Archive for the ‘General’ Category
Tea tree oil and bee stings
On September 27, 2008 in Skin, General
Tea tree oil is a natural astringent and has antibiotic properties, so it helps to speed recovery from bee stings. Some experts will say they think tea tree oil actually stays on the wound longer than normal antisepctics or antibiotic creams because it combines with the skin’s natural oil.
Mommy.com has an article about how to use tea tree oil for wasp and bee stings - here’s a quote from their article:-
For bee stings, first remove the stinger and clean the area with diluted bicarbonate soda. For a wasp sting, clean the area with either diluted lemon juice or vinegar and then put two drops of lavender and two drops of tea tree oil on a cold cloth and put it over the sting site. This will take away the pain and work as an anti-bacterial agent at the same time, while the cold cloth will help reduce the swelling.
Lavender has remarkable soothing properties not only on the skin, but the scent has a calming effect. It is an anti-inflammatory as well as analgesic and promotes healthy healing of the tissue.
Tea Tree Oil is unusual in that it is active against all three varieties of infectious organisms: viruses, bacteria and fungi. It has a powerful immune-stimulant, so when the body is threatened by one of these infectious organisms the tea tree oil increases your ability to fight infections.
How much tea tree oil do I use for bee stings?
Bella Online has an in-depth article about the many uses of tea tree oil - here’s what they suggest for the treatment of mosquito bites and bee stings:-
Bites: for mosquito bites and bee stings dilute 1 part tea tree oil in 3 parts olive oil and apply to the affected area.
Tea tree oil repellant to avoid bee stings
Here’s a really handy tip for a home-made spray which will help deter bees from Life Tools for Women:-
BeeGone Spray: For exposed areas, make up a spritzer bottle of one teaspoon of tea tree essential oil, one teaspoon of lavender essential oil, one teaspoon of citronella oil and half a cup of vodka. Firstly, spray it on the hands then apply to the neck and face, avoiding the eyes.
Treat bee stings with tea tree oil and lavender
Skin Care Recipes and Remedies offers the following advice for treating bee stings using tea tree oil:-
Mix 2 drops of tea tree oil with 1 drop of lavender oil. Use a cotton swab to gently apply on the spot.
Tea tree oil for bug bites
On September 27, 2008 in Skin, General
Next time you’re planning on going out for a hike or bushwalk, make sure your first aid kit includes a bottle of tea tree oil, as it’s the perfect cure for taking the sting out of bug bites.
Apply tea tree oil solution to the bug bite
Pretty Smart Natural Ideas has the following recipe containing tea tree oil so you can make your own solution to treat bug bites using tea tree oil:
FOR ITCHY INSECT BITES
to alleviate swelling and relieve itching of insect bites.1 drop Roman Chamomile
1 drop tea-tree
1 drop savory
2 oz. witch hazel extractBlend oils with witch-hazel.
Soak a cotton ball in the mix and dab on insect bites.
Also helps protect skin from infection resulting from scratching
Mix tea tree oil with aloe vera gel for bug bites
Here’s a quote from an article called “My Guide to Insect Bites“:
No wonder they’re the number one natural choice for treating insect bites, bee and wasp stings. They help in easing small pestering conditions, such as minor rashes, insect bites, and calluses on our feet. For insect bites: Mix a 5% dilution of tea tree oil with aloe vera gel.
Natural remedy using tea tree oil for bug bites
About.com : Green Living offers the following advice for a natural remedy using tea tree oil:-
When a bug, like a mosquito or a chigger, bites it injects a bit of its saliva into your skin. It is this saliva, along with your body’s reaction to it, which causes that unpleasant itch. But do not scratch, that only makes things worse. Perhaps the most effective is tea tree oil and lavender. The tea tree oil disinfects the area while the lavender is a natural anti-inflammatory. Go ahead and apply the oil to the skin and let it do its magic. You also smell good too.
Tea tree oil uses
On April 02, 2008 in Acne, General
A natural essential oil, tea tree oil is a great way to treat your family for many ailments in an organic way. Tea tree oil uses are wide and varied – this article will show you ways in which you can use tea tree oil in your home.
Tea tree oil use with sick family
Socal.com offers the following suggestions for tea tree oil uses when sick:-
Head or chest cold: I have effectively used tea tree oil to ward off an oncoming head or chest cold. It should be used at the first signs, however is effective in lessening symptoms, with the added benefit of ensuring that others do not catch the virus from you. Use the tea tree oil in an inhalation method or apply a few drops to a lotion and gently massage around the throat and chest area.
Sick Room Disinfectant: If there are others around you who are ill consider disinfecting the air in the home. Do this by dispersing the tea tree oil molecules in the air via a vaporizer, diffuser or aromatherapy lamp.
