Tea Tree Oil

[Leanda]

Just in case anyone is going through the same thing, my DD had extremely dry skin in the creases at the front of her legs/top of her feet. It would dry and flake and crack and bleed and it didn't help when she discovered she could scratch it! This went on from 3mnth to about 6mnths of age.

We tried sorbolene, fragrance-free washes & moisturisers and even zinc-based nappy rash cream but nothing would clear it up. Then we tried tea-tree oil and it worked brilliantly. She is now completely healed - the difference is amazing.

[OM]

I can't say I have used Tea Tree Oil to treat Eczema but that stuff is pretty universal, I find it useful for lot's of things!

[Tingles]

You just rubbed the oil on? Or did you buy cream?

[Leanda]

I put a couple of drops of tea tree oil onto a cotton pad (like used for removing makeup) then just 'patted' or 'dabbed' her rash with it. It's good to get into the habit of doing it every nappy change and I usually see results within a week.

Currently back on the tea tree oil for her chest this time - teething=lots of drool so now she's developed a saliva rash on her chest, poor thing. This is even with us being vigilant about keeping bibs around her neck!

[Ana Gram]

Tea Tree Oil is a winner, thank you so much for the suggestion! DD's eczema was horrible in the last few weeks, she has really ripped a lot of skin off and it took two of us to put her medicated cream on her - one to apply the cream the other to try and comfort her as she screamed in pain. I has some tea tree oil cream in the cupboard for sunburn and after I read the suggestion here, decided to give it a go as we pretty much try any suggestion out there. I did a test patch and applied it a couple of times during the day adn the result was remarkable. Within the first day all the redness was taken out of it, the scaly skin had gone and it wasn't raised and swollen.

A million thanks Leanda!

[Brenny]

As a *qualified* aromatherapist....just be careful with the teatree oil. You should dilute it before putting on bubby....1 part teatree to 5 parts carrier oil. Sweet almond is a good carrier oil.

[Priscilla]

I started trying the tea tree oil as Cameron has this eczema-like rash on the tops of her feet. I say eczema-like because the doc diagnosed it as eczema and it does look like it but it kinda started off as a reaction from shoes that I was putting on him.

Anyway, I have a few questions that I was hoping you could answer:
1. Does it sting a little? I tried it on face (no particular reason why i chose my face, just did!) and it stung just a tiny bit.
2. On CAmeron's feet, it made the flaky skin white as though it was drier. Is this normal?????
3. Did you just use tea-tree oil exclusively because I have been using Dermeze so should continue to use Dermeze or not?

For Brenny - what is a carrier oil and where can I get some sweet almond oil? If I make a 'batch' so that it is ready for me to use, how long does it keep for?

Thanks!

[flower]

A carrier oil is an oil that you can use as a diluting medium that doesnt impart its properties on the substance your placing it in. For eg: If you place ribena in water..water is the codials carrier fluid..so to speak.

As far as I know sweet almond is available form most health food shops, maybe the chemists too.

Carrier oil
Carrier oil, also known as base oil or vegetable oil, is used to dilute essential oils and absolutes before they are applied to the skin. They are so named because they carry the essential oil onto the skin. Carrier oils do not contain a concentrated aroma, unlike essential oils, nor do they evaporate like them.
There are a range of different carrier oils each with their own individual properties and suitability towards different treatments in aromatherapy. Infused oils are a combination of a carrier oil and various herbs.

True carrier oils are generally cold-pressed vegetable oils taken, amongst others:

Sweet almond
Grapeseed
Avocado
Olive
Sesame
Evening primrose
Sunflower
Jojoba
Nuts:
Walnut
Peanut
Pecan
Macadamia nut
Sweet almond oil and grapeseed oil are the most popular carrier oils.

[Ana Gram]

We have been using a tea tree moisturiser which means we don't have to fiddle around with any oils and mix them up. DD skin has almost completely cleared!

[razzle]

Tea tree oil is magic stuff! DP has horrible scaly tinea-ish feet and we tried everything to get rid of it, even prescription cortizone creams. A foot bath with a few drops of tea tree oil in it cleared up the problem within a few days. Gets rid of all the itchyness, redness and scaly bits. It flares up every now and then, but then we just bathe his feet again. Problem solved.

That's great news about your daughter's rash Chelle!