Amazing Benefits Of Tea Tree Oil For Your Hair & More • A Little Hippie-ish

Tea tree has been in the natural healer’s medicine cabinet for years and has been a go-to for many people wanting a natural remedy to many ailments. With its many uses and healing properties, it’s no wonder why this amazing plant is a staple. I recently rediscovered tea tree oil when it comes to scalp care. I have a dry scalp and it was constantly irritated, I was talking to my mother about it when she recommended tea tree oil to help. When I used it on my scalp I felt instant relief and wanted to learn more about it. Today I will show you how I used the oil to help with my irritated scalp as well as some additional benefits of this amazing oil.

What is Tea Tree Oil?

First, let’s get into what Tea tree oil is and find out a little history of it. The history of oil starts in Australia dating back to the aboriginal times. Coming from the Melaleuca alternifoila, it is native and Queensland and South Wales, Australia. While they would use the to make tea the aboriginal people would crush the leaves and extract the oil which was then inhaled to help treat coughs and colds. It was also used topically to heal the skin.^.1

Tea Tree Oil Benefits

While we are here for scalp health I wanted to give you a very brief overview of some of the other amazing uses for this oil that you might need. ²

Anti Inflammatory

Due to its high concentration of terpinen-4-ol a compound with anti-inflammatory properties it can curb inflammation. It might also help with redness and swelling, such as if you’re having an allergic reaction to something like Nickle.

Anti-Fungal

Studies have shown tea tree oil can kill a range of yeasts and fungi through its antifungal properties.

Acne

Research has shown that tea tree oil can slowly improve acne with little to no side effects.

Athlete’s Foot

Symptoms of athlete’s foot were reduced through topical application of tea tree oil cream.

Dandruff and Cradle Cap

Using shampoos or oils with 5% tea tree oil daily when you have mild to moderate dandruff has been shown to have significant improvement in the overall severity as well as any irritation or greasiness.

Is It Safe?

For the most part, yes, tea tree oil is very safe to use but everyone is different. Always when using a new oil apply 1 drop to the skin and wait about 30 minutes to see if you have an allergic reaction in or around the area. If you are having a reaction you might have itchiness, skin dryness, stinging, redness, or skin burning.

Using Tea Tree oil for hair

*Note: Please do not apply pure tea tree oil to your scalp. It’s always best to use a carrier oil like olive jojoba oil, or coconut oil to dilute it.

As I previously stated I used the oil to help calm my irritated scalp and help my overall scalp health. It has been very dry lately and with my yoga routine, the product and sweat build-up did not help. I would scratch my head or it would just feel hot and irritated even after a wash and my usual oil did not help. I added tea tree oil to my hair care routine and it helped calm my skin and deeply moisturize my scalp not to mention it felt fresher longer than usual. Here is my hair routine.

After washing my hair and conditioning my hair with the Melanin Shampoo and conditioner I added 25 drops of tea tree oil to half of a bottle of olive oil hair oil that I had and applied it directly to my scalp. After my scalp is fully saturated I massage it in and leave it in. If I am retwisting my hair I rinse it out and apply a mask. If I’m not then I won’t rinse the oil out at all, it’s all up to how your hair and scalp feel.

Tea tree oil is a great addition not only to your beauty routine but to your medicine cabinet. I know it has helped me and my family for years and I’m sure it will help you and yours as well. Thank you again for reading.