How to Use Tea Tree Oil for Eyelid Cleaning:
Tea Tree Oil is an excellent natural antibiotic, but it is not meant to put on raw skin, mucus membranes, or in your eye: it will burn terribly if you get it in your eyes.
Still it remains a powerful method to remove Demodex mites which are a leading cause of blepharitis.
A company Cliradex makes Tea Tree Oil wipes that work very well to clean your eyelashes as these wipes contain diluted Tea Tree oil. Still there are some patients that are allergic to Tea Tree Oil or who need to dilute these wipes even more as they are particularly sensitive. https://www.cliradex.com/
Cliradex, though, can be pricey, so buying a bottle of Tea Tree Oil from CVS, Amazon, Walmart, etc is an option.
This is how to carefully use DILUTED Tea Tree Oil on your eyelashes (or skin which has no ulcers or cuts). Ideally cleaning your eyelids with diluted Tea Tree Oil should be done after you have applied warm/hot compresses (not hot enough to burn skin) to your eyelids/eyelashes for 2-5 minutes before.
1. Buy a bottle of Tea Tree Oil from CVS, Amazon, Walmart, etc.
2. With clean hands, put 1 drops of Tea Tree Oil in a cup and 2-3 drops of water (or olive oil or coconut oil).
An Alternative which I use: put 1 drop of Tea Tree Oil on a very wet warm towel (which usually automatically dilutes it enough for my eyes).
3. Dip a towel into the diluted mixture
4. CLOSE YOUR EYES
5. Rub the corner of your eyelashes with YOUR EYES CLOSED to test to see if this Tea Tree Oil is not too strong. Dilute the towel (or cuetip with water more, if you have too much burning).
6. Scrub your closed eyelashes like you are brushing your teeth.
7. Leave on for about 1 minute or let air dry if there is minimal burning. The first time I did this, I ran to wash it off as it was too strong. After 2-3 days, I did not even have to wash it off.
Be careful, as different people have different skin sensitivities. I’ve only seen one patient have an allergic reaction. If you break out in a rash, stop it and try AVENOVA spray instead: after your warm compress routine, spray AVENOVA onto your closed eyelashes. You can use this with contact lenses on. You do not have to wash it off afterwards. This works very well in many patients but can be pricey.
8. Wash off after a minute or so if still burning.
9. Feel free to dilute the Tea Tree Oil to more than 50% initially and gradually build up the strength to about 50% dilution for best effect.
10. If you continue to get terrible burning despite dilution, some patients use a thicker gel drop like Genteal Gel or prescription ointment like Erythromycin Ophthalmic or Bacitracin Ophthalmic ointment: 1/4 inch of ointment placed into the inside of the eyelid before they clean.
2. With clean hands, put 1 drops of Tea Tree Oil in a cup and 2-3 drops of water (or olive oil or coconut oil).
An Alternative which I use: put 1 drop of Tea Tree Oil on a very wet warm towel (which usually automatically dilutes it enough for my eyes).
3. Dip a towel into the diluted mixture
4. CLOSE YOUR EYES
5. Rub the corner of your eyelashes with YOUR EYES CLOSED to test to see if this Tea Tree Oil is not too strong. Dilute the towel (or cuetip with water more, if you have too much burning).
6. Scrub your closed eyelashes like you are brushing your teeth.
7. Leave on for about 1 minute or let air dry if there is minimal burning. The first time I did this, I ran to wash it off as it was too strong. After 2-3 days, I did not even have to wash it off.
Be careful, as different people have different skin sensitivities. I’ve only seen one patient have an allergic reaction. If you break out in a rash, stop it and try AVENOVA spray instead: after your warm compress routine, spray AVENOVA onto your closed eyelashes. You can use this with contact lenses on. You do not have to wash it off afterwards. This works very well in many patients but can be pricey.
8. Wash off after a minute or so if still burning.
9. Feel free to dilute the Tea Tree Oil to more than 50% initially and gradually build up the strength to about 50% dilution for best effect.
10. If you continue to get terrible burning despite dilution, some patients use a thicker gel drop like Genteal Gel or prescription ointment like Erythromycin Ophthalmic or Bacitracin Ophthalmic ointment: 1/4 inch of ointment placed into the inside of the eyelid before they clean.
Sandra Lora Cremers, MD, FACS
ps: any proceeds made by clicking any links go to Mustard Seed Orphanage Programs in Jamaica
Many people use Tea Tree Oil for acne and other skin issues. See below.
http://bodyecology.com/articles/tea_tree_skin_miracle.php
The Tea Tree Skin “Miracle” – The 7 Benefits of Tea Tree Oil
Tea tree oil has become a popular natural ingredient in all kinds of shampoos, face soaps and ointments because of its amazing healing powers.
