Tea Tree and Hair Growth – Mechanism of Action

Given the increased popularity in recent years, you’ve likely heard of tea tree oil in the context of complementary and alternative medicine. It has a multitude of uses, even for promoting hair growth, which is why it’s one of the key ingredients of Divi’s Scalp Serum.

Here’s a closer look at how tea tree oil can improve hair growth and health.

What is Tea Tree Oil?

Tea tree oil, or melaleuca oil, is an essential oil derived from the leaves of the Australian tea tree. People primarily seek it out for its antibacterial properties.

Divi’s Shampoo, Conditioner and Scalp Serum all contain real tea tree leaf oil, not just fragranced oil, ensuring you reap all the benefits of this clean, active ingredient.

How Does Tea Tree Oil Work?

Tea tree oil is somewhat of a superhero ingredient. It has antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral and antiprotozoal properties. What does this mean? Essentially, tea tree oil will kill off anything that shouldn’t be living or growing on your scalp!

Tea tree oil supports scalp health by killing the underlying causes of dandruff, such as yeast and bacteria on the skin’s scalp, which may cause flakiness or itchiness. It also prevents any infections from spreading to other parts of the body. By stimulating blood circulation at the scalp level, tea tree oil also stimulates hair follicles to produce more hair, which increases overall hair growth.

This is good news for people with hair and scalp conditions like alopecia or male-pattern baldness, since tea tree oil indirectly promotes hair growth through its anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties.

Benefits of Tea Tree Oil for Hair Growth

Improves Scalp Health

Tea tree oil can soothe the scalp due to its antimicrobial benefits. Additionally, it has strong antioxidants and anti-inflammatory effects capable of relieving the redness, itching and pain associated with scalp conditions. Reducing inflammation is a key component of improving scalp and hair follicle health.

Tea tree oil can help improve scalp health by unclogging hair follicles clogged with hair product residue.

Tea tree oil also improves blood circulation to the scalp. This stimulates the hair follicles and helps prevent hair damage, hair loss and thinning hair. It quickly penetrates the hair follicles, preventing the growth of fungi and bacteria that cause problems like dandruff and scalp infections.

Fights Dandruff

There is a link between dandruff and the yeast known as “Pityrosporum ovale.” Tea tree oil’s antifungal abilities can combat Pityrosporum ovale, which, in turn, helps when treating dandruff. This is corroborated by a study in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology.

Tea tree oil can help fight dandruff by killing and stopping the growth of yeast. It is most effective when mixed with other essential oils, such as eucalyptus oil and rosemary leaf extract, which is why these oils are included in Divi’s Scalp Serum.

Tea tree oil works with rosemary leaf extract to unclog the pores in the scalp. Then, eucalyptus oil helps stimulate blood flow and circulation to help fight dandruff. Our Scalp Serum contains the perfect balance of these essential oils and more to help clear up your dandruff without drying or irritating your scalp.

Reduces Oil Production

Dandruff and bacteria can cause oily or greasy hair. Tea tree oil can help regulate oil production on the scalp by targeting root causes.

Improves New Hair Growth

Tea tree oil is renowned for its hair growth-promoting effect. This effect is largely due to its positive impacts on scalp health, as outlined above. A healthy scalp is crucial for mitigating hair loss and aiding in significant hair regrowth.

Fights Baldness

Male-pattern baldness and female-pattern hair loss are caused by genetics in conjunction with dihydrotestosterone (DHT). DHT is an androgen or sex hormone, and high levels of androgens can reduce hair density and hair diameter, eventually resulting in continually thinning hair.

Studies show that tea tree oil has DHT-blocking properties and can significantly improve the activity levels of hair follicles. Divi has harnessed this power in its proprietary formula of our Scalp Serum to ensure you have the best environment for hair growth.

Tea Tree Oil in Divi’s Scalp Serum

As you may have gathered through all the technical terms you’ve read thus far, hair growth promotion relies on favorable scalp conditions. Tea tree oil does a lot in terms of improving the scalp’s health, so in this regard, it plays a vital role in reducing hair loss and promoting hair growth.

