Pregnancy: tea tree oil in pregnancyQ.I was wondering if 100% essential tea tree oil is safe to use in the bath while pregnant. The brand I have is Radox essential tea tree oil.A.As far as I know, tea tree oil is safe to use in pregnancy. In fact, it is probably one of the most versatile and useful of all the essential oils, and well worth getting to know, pregnant or not. (It also has the strongest ‘research base’ of all the oils.)The only concern that textbooks mention concerning tea tree oil is the fact that if used undiluted, it may cause skin irritation. It is therefore very important that you follow the instructions accompanying your chosen brand very carefully, and only use the oil neat (undiluted) in special circumstances. Don’t be tempted to assume that ‘more is better’. You will find that generally only 1-3 drops of the pure essential oil is required in bath water. This may not sound much – but, in common with all essential oils, tea tree oil may have a powerful effect and should be treated with respect. Please note – the above information applies to small, relatively expensive bottles of the ‘pure’ oil. There are many pre-diluted tea tree oil preparations on the market – bubble baths, shampoos, facial cleansers and so on. Provided your skin does not react badly to these, these preparations are safe to use in pregnancy. |
