aftercare: Tea Tree Oil and Aloe

Hair Removal Methods Professional Electrolysis
1

What kind of tea tree oil product is best? Trader Joe’s has a pure tea tree oil by desert essence but it sort of scared me b/c it says “don’t apply directly to face”. It seems too potent. I’m not sure if you are supposed to add water or if putting a small amount on a cotton ball would be considered “not directly to the face”. Can anyone recommend a good one and where to buy it?

I bought a “blemish touch stick” (by desert essence as well) for my acne but it says it is for insect bites and skin irritations as well. It has tee trea oil but it also has 9 other natural extracts and essential oils like rosmary, lavender, chamomile, and calendula. Should the tea tree oil not have any other oil or extract mixed with it? (it also comes out of a roller, like old- school lip-gloss, which seems like it might be bad for bacteria reasons, but I don’t know).

Also, my aloe is from walgreens and while it is clear,alcohol and fragrance free, I noticed it has some other ingredients and is not 100% aloe. Is that ok or should I invest in 100% aloe?

Lastly, what kind of castille soap is best? The stuff at trader joes says “castille all-in-one” and I think it has hemp in it.I read here to get glycerin, castille or dial. I want to go shopping for the necessary items to be prepared.

2

Can anyone just recommend what kind of tea tree oil product to buy and where, and if it can be mixed with other essential oils and extracts or if it should not be mixed with anything at all? ( I realize maybe I asked too many Q’s above.)

3

Pure Aloe is best. I like “Lilly of the Dessert” brand because they are a cold processed whole leaf product that is 100% pure Aloe Vera.

As for Tea Tree Oil, just get the “Pharmaceutical Grade” stuff that is pure, with no additional stuff (except maybe lavendar oil which makes it more easy to wear during the day) When it comes to Tea Tree Oil, one also wants to get it in a brown bottle, as it is light reactive just like hydrogen peroxide. If the bottle is clear, one doesn’t know how much stregnth it has lost due to light exposure.

As for brand names, I like Melaleuca, Now Brand, Both Wal-Mart, and Walgreen’s in house brand Tea Tree Oils are good, although Walgreen’s is much more expensive and gives you less oil per bottle than Wal-Mart.

4

Last week, I found that Walmart has a new tree tea oil from Spring Valley, pharmaceutical grade, for $4.92. Target has quality tree tea oil as well for $4.92. You will find these in the vitamin section usually on the bottom shelf.

Dee

5

Thanks so much Dee and James. Do you apply the pure oil directly to your skin or dilute it with water?

Where can you find the “lilly of the desert” aloe?

6

You can dilute it if you want with a little olive oil or water, but try using it pure. You only need a little dab, alli. Do not over do it.

James may be able to comment on where to get Lily of the Desert.

7

Lilly of the Dessert is a brand name found in many whole foods stores, fresh markets, and vitamin shops.

8

The only essential oil that you can use directly on your skin, that I know of, is tea tree oil. Other essential oils should not be applied directly to the skin as the molecular structure is so tiny that the essential oil absorbs quickly into the bloodstream and can either be toxic or medicinial. (BTW, in France, physicians use essential oils the way a physician here would use an Rx).

Clients with oily skin can use the tea tree directly, spot treating with a q-tip, no double dipping by the way, the bacteria you introduce into your products will diminish the properties of the active ingredients and your shelf life will drop.

Clients with dry skin are told to add it to another oil, jojoba is most suitable as it is the oil that is most like the oil that our own bodies produce. The tea tree oil will work best if added to another oil, not water.

Pure aloe is another good idea and I ask clients to use it also.

Which brands do you buy? Forget the brand names. I don’t trust brands as larger companies buy smaller companies and forumulas change. Shop by looking at packaging and ingredients.
Tea Tree Oil : Brown or Blue glass bottle, 100% AUSTRAILIAN, 100% pure, phram. grade. Start with that.
Rregarding your Aloe Vera, although the actual leaf is good, it is a bit gooey so if you don’t like the goo, get pure aloe and refrigerate as necessary.

9

I agree with Arlene, it is better to know what a good product is, and find them, than to look for brand names, as the best way to get a retirement fund is to make a good product, and allow yourself to be bought out by a company that wants to control your type of product.

