Tea Tree Oil

Tea tree oil is an essential oil that comes from the Australian tea tree, Melaleuca alternifolia. The oil is distilled from the plant's leaves using steam.

What Is Tea Tree Oil?

Tea tree oil is an essential oil that comes from the Australian tea tree, Melaleuca alternifolia. The oil is distilled from the plant's leaves using steam.

Australian people have used tea tree oil for almost 100 years as a natural remedy and topical antiseptic (germ-killing substance). Today, you can buy it as an essential oil, as an ingredient in some over-the-counter natural remedies, and in cleaning products. Melaleuca oil is another name for tea tree oil.

How Is Tea Tree Oil Used?

Tea tree oil is known for its supposed ability to kill germs like bacteria, viruses, and fungi. People use it to treat:

Acne
Athlete's foot
Nail fungus
Lice
Cuts
Bug bites
Mite infections of the eyelid (demodex blepharitis)

A few small studies have shown that tea tree oil may be helpful for acne and athlete's foot. But overall, there isn't enough evidence to confirm it works for any of these conditions.

Tea tree oil is meant for topical use (on the skin). It's poisonous and can cause serious side effects if swallowed.

Tea Tree Oil Benefits

Tea tree oil may kill a variety of bacteria, fungi, and other germs. These germ-killing properties have made the essential oil a popular ingredient in topical remedies for conditions like acne, fungal nail infections, and athlete's foot.

Tea tree oil for acne

Pimples grow when bacteria, dead skin cells, and oil clog pores or hair follicles in the skin. Tea tree oil's anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties might make it a useful treatment for acne. In some studies, tea tree oil reduced the number of pimples and made skin less oily. Although it didn't work quite as well as the acne treatment benzoyl peroxide, tea tree oil had fewer side effects.

You can use tea tree oil on your skin every day, but first dilute it with coconut oil, jojoba oil, or argan oil. At full strength, tea tree oil can cause dryness and blisters. To be safe, try it out on a small area of your skin before using it on your whole face to make sure you don't have a reaction.