Other methods - Add a few drops of tea tree oil to a handkerchief or tissue and breathe in the oil regularly throughout the day. Add a few drops of tea tree oil to your cleaning cloth or use tea tree oil based cleaners (tea tree oil is an excellent solvent). When washing the clothing and bed linen of the sick person, add a few drops of tea tree oil to the wash.
Tea Tree Oil use for treating skin problems
Tea Tree Oil has the following information about cleansing the skin in order to prevent acne:-
The key when you have acne is to get to the root of the problem. The reason why Tea tree oil works so well is because it has anti fungal and anti bacterial properties. Banishing dirt and bacteria and helping your little craters to clear up. I always add it to my face cleanser or put it in the freezer for a bit. It feels great on your face after a hot day. Just a few drops will do!!… Don’t forget to treat your hair with it as well. It’s great for people with curls that get frizzy fast … just add it to your shampoo ! cheers to brighter, tighter and more beautiful skin!
For other ideas about tea tree oil use with acne, visit our Tea tree oil - acne, pimple prevention and treatment post.
Socal.com also has some advice on tea tree oil use for acne and dry skin problems:-
Acne: A tiny amount - less than a drop - applied directly to the spot can help clear the skin. The tea tree oil will also help heal the skin and prevent further breakouts.
Dry skin / eczema / psoriasis / dermatitis: Continued use of tea tree oil based moisturizing lotions can counter these chronic skin conditions (along with nutritional and diet changes and stress management, depending upon what brings on the condition).
Keep in mind that given the chronic nature of these skin conditions there will be no immediate “cure”. Many prescribed products may bring about immediate relief but beware side effects and the rebound effect (condition worsens when medication stops, therefore back on the medication).
Other tea tree oil uses
Kidzworld has some remedies for bad breath and muscle pain – more tea tree oil uses for around the home:-
Bad Breath: Add 3 drops to water and use as tea tree mouthwash twice daily. Add 2 to 3 drops to toothpaste when brushing teeth.
Muscle Pain: Before and after strenuous sport rub pure Australian tea tree oil into muscles. Add 1 ml to hot bath and soak for relief after sports.
Tea tree oil uses and health risks
As with any type of treatment, you need to be aware of any potential health risks before using tea tree oil. Pregnant women and nursing mothers should always be very careful about the essential oils they use on their skin and in other forms like oil burners etc. Always consult your doctor for advice.
Lavender and tea tree oil
On April 02, 2008 in General
There’s been some talk recently that Lavender and tea tree oils can simulate the effects of oestrogen, thereby causing possible breast enlargement in boys.
The link between lavender and tea tree oil
ABC Health & Wellbeing reported the following on the link between lavender and tea tree oil:-
It’s normal for boys going through puberty to get some breast enlargement, even though it can worry parents especially if the breasts are tender.
What’s not normal is when a boy gets breast enlargement before puberty. Sometimes there’s an abnormality in the way hormones are being metabolized but usually, despite lots of tests, nothing turns up. What’s often suspected but rarely found is something in the child’s environment which is imitating the female hormone oestrogen - or indeed they’ve got hold of their mum’s contraceptive pills.
A series of three cases of young boys with breast enlargement found a common factor. They were using products which contained lavender or tea tree oil such as balm, skin lotion, styling gel, shampoo and lavender scented soap. And the boys’ breasts went back to normal size when these things were stopped.
The researchers then did laboratory tests on cell cultures and found that both lavender and tea tree oils can simulate the effects of oestrogen and block male hormones. Therefore they concluded that the oils were probably the cause in these children and that people should be aware of this possibility.
Lavender and tea tree oil – can it cause breast enlargement in boys?
Virtual Medical Centre.com has published the following article on the link between tea tree oil and lavender products causing enlarged breasts in boys:-
Researchers at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), confirmed in laboratory studies what a pediatric endocrinologist at the University of Colorado at Denver and Health Science Center’s School of Medicine suspected after diagnosing three of his young male patients with prepubertal gynaecomastia. The researchers found an association between the use of products containing these oils and the rare disorder, but cautioned more research is needed. At this point, the findings are only applicable to young males with unexplainable enlarged breasts who are regularly using products containing these essential oils.
Virtual Medical Centre.com has the following quote from the author of the study with his advice to doctors about the link between lavender and tea tree oil causing breast enlargement:-
“We want to encourage doctors who may be seeing patients with gynaecomastia to ask their patients about the products they are using. Patients with prepubertal gynaecomastia may want to consider reducing the use of products that contain these oils,” said Ken Korach, Ph.D., chief, Laboratory Reproductive and Developmental Toxicology at NIEHS and author on the study. “Although we found an association between exposure to these essential oils and gynaecomastia, further research is needed to determine the prevalence of prepubertal gynaecomastia in boys using products containing lavender and tea tree oils. Results of such epidemiological studies are important to tell us how strong the association is between topical application of the oils and prepubertal gynaecomastia”
The three otherwise healthy Caucasian boys, ages four, seven and 10 years, had normal hormonal levels when they were diagnosed with gynaecomastia by Clifford Bloch, M.D., in Colorado. All had either used lavender-scented soap and skin lotions, or shampoos or styling products that contained tea tree oil and lavender oil as ingredients. In each case, several months after the suspected products were discontinued, the gynaecomastia had subsided or resolved.