If you suspect you’re experiencing hair loss but can’t fully tell, then get the expert opinion of a dermatologist (skin doctor). A dermatologist will most likely perform a simple hair pull test and other diagnostics to measure the severity of your hair loss.

Which Conditions Can Tea Tree Oil Treat?

Tea tree oil can help with an assortment of different hair and scalp conditions, including ones leading to uncomfortable side effects such as irritation and inflammation. Here are a few conditions to consider treating with Divi’s Scalp Serum, featuring tea tree oil:

Itchy scalp – Tea tree oil can soothe inflammation caused by scratching and psoriasis. It does this by fighting the flake-forming yeast.
Dry Scalp – It reduces inflammation and irritation to keep your scalp looking and feeling healthy.
Folliculitis – Folliculitis occurs when hair follicles become inflamed, often due to a bacterial infection. The essential oil is particularly effective for those with recurring folliculitis.
Scalp psoriasis – Psoriasis causes thick and scaly plaque on the skin. Tea tree oil offers antibacterial, antifungal and antiviral properties, all of which serve well in terms of treating scalp psoriasis.
Eczema – The healing components of tea tree oil can ease the symptoms and severity of eczema flare-ups. Besides being anti-inflammatory and antifungal, tea tree oil is also antiseptic.
Irritant contact dermatitis – This is a very common, non-allergic skin reaction that results from skin irritation. A study on the effectiveness of various contact dermatitis treatments found that tea tree oil could reduce symptoms by around 40%, which was substantially more than standard topical medications. Do bear in mind that contact dermatitis can also be caused by an allergic reaction to tea tree oil, so make sure you’re not allergic before using our products!
Alopecia areata – Alopecia is the medical term for baldness and areata means patchy. Tea tree oil performs well when used to treat alopecia areata because it is an effective bactericide and fungicide.
Lichen planus – Whether lichen planus is an autoimmune disease or a natural reaction to an allergen is the subject of much debate. Either way, it’s an aggressive rash that can cause permanent scarring and a reduced hair count. This is another instance in which tea tree oil’s antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties come in handy.
Trichotillomania – This disorder gives a person the urge to pull out their hair. To treat this condition, many people turn to essential oils. The oils can be used as an alternative action for stimulus input whenever the urge to pull comes. Tea tree oil speeds up hair growth by assisting cell proliferation, increasing circulation and reducing stress. The eucalyptus oil and rosemary leaf extract found in Divi’s Scalp Serum also produce a similar effect. We have carefully selected our ingredients to ensure the best possible chances of treating these conditions.
Central Centrifugal Cicatricial Alopecia (CCCA) – Central centrifugal cicatricial alopecia is another form of alopecia that causes scarring and hair loss on the crown or vertex of the scalp. Tea tree oil’s cleansing, antibacterial and antimicrobial properties can combat this condition. When used topically, it unclogs hair follicles which, in turn, promotes hair growth.

Possible Side Effects of Tea Tree Oil

Even though it can be used for all hair types, tea tree oil should be used cautiously, as it can have some side effects.

People with Allergies

If you have allergies to plants from the myrtle family, then you may be allergic to tea tree oil.

The exact number of people allergic to tea tree oil is hard to calculate. However, many studies have found that a significant number of people have experienced allergic reactions. If you suspect that you might be allergic to tea tree oil, have a dermatologist perform a patch test on you before using our products.

How Often Can I Use Divi’s Scalp Serum for My Hair?

Divi’s Scalp Serum can be used daily. All you need is 3/4 of a dropper applied directly onto your scalp. You can target areas that you feel would benefit most from the treatment, or apply it across your scalp more generally. No mixing up different ingredients, and no risk of side effects from using the wrong dosage. Just simple, clean ingredients, carefully formulated into a convenient product that is ready for you to use.

Final Thoughts

The unfortunate reality is hair loss, particularly genetic hair loss, is often unavoidable. Maintaining a good diet and a supportive hair and scalp care regime can create optimal conditions for hair to grow and even delay the onset of hair thinning.

Divi’s Scalp Serum is a targeted, easy-to-use solution, enabling you to reap the benefits of clinically proven ingredients like tea tree oil and other wonder ingredients to support your hair and scalp health.