I have tea tree oil finally, what can I do with it?

[Purple*Lotus]

Besides using it in my cleaner to disinfect.. are there any other uses? Is it true that I can add a few drops to my laundry?

[es1967]

I'm curious too. Bought some yesterday.

[delphiniumpansy]

Don't add it to your laundry. I know a lot of mamas do that but it causes buildup in your laundry and in your machine. You will end up with a film of it on the drum and your laundry will eventually have a buildup on it that will not come clean. This happens often to cloth dipe users.

I would make a mild spray solution with it and use it to clean. However, keep it away from pets as it can be toxic and also keep it away from babies for same reason. It can also be a skin irritant so be careful.

[Sadystar]

TTO is a good first aid remedy for disinfecting and antibacterial properties. You can use neat very sparingly on spots, cuts etc. A drop is all you need. That said, I wouldn´t use it on kids under 3.

Like the PP said, it can be an irritant but most people find that the above treatment causes no problems, I use it on my dogs and cats too.

[Ecstatic]

I put one drop into water, mixed with ACV and use it as a toner. But, the one drop is very dilued as I use half a liter bottle for toner. I find it helps keep my skin looking clear.

I've always added it to my laundry ... didn't know about the film build up. Hmmmm, I wonder what the ethics of this is in terms of using the coin operated laundry. I don't want to mess up their machines, but on the other hand I love how a few drops of TTO and some baking soda cleans my clothes. Good for me, good for the environment.

[ediesmom]

i put one drop in a small (12 oz) pump bottle with about a tablespoon of bronners and fill it with water....its my face cleanser. It works. simple, but i've used it for years and my skin looks great. I have dd use it, too. she's 11.

I steam with it when I get a sinus infection or a cold. I put it in the reservoir of my rinnai heaters to cut down on airborn stuff like colds and flu's.

i lend it out to friends and neighbors

i really think its an amazing thing, TTO

[milmama]

Tea tree oil is great! It can be used for a lot of "medicinal" purposes -
earache: dilute 1-2 drops in a tablespoon of olive oil and drop a few drops of solution in ear.
sore throat: 1-2 drops on back of tongue
yeast infection: soak in bath water with several drops of oil
It's a natural antibacterial with a ton of purposes! I love it!

[Sadystar]

Originally Posted by milmama

Tea tree oil is great! It can be used for a lot of "medicinal" purposes -
earache: dilute 1-2 drops in a tablespoon of olive oil and drop a few drops of solution in ear.
sore throat: 1-2 drops on back of tongue
yeast infection: soak in bath water with several drops of oil
It's a natural antibacterial with a ton of purposes! I love it!

Please NEVER EVER drop any EO directly onto a mucous membrane, i.e inside your mouth - it could give you a very sore mouth, or worse - it can be hard to control the number of drop with an EO which flows so freely.

I agree with the PP that it is great for the above uses, but I would suggest diluting 1 or two drops in alcohol (or at least water) for a throat gargle (don´t swallow) and no more than 4 drops diluted in full fat milk, vodka or oil for the bath.