What are the Benefits of Using Tea Tree Oil?
An essential oil that’s been known to be good for the hair, nails, and skin, tea tree oil has pretty much become a household name.
Tea tree oil comes from Melaleuca alternifolia leaves, a small tree that grows exclusively in Queensland and New South Wales, Australia.
Both inexpensive and safe, this magnificent oil comes with scientifically-backed benefits that make it an absolute must-have.
Unlike the traditional tea leaves used to produce green, black, and oolong tea, tea tree oil is most effective when used externally.
Below are some of the benefits of using tea tree oil.
It can be used to treat minor cuts and scrapes
It’s a fact that germs can easily penetrate wounds and broken skin which can lead to infection.
The good news is, tea tree oil can be used to treat minor cuts and scrapes because it has the ability to disinfect the wound and prevent bacteria from getting in.
Just clean the wound with water and soap then apply a mix of one drop of tea tree oil and one teaspoon of coconut oil.
Cover the wound and repeat the process once or twice and you’re good to go.
It can be an effective hand sanitizer
Tea tree oil can also be used as a natural hand sanitizer.
This is because studies have shown that it can eliminate common viruses, germs, and bacteria that are usually responsible for several illnesses like colds and flu.
Another study also showed that adding tea tree oil to a couple of types of cleansers made them even more effective in fighting E. coli.
It makes wounds heal faster
Apart from keeping wounds from getting infected, tea tree oil also promotes faster wound healing.
Studies have shown that tea tree oil can reduce inflammation as well as positively affect the activity of white blood cells which are essential to the process.
Another study showed that applying tea tree oil on wounds reduced the healing time for all but one of the participants (there were 10).
It can help treat nail fungus
Nail fungus is by no means dangerous but they’re not really nice to look at either.
While they’re quite common and there are several medications available for such, natural treatment is still the best approach and tea tree oil provides an excellent alternative.
This is because tea tree oil has proven to effective in treating nail fungus either when used by itself or when combined with other natural remedies.
It can help control dandruff
Having dandruff can be annoying and inconvenient especially when it becomes so itchy.
Although there are shampoos and other hair treatments available to treat dandruff, studies have also shown that tea tree oil can be equally effective.
The same study showed that the group who used a shampoo that contains tea tree oil saw significant improvements in terms of the greasiness and itchiness of dandruff.
Final Thoughts
Based on the benefits discussed, it’s safe to say that tea tree oil is a versatile essential oil that can be used for several purposes.
What makes it a great alternative is that unlike chemical-based solutions, tea tree oil is all-natural, easy to use, and more importantly, very much affordable.