Tea Tree Oil for Hair

Just check the such things at your home like toothpaste, mouthwash, deodorant, foot cream, home and kitchen cleaner, skin ointments, hair care products etc. Many of these things will list tea tree oil as one of the ingredients. It is when you did not intentionally bought these things thinking about tea tree oil. This essential oil has taken a place of prime importance due to its many properties that are beneficial for skin and hair as well as in the form of disinfectant.

What is Tea Tree Oil?

Tea tree oil, also called melaleuca oil, is an essential oil obtained from the leaves of the Melaleuca alternifolia tree. This tree is a native to Southeast Queensland and the Northeast coast of New South Wales, Australia. If consumed by mouth, tea tree oil is toxic but it is beneficial when applied topically to skin and hair. It has been used since ages to treat many medical conditions like skin infections, acne, fungal infection as well as hair issues such as lice, dandruff etc.

What are the Benefits of Tea Tree Oil?

Tea tree oil has anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties. The chemicals present in tea tree essential oil are believed to kill bacteria and fungus. The oil also helps get rid of allergic skin reactions. Some of the conditions in which tea tree oil is applied topically for natural treatment include the following:

• Acne
• Fungal infections of nail
• Head and body lice
• Scabies,
• Athlete’s foot
• Ringworm.
• Minor cuts and abrasions
• Burns
• Insect bites and stings
• Boils
• Vaginal infections
• Herpes
• Toothache
• Mouth and nose infections
• Sore throat
• Ear infections; and of course
• Hair problems like lice, dandruff, dry itchy scalp, hair loss etc.

Because this article is about tea tree oil for hair, we will discuss the detailed uses and benefits of tea tree oil for various hair problems.

Why is Tea Tree Oil good for Hair?

Hair is one of the very important part of our identity. Just imagine yourself without hair. Does this scare you? If yes, then you need to take good care of your hair because hair is susceptible to get easily damaged by external environmental factors such as pollution, smoke, dust, sun, wind and harmful chemicals that are used in hair cosmetics . Not only external elements, even scalp infections and internal weakness of hair follicles can make you lose your strands. Tea tree oil seems to be the single answer for all these issues.

• Tea tree oil is natural and contains no artificial chemicals like those present in your shampoo, conditioners and other hair care products. The chemicals found in tea tree oil are all natural and they do not harm your hair. In fact, they are beneficial for your hair growth and protection of your hair, scalp and skin.
• Such hair problems as dandruff, dry and itchy scalp are most of the times, due to bacterial and fungal infections. Tea tree oil fights off these infections gently and help you treat your scalp without the side effects that are brought on by artificial chemicals found in hair products.
• This oil also help you counter the problems that are created by artificial chemical products such as clogged pores of your scalp.
• When you use tea tree oil on scalp, you take a step forward to get rid of dead skin cells. This makes your scalp healthy and promotes faster hair growth.
• Due to its toxic property, tea tree oil also helps you get rid of head lice.
• Tea tree oil nourishes and moisturizes both, scalp and hair.

Let’s see what hair problems can be tackled with the help of tea tree oil.

Use Tea Tree Oil to Prevent Hair Loss

When you suffer from dandruff or other scalp skin diseases, dead skin builds up on your scalp. This may cause hair loss due to infection. These infections are actually brought on by the fungus and bacteria etc. that feed on the dead skin cells. Tea tree oil has antifungal and antibacterial properties that treat these infections by killing these microorganisms. With regular use of tea tree oil, you get rid of dandruff and other skin infections which then prevents further hair loss.

Make Tea Tree Hair Oil to Prevent Hair Loss

Get this:

• Tea tree oil- 3-4 drops
• Carrier oil (coconut/olive/sweet almond/ any other oil)- 1/4 cup

Do this:

• Add tea tree oil to your choice of carrier oil
• Massage your scalp and hair with this oil
• Leave the oil on your scalp overnight or for at least few hours.
• Wash off with gentle shampoo, preferably not containing harsh chemicals and having tea tree oil in it.
• Repeat 2-3 times a week

Tea Tree Oil for Hair Growth

Once you prevent hair loss, you have naturally paved the way for hair growth. When you massage your hair with tea tree oil diluted in carrier oil, you moisturize your scalp. You also nourish your hair with optimum nutrition. This helps in hair growth.

Sometimes dandruff and dry skin is not the only cause for hair loss. Even excessive oily scalp prevents faster growth of hair.  The excessive oil secreted by your scalp may clog your hair follicles which then prevents hair growth. The good news is that tea tree oil regulates excess oil too. So, if you have this problem of oily scalp then also you can use tea tree oil and grow your hair faster. Just use tea tree oil in your shampoo in such a case.

Make Tea Tree Shampoo at Home for faster Hair Growth

Because the commercially available shampoos have harsh chemicals in them, you need to make your own shampoo using tea tree oil and Castile soap. Castile soap is vegetable oil based soap. It derives its name from Castile, Spain, a region famous for its olive oil. Castile bar soap was traditionally made using olive oil and animal fat. These days, Castile soap is available in both, solid and liquid forms and are made using vegetable oils such as palm, coconut, hemp, jojoba, and olive oil.

Make Tea Tree Shampoo for Oily Hair

Get this:

• Tea Tree oil- 20-25 drops
• Basil oil- 12-15 drops
• Grapeseed oil- 2-3 tbsp
• Vitamin E oil- 1 tbsp
• Honey- 1/4 cup
• Distilled water- 1/4 cup
• Liquid unscented castile soap- 1/4 cup
• Glass jar or bottle with lid (preferably dark glass)

Do this:

• Combine all the ingredients in the glass jar or bottle
• Cover with the lid and shake it vigorously so that all the ingredients get mixed thoroughly
• Store in a cool place, away from sunlight.
• Whenever using, shake it first and then use it to wash your hair.

