The 12 Best Tea Tree Oil Uses And Benefits

Tea tree is pretty much the antiseptic before there were modern antiseptics. It can treat wounds, disinfect surfaces, and generally do everything that we take for granted in our modern antiseptics today – but with a natural source.

Tea tree plant is also known as melaleuca. People started harvesting and using the essential oil from the tea tree plant since about the 1920s – the process was started in Australia.

Since tea tree oil is such a powerful antiseptic and disinfectant, the number of uses it currently has is pretty staggering. As an essential oil, it has a number of different strengths in its wheelhouse that make life easier for millions of people.

Whether it’s treating health conditions like acne or cold sores, or improving the health of your skin and hair, or killing mold in your house, or treating skin conditions and other infections – tea tree oil can be used to conquer a truly amazing number of problems.

In fact, before we get into the nitty gritty of tea tree oil uses, let’s take a high level look at the number of problems that tea tree oil can solve.

Let’s start with non-medical uses first. You can use it as an insect repellant. And as a mold remover. Oh, and a household cleaner. Need a natural laundry freshener? Tea tree oil is great for that.

It can help clear up unpleasant foot odors. It works as a face wash to fight against acne. It even works as a deodorant.

But we’re not done yet.

Got chicken pox? Tea tree oil can help. It can also help clear up fungal infections, head lice, sunburns, psoriasis, dry cuticles, acne, bacterial infections, cold sores, halitosis, mrsa, staph infection boils, bug bites… what more could you want?

It’s gotten to the point that many health professionals will prescribe tea tree oil instead of a normal medication – because in many cases tea tree oil is equally effective, without any unpleasant side effects.

more: 12 Effective Natural Treatments To Get Rid Of Dandruff

When seeking help with a medical issue, it’s always a good idea to talk to your doctor to find out what’s right for you. Your doctor will be able to discuss your options with you, and only you and your doctor know all the history and pertinent information when it comes to you and your health.

Just remember: tea tree oil can be used aromatically or topically, but never use tea tree oil internally. Tea tree oil has been proven to be poisonous if swallowed, so never ever ingest tea tree oil.

With that warning out of the way, let’s get right into some of the best uses of tea tree oil.

The Best Uses For Tea Tree Oil

1. Tea Tree Oil Can Help You Clean Up Your House

Tea tree oil, as previously mentioned, is a powerful antiseptic and antimicrobial cleaner.

Plain English? It kills off the bacteria you don’t want. It kills it dead.

Try mixing water, vinegar, lemon essential oil, and tea tree oil together and then using that combination to clean off surfaces in your home. You can use it in the kitchen, or the bathroom, or on counters – really anywhere you want a pleasant, lemony, all natural cleaner to kill off bad bacteria and leave your home feeling fresh and clean.

more: The 16 Best Anti-Inflammatory Foods

2. Stop Foot Stink With Tea Tree Oil

It happens to everyone at one time or another. Your shoes get wet, your socks get wet, and for one reason or another your feet don’t smell as great as they should.

Enter tea tree oil. You can use tea tree oil as a way to get rid of foot odor and leave your feet smelling much better. (1)

Mix together 10 drops of tea tree oil, 10 drops of lavender oil, a quarter cup baking soda and a quarter cup cornstarch to make an excellent foot powder that will stop foot odor in its “tracks”.

more: 10 Side Effects Of Castor Oil To Watch Out For

3. Keep Insects Away From You

Most people don’t want bugs around them – and tea tree oil is a great way to accomplish that goal. Tea tree oil is an anti-parasitic, which means it’ll stop bugs like ticks, leeches, fleas, and lice from growing. (2)

Try soaking some cotton balls in tea tree oil and leaving them around where you think bugs might be coming from to get the drop on infestations.

Tea tree oil also works to repel bugs like mosquitos and other unpleasant outdoor pests. You can mix a few drops of tea tree oil into water in a spray bottle and use it as a natural homemade mosquito repellent and remedy.

more: 4 Ways To Naturally Whiten Your Teeth At Home

4. Tea Tree Oil Can Get Rid Of Acne

Want acne gone fast? Tea tree oil can help.