This skin miracle comes from Australia, where over 300 species of tea trees naturally grow.
Aboriginal tribes in Australia have known of the tea tree’s healing qualities for thousands of years.
Australian aboriginals have known the secret to healthy glowing skin for centuries. They used tea tree oil to soothe skin and to heal cuts, and now you can use tea tree oil too!
They boiled the leaves of the tea tree to make tea and antiseptic poultices that treated cuts, wounds, and skin infections.
One legend even describes a magical lagoon where native people bathed to heal their burns, cuts, and skin disorders. Tea trees surrounded the pool, and the fallen leaves created a natural healing bath.
But you don’t have to travel all the way to Australia to get the benefits of the tea tree.
It’s widely available now as an essential oil, and it treats a variety of conditions!
TEA TREE: SKIN TREATMENT
Tea tree has so many anti-viral and anti-fungal benefits that the Australian army puts it in soldiers’ first aid kits. Now, you can use tea tree oil in a variety of ways, especially to heal your skin.
TEA TREE OIL CAN BENEFIT THE FOLLOWING SKIN CONDITIONS:1
- Ring worm and athlete’s foot
- Softens corns
- Cuts and scrapes
- Itching of insect bites and chicken pox
- Warts
- Acne
- Dandruff
In fact, tea tree oil may be a better alternative to conventional skin treatments.
Tea tree oil is an excellent treatment for acne. One study found tea tree oil to be just as effective as benzoyl peroxide, but without the negative side effects like redness and peeling.2 Tea tree oil can also treat minor wounds, encourage healing, and prevent infection, so you may want to add this versatile oil to your own first aid kit!
BESIDES IMPROVING YOUR SKIN, TEA TREE OIL HAS ALL KINDS OF OTHER HEALTH PROPERTIES, INCLUDING:4
- May help reduce fevers and end headaches
- Pain reliever
- Treats lice
- Can help lower blood pressure
- Helpful for infections including vaginitis, sinusitis, cystitis
- Anti-viral and anti-candida
Tea tree oil from TRUessence is 100% pure and should be a part of your natural skin care regimen. Use this versatile oil to help with acne, skin problems and fungal infections… and keep a bottle in your first aid kit too!
Tea tree essential oil is a potent healer, especially 100% pure tea tree oil like that from TRUessence Essential Oils. Keep in mind that many essential oils on the market (even those sold in health food stores) have potentially toxic extenders. (Labeling laws allow manufacturers to use up to 50% chemical extenders and still say they are 100% pure.)
Dana Young, founder of TRUessence Essential Oils, suggests that you can use tea tree oil in the following ways:
- Directly on your skin in the area affected. For cuts and sores, add 1-2 drops to targeted areas.
- Mixed with a carrier oil. Mix 3 – 5 drops with a carrier oil and apply to skin after a bath or shower.You can make your own Body Ecology friendly carrier oil by using a lightly scented oil like almond oil that is unrefined and organic.
- A household cleaner. Add to water and vinegar for a non-toxic household cleaner.
- Treatment for lice and dandruff. Rinse your hair with warm water and 2 drops of tea tree oil to control lice and dandruff.
- Healing bath. Add 6 drops to your bath water for a soothing soak.
- Diffused. Using an essential oil diffuser
, tea tree oil may be diffused into the air, creating a medicinal antiseptic.
Tea tree essential oil is an amazing tonic for your skin and can support your health in so many other ways, so if you experience skin conditions and also for cuts, etc., Body Ecology recommends always keeping some on hand.
Sources:
- TRUessence Tea Tree Essential Oil
- Bassett, et al, “A comparative study of tea-tree oil versus benzoyl peroxide in the treatment of acne,” Med J Aust. 1990 Oct 15;153(8):455-8. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Retrieve&list_uids=2145499
- Halcon, L, Milkus, K, “Staphylococcus aureus and wounds: a review of tea tree oil as a promising antimicrobial,” Am J Infect Control. 2004 Nov;32(7):402-8. School of Nursing, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis.
- TRUessence Tea Tree Essential Oil
- “Inhibition of acetylcholinesterase by Tea Tree oil,” J Pharm Pharmacol. 2004 Mar; 56(3):375-9.
- “Terpinen-4-ol, the main component of Melaleuca alternifolia (tea tree oil ) inhibits the in vitro growth of human melanoma cells,” J Invest Dermatol. 2004 Feb;122(2):349-60.
- “Antifungal effects of Melaleuca alternifolia (tea tree) oil and its components on Candida albicans, Candida glabrata and Saccharomyces cerevisiae,” J Antimicrob Chemother. 2004 Jun; 53(6):1081-5. Epub 2004 May 12.