How do you use tea tree oil for dandruff?

[siren3]

I have an oily scalp and am prone to the kind of dandruff that is the seborrheic dermatitis kind (or kinda like cradle cap). It's nothing horribly bad or smelly, but it can be a bother. Someone here once mentioned that you can use tea tree oil in the shampoo, which is a great idea because I know how great tea tree oil is for this kind of stuff. But how exactly do you do it? Do you add a couple of drops in the whole shampoo bottle or in the palm of your hand in your shampoo before you wash your head? I'm afraid it will dry out my hair since it was color treated before and became more prone to dryness, so has dryness happend to anyone that does this? Thank you for any help. =)

[producttramp]

Try using a few drops in the palm of your hand and mix it with the shampoo.
Alternately, try putting on the areas affected with a qtip after showering. I found that way most effective. It wont be as drying that way if you just apply it to the scalp.

[Blue-eyedBelle]

While some people can apply tea tree oil straight without any problems, a lot of aromatherapists say that no essential oil should be applied to the skin without dilution - even lavender. Plus there have been studies that have shown that diluted tea tree oil is just as effective as straight - maybe even more effective. It doesn't take much of an essential oil to get a response.

You may not have any problems applying it directly to your scalp - but I would definitely do a test area first. Personally, I would take about 1 oz. of a carrier oil like jojoba, olive, camellia, etc. (in a glass bottle) and add about 5 drops of tea tree oil to it & then apply it to the scalp. Or if you have an 8 oz. bottle of shampoo, you could add about 40 drops of tea tree oil. The recommended dilution is 5 drops per ounce.

[producttramp]

If you have an oily scalp however, adding more oil will only make the problem worse and Seborric dermatitis may become worse off with the addition of any oil, no matter how gentle. Plus adding an additional oil to your already oily scalp may give you flat greasy hair.
Your thing is to clear the scalp of excess oil and dead cells and apply a treatment to keep it under control. Some people have luck with Nizoral or other rx'd shampoos but I always recommended tea tree to clients if they asked with great results. A great tea tree shampoo and conditioner that is available at health food stores is natures gate or salons have Paul Mitchell but they can strip color.
Also, to help when things get real itchy, or lots of dandruff, try making a paste of your shampoo and some baking soda almost like an exfoliant to the hair and scalp to help clean the scalp and soothe things if the itching is bad.
If you really want to dilute the tea tree, try water (maybe a spray bottle and shake like crazy). Tea tree oil whether a shampoo or an oil used throughout the hair itself may strip your color/cause dryness so I do think its best to try an on the scalp treatment.

[Blue-eyedBelle]

Originally Posted by producttramp

If you have an oily scalp however, adding more oil will only make the problem worse and Seborric dermatitis may become worse off with the addition of any oil, no matter how gentle. Plus adding an additional oil to your already oily scalp may give you flat greasy hair.

Actually, I was referring to applying the oil to the scalp about 20-30 minutes prior to shampooing. An oil like jojoba is similar to the body's own oils & works very well to balance oil production - whether it be too much or too little. Then you would shampoo as usual, so the oil is not left in the hair at all.

I use jojoba oil with pine & rosemary essential oils on my scalp every other night in this manner. It really helps with the flakes/crusts (I believe I have seborrheic dermatitis on my scalp as well) - it doesn't aggravate it at all & doesn't make my hair greasy or flat. Of course, everyone won't have the same results.

Oh, I forgot to add that it hasn't affected my highlights at all & I've been using this for over a year now.