Recipe
Diluting tea tree oil for the skin
- Herb:
- Tea tree Melaleuca alternifolia
- Method:
- Herbal oil
- Plant part:
- Leaf
About 5 minBeginnerRecipe science profile
Procedure
- Measure 5 ml of carrier oil (almond, jojoba, sunflower) into a dark 5 ml dropper bottle.
- Add 5 drops of good-quality tea tree oil (terpinen-4-ol at least 30 %, cineole at most 15 %); this gives roughly a 5 % solution.
- Close, shake and label with date and concentration.
- Apply with a cotton bud as a spot treatment to a bite or small pimple 1–2 times a day; stop if redness or burning appears.
Extraction
- Herb:
- 5 kapek silice (asi 0,25 ml) na 5 ml nosného oleje = 5 %
- Solvent:
- nosný olej (mandlový, jojobový); bez zahřívání
- Shelf life:
- 3 měsíce v tmavé lahvičce
- Target compounds:
- terpinen-4-ol (min. 30 %) a další monoterpeny se ředí do bezpečné koncentrace pro kůži
Notes
The oil is never swallowed — ingestion causes drowsiness, confusion and loss of coordination, especially in children (Carson et al. 2006). Undiluted on skin it irritates and sensitises; the EMA monograph allows external use from age 12 for minor wounds, insect bites, small boils, mild athlete's foot and as a diluted mouth rinse, for at most a month. Patch-test a small area first.
Why it works
Tea tree's antimicrobial effect comes from terpinen-4-ol, which disrupts bacterial and yeast membranes; Carson's review summarises in vitro data and smaller clinical trials in acne and athlete's foot. Diluting to 5 % matches trial concentrations and lowers the risk of contact dermatitis, which rises as the oil oxidises.
Literature
- EMA HMPC — Melaleucae aetheroleum, European Union herbal monograph — Tradiční zevní použití na drobné rány, štípance, drobné furunkly a mírné akné, mírnou plíseň nohou a zánět dutiny ústní; od 12 let.
- Carson CF, Hammer KA, Riley TV (2006): Melaleuca alternifolia (Tea Tree) Oil: a Review of Antimicrobial and Other Medicinal Properties. Clin Microbiol Rev 19:50–62 — Přehled antimikrobního působení a bezpečnosti.
Related
Tea tree — Herb card
Herbal oil — Processing method detail