Since I have discovered Tea Tree Oil (thanks to my MIL) a few years ago, I use it all the time now.  It’s a great fungicide and antiseptic.  My first encounter with Tea Tree Oil, was when my son (who’s severely disabled at that) had ringworm.  No idea where he got it other than thinking it had to be person to person contact from support staff at school.  I was having a hard time getting rid of it so my MIL suggested trying the Tea Tree Oil.  Within a few days…the ringworm was gone….I was thrilled.So then, my MIL was saying how it was good for cold sores which are related to the herpes virus.  Well…I had my days when I went through my divorce (stress and sun are the most common causes of  the sores erupting) where my face looked like I had a severe case of acne around my mouth and the doctor gave me some cream and pills for it.

That’s how I treated these sores for many years until…Tea Tree Oil became my best friend.  I put this on several times a day when I get one, and within just a few days, they are drying right up. Well…I burned my forefinger on a cookie sheet and it hurt like crazy….worse than when I burnt my arm on pan drippings of bacon fat a few months ago.  The burn last night started to immediately bubble.  I put ice on the burn and Bactine w/pain reliever, but neither helped.  I was not a happy camper.

So, my MIL calls and I tell her what I did.  She told me to get out the Tea Tree Oil.  I said, “Are you sure?  That’s an oil and they tell you not to use oils.”  She says…”Look it up on the Internet.”  So, I did and sure enough, treating burns with it was right there amongst a ton of other uses. I got the bottle of oil… put some on my burn and it hurt…massively hurt but within a few minutes I couldn’t feel it any longer…only if I pressed real hard on the area.  The next morning when I got up…still no pain.  I was amazed.

Well, if you knew me…you know how much I like to pick things :-(, and I decided to pop that blister.  We all know how popping blisters can be just as irritating as the burn.  So I put the oil on it…thought it couldn’t hurt.  Doing so made it burn at first, but when I did dishes not two hours later, I had no idea I even had a burn on that finger!

Tea Tree Oil can be used in the following ways:  To treat acne, athlete’s feet, eczema, various yeast infections, on cuts and burns, in a vaporizer to loosen chest congestion, in shampoo to destroy head lice, added to bath water for persistent body odor, sinus infections, dandruff and dry scalp, as an all purpose cleaner, mixed w/kosher salt  to scrub the bathroom tub and tiles, to the dishwasher dispenser, laundry, removing musty odors, insect repellent, on sunburns, ear mites in cats and dogs, fungus nails, ear aches, cankers (mouth ulcers), boils, ticks and leeches, to keep germs at bay on baby items (high chair, car seat, etc), and more.

Two things to keep in mind…1. When purchasing, make sure it’s in a dark bottle like you see in the picture above (that’s oil I use).  The dark bottle keeps it from light shining through, which in turn will destroy the oil’s potency.  And,  2. Do NOT ingest it orally.

Am I a believer of Tea Tree Oil…you betcha!

Soon I will write about my experiences with Black Salve…another fabulous find that I recommend to many….especially if you’re a pet owner of animals who get abscesses.