree oil
- 2-3 tbsp shea butter
- ¼-¾ cup baking soda
- ¼-¾ cup arrowroot powder
- 1-2 tbsp beeswax or soywax (optional)
- 15-20 drops of your favorite essential oils (Lavender and patchouli mix well for a fresh spring scent and frankincense and myrrh mix well for a slightly woodier, masculine scent)
Instructions
- Heat the coconut oil and shea butter until it melts
- Add the tea tree oil
- Add a few drops of your favorite essential oils
- Store in a glass, plastic, or tin container with a lid
- Apply a dime-sized amount with your fingers or with a makeup sponge
10. Make natural insect repellent with tea tree oil
Last but not least, tea tree oil is effective in repelling insects. When added to an emulsifier like beeswax or rice bran wax or carrier oil, it has proven to be more effective than many popular commercial insect repellents. As a bonus, in the event that you a pesky black fly, mosquito, or biting midge slips through, you can use tea tree oil to soothe the bite.
How to use
Add tea tree oil other insect-repelling essential oils to your favorite carrier oil to chase away pests. Here’s one of our favorite mixes:
Ingredients:
- Jojoba seed oil and/or oil
- 2-3 drops of tea tree oil
- 2-3 drops of citronella oil
- 2-3 drops of eucalyptus oil
- 2-3 drops of pennyroyal oil* (optional)
- 2-3 drops of rosemary oil
- 2-3 drops of lavender oil
Directions:
Mix the ingredients together in a jar or bottle with a lid and shake gently. Rub the oil on your skin when you plan to spend time outdoors, where mosquitos and other flittery-fluttery biting critters are present.
Note: Absolutely DO NOT use pennyroyal* if you are concerned about young children (or anyone else) accidentally ingesting the insect repellent. Pennyroyal oil is a great topical product, but highly toxic internally.
And if the little pests still get you, try a double duty pain relief and itch cream like CBDMEDIC’s Itch, Rash, & Pain Medicated Ointment to soothe your skin.
Key Takeaways
Tea tree, when diluted in a carrier oil or added to ointments, topicals, and cleaners, can prove incredibly effective in getting rid of odors, reducing healing time, and helping keep almost any surface, including the skin. That makes this one essential oil you should have in your kitchen, bathroom, or both, at all times. We hope you gained some practical knowledge on tea tree oil uses!
If you enjoyed this article check out our article on aromatherapy benefits!
Leave a comment and tell us what recipe you loved the most!
