10 Reasons To Fall In Love With Tea Tree Oil
10 Reasons To Fall In Love With Tea Tree Oil

Tea tree oil is one of the best-known natural skin care ingredients for promoting clear and balanced skin.

Also known as melaleuca oil, this star ingredient is the heart of the Desert Essence clean skin care line.

But tea tree oil’s health and beauty benefits go far beyond reducing blemishes and balancing oily skin.

Here, you’ll learn ten reasons to fall in love with tea tree oil (like we have!) and make it a staple in your clean beauty and personal care routine.

What is Tea Tree Oil?

Tea tree oil is the essential oil of the tea tree, which is steam-distilled from the leaves.

Native to Australia, the tea tree has a rich history of traditional use for promoting various aspects of health and beauty, including:

  • Soothing skin irritations
  • Supporting immunity
  • Calming coughs and respiratory issues
  • As an antiseptic
  • As an antifungal
  • For swelling
  • For wound healing

Although not all these traditional uses have been verified, modern research has begun to explore and validate many of tea tree’s legendary applications, including its antimicrobial, antifungal, anti-inflammatory, and antibacterial properties.

For these reasons, it is a popular essential oil and ingredient in various skin, hair, and body care products as well as supplements and cleaning products.

There are many reasons to consider incorporating tea tree into your home and beauty care routine.

Next, we’ll explore ten benefits of tea tree oil for skin, hair, body care, and beyond based on research.

10 Reasons To Fall In Love With Tea Tree Oil For Skin, Hair, and Beyond

1. Tea Tree Oil Helps Reduce Blemishes & Balance Oily Skin

Tea tree oil may be best known for its zit-zapping prowess in the skincare space.

In fact, research has shown that its positive effects on blemishes are comparable to benzoyl peroxide, with fewer side effects.

Its natural antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and non-comedogenic properties make it ideal for oily, blemish-prone, or combination skin types.

Tea tree oil is central to Desert Essence’s best-selling products, including: 

Have blemishes on your back, chest, or other areas beyond the face?

Try our Tea Tree Oil Cleansing Soap Bar, NEW Exfoliating Manuka and Tea Tree Cleansing Bar, or Tea Tree Oil Liquid Castile Soap for full-body benefits.

2. Tea Tree Oil is Rich in Age-Defying Antioxidants

Analytical studies have shown tea tree oil is rich in various active plant compounds, including inflammation and disease-fighting antioxidants like α-terpinene, α-terpinolene, and γ-terpinene.

This is great news for skin, because antioxidants fight free radicals, unstable molecules that can damage skin cells and accelerate aging over time.

Studies have shown the application of tea tree oil in various forms and concentrations can help with several skin issues related to aging, including sun damage, collagen production, skin thickness, and skin inflammation.

3. Tea Tree Oil Is Excellent For Hair & Scalp

Essential oils like tea tree, oregano, and lavender have long been used to promote healthy-looking hair, hair growth, and scalp health.

Emerging research also suggests that tea tree may help reduce hair shedding and oiliness and control dandruff.

Tea tree oil can be used in many hair applications, including hair oiling, shampoos, and conditioners.

Desert Essences offers several tea-tree-based hair care products, including:

4. Tea Tree Oil Can Help With Minor Cuts, Scrapes, and Skin Irritations

Tea tree oil, known for its antiseptic qualities, can be helpful for minor cuts, scrapes, and skin irritations.

Because of its inherently clarifying, antibacterial, and cleansing properties, it can be used to clean and treat minor cuts, scrapes, and burns. 

After washing and cleaning your affected area with soap and water, or Tea Tree Oil Liquid Castile Soap, apply a small amount of diluted tea tree oil, like Kinder To Skin Manuka Oil And Tea Tree or Tea Tree Oil Relief Spray to calm and soothe.

5. Tea Tree Oil Has Specific Oral Care Benefits

Tea tree oil may be best-known for its skin benefits, but it’s also effective for promoting healthy teeth and gums.

Specifically, tea tree oil’s natural antimicrobial properties help soothe minor gum irritation and prevent cavities by promoting oral microbiome health and removing cavity-forming sugar acids.

Research also suggests tea tree mouthwashes may help reduce plaque.

Desert Essence’s sugar-free and alcohol-free Tea Tree Oil Mouthwashes combines the power of tea tree oil with soothing aloe and other botanicals known to promote teeth and gum health.

We also offer tea tree oil dental floss, dental tape, and fluoride-free, SLS-free, artificial sweetener-free tea tree oil-based toothpastes with other natural whitening, anti-plaque, gum-friendly, and breath-freshening ingredients.

6. Tea Tree Oil is Naturally Antimicrobial

As mentioned previously, tea tree oil has proven antibacterial, antifungal, and antimicrobial properties.

This makes it an effective natural cleanser, blemish treatment, aid for minor skin irritations, and helpful for gentle sanitizing.

Looking for a more natural hand sanitizer? 

