Using tea tree oil for your hair can actually serve multiple purposes and help you to keep your mane sane. Read the following article to know all about tea tree oil for hair growth, hair loss, and lice infestation.
The benefits of tea tree essential oil is not only innumerable but have also managed to gain attention and popularity among people who have reaped the benefits of this potent oil. Tea tree oil is very good for the skin and also soothes patients of sinusitis, tonsillitis, bronchitis, tuberculosis, and viral or bacterial infections. Moreover, the benefits of tea tree oil includes its effectiveness to influence and deal with certain hair-related conditions.
Tea tree oil is primarily antiseptic in nature and is a recommended bactericide and fungicide. It is, therefore, that this oil is often used to make tea tree shampoo as it readily heals scalp irritations and infections. So, what else can one expect while using tea tree oil for hair care? Let us see some of the beneficial properties of this oil extracted from the native northeast Australian plant, melaleuca alternifolia.
Use Tea Tree Oil for ...
...Preventing Hair Loss Hair loss can be a result of multiple conditions. It could be a consequence of dandruff existence in the scalp. Dandruff itself is caused due to either malnutrition or an unbalanced diet, interrupted blood circulation and insufficient nerve stimulation, fungal infection caused by 'trichophyton spp.', ...
...or yeast infestation caused by the 'Malassezia' genus, primarily by Pityrosporum ovale that exist in the hair follicles. It then becomes a natural tendency to scratch the scalp frequently and also inadvertently pull out strands of hair to get rid of the constant itching. This results in hair thinning and subsequent hair loss.
Natural tea tree oil benefits include the eradication of these yeast or fungal microorganisms by clearing out and unblocking the hair follicles; thus, eliminating dandruff.
A report published in the December 2002 issue of the "Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology" clearly indicates the effectiveness of this oil when it comes to combatting dandruff.
The report was a confirmation from Andrew Satchell and a group of scientists belonging to the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Australia, stating that using a 5% solution of tea tree oil over a period of four weeks will reflect a significant decrease in dandruff.
Repeated experimentation with hair, for the sake of style, leaves the hair dry. The hair follicles get blocked with the dead dry skin on the scalp and as a result the sebaceous glands are unable to release the essential anoints to keep the scalp well lubricated. This also results in losing hair drastically.
In both cases, usage of tea tree oil for hair growing purposes works. You can either buy a shampoo which has about 2-3% of tea tree oil constitution or just add 8-9 drops of this water-insoluble 'first aid kit in a bottle' melaleuca oil in your regular shampoo and work up a lather for 10 minutes and rinse.
This massage will definitely nourish and moisturize your scalp enough to stop hair fall immediately. You can then go on to the next step and use this oil to make up for lost hair.
...Hair Growth You can easily use other essential oils with tea tree oil in order to regrow hair and actually go on to notice a resultant voluminous cascade. But it is of optimum importance that you do not use concentrated tea tree oil as it can give rise to skin eruptions and allergies. Dilute the tea tree oil with olive oil, coconut oil, almond oil, or jojoba oil in a 20:80 ratio and then use.
...Getting Rid of Hair Lice Tea tree oil uses extend to getting rid of head lice. Lice infestation is not only irritating but can actually give rise to a number of other health issues. Mix 8 drops of tea tree oil in a mild shampoo and massage your head for 15 minutes. Rinse and do it again. In fact, before applying the shampoo for a second round, take 2 drops of tea tree oil and apply it onto your hair, then apply the shampoo and wash it off.
Make sure that you dip your combs and brushes in a solution of a tub full of water and about ¼th ounce of tea tree oil, and then use them to comb your hair. This way you shall not only kill the eggs but also prevent the lice outbreak from recurring. You can also use this same concoction to dab it on your clothes as lice can travel via clothes as well.
...Hair Care of Children
Babies are often inflicted by a condition called cradle cap, wherein the scalp becomes infested with pustules that induce itchiness and inflammation. Tea tree oil is excellent to relieve such a painful predicament. All you need to do is to wash your infant's hair after massaging it with a solution of sweet almond oil and tea tree oil, mixed in 10:1 ratio. Wash this off with a very mild baby shampoo.
So evidently, opting for tea tree oil for hair care is a very viable and intelligent step taken as the oil nourishes the scalp in multiple ways. However, tea tree oil is known to cause allergic reactions in many. So, use it only after you have done a safety patch test and passed it without a glitch.
Keep it away from the reach of kids as this oil is strictly not for oral ingestion. After all, the American Cancer Society stringently warns that, Tea tree oil is toxic when swallowed.
It has been reported to cause drowsiness, confusion, hallucinations, coma, unsteadiness, weakness, vomiting, diarrhea, stomach upset, blood cell abnormalities, and severe rashes. It should be kept away from pets and children.
Disclaimer: This story is for informative purposes only, and should not be used as a replacement for professional medical advice.