Add five drops of tea tree oil to a half-ounce of carrier oil, mix them, stir into a bucket of warm water, and soak your feet for 20 minutes. Keep your nails neat and nicely trimmed during the healing process.
You should not apply tea tree oil directly to skin. It's important to dilute the oil with a carrier oil, such as olive oil, coconut oil, or almond oil. For every 1 to 2 drops of tea tree oil, add 12 drops of a carrier oil.
The recommended dose of tea tree oil is 5 to 15 percent of topical oil applied 1 to 2 times daily.
Most people can use tea tree oil topically with no problems. However, tea tree oil can cause: Skin irritation. Allergic skin rash (dermatitis)
Tea Tree Oil
It is an essential oil traditionally used as an antibacterial and antifungal treatment. Early research shows that it may help with nail fungus when used topically. However, more research is needed. If you do use tea tree oil for toenail fungus, only use it topically.
According to a 2013 study, tea tree oil was effective in reducing growth of the fungus Trichophyton rubrum in nail infections. T. rubrum is a fungus that can cause infections such as athlete's foot and nail fungus. Improvements were seen after 14 days.
One study found that solutions containing 25 percent and 50 percent tea tree oil worked significantly better than a placebo in relieving athlete's foot between the toes.
How to dilute tea tree oil. As tea tree oil is such a potent ingredient, you should never apply it directly onto your skin. Instead, it should be added to a gentle carrier oil such as coconut oil, olive oil, or almond oil.
For added protection against scars, mix a few drops of tea tree oil with petroleum jelly. Petroleum jelly helps reduce the appearance of scars by keeping new wounds moist. Scabs develop when wounds dry out and can slow down the healing process, increasing your risk of developing a scar.
People with sensitive skin may need to dilute the oil with more water and only spot treat to prevent irritation. If you don't want to bother with proper dilution, you can use a tea tree oil acne cleanser like this one instead.
A third double-blind study looked at 100% tea tree oil compared with a topical antifungal, clotrimazole, in 112 people with fungal infections of the toenails. The tea tree oil was as effective as the antifungal.
Currently, the main essential oils studied for their antifungal activity are thyme oil, rich in thymol and carvacrol, tea tree oil rich in terpenes, and peppermint or clove oil [19], although many others have also been shown to be effective against fungi.
Don't mix Tea Tree Oil with other active ingredients like benzoyl peroxide, retinol, retinoids, tretinoin, Retin-A, salicylic acid, glycolic acid, lactic acid, vitamin c, etc. Best to use one or the other, not both. Never use it more than once a day – less is more!
Because tea tree is stripping, applying it without a carrier on dry skin could leave your skin irritated and itchy. Alternatively, you can also apply a few drops to fungal infections (which could creep up on toenails) or bug bites.
To use tea tree oil for acne, mix a few drops of tea tree oil with water in a ratio of one to nine. Apply the mixture to your skin using a cotton ball or reusable Q-tip. Leave the mixture on your skin for three to five minutes and then rinse it off with warm water.
A word of warning: Never ingest tea tree oil, because it's poisonous if swallowed, according to the National Capital Poison Center. Tea tree oil should be applied topically, never swallowed.
Tea Tree oil blends well with Bergamot, Cypress, Eucalyptus, Grapefruit, Juniper Berry, Lavender, Lemon, Marjoram, Nutmeg, Pine, Rose Absolute, Rosemary and Spruce essential oils.
Toenail fungus treatment options
After a gentle evaluation of your nails, a podiatrist may prescribe an antifungal medication, administer laser therapy, or surgically remove affected nails. Medications could include a topical cream or nail lacquer, as well as prescription pills.
A lot of people use vinegar, tea tree oil. The hard part with any of these topical medicines is they don't penetrate the nail unit very well. So getting them, actually, to the fungus in the nail unit is very difficult.
Tea tree oil is used to prevent and treat infection by certain bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics and for skin rash due to contact with nickel. It is also applied to the skin to eliminate excess body hair (hirsutism) in women. On the eyelids it is used for a mite infection at the base of the eyelids.
Tea tree oil has been used traditionally as a topical antiseptic and antifungal treatment. One study found that a dilution of tea tree oil worked as well as 5% benzoyl peroxide in controlling the symptoms of acne. It may be effective with toenail fungus and possibly athlete's foot, but more research is needed.
Applying tea tree oil to the skin can cause irritation, particularly if it's not diluted properly and is used in higher concentrations. Symptoms of skin irritation from tea tree oil can include: redness. dry or scaly skin.
Studies have shown that tea tree oil reduces both inflamed and non-inflamed lesions associated with acne, Batra says. “Allow the solution to stay on your skin for a few hours or overnight then rinse your face with warm water," she recommends. "This treatment can be repeated daily and should help stop breakouts."
Tea tree oil was shown to inhibit growth of all five common bacteria tested, except Sarcina luteus, and showed superior results to Quad 10, garlic and Listerine for all others. The zone of inhibition for tea tree oil on S.