Tea Tree Reaction?

A member wrote recently:

Hi Kathryn,

I’ve been wanting to ask you about something.  I recently had a fall and scraped my arm.  I applied some tea tree to the scrape.  I’ve been using tea tree for years without any issues.  I’m careful with what I put on my skin as I’m ultra sensitive.  

I noticed after I applied the tea tree that I had some little bumps around the scratched area.  I did wonder for a moment if I was reacting to the tea tree but I’ve been using it for so many years without issue that I let the thought pass.  I applied it a second time and then the injured area began to get red and raw and started oozing.

This sparked a memory of a similar reaction on my hand some time ago (same side by the way).  I remember I also applied tea tree to the area just before the reaction.  I’m wondering now if it actually was a reaction to the tea tree. I wanted to get your thoughts on this - do you think it’s possible that a reaction to tea tree could have caused this?

I do believe that this does sound like a true reaction, AND it is so rare for anyone to have a reaction with pure oils of this quality.  I can count on one hand the number of people that I have witnessed to have a true reaction to the oils, in my 22 years of healing practice!

It is possible that you have developed a temporary sensitivity to the oils; perhaps relying on one oil for too many things; or maybe some extra stress in your life could have contributed to this sort of thing.  I have seen this before in myself.  About 14 years ago, I developed  a temporary sensitivity to cinnamon, after using it on my skin for several weeks, coinciding with eating cinnamon Altoids, the stress of traveling, and overexposure to the sun in a desert climate that I was not used to.  

I had to stop using cinnamon essential oil for about 3 months before I could use it again without getting a rash on my arms, legs, and abdomen.  It is my belief that I simply over did it with cinnamon exposure, and I have never had another reaction to it like that again, despite using it freely ever since. 

A possibility to check in with, since I know you are working co-creatively with the spirits of the plant oils, is to ask if you have developed a sensitivity in order to help you "branch out" into using other oils for these purposes.  Sometimes we get so comfortable with one oil that we fail to realize there are a great number of other oils that could do the same thing for us, and maybe with a different frequency that could be even more healing.  This just might be your body's way to get you to try some others for wound treatment...

Please do keep us informed as you uncover the rest of the story!

Kathryn