tea tree oil - good handwash?

[southeast-isher]

i read online that tea tree oil is a good antibacterial, amongst other things - would it be a good germ killer if i used it as a handwash? (i eat with my hands a lot and put snus tobacco in my mouth with my hands which get dirty sometimes)

[marshlander]

Well it smells of old lino so I would stick with hot soapy water!

On the other hand so as to speak there are some recipes for alcohol free and alcohol based hand sanitizers on this site http://www.noordinaryhomestead.com/maki ... sanitizer/

[trinder]

It is highly recommended as a treatment for fungal toenail euuugh.

[Crickleymal]

This seems to be a good link to some results http://allnurses.com/holistic-nursing/t ... 48217.html. Basically orally it's not good but externally it's fairly safe but some people develop rashes. I guess it could be like latex if you use it too much you could get a reaction to it.

[southeast-isher]

thanks all of you

on that link marshlander it seems to say clove oil has antibacterial properties... might be less dangerous if bits get swallowed.

[the.fee.fairy]

I wouldn't personally, I've gargled with tea tree and it tastes horrible! The slightest bit tastes awful.

Maybe added to a plain wash, like Simple or a base would be ok if it was washed off again.

[gregorach]

It's very powerful stuff - you'd be more concerned with trying it wash it off your hands than washing your hands with it.

There's really no need for an antibacterial handwash in most circumstances. Plain old soap and water is perfectly adequate.