The Hair Health Hotline provides direct access to dermatologists, trichologists, hair stylists and other beauty professionals. Each story in this series addresses common hair and scalp concerns and offers science-backed solutions for taking care of your strands.
Tea tree oil, seemingly, can do it all.It’s used in everything from cleaning products to acne patches to antifungal nail treatments. Adding ingredients to the hair care aisle is no stranger either.
It may be unclear if the benefits of tea tree oil for hair are all that exciting, even if you already use the oil in other areas of your daily life. The benefits and drawbacks of using tea tree oil for hair, and how to incorporate the ingredients, according to Rachel Nazarian, M.D., a Physician.
Q: Is tea tree oil good for hair? I like using face products that contain ingredients, but I’m wondering if it helps with hair growth or if it has any other benefits.
A: According to Dr. Nazarian, tea tree oil may help reduce flaking on the scalp due to its anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties.
If you need a refresher, tea tree oil is the essential oil distilled from the leaves and branches. melaleuca ortifolia According to an article in the plant, a tree native to Australia clinical microbiology reviewThanks to its reported medicinal benefits, the essential oil has historically been utilized as a wound remedy and, according to articles, has been studied as a potential treatment for acne, fungal infections, and more. The properties can also make it a useful ingredient in hair care.
Benefits of tea tree oil for hair
There’s a reason why tea tree oil has become so popular as a natural wound remedy. Dr. Nazarian says.
This is good news if you are dealing with mild inflammatory conditions such as dandruff. “Tea tree oil can help with some forms of flaking and scaling on the scalp,” she explains. In studies, it improved scalp grease and itchiness.”
In one study published in American Journal of Dermatology, one group of subjects used a 5% tea tree oil shampoo and another group used a placebo. Participants rated the scaly, itchy, and sticky scalp after 4 weeks and showed her 41% improvement in the tea tree oil group compared to her 11% improvement in the placebo group. Dandruff may be related to a type of yeast in which tea tree oil has antifungal properties, the study authors noted.
As mentioned above, researchers have also investigated the potential of tea tree oil as an acne treatment in light of its antibacterial properties.One small study published in the Medical Journal of Australia found that 5% of tea tree oil and the acne treatment benzoyl peroxide at a concentration of 5%. Both groups noticed a significant reduction in acne lesions over 3 months. Benzoyl peroxide was more effective in reducing acne lesions in subjects, while the tea tree oil group was less desquamating and dry.
Thanks to its benefits, tea tree oil “balances and soothes the scalp and helps manage acne on the scalp,” says a Beverly Hills-based dermatologist, hair transplant surgeon and restorative expert. A certain Craig Ziering said earlier. shape.
How to use tea tree oil for scalp and hair health
Tea tree oil’s claim to fame is its anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties, which makes it more promising as a scalp treatment, and you can skip applying tea tree oil to your hair. Application to the follicle itself is not well supported in the literature, except for the oil’s potential natural emollient properties.”
Note that tea tree oil can cause dryness, peeling, or scaling in some people, says Dr. Nazarian. That said, tea tree oil “is generally a safe option for topical treatment of mild inflammatory conditions in the hair and scalp,” she says.
Like any essential oil, tea tree oil should be diluted before applying directly to the skin. “We do not recommend diluting essential oils. [such as] Use tea tree oil yourself. Original concentrations can vary from product to product, which makes home dilution unreliable and difficult to standardize,” she says. “Also, it’s best to patch test the formula on a small area of skin to see how your skin reacts before applying it to larger areas,” she says. shape Previously reported.
Simply put, the benefits of tea tree oil extend to hair care. When dealing with mild scalp irritations, it’s a good idea to look for products that contain essential oils.
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