Tea oil, which goes by the synonym of tea tree essential oil, comes from the plant known by the Latin botanical name of Melaleuca alternifolia. Although the evergreen tree, which can also grow as a tall shrub, is native to sunny and humid parts of Australia and produces leaves from which tea essential oil is produced, tea tree essential oil is found in various personal care products. These include lotions, shampoos, soaps, antiseptics, and deodorants. There are many reasons why tea tree essential oil is a popular additive to these products.

Tea essential oil and organic tea oil are often found in personal care products because it is a natural antiseptic. It can help with insect bites, burns, cuts, and skin infections. It can be used to get rid of head lice, as well as athlete’s foot and warts. It can also help the body fight bacteria, fungi, and viruses, and can cause sweating.

Organic tea oil is also popular in aromatherapy, which uses essential oils from plants to strengthen the body and mind. Tea tree essential oil has been described as having a warm and fresh but slightly medicinal fragrance. Aromatherapy diffusers allow you to use organic tea tree oil for its unique scent to fill a room. Diffusers come in large and small sizes, and all require a heat source to heat the essential oil and release its fragrance. There are small diffusers available to wear around the neck, which rely on body heat to warm the organic tea oil. Car diffusers are small enough to hang from your rearview mirror or plug directly into your vehicle’s cigarette lighter. Candle diffusers use a lit candle under a shallow container that contains the essential oil of the tea tree. Electric diffusers with built-in fans are useful for spreading the scent of organic tea tree oil throughout a room.

Certain essential oils are also classified as organic. This means that the trees were grown in such a way that they did not use pesticides or synthetic chemical fertilizers at any point in their growth cycle. It also means that the property the plants were growing on had to be free of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides for a period of time before the organic growth of the plants. Finally, the grower had to keep detailed records on how the plants were grown and be willing to submit to on-site inspections. In the United States, the United States Department of Agriculture and the National Organic Program have established the compliance rules for organic certification; Authorized agencies then certify products, including organic tea tree oil, as meeting those standards.