Try Desert Essence Tea Tree Oil Probiotic Hand Sanitizer for a safe and effective on-the-go clean

7. When Used Correctly, Tea Tree Oil Won’t Compromise Skin Barrier Function

Part of the problem with conventional blemish treatments is that they can create skin dryness.

Although many people believe this is a good thing, over-drying can cause the skin to produce even more oil, creating a vicious cycle and (you guessed it) more breakouts.

The truth is, oily, blemish-prone, or combination skin is often crying out for moisture.

These drying products can also disrupt the skin’s pH and create flaking and cracking, which compromises the skin’s natural protective barrier.

As discussed in What Is A Damaged Skin Barrier And How Do You Fix It?, a compromised skin barrier can lead to various skin issues, including inflammation, acne, or even infection.

Despite its antimicrobial properties, tea tree oil is not known to disrupt skin barrier function, especially when used diluted in natural skin care products,

As always, use caution when applying undiluted tea tree oil as this could cause skin barrier damage in some people.

Have sensitive skin? Try Desert Essence Kinder To Skin Manuka Oil And Tea Tree.

8. Tea Tree Oil is Great For Sunburn Relief

The best protection against sunburn is to use sunscreen and avoid being out in the sun too long.

However, when sunburn strikes (and it will for nearly everyone), it’s time for quick damage control.

Tea tree oil is excellent for this as it’s been shown to help mitigate the effects of sun damage and to soothe minor sunburn.

Try Desert Essence Tea Tree Oil Relief Spray with tea tree, chamomile, and horsetail for all-natural and soothing after-sun care.

9. Tea Tree Oil May Help With Minor Skin Fungal Infections

Tea tree oil is a go-to in naturopathic medicine and other traditional healing systems as a topical antifungal treatment for minor skin infections or irritations.

Research supports this use, showing that a 25-50% tea tree oil cream is an effective natural treatment for athlete’s foot.

Simply apply diluted tea tree oil to the affected area, cover with a bandage, clean daily with natural soap, change the bandage and re-apply once or twice a day, and let it do its magic for 3-5 days. 

If there’s no improvement in 3-5 days, seek medical attention.

Note: This is for minor, uncomplicated skin fungal infections, like athlete’s foot. It is not recommended for moderate, persistent, chronic, or severe infections, which a medical professional must treat.

Some people recommend using undiluted tea tree oil for faster results.

Although this can work well, always do a patch test to see how your skin reacts to tea tree before doing a full application. Not recommended for sensitive skin.

10. Tea Tree Oil Soothes Insect Bites

Some essential oils, like lemon eucalyptus, are excellent natural bug repellents, while others, like tea tree, are fantastic for soothing the sting and itch.

A 2002 study published in the British Journal of Dermatology showed tea tree may have natural antihistamine properties, which may explain its soothing effects.

As previously mentioned, tea tree oil is also rich in antioxidants, which help combat inflammation.

To use, add a drop (diluted or undiluted, depending on your skin sensitivity) of Tea Tree Oil, Tea Tree Oil Skin Ointment, or spray Tea Tree Oil Relief Spray onto the affected area for immediate relief.

You can continue to apply tea tree oil to help reduce inflammation and heal the bite.

Discover the Benefits of Tea Tree Oil For Skin, Hair, Body, and More For Yourself

These are only ten reasons to fall in love with tea tree oil for skin, hair, body, minor irritations, and overall health.

However, all tea tree oil is not created equal.

Unfortunately, many brands sell poor quality tea tree that’s not sustainably sourced, authentic, and/or cut with cheaper oils.

Always look for sustainable, pure, eco-sourced tea tree oil and products from a reputable brand.

At Desert Essence, all our tea tree oil is eco-sourced from Australian partners who grow sustainably. Thanks to our decades-long relationships with these environmentally responsible farmers, we get first pick of each crop, ensuring the very best in all our products.

Desert Essence tea tree oil is also steam-distilled and standardized for quality and purity.

It’s also affordable! Making tea tree products accessible to (nearly) everyone who needs them.

Shop our complete line of tea tree oil and tea tree oil-based products, including:

References:

  • “A comparative study of tea-tree oil versus benzoyl peroxide in the treatment of acne”. Med J Aust. 
  • “Efficacy and safety of Melaleuca alternifolia (tea tree) oil for human health—A systematic review of randomized controlled trials”. Frontiers in Pharmacology.
  • “River Tea Tree Oil: Composition, Antimicrobial and Antioxidant Activities, and Potential Applications in Agriculture”. Plants
  • “Treatment of interdigital tinea pedis with 25% and 50% tea tree oil solution: a randomized, placebo-controlled, blinded study”. Australas J Dermatol. 
  • “Tea tree oil reduces histamine-induced skin inflammation”. British Journal of Dermatology.
  • “An Overview of Commonly Used Natural Alternatives for the Treatment of Androgenetic Alopecia, with Special Emphasis on Rosemary Oil”. Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology.
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