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Reviews
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Tea Tree Oil
Review
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Tea tree oil is
a natural extract that comes from the leaves of the
Melaleuca Alternifolia plant. It has a long history of
medicinal uses, including the treatment of acne. What makes
TTO so effective is its combination of strong antibacterial
and anti-inflammatory properties, along with the fact that
it also promotes exfoliation (making it an ideal spot
treatment). Most users report results similar to benzoyl
peroxide. However, tea tree oil is comparatively gentler on
your skin.
Tea tree oil
comes in a variety of concentrations and can be used in
several ways to combat acne. I recommend 100% pure tea tree
oil in most cases, as this can be applied directly as a spot
treatment, or you can always dilute it if you need a weaker
concentration (such as you might use in a lotion, or for
mixing into a clay mask, etc). I've used it myself to
reliably take the red out of stubborn pimples. |
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Tea Tree Oil at a
glance
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Powerful treatment that reduces redness,
kills bacteria and promotes exfoliation. |
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Gentler on your skin than chemicals such as
BP. |
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Despite its name, TTO is not "oily". It's
thin, evaporates fast, and is quickly
absorbed into the skin. |
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Won't bleach your clothes like BP. |
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Has a strong "grassy" odor when first
applied. |
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High concentrations may still cause
irritation for people with sensitive skin. |
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BP may work slightly faster. |
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Key
Ingredients
Tea Tree
Oil Extract |
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Who should try
Tea Tree Oil
Most anyone who
is looking for a spot treatment should give tea tree oil a
try, especially if BP is too harsh for you (or your skin has
built up a resistance to it). If you need fast results, TTO
can sometimes work as quickly as overnight (at least in
reducing redness and swelling, if not eliminating a blemish
entirely).
Tea tree oil
also makes a great ingredient if you're into acne home
remedies, as it can be mixed with any number of other
ingredients (honey, oatmeal, mint julep clay, etc.) to
produce some nifty and effective homemade natural
treatments.
Who should
not
try Tea Tree Oil
While less harsh
than chemicals such as BP and salicylic acid, TTO is still
very strong, and may cause irritation or excessive dryness
for people with sensitive skin. If this is the case, you
should try diluting it. Also note that a small but not
insignificant percentage of people are actually allergic to
tea tree oil (some estimates put this at 10%), so if your
reactions are really bad, you should probably look
elsewhere.
Where to buy
Alternatives
Manuka Honey,
Benzoyl Peroxide
Have you tried
Tea Tree Oil?
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