Tea Tree oil—enhancing beauty or addressing skin problems?

Malaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Oil – another addition to your collection of essential oils in the closet. Tea tree oil is not excatly an extraction from the beverage tea plant. It is neither a concoction from the green tea plantations. The oils are distilled from the Malaleuca (tea) plant widely grown in Australia.

The antiseptic and antibiotic properties of tea tree oils were always known and traditionally used by the locals for the treatment of skin infections and eruptions. However,  further research into its uses and methods of applications have led to its worldwide acceptance and inclusion in a wide array of medicinal, skin care and cosmetic products.

Beauty product manufacturers big and small, branded and unbranded, are all adding tea tree oil in their list of ingrediends for a plethora of products ranging from scrubs, foams, cleansers, after shave lotions, moisturisers foot creams, shampoos, anti- acne and blackhead removal products.

But the question still remains— whether tea tree oil is a natural beauty product that will help you with a clearer skin, or a fairer complexion, or make it more nourished and soft. None of the above.

Just by itself, it is nothing more than a toxic substance that will kill bacteria, micro-organisms and pests. That bacteria may be thriving on a pimple, or an infectious skin eruption, or as fungus on toe nail or vaginal yeasts. That bacteria may have infested on fish living in stale water or even on plants.

Tea tree oil is an effective pesticide for head lice and dandruff. Then again, it wil not help you grow thicker , longer and healthier hair.

The effectiveness of tea tree oil is limited to its properties of breaking down some of the most difficult and easily propagated bacteria and micro-organisms some of which that are not easily killed by antibiotics.

At this point of time, it is important to note that acne, blackheads and dark spot are also, actualy a result of accumulation of dirt, sebum and thriving microorganisms.

Tea Tree oil is capable of tackling such shady bacterias, but then again, direct application onto your skin (without precautionary measures) can be dangerous. Firstly, your skin needs to be tested for any allergic reaction or irritation towards the oil. Secondly, topical application of the oil should mean the oil is applied neatly only on the acne and blemishes. Concentrated oils should not be be used on unblemished skin.

A better way to use tea tree oil is to dissolve it in carrier oils in prescribed concentrations (@5% or less). Then they need to be mixed with suitable acids that will breakdown the dirt and lastly, the melaleuca oils will fight the germs to prevent them from spreading.

Then why has it become one of the most marketable and popularised natural product in the beauty industry?

A: It is natural

B: It need not be consumed as antibiotic pills that have an adverse effect   on the liver

C: It is most effective as a cure to many skin ailments

D: It is useful as a preventive medicine to help stop the spread of germs and infections even before they can adversely harm the skin

E: Because nothing else can match its usefulness in its areas of activity

Tea tree oil is a top notch skin care product, which can cure many types of skin diseases and infections including MRSA, toe nail fungus, athelets foot, warts, ring worms, sunburns and rashes.

Its main use is to become beautiful by clearing the skin of all its imperfections caused due to dirt, fungus and bacteria. But it is not a skin cleanser like fresh cream,  that you can keep appliyng it again and again to make the skin fairer, softer or more nouirished.

Tea tree oil is a strong antiseptic that should be used intelligently and sparingly to quickly do away with your skin problems.