Tea tree oil is an essential oil extracted from the leaves of the Australian Melaleuca alternifolia plant.
Like every other essential oil, it is good for treating skin concerns like acne. However, tea tree oil and other essential oils cannot be applied directly to the face.
Oils are important ingredients in every skincare routine, and this includes the skincare routine for oily skin. But you can only get the best of any oil if you understand its nature and mode of use.
Tea tree oil dates as far back as centuries but has just garnered popularity because of the remarkable results it has shown on topical application to the skin.
Ahead, this article details answers to your possible questions about this essential oil.
Can You Use Tea Tree Oil on Your Face?
Tea tree essential oil is good for your face. This oil has a reputation for its anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antifungal, and antiseptic uses.
Tea tree oil suits every skin type and helps to fight off acne-causing bacteria. Also, it soothes facial skin and reduces the risks of inflammation.
Normal to oily skin types will find this oil very soothing because by soothing your skin to avoid getting inflamed skin, it alleviates dryness and helps to reduce pore size.
Overall, the benefits of this essential oil put together improves the appearance of your skin with a natural glow.
Can You Apply Tea Tree Oil Directly to Your Face?
Despite how wonderful this oil is, you cannot apply it directly to your face. Essential oils contain high concentrations of essences, and this makes them very potent and irritating to the skin.
“To avoid skin irritation, refrain from applying 100 percent tea tree oil directly to your skin. Dilute it with neutral carrier oils,” says Dr. Sonia Batra, MD.
Diluting tea tree oil with a carrier oil before topical application makes the oil more tolerable and less irritating for your skin.
Also, seeing that facial skin is very thin and sensitive, direct application of tea tree oil can cause redness, itching, and inflammation of your skin.
Carrier oils like rosehip oil, olive oil, coconut oil, jojoba oil, and almond oil are good examples of oils that you can use to dilute tea tree oil.
Moreover, before you get to using tea tree oil as part of your routine, you should run a patch test with the oil. Apply a little quantity to your inner wrist and observe the spot for up to 45 minutes and see how it reacts with your skin.
Can You Use Tea Tree Oil on Face Acne?
Tea tree oil has antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties that make it an excellent ingredient in the treatment of facial acne. The oil soothes the inflammation that comes with acne.
The topical application of tea tree essential oil helps to dissolve excess oil, dead skin cells, and the bacteria that are responsible for acne breakouts on your skin.
Marisa Garshick, MD, says, “it helps with acne because the oil has been found to have antimicrobial effects against Cutibacterium acnes, a type of bacteria that is found in healthy normal skin, but one that’s also known to be involved in the formation of acne.”
Oily skin is often associated with frequent and recurring acne breakouts. This powerful acne treatment oil makes a good addition to your oily skincare routine.
While treating existing breakouts, this essential oil hydrates your skin, restores moisture and oil balance, and heals your skin of acne scars. More so, it helps to prevent future breakouts.
Can You Use Tea Tree Oil for Skin Whitening?
Tea tree oil addresses skin whitening via prevention. As mentioned earlier, while treating existing acne, it heals acne scars. This healing prevents the formation of dark spots.
Skin discolorations from the wounds and hyperpigmentation scars that distort your skin complexion can also be treated with the topical application of tea tree essential oil.
Additionally, it soothes your skin and prevents itching that may scar your face with wounds. Tea tree oil can protect your skin from environmental toxins that are sometimes responsible for skin discoloration.
Can You Use Tea Tree Oil for Your Undereye?
Tea tree oil is a great remedy for puffy eyes and dark circles. Combined with aloe vera, it hydrates the skin around your eyes that must have gotten dark due to stress, an ailment, an allergy, or prolonged exposure to sunlight.
Consistently massaging the skin around your eyes with tea tree oil will reduce the swelling and promote blood circulation. Consequently, you have a brighter undereye with rejuvenated skin.
However, before applying tea tree oil around your eyes, you must be sure your skin can tolerate the oil. the skin around your eyes is the thinnest skin on the body and so it needs to be treated with optimum care.
Also, avoid getting the oil in your eyes. If tea tree oil gets into your eyes, it can trigger a stinging feeling accompanied by redness. In such occurrences, quickly flush your eyes with cool, clean water.
Does Tea Tree Oil Help With Blackheads?
Blackheads are the small bumps that appear on your face because of clogged hair follicles. The topical application of tea tree oil on acne-prone skin is a good way to prevent the occurrence of blackheads.
The anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties of this oil help to prevent skin inflammation and clogged follicles.
And if the blackheads have appeared, you can apply tea tree oil to your face twice a day to dissolve the clogs and heal your skin.
How Long Does It Take for Tea Tree Oil to Work?
You need to consistently use tea tree oil on your face for up to 10-12 weeks before you can see significant and impressive changes in your skin. Use the oil in your skincare routine in your morning and evening routine.
