Is Tea Tree Oil Good for Beard? Benefits and Risk


Is Tea Tree Oil Good for Beard

Tea tree oil can be used to treat skin infections, inflammatory ailments, athlete’s foot, and acne. It can also treat dandruff and cleanse hair. I did some digging to find out whether it offers any benefits to facial hair.

So, is tea tree oil good for beards? Tea tree oil is not good for beard growth. Tea tree oil has anti-androgenic properties that suppress beard growth genes. However, if you use tea tree oil in a very diluted form, it is very effective against beard acne, dandruff, and even beard lice.

Tea tree oil for beard

There is scientific evidenceOpens in a new tab. to show that using cosmetic products with tea tree oil and lavender oil by some young boys resulted in the development of man boobs.

The concentration of tea tree oil used in most beard oil is quite low. Nonetheless, given that there are several tea tree oil alternatives such as grapeseed oilOpens in a new tab. or argan oil You can opt to use them instead of tea tree oil.

Risks associated with tea tree oil

Almost all beard grooming products such as beard oil, balms, conditioners, and shampoo have tea tree oil in their list of ingredients.

But this does not hinder the fact that tea tree oil has a bad reputation proven by research.

  • StudiesOpens in a new tab. show that tea tree oil resulted in estrogenic effects in boys
  • Recent studiesOpens in a new tab. have further proven that tea tree oil is ant androgenic
  • Therefore, it should not be used on hairs whose growth is androgen driven

What is tea tree oil?

Tea tree oil is an essential oil extracted from the leaves, branches, and twigs of the Melaleuca alternifolia through steam distillation.

Melaleuca alternifolia is a tree found in Australia. Over hundreds of years, Australians have used tea tree oil for various medicinal purposes.

Reasons why some beard oil companies use tea tree oil

You must have come across tons of beard oil companies that use tea tree oil as part of the ingredient in their beard oils.

Tea tree oil has some antimicrobial activities that make it a good option for people with sensitive skin or acne-prone skin.

That the reason you will find most beard companies that use tea tree oil as part of their ingredients. also claim that it is good for sensitive skin.

Tea tree oil has also been used for its fragrance.

But, there are tons of other natural oils that will not harm your androgenic hair/ beard and have antimicrobial activities, and offer a good fragrance.

How Tea Tree oil harms your beard in the long run

Tea tree oil is anti-androgenic

Based on this researchOpens in a new tab., which involved both tea tree and lavender oil, the researchers found that these two oils were associated with prepubertal gynecomastia (man boobs).

In the studyOpens in a new tab., some young boys who had been using tea tree and lavender oil products developed visible man boobs.

After discontinuing the use of these products, the man boobs also reduced.

In an attempt to further understand the effect that tea tree oil and lavender oil had, on the young boys that led to the development of man boobs.

They added the two natural oils in petri dish cultured cell cultures, the results showed that both oils led to the activation of the estrogen receptors and suppression of the androgen receptors.

This fact is what makes tea tree oil bad for beard growth or grooming.

The growth of the beard is affected by genes aka androgen receptors and the two beard growth hormones (testosterone and dihydrotestosterone).

The sensitivity of androgen receptors to beard hormones determines the extent of your beard growth.

Lavender oil and tea tree oil both suppress these androgen receptors reducing their sensitivity to beard growth hormones.  

Tea tree oil is poisonous if swallowed

According to Mayo clinicOpens in a new tab. swallowing tea tree oil can lead to:

  • Confusion
  • Decreased levels of consciousness
  • Lack of muscle control

There you should avoid using tea tree oil near or around the mouth as doing so can make you accidentally swallow it and it could cause serious side effects.

Since beards are very close to the mouth I would advise you to keep them off from tea tree oil.

If ingested tea tree oil can lead to

  • Stomach ache
  • Severe rashes
  • Nausea
  • Confusion
  • Diarrhea
  • Blood cell abnormalities
  • Hallucinations
  • Coma
  • Drowsiness

 Are there alternatives to tea tree oils?

There are tons of other natural oils that can offer the same benefits that tea tree oils offer without harming your beard growth.

Best alternatives for tea tree oil for beard include

Grapeseed oil

Grapeseed oil has antimicrobial properties that will help you fight and prevent dandruff.

Grapeseed oilOpens in a new tab. also moisturizes and strengthens your beard and skin beneath it. It also absorbs in your skin much faster and does not leave a greasy feeling.

Jojoba oil

Jojoba oil contains natural iodine, which will help you fight and prevent dandruff in your facial hair.

Jojoba oil is one of the best beard moisturizers and softeners, there is especially if it is combined with argan oil.  

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use tea tree oil on my beard? No, you should not use tea tree oil on your facial hair. The fact that tea tree oil is anti-androgenic and facial hair is androgenic hair means that tea tree oil and your beard will not work well. Tea tree oil will suppress the growth of your beard.

Is tea tree oil a DHT blocker? Tea tree oil does not block the production of DHT no not at all. But tea tree oil suppresses the receptors onto which the DHT binds and promotes the growth of facial hair. As a result, we can say that tea tree oil does not block the production of DHT but blocks DHT binding onto the androgen receptors.

Is tea tree oil good for hair? Yes, tea tree oil is good for women’s hair, especially those women who are experiencing androgenic alopecia. Androgenic alopecia is caused by DHT and tea tree oil hinders the binding of DHT to androgen receptors by suppressing these receptors. As a result, this may help regrow hair on the scalp.  

Does tea tree oil grow beard? No, tea tree oil does not grow a beard. The growth of facial hair is influenced by genes and testosterone.

Which oil is good for beard growth tea tree oil or grapeseed oil? Grapeseed oil is better for beard growth as it has been proven to stimulate beard growthOpens in a new tab. as compared to tea tree which suppresses beard growth genes.

Conclusion

While tea tree oil is included in some beard oils, using it on your beard is a bad idea, since it suppresses beard growth hormones and reduces their sensitiveness to beard growth hormones.

Ben

Hi, I'm Ben! When I embarked on my beard-growing journey, I had lots of questions. Now having successfully grown a beard, I launched this blog to share the answers I discovered through extensive research. Alongside beard tips, I also offer insights on maintaining and growing dreadlocks, as well as general advice on looking your best. I'm all about helping others look and feel great!

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