Balance Bars were once the best mass market nutritional supplement bar company in the world, but they sold out to the company that makes SNICKERS candy bars, and now the product sold under the Balance Bar name is more like candy than a balanced nutritional food. They even have corn syrup in them now! (ask a pig what corn syrup is good for, and watch him pat his big fat belly and oink at you)

10

Yes James, there are so many smaller companies that are bought out by larger companies yet the products retain their name even though the formula changes. Clients are always asking me to tell them the name of products that will help them with their acne or dry skin… I teach them about ingredients and then send them on their way.

I posted a note yesterday in response to Alli’s question about essential oils and need to add the following:

Should you use essential oils on your own, be careful. Other than tea tree oil, the essential oils are poison or medicine. Your essential oil needs to be diluted in something that has an oil base, not water. The carrier oil you choose should be cold-pressed. Some carrier oils that we like to use are: sweet almond and grapeseed but it might be easier for you to find peanut, olive or sesame. Make sure its cold pressed. Since carrier oils can go rancid, find one that has vitamin E added as it is a natural preservative.

11

I didn’t find any good pure tea tree oil at Whole Foods or CVS but I plan on hitting up Target or Walmart. Many bottles were clear and most said in the directions to dilute it with water and not apply directly to the face.I saw lots of products that had tea tree oil mixed with other things.

I have oily skin in my T-zone but not on cheeks and under chin so I’m not sure if I should mix it with oil just for those areas and then apply directly to the chin? I have cold-compressed Castor Oil but it doesn’t have vitmain E. Is that ok? If not I can get jojoba. The added oil won’t clog the follicles will it?

I saw lots of products that had tea tree oil mixed with other things. Jason makes a tea tree “soothing gel” that prestige electrolysis supply sells as well as Whole Foods. Another one that looked comfy was a “skin ointment” that has sweet almond oil, tea tree oil, jojoba oil, calundula extract, lavender oil, cetyl esters, and beeswax.They both seem appealing to me but I want to do whats best for skin recovery…I just don’t want to burn my skin with or clog it up with another oil and cause breakouts.My electrologist said not to apply directly to the skin.

It was hard to find pure aloe vera gel. Whole Foods only had lily of the desert’s 99% version and Jasons 98% and CVS had one that said 100% aloe (which was the generic “fruit of the earth”) but it still had added ingredients : triethanolamine, tocopheryl acetate, carbomer 940, tetrasodium edta,dmdm hydantoin,& diazolidinyl urea and these are the same weird ingredients in the walgreens version of aloe I already have. (no percentage is listed but it is the 1st ingredient) I will use this until I find a better one. Who knows what those ingredients are!

12

If you buy aloe vera gel in a plastic tube or plastic bottle, you are going to find extra ingredients that protect the gel against bacteria,fungi, etc. It’s okay, alli.

Undiluted tree tea oil should be fine for you - JUST A DAB. My clients love it and they don’t dilute it in any kind of oil. I personally don’t ask my clients to dilute it, but will keep Arlene’s information in my memory if I need to draw on that in the future. Keep electrolysis aftercare simple, pure and clean. Witch hazel, aloe vera gel, tea tree oil at night if needed. Wash your face with a mild soap. Some people like Dial soap. Keep your hands off your face. No makeup for 24-48 hours.

Aftercare is not a huge undertaking that requires a lot of focus or energy.

Dee

13

Perfect. I already have 2 out of 3. Should I only use the tea tree oil if my skin is red and irritated or always the 1st 3 days after treatment? (my skin shows no signs today, the 2nd day)

14

Always use the Tea Tree Oil the day of the treatment, and it is usually good to keep using it overnight for 2 days after.

15

Alli,

If you can’t find tea tree oil as described, you can get a 2 ounce bottle for only $10. If you want it, you can email me and I will tell you how you can get it by mail.

Regarding jojoba; it will not clog your pores, it will decongest them. Jojoba oil breaks up the hardened sebum that is trapped in your pores. Apply it once in the morning and once at night, after your cleansing routine.

