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Used as traditional medicine by Aboriginal populations, tea tree oil is an essential oil that is obtained by steaming leaves from the Australian tea tree. It is commonly used in soaps, lotions, and lip balms, and its strong antibacterial and antifungal properties have led to its common use to treat everything from athlete’s foot, nail fungus, and insect bites, to getting rid of lice.
Tea tree oil is great for your skin. Firstly, it has antibacterial properties, so it can help treat conditions such as acne and eczema. It also has anti-inflammatory, antiviral, and antifungal properties. Tea tree oil has strong antioxidant properties, making it great for reducing damage from free radicals. It supports skin healing and skin cell turnover, making it a secondary preventative for dark spots and scarring.
While most people can use tea tree oil without problems, in some people it may cause skin irritation, rashes, itching, burning, redness, and dryness. When using it, bear in mind that it is an essential oil, and therefore must be used with a carrier such as a jojoba or almond oil or it can cause irritation to the skin in fully concentrated form.
It is not suitable for delicate or sensitive skin, as it may cause irritation. Our skin quiz will let you know if you need this ingredient, and if it’s the right choice for you.
Pores are itsy-bitsy openings in the skin—and there are millions covering every millimeter of skin. There are two types of pores with different functions: sweat pores and oil pores. The sweat pore allows moisture, produced by sweat glands, to exude out to the surface of the skin, where it helps to cool the body in response to heat, exertion or fever. Sweat pores are so tiny, they are mostly invisible to the human eye.
The oil pore, on the other hand, is a bit larger. Oil pores are also known as hair follicles because these pores produce oil from the sebaceous glands, but they are also the openings from which hair emerges. The oils help to keep our skin and hair healthy. It is the oil pores that can get clogged with sweat, debris and other gunk, causing acne, blackheads and whiteheads. Sweat pores rarely get clogged, as they are so tiny.
Benzoyl peroxide is a topical agent for fighting bacteria and unclogging pores. It is one of the longest-used medications to keep pores clean and healthy. Jojoba oil and rosehip oil are also good for reducing inflammation, fighting bacteria, and keeping in moisture for healthier skin. Ingredients that help exfoliate dead skin cells and increase new skin cell production, such as Vitamin A/Retinol, glycolic acid, and salicylic acid, are good for keeping pores unclogged as well.
Tea tree oil may be effective for clogged pores, but there are many other factors that may affect whether this ingredient would work on your skin or if there are better ingredients that may work for you. Take this skin quiz to find the best ingredients for your skin and build your skincare routine.
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