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On a recent trip to our local Whole Foods in search of soap nuts (and not only did they not have any, they had never heard of 
them!) I browsed around the essential oils section. I had read of Tea Tree oil in many cloth diapering blogs, not to mention various blogs on cleaning with natural products. Curious, I bought a small brown bottle of it.
I refreshed my memory with a quick online search and was astounded by the dozens of uses for Tea Tree Oil! Tea Tree oil comes from Melaleuca alterfolia (the Tea Tree) which got its name because the leaves were often substituted for tea. The concentrated oil from the leaves has incredible antibacterial and anti-fungal properties. I just so happened to have a small cut on the palm of my hand that was feeling infected and tender. I put one drop of tea tree oil on it and took away the pain and infection in less than a day. I also had a sore pinky toe (I had cut the nail too short) and it was starting to throb–obviously infected. That too was healed within a day. I couldn’t believe it. I was thinking it would help but honestly, I’m beginning to think this stuff is a miracle in a bottle.
What else did I learn about Tea Tree oil? Well, of course I was wondering about using it to wash cloth diapers. Here’s what I learned: the problem with using a few drops of Tea Tree oil to clean your diapers is that it gets too diluted in the water to kill all of the bacteria that maybe lurking. In fact, using” a few drops” of Tea Tree oil, you risk creating Super Bacteria or super resistant strains of Staph because the weaker bacteria will be killed by the diluted oil but the stronger strains will not. The only way you could kill of the strongest bacteria in the diaper wash would be to use A LOT of Tea Tree Oil and that would not be good for your cloth diaper stash, not to mention, it would be expensive. I found this helpful information on The Everything Birth Blog (everythingbirthblog.com)
Another important detail about Tea Tree oil is that it should NEVER be ingested or put into the eyes. Also, be careful using it on mucosal areas of the body–genitals, mouth, nose. Though it is a homeopathic product, it should be kept where little hands cannot reach it and used with caution. That being said, my enthusiasm for this stuff is increasing with every blog I read. And guess what? It’s environmentally friendly, not tested on animals and economical. Do you use Tea Tree Oil? And if so, what for?
Thanks for this post. I read about using it at sub-lethal concentrations a while ago and have been mentioning it on forums but people just seem to ignore it when I think it’s actually quite an important thing to pay attention to!
I wouldn’t use it undiluted on skin too often either; I had a friend who used it so much on her spots that she ended up with horrible burn like marks. Much worse than the spots!
I actually use it to wash my face every night. I do the “oil cleansing method” which is a blend of olive oil, castor oil, and a little bit of tea tree oil along with whatever other oils you want to use. I massage my face with a small amount of the oil blend every night, then put a steaming hot washcloth on my face for a few minutes and wipe it all off. It’s like getting a spa treatment every day and my skin has never looked better!
I love tea tree oil. I don’t have to use it often but its great for little sores n bumps and such. Im currently using it on my head with witch hazel after an allergic reaction to the shampoo I had switched to 🙁
I have also wondered about tea tree oil. I have a foaming bottom wash that has it in there and I love it! It really helps prevent and treat rash! I will have to try it on wounds too. Thanks 🙂
My family and I LOVE tea tree oil! We use it for so many things, I can only begin to make a list here. My 8-year-old swears by it to stop itching from mosquito bites and hives (when she has a reaction to cat dander). I add a few drops to my homemade baby wipes…it prevents them from molding, which can sometimes be a problem when they sit too long. I add a few drops to bathwater…it’s refreshing and good for the skin. A few drops on my pillow before bed helps prevent that stuffy nose and headache feeling I have in the mornings when the weather is changing. I have put it on pimples, but it can be very drying…use sparingly. For earaches, put a few drops in a glass with a little hot water and then lower your ear to the mouth of the glass…wait to see how fast relief comes! The list just goes on and on!
I like to mix mine 10 drops tea tree oil and 10 drops of grapefruit seed extract in a squirt bottle to sanitize everything. You have to let it set for about 10 mins to do it’s job.
i did not know that you can use it for so many things. thanks for this post.
thanks for the post. gotta try it out!
I’ve wanted to try this for a while, but haven’t been able to find it.
I use tea tree oil as part of my daily skin regimen. I do the “oil cleansing method” every night. I combine olive oil, castor oil, and a little bit of tea tree oil and a few other essential oils in a small bottle. Massage a little all over my face and then place a steaming wet washcloth on top for a couple of minutes. Wipe off and I’m all done! It’s like getting a spa treatment every night and my skin has never been better!