During this period, your skin starts getting used to the oil, building resilience against irritations. Moreover, this is the period when it dissolves the clogs in your pores and regulates oil production.
Eventually, after 10 weeks of use, you’ll begin to see improvements in acne breakouts and scars. Although, before this time, upon use, you’ll feel your skin become hydrated, feel supple, and with a natural glow.
Can You Use Tea Tree Oil on Your Face Daily?
As a very potent acne treatment, you should apply tea tree oil to your face acne daily to see significant results. Before you do this, you should be sure that your skin can tolerate the oil well and will not cause you worse problems.
Additionally, you should be using diluted tea tree oil. If these two factors are in check, you can use tea tree oil as your facial oil or mixed with your moisturizer during your AM and PM routine.
How to Dilute Tea Tree Oil for Face
How you dilute tea tree oil is important because 100% tea tree oil can be too irritating for your skin. Carrier oils like jojoba oil, rosehip oil, almond oil, argan oil, and coconut oil are great options.
Dilute in this ratio; for every 1-2 drops of tea tree essential oil, add 12 drops of carrier oil. This will make the oil more tolerable for use. Store the oil in a dark glass bottle away from sunlight.
Additionally, you can add tea tree oil to your moisturizer. Add a few drops of essential oil to your moisturizer even you apply it to your skin. Not only does this mixture make the oil bearable, but it also hydrates your skin and helps to retain moisture.
You can also dilute tea tree oil with aloe vera or honey; add a few drops to your facial cleanser and even your bath.
How to Use Tea Tree Oil for Face
Acne face mask
Materials: 3 drops tea tree oil, 2 tablespoons clay powder, and water
How to:
- Mix the clay and tea tree oil in a clean bowl. Mix until you get a smooth paste
- Then, add water in bits. The water will help dissolve the paste and make it light for spreading
- Apply the paste to your face such that it masks your face revealing your eyes and lips
- Leave the paste on your face for 15-20 minutes
- Afterward, rinse it off with clean, lukewarm water
- Moisturize appropriately
For skin whitening scrub
Materials: 3 drops tea tree oil, 3 drops lavender oil, 3 tablespoons olive oil, 1 tablespoon castor oil, rice flour
How to:
- Mix all the oils in a dark glass bottle
- Then, pour the rice flour into a clean bowl and pour the oil over it
- Mix the paste to a uniform consistency
- If it is too thick to spread all over your face, you can add water in bits
- Apply the scrub all over your face; gently use your fingers to rub it in
- After scrubbing for up to 5 minutes, you can wash it off with lukewarm water
- Dry your face with a clean towel and moisturize correctly
As face toner
Materials: rose water, 10 drops tea tree essential oil, 3-5 drops lavender essential oil
How to:
- Pour the oils into your bottle of rose water
- Shake the content of the bottle well
- Afterward, you can use it as a wiping or spraying toner
FAQs
Will tea tree oil clog your pores?
Tea tree oil is a non-comedogenic oil. No, it won’t clog your pores. Rather than that this essential oil will dissolve clogs of oil, dead skin cells, and acne-causing bacteria. As a result, it helps to control and treat acne breakouts.
Can you leave tea tree oil on your face overnight?
Yes, you can. To effectively treat acne, tea tree oil needs to be on your skin for some hours. During this time, it absorbs into your skin, unclogs your pores, and addresses acne at the roots.
However, you should dilute tea tree essential oil before applying it to your face.
Should you rinse tea tree oil off your face?
You may not rinse tea tree oil off your face if you’re applying it overnight. During daytime use, you should rinse it off if you have mixed it with other ingredients for spot treatment.
After some hours, rinse off the oil with clean, lukewarm water and moisturize your face appropriately.
When should you apply tea tree oil to your face?
Apply tea tree oil to your face twice a day, during your morning and your evening routine. If your skin is still trying to tolerate tea tree oil, you may start with once-a-day use before you become more frequent.
Using tea tree oil as a facial oil, applying oil is the last step of your skincare routine. However, for acne spot treatment, you may make a special routine of it and rinse it off afterward.
Conclusion
Tea tree essential oil is good for the skin, and it is a great option for facial oil. The oil has a good reputation for battling acne and preventing breakouts of different kinds.
Its antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, antifungal, and antiseptic properties have found vital use for facial skincare, improving the appearance of your facial skin.
Like every essential oil, your skin may find 100% tea tree essential oil irritating, especially on first contact. Therefore, two things are important; a patch test and diluting your oil with either a carrier oil, aloe vera, honey, or products like moisturizer, cleanser, rose water, and your bath.
With skincare ingredients right application equals results.
Thanks for reading.
Read more articles that answer your questions about face oils on Serum101.
