Tea Tree Oil – Side Effects
The tea tree oil is an all-natural product. This organic substance is used to combat various skin ailments such as soothing sores, treating acne, repairing wounds, and cuts. Furthermore, the oil is also used to fight dandruff and the overall dryness of the hair. It can help repair split ends although the fix is temporary, it can remove lice infestation with ease, and all in all, give a person smooth skin and healthy hairs.
Although the oil is natural and hence considered safe, it can also have its fair share of problems, and some people’s bodies may react to them adversely.
Unwanted Side Effects of Tea Tree Oil
Skin Itching
The tea tree oil is considered one of the most effective medicines to combat skin problems like skin acne, blackheads, and many other ailments. The use of tea tree oil is deemed to be safe as it is all-natural, but some people have displayed acute problems with the application of oil on their skin. One common complaint among the consumer was a gradual increase in itching, redness of the skin, a stinging sensation, and in some cases mild to severe rashes.
The application of tea tree oil directly to the dry and broken skin was the main culprit here. As such doctors and dermatologists now advise against the direct use of oil on the dry and cracked part of the skin. If one still wants to test the effects of tea tree oil on their skin and wants to know whether it will be safe or not then they can apply the oil on a small patch of skin and observe its effects, if nothing happens then they can go ahead with further application of the oil on their skin.
Formation of Allergies
The tea tree oil can cause mild to severe allergies on the surface of the skin if one is allergic to plants. The same person can also be allergic to plants from the same family as guava, allspice, or cloves. With the application of tea tree oil on the skin, the oil breaks down into various chemical substances which can cause allergies and also itching and rashes.
More serious forms of allergies will include diarrhea, vomiting, and swelling of their symptoms. So an individual who is allergic to plant-based products and tea tree oil are strongly advised their doctors to make sure that their sin does not come in the direct contact of the tea tree oil.
Hormonal Imbalance
Constant intake of Australian Tea Tree Oil is also harmful to the overall hormonal development of young kids, especially young boys. If tea tree oil gets used by the boy from early years, which is before hitting puberty, they can develop a medical condition called gynecomastia, which is evident by the increased production of breast tissue in young boys. This also leads to the overweight of the kid making the kid overall unhealthy. This problem can get treated by enrolling for a weight loss program; hence it is strongly advised not to use Australian Tea Tree Oil for kids.
Tastelessness
The organic tea tree oil also gets used in various forms of mouth washers as an all-natural alternative to chemically laden mouthwashes. People also flock to these kinds of mouth washers thinking that it will be safer than the product they are using. But studies by various research groups have concluded that it may not be as secure as the accepted notions about the natural products. Constant usage of organic tea tree oil-containing mouth washers leaves behind a bitter taste.
It also leads to impairment and senselessness of taste buds on the tongue. Swallowing the tea tree oil also leads to increased toxicity of the body. It also leads to blood cell abnormalities, weakness, drowsiness, coma, and even hallucinations. It can even make one depressed after its ingestion.
Nasal Infection
The tea tree oil is also gets recommended for nasal polyps. Nasal polyps are the growth of the cells that align with the nasal passages. It is non-cancerous and quite painless. This leads to problems like snoring, pain in other areas of the face, and difficulty in breathing. The tea tree oil has been strongly suggested by physicians to help with nasal polyps up until now.
The tea tree oil can cause side effects before curing nasal polyps like making the nose run with fluid. The nose might burn after the application of tea tree oil. The oil once used on the polyps might swell it before shrinking and eliminating the polyp.
Itchy Scalp
The use of tea tree oil for the scalp has been around for a few hundred centuries. The tea tree oil has been known to help with dandruff and dry scalp with its application. It rejuvenates the hair promoting its growth. It repairs split ends, and its constant application help improves the blood circulation which helps the regrowth and strengthening of hairs.
Although there is no clear-cut connection between tea tree oil and scalp itching some incidents have got reported with people claiming it may happen due to the application of tea tree oil to the scalp. The usage of tea tree oil for the scalp thus cannot be stopped on this mere speculation.
Impact on pregnancy
Unless swallowed or given with any mixture, there is no direct harm from tea tree oil to pregnant women. Pregnant women can use the tea tree for their skin or scalp without any repercussions as long as they are not allergic to plant-based products. But if one wants to be even safer, then they can stop the use of tea tree oil during the pregnancy period altogether. One should also avoid the use of the application of tea tree oil while breastfeeding.
Adverse effects on pets
Veterinary experts have strongly suggested, against the usage of tea tree oil for domestic pets like cats and dogs. The constant application of tea tree oil on their skin usually leads to muscle tremors. Though this can be treated easily with the help of proper treatment and veterinary experts, it is even better to avoid this situation altogether. The same adverse effect can get observed in humans with direct application of tea tree oil.
Damage caused to ears
The tea tree oil is continuously being used to treat ear infections. It is strongly advised to mix tea tree oil with some other oils like almond oils or olive oils to dilute the mixture. As the direct application of the oil to ears can cause swelling inside. One can then tilt their heads sideways to allow the mixture to move from one ear hole to another. But it is strongly advised not to do this as it may cause harm to the internals of the ear and do more bad than good.
Muscle Tremor
Regular application of tea tree oil can cause muscle tremors. Muscle tremor is the movement of muscle without any input from the brain. Just like any household pets, this can occur in humans too if they are not careful with the application of tea tree oil. Most muscle tremor has been noticed to happen in the hand and leg areas. But this can easily be remedied with proper medical attention.
Depression of mood
The occurrence of depression in humans with the application of tea tree oil has not gotten noticed yet, but with the application of tea tree oil for massaging pets especially in huge doses can lead them into a downward mood swing. Tea tree oil can cause excessive drowsiness when a high amount of oil gets consumed.
Doubtful Quality
Tea tree oil goes through various refining processing factories and is packed in bottles. One cannot be sure if they are receiving pure tea tree oil or not. This casts a long question mark on the quality of the product and its usability. The pure tea tree oil may not be a virgin, and it’s just getting marketed as such. Diluted tea tree oil may not work correctly for our skin, and in some cases, it might even adversely affect our skin. As such one should be vigilant when trying to buy pure tea tree oil and make sure that it’s a reputed company.
The tea tree oil is just like any other nature-based product. It has many useful properties and is anti-viral, antibacterial, and anti-fungal. All these characteristics make it one of the most useful products. But just like not every product is perfect, it has its fair share of problems. One should consider their medical background and use any tea tree oil-based product whether diluted or pure with caution and carefulness.