Make Tea Tree Shampoo for Dry and Damaged Hair

Get this:

• Tea Tree oil-10-12 drops
• Lavender oil- 10 drops
• Rosemary oil- 12 drops
• Sweet Almond oil- 2-3 tablespoons
• Vitamin E oil- 1 tbsp
• Distilled water- 1/4 cup
• Unscented liquid castile soap- 1/4 cup
• Glass jar or bottle with lid, preferably dark glass

Do this:

• Mix all the ingredients in the jar or bottle.
• Cover and shake well to mix the things thoroughly.
• Store in a cool place
• Shake well before every use.

After shampooing your hair, use the tea tree oil based conditioner which also gets you rid of dry itchy scalp apart from bringing shine to your moisturized hair. How to make this hair rinse can be learned from the next remedy.

Use Tea Tree Oil for Dry and Itchy Scalp

When you talk about hair, you naturally also need to take care of scalp. Healthy scalp means long, thick and healthy hair. If your scalp is dry and itchy, you may not be able to prevent hair loss and will also not be able to grow long thick hair. Tea tree oil can also take care of this issue. As dry and itchy scalp is almost always due to bacterial infection, you can take help of anti-bacterial tea tree oil to get rid of this problem.

Tea Tree Oil Hair Rinse for Dry and Itchy Scalp

Get this:

• Tea tree oil- 5-6 drops
• Apple cider vinegar- 1 cup
• Water- 1 cup

Do this:

• After washing your hair with shampoo, preferably tea tree shampoo, take a cup of water in a large mug or jar.
• Add 1 cup of apple cider vinegar and few drops of tea tree oil to this water.
• Shake well to mix them thoroughly
• Rinse your hair with this solution
• If you want, you can wash your hair again with plain water after 2-5 minutes. However, it’s better to leave it on your hair and scalp.

This treatment will also help you get rid of dandruff.

Use Tea Tree Oil to Make Moisturizing Hair Mask

If you suffer from extremely dry and frizzy hair, you can make this moisturizing hair mask which also takes care of the extra dryness of your scalp and hair, thanks to tea tree oil used in this mask. Argan oil used in this mask tames your frizz well. Yogurt, avocado and honey provides nutrition and moisture to your dry hair so that you can prevent hair breakage due to weakness of hair.

Get this:

• Yogurt (plain, unflavored)- 1 cup
• Avocado(ripe)- 1
• Honey – 2 tbsp
• Argan oil- 8-10 drops
• Tea tree oil- 2-5 drops

Do this:

• Mash the ripe avocado.
• Beat the yogurt and add mashed avocado to it.
• Add honey, Argan oil and Tea tree oil to this mixture and mix well.
• Wash your hair with shampoo.
• While your hair is still damp, apply the hair mask to your scalp and hair.
• Leave it for about half an hour
• Wash your hair once again with shampoo
• Use this mask once in two weeks.

Use Tea Tree Oil to Strengthen Hair

Tea Tree oil when used on scalp and hair makes your hair strong. For example, when you make hair shampoo using tea tree oil, it prevents your hair follicles from getting clogged due to the harsh chemicals present in the shampoo. This prevents your hair from becoming dry and brittle. When you use tea tree oil mixed with olive oil, it grows your hair stronger and healthier. While tea tree oil makes your hair thickness and shiny, olive oil makes it soft and smooth. Olive oil also forms a protective layer which makes your hair resistant to environmental toxins, thanks to its antioxidant power.

Mix Olive oil with Tea Tree Oil for Strong Hair

Get this:

• Tea tree oil- 5 drops
• Olive oil- 1-2 tbsp
• Grapeseed oil (optional)- 1-2 tsp
• Jojoba oil (optional)- 1-2 tsp

Do this:

• Warm the olive oil.
• Add tea tree oil to this.
• If using other oils, add them too into this oil mixture
• Mix well.
• Apply to your scalp and hair
• Massage gently for about 5-10 minutes.
• Leave it overnight or at least for 3-4 hours
• Wash off with mild shampoo and conditioner
• Do this daily (or at least 3-4 times a week) for 3-4 weeks to get well nourished strong hair. 

 

Use Tea Tree Oil to Eliminate Head Lice

Children suffer from head lice frequently. Just when you see them scratching their scalp all the time. check for these parasitic insects on their head. Head lice is not the problem related to scalp only, they can spread throughout your child’s hair. Tea tree oil can help you get rid of head lice but without being harsh on your child’s scalp like all those commercially available anti-lice products. Tea The natural compound named terpinen-4-ol present in tea tree oil makes it antiseptic, antifungal and antibacterial agent that fight off lice in the most effective manner.

Get this:

• Mild shampoo
• Tea tree oil- few drops
• Water

Do this:

• Add a few tea tree oil drops to the shampoo
• Wash your kid’s hair with this shampoo
• Rinse the hair
• Take some more drops of tea tree oil and mix this with 1-2 tbsp of water.
• While the hair is still wet, apply this to your kid’s scalp line and leave it
• Take a fine toothed comb (lice comb can be easily bought from the market) and carefully comb through your kid’s hair. Place a white or light colored cloth beneath the length of your kid’s hair so that you may see the lice fall off.
• Use a nits comb to remove the nits, if any
• Do this process daily until you get ensured about the lice free hair of your child.

To prevent the lice from spreading to other family members’ heads, wash your kid’s clothes, bedding and stuffed toys etc. using soap, hot water and tea tree oil. This also prevents re-infestation of lice on your kid’s head.

When you use tea tree oil in your regular shampoo and hair oil, you may rest assure that your hair will remain healthy, shiny, strong and dandruff free. Tea tree oil for hair is that single remedy which helps you get rid of almost all hair related problems.