Why are these natural products so good as aftercare?
Jojoba has an antioxident effect on the skin and it is good for all skin types - whether oily or dry.
Tea tree is an antiseptic but can be a bit irritating at full strength on dry skin.
You can mix them together as needed or use each separately.
Aloe is also good as it keeps the skin moist and is also an antiseptic that promotes healing.

There is an abundance of inaccurate information about skin care as it is not gov’t. regulated and much skin care is manufactured by folks with no background in chemistry which is a shame as its really all about ingredients and how one’s skin reacts to them.

my email is: [email protected]

16

Thanks so much for the offer and the info Arlene- I actually just bought the tea tree oil mentioned from Target and it was called Origin. It is 2oz’s of pharmaceutical grade 100% pure Australian in a brown bottle for $4.99 so it looks perfect. It did, however, really dry out the skin under my chin after using it only once applied directly- but the skin on my cheeks was fine. I might get that jojoba oil and mix it for the skin under my chin at least.

Can I apply aloe after the tea tree oil and jojoba (or plain tea tree oil), which I apply after the witch hazel, or is it better to do only the tea tree oil at nt and only aloe during the day?

Also, after the first 3 days of treatment can I go back to using my regular moisterizer until the next treatment or should I buy a new one for sensitive skin or a calming one like Aveeno that helps with redness?

Lastly, should I continue to use my mild cleanser all the time ( I bought a glycerin soap by desert essence that has tea tree oil and awapuhi and it says it is a “gentle” cleanser) or can I also switch back to my cream cleanser after the 3 days?

My electrologist put a tinted cream on my face right after treatment called Ombracreme and told me to use it at home. It has full zinc sun protection so I use it if I go out during the day, but if I stay in the house I just stick to the aloe.

17

Alli, since I haven’t provided you with a skin analysis, I will address your questions with a general response.

Day:
step 1) Cleanse with the appropriate cleanser. You mentioned a glycerine soap. Do not use bars of soap on your face. Use liquid soap. Since you describe your skin as having some dry areas and some oily areas, use a gel cleanser, not one that foams. If your skin feels tight, use the creamy type of cleanser that you mentioned.

step 2) You mentioned that you use witch hazel. If you want to use this, get one that contains NO isopropol or ethyl alcohol.

step 3) Then, apply your tea tree oil, with or without the jojoba, on the target areas. The target areas would be where you had the electrolysis, also you can spot treat acne. Use this AM and PM. If your skin is feeling too tight, use it PM only.

step 4) Then, you can add aloe overall. Use this whenever you like, AM, PM, mid-day.

step 5) Finally, if you feel tight and dry, and if the weather gets colder, go ahead and use your moisturizer. If you plan to go out, add a sunscreen with 15 - 30 SPF.

NIGHT:
repeat steps as above except do not use products that contain sunscreen

Since I don’t see your skin post-electrolysis, my suggestions are general based on limited information.

You noted that your electrologist applies a tinted cream on your face that contains sunscreen. As long as your don’t have any negative reaction to it, it sounds fine. Protecting your skin immediately after treatment is a good idea. If you plan to stay at home, don’t use any product that has sunscreen in it. Aloe is better to apply throughout the day, that is, unless you are allergic to it.

All the best,

18

Thanks Arlene-

Are u saying that if the weather gets cold/skin feels tight and dry I can use my moisterizer the 1st 3 days after a treatment after the aloe step or just after the 3 days go back to the moisterizer? My skin has been tight and dry feeling but I figured its best to just let it for the 3 days so as to not overdue putting stuff on it and risk clogging/irritating with the moisterizer. I thought I might just put the aloe on my whole face during those days instead of just the treated areas and maybe that will give me the moisture.

My mild cleanser is not gel or foam- its kind of runny liquid- like hand soap but it says its for the face. The cream cleanser is a clearasil one that is anti-bacterial with triclosan but says it “doesn’t overdry”.

19

By the way, I like the Origin brand from Target the best. It smells richer than the Walmart brand.

Alli, please don’t use tea tree oil generously. Only a dab. It shouldn’t dry out your skin (chin area) if it is used sparingly.

20

I’m not sure how to use it any more sparingly b/c I just dipped a q-tip in a little and quickly!