Tea tree essential oil
On February 29, 2008 in Yeast Infections, Ringworm, Nail Fungus, Acne, Soap, Fleas, Hemorrhoids, General, Dandruff, Head Lice, Warts, Lung Problems, Shampoo
Tea tree oil is one of only two essential oils that can be applied directly to the skin (lavender is the other oil). Here’s a brief rundown on the properties and uses of tea tree essential oil from AromaWeb:-
Botanical Name: Melaleuca alternifolia
Common Method of Extraction: Steam Distilled
Color: Clear with a Yellow Tinge
Consistency: Thin
Perfumery Note: Middle
Strength of Initial Aroma: Medium
Aromatic Description: Medicinal, fresh, woody, earthy, herbaceous.Possible Uses: Acne, athlete’s foot, candida, chicken pox, cold sores, colds, corns, cuts, flu, insect bites, itching, migraine, oily skin, ringworm, sinusitis, sores, spots, urethritis, warts, whooping cough.
How to use tea tree essential oil
www.essentialoils.co.za by Esoteric Oils CC gives the following suggestions for using tea tree essential oil:-
Tea tree oil is one of the most powerful immune stimulant oils and helps fight infections of all kinds and helps clear the skin.
Burners and vaporizers
o In vapor therapy, tea tree oil helps with colds, sinusitis, bronchitis and any other respiratory ailment and is also of use to help the mind cope after shock.Blended massage oil or in the bath
o As a blended massage oil or diluted in the bath, tea tree oil helps with all respiratory ailments, as well as arthritis, colds, dermatitis, skin infections, scalp disorders, sinusitis, viral infections, nettle rash, babies colds and coughs, bronchitis, as well as for sweaty feet.
In wash or applied neat
o When it is added to the water for washing it has great value to treat abscesses, bed sores, acne, boils, lice, dandruff, wounds, as well as animal or human bites and can also be applied neat on problem areas with a cotton bud.
o For lice - apply neat onto the scalp - leave for 40 minutes and wash the hair. This must be repeated every second day for twelve days.
o Fungal outbreaks such as athlete’s foot and nail infections (paronychia) as well as vaginal thrush and cradle cap can be treated with frequent direct application of a 2.5% dilution of tea tree oil.
o Please remember that it is a powerful essential oil, and the neat application onto the skin must be done with care.
Mouthwash
o Tea tree oil can be used as a mouthwash for gum infections, mouth ulcers, throat infections and tonsillitis, while garlic eaters believe that it reduces the smell of garlic on the breath. Although we know that the oil will definitely benefit the infectious problem, we are unsure of the success with the smell of garlic.
Cream or lotion
o When tea tree oil is blended into a cream or lotion and applied to the skin, it will help to clear up any fungal, bacterial as well as viral infections - and can therefore be used for a variety of problems - ranging from boils, abscesses, acne, bite wounds from animals and humans (although a medical practitioner must also be consulted), dandruff and other scalp disorders and is also effective to help sort out bed sores, diaper rash or any other rash.
History of tea tree essential oil
Scent by Nature gives us a brief history of where tea tree essential oil originated from, and what are the benefits of using tea tree essential oil:-
Where Does Tea Tree Oil Come From?
Pure Tea Tree Oil for therapeutic use is clear/pale yellow in appearance with a clean, fresh medicinal aroma. It has the consistency of water and is extracted by steam distillation from the leaves and twigs of the native Australian shrub Melaleuca Alternifolia.
The use of this oil as an antiseptic has been found to be ten times more powerful than carbolic acid and yet is non-toxic and non-irritating to the skin.What Are The Benefits?
The Australian Aborigines were the first to unearth the benefits of Tea Tree long ago when they began to harvest the leaves for their medicinal use. Tea Tree oil products are now increasingly sought after as extensive scientific studies over recent years have shown it to be effective against bacterial, viral and fungal organisms whilst being a powerful immuno-stimulant, increasing the body’s ability to fight off illness or infection. Melaleuca Oil is also a parasiticide and used by many as a flea, headlouse and insect repellent.
It can alleviate inflammation and may help wound healing by encouraging tissue regeneration.
How Safe Is It?
Tea Tree oil is non-toxic. It is generally non-irritating but as with all essential oils those with sensitive skin should use the oil in low dilutions to begin with.
Feel free to click on the navigation items around this site for more information on how tea tree essential oil can help you.