You can find tea tree oil in tons of different skin products on the market – as it’s been considered an excellent remedy for acne and other skin blemishes. (3)

If you want to make your own face wash at home, try this recipe: add 5 to 6 drops of tea tree oil into 2 teaspoons of honey. Make sure the honey you use is raw and organic. Then, use that as a face wash – rubbing it into your skin and leaving it on for 2 or 3 minutes, then rinsing it off.

more: The 25 Best Home Remedies For Acne And Pimples

5. Tea Tree Oil Gets Rid Of Mold From Your House

Want to clear out the mold in your house? Look no further than tea tree oil.

It’s excellent at killing all sorts of parasites, and it does huge amounts of work on the organisms you don’t want in your house, like mold and bad bacteria.

If you want to get rid of mold from your house, get a diffuser and use it to diffuse tea tree oil around the parts of your house with mold.

more: The 12 Best Home Remedies To Get Rid Of Blackheads

6. Tea Tree Oil Helps Cure Skin Conditions

If you’re suffering from skin conditions like eczema or psoriasis, tea tree oil can help.

All you need to do is mix together 4 or 5 drops of tea tree oil with 5 drops of lavender oil and 1 teaspoon of coconut oil.

This mixture will give you a great soap that can help get rid of eczema or psoriasis and get your skin feeling better and less inflamed. (4)

7. Get Rid Of Halitosis With Tea Tree Oil

The best kind of oral health is when you can feel good about your gums, your teeth, and your breath – without having to think about it too much.

Tea tree oil makes an excellent mouthwash ingredient because it can kill off bacteria and also cut down on inflammation. It’s effective at getting rid of halitosis, reducing tooth decay, and reducing bleeding gums. (5)

Mix together tea tree oil, baking soda, and coconut oil to form a great antibacterial toothpaste. Just remember, tea tree oil is poisonous, so just like with regular toothpaste, never swallow it.

more: 15 Incredible Home Remedies For Arthritis And Joint Pain

8. Tea Tree Oil Can Heal Your Hair And Scalp

Tea tree oil has been demonstrated to be effective for your hair health and your scalp health. That’s because it reduces inflammation and can soothe irritated skin, especially dry flaky skin found on the scalp.

It’s also effective at getting rid of dandruff – so if you’re looking for a home remedy for itchy, flaky, dandruff and scalp problems – look no further than tea tree oil.

Add 7 or so drops of tea tree oil to aloe vera gel, coconut milk, and a few drops of lavender oil to make a homemade shampoo that’s effective against all sorts of scalp problems.

9. Use Tea Tree Oil To Disinfect Cuts

If you’ve got a wound that needs cleaning, tea tree oil is an excellent home remedy for it. That’s because of its powerful antiseptic and antibacterial properties.

Before applying tea tree oil, clean the cut with water. You can also use hydrogen peroxide if it’s required to clean out the cut. (6)

Then, apply a bandage with tea tree oil on it to help keep the wound from getting infected.

10. Tea Tree Oil Can Help Treat And Repel Lice

Remember how we talked about how tea tree oil is great at killing parasites and other unwanted intruders? That holds true for lice.

A mixture of tea tree oil and peppermint oil has been shown to be effective in repelling head lice in children. There have been many studies on tea tree oil and head lice, and its’ been found to be effective at killing lice during their lymph and adult stages.

One study even found that tea tree oil is more effective than chemical anti-lice shampoo at getting rid of lice completely.

So if you’re suffering from lice – it might be a good idea to reach for the tea tree oil.

11. Tea Tree Oil Can Get Rid Of B.O.

Want a natural, homemade option for deodorant? Look no further than tea tree oil.

That’s because antimicrobial tea tree oil is effective at killing the bacteria that are causing the odor in the first place.

Mix together coconut oil, baking soda, and tea tree oil and you’ve got your homemade deodorant!

12. Ringworm And Toenail Fungus Are No Match For Tea Tree Oil

Suffering from infections in your foot like ringworm or toenail fungus? Try tea tree oil as a remedy!