It’s great on bug bites!
Yes! I’ve used it for a cold sore, but I mainly use it to make my own cleaning solutions for around the house. Love the stuff!
Thanks for this post! I’ve been curious about Tea Tree Oil for a while…if only a bottle wasn’t so expensive to buy!
I use a couple of drops in my cloth wipe solution. We have a wipe warmer, so I add a couple of drops to keep bacteria/fungus away since the wipes are in a warm, moist environment. Seems to be working well and we looooove the wipe warmer. (And just to add that the Thirsties wipes are my favorite ones I’ve ever used!)
I love tea tree oil! I have heard you can put a drop in the bottom of your pail liner to help with stink!!
I use Tea Tree Oil often, it is great for healing small cuts. I also use it in my cleaning solutions!
We love Tea tree oil!
Thank you for the information about not using tea tree oil to disinfect cloth diapers. I had read that this was a good idea, but now I will reconsider it.
Tea tree oil is so useful! I also use it to combat diaper pail stink.
I put a couple of drops in my neti pot, as suggested by an ENT to ward off sinus infections…however, I also do this at the very first sign of a cold and I swear it kills the virus. Amazing stuff…
Hmmm, I am new to dloth diapering and will have to search our Whole Foods for this. With the mosquitos in full force this will also come in handy if it helps with bug bites.
Thanks for the post I’ve never really known much about tea tree oil uses.
I actually just bought some the other day to use in my first batch of homemade cleaning supplies. Never knew you could use it on cuts! Thanks for this blog post!
This looks like a great product!! It has so many uses! I definitely will need to pick some up!
I use it on my cloth wipes solution, and love it!!
I put it on my daughter’s toes to help with a bit of toe fungus.
I didn’t know tea tree oil could be used for so many things. Thanks for sharing!
So useful, but unfortunately I hate the smell of tea tree oil!
I love Tea Tree Oil. I do use about 10 drops in my rince cylce once in a while when I wash my diapers. I have never had any problems, to the contrary! My daughter had a bad yeast infection and the clotrymasol cream the pharmacist gave me had done nothing after a week. I had switched to disposable because I was sure the bacteria was still in the diapers. I washed them wish a little bleach, stripped them, and waited for her rash to go before using again….I discovered Tea Tree Oil and thought I could try to put a few drops in my diaper rash cream and see what happens. The infection was gone within a day!I thought it was safe to use my cloth diapers again….but no, the rash came back immediately. So I washed my diapers again, this time with Tea Tree Oil in the rince, and treated my baby again with Tea Tree Oil and voila! no more Yeast infection!!!!
So many wonderful uses for tea tree oil!
I need to go pick some up!
I use a drop or two of it in my cloth wipes solution (along with water and coconut oil) and keep the moistened wipes in a wipe warmer.
I used it a few months back on the stove to breathe in its fumes while I was pregnant and suffering from constant sinus issues!
I need to research how to treat my baby’s yeast infection with it now.
Tea tree oil is a good solution cloth wipes! 😆 I tried it last week and I want to say I just love this cloth tea tree oil. Thanks for this allocation. 😆
I absolutely LOVE tea tree oil! I put some in water with a little lavendar oil too and spray that on my face as a toner. I havent had a break out in almost 6 months!
I love it in natural cleaning products, it does a great job with my floor cleaner and a tile cleaner.
I use tea tree oil to massage into my face every morning and night dont know if i should start diluting it though it hasnt had an bad effects without doing so.
I had no idea that using TTO in my diaper wash could be bad! Thanks for sharing this!!!
Was in Whole Foods recently looking at their essential oils- I’ll have to check this out!
I use this for cleaning and also a tick repellent for humans. And I put it in my homemade wipe solution!
I have been using tea tree oil for nearly 20 years, and it’s my go-to cure for anything topical and fungal or bacterial. However, you mention in your post that it’s homeopathic, and I’d like to point out that it certainly is not homeopathic. It’s an essential oil, and all essential oils can be very caustic and should never be used directly on the skin. Dilute it in another oil, float it in water for sprays and steams, put a few drops in a cream (turns my herbal salve into a great fungus cream!), or add to shampoo and conditioner for itchy scalp. There are lots of ways to use it, but directly on the skin is not the best of choices.
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