Tea tree oil is great at killing off both fungal infections and parasites – making it an easy choice for getting rid of both of these foot maladies.

Apply undiluted tea tree oil to the infection site with a cotton swab to let it do its work.

If you’re trying to get rid of toenail fungus, mix together some tea tree oil with oil of oregano, which is also a potent anti-fungal.

Are There Side Effects Of Tea Tree Oil?

Generally, tea tree oil is considered to be a safe remedy. Some people with sensitive skin experience irritation and other reactions on contact with tea tree oil.

Tea tree oil should never be used internally, or applied near the eyes, the inside of your nose, or other sensitive areas on your body. Also keep tea tree oil away from contact lenses.

Most skincare products that use tea tree oil use about a 5 or 10% concentration. Higher concentrations than that can cause dermatitis reactions, so there’s a small amount of risk of a reaction when using tea tree oil.

As with all home remedies, it’s best to try just a little bit to see what your body’s reaction is going to be before going in whole hog with a treatment.

Try applying a small amount of tea tree oil to your arm to see how your skin responds before applying a lot of it elsewhere.

more: Amazing Health Benefits Of Tea Tree Oil

How Do You Use Tea Tree Oil?

Generally, there are a couple of accepted ways to use tea tree oil.

You can use it topically to treat skin infections and other unwanted skin conditions. Just make sure to dilute it in a 1 to 1 ratio before applying it directly to your skin. I like using oils like olive oil or coconut oil in order to dilute it.

You can use it as an aromatherapy to make your house smell nice. You do this by diffusing it throughout your house, or diluting it and adding it to a spritz bottle. You can also diffuse it throughout your house with a diffuser to kill mold growing.

One thing you should never do is use tea tree oil internally. It has been classified as poisonous by the National Poison Center – so keep tea tree oil out of your body and definitely never swallow it.

more: 5 Must Know Benefits Of Tea Tree Oil

If you’re using tea tree oil as toothpaste or another oral remedy, always always always spit it out and rinse your mouth afterwards.

Make sure to keep tea tree oil away from heat sources and light. Essential oils keep their potency the best if they’re not exposed to any air, light, or heat sources – so keeping them in a cool dry dark place like a pantry or a cabinet is the best way to make sure your tea tree oil stays potent.

Finally, make sure that if you’re buying tea tree oil you always buy 100% pure oil – don’t go any lower than that. Real tea tree oil will always be labeled “melaleucaalternifolia”, as that is the plant that tea tree oil is derived from.

It’s best to use the highest quality essential oils that you can find, so if you can use tea tree oil that’s labeled organic and as therapeutic grade oil.

more: Tea Tree Oil Uses And Benefits

How To Make Tea Tree Oil Cleaning Fluid

If you want to make the best kind of tea tree oil cleaner, this is the recipe that I like to use.

It’s super easy to make, takes just a couple minutes to mix up, and is really effective. Mix the ingredients together, add it to a glass spray bottle, and you’re good to go.

What you need:

½ cup of white vinegar

3 cups of water

About 10 drops of tea tree oil (about ¼ of a teaspoon)

Optional: A different essential oil for scent. Personally, I like to use about the same amount of lemon juice as tea tree oil).

Take your spray bottle and fill it with your ingredients – then close it up and shake it up. Shake it well before each use and you should be all set!

Just remember to keep pure tea tree oil away from pets, as it’s highly toxic to animals in undiluted form.

In summary…

The Best Natural Tea Tree Oil Uses And Benefits

1. Tea tree oil can help you clean up your house
2. Stop foot stink with tea tree oil
3. Keep insects away from you
4. Tea tree oil can get rid of acne
5. Tea tree oil gets rid of mold from your house
6. Tea tree oil helps cure skin conditions
7. Get rid of halitosis with tea tree oil
8. Tea tree oil can heal your hair and scalp
9. Use tea tree oil to disinfect cuts
10. Tea tree oil can help treat and repel lice
11. Tea tree oil can get rid of b.o.
12. Ringworm and toenail fungus are no match for tea tree oil