Next up, melaleuca essential oil (also known as tea tree oil). This antiseptic, antibacterial, antifungal, anti-parasitic, antiviral essential oil is a great weapon against cooties. Melaleuca is reported to help with:

• Eczema
• Athlete’s foot
• Candida
• Cuts
• Wounds
• Acne
• Staph infection
• Dandruff
• Scabies
• Lice
• Hives
• Rashes
• Cavities

Here are just a few ideas for you:

Summer Camp

If your child is going to summer camp, he/she needs a healthy dose of melaleuca. Add it to his/her shampoo to ward off lice. Add it to sunscreen to ward off insects. And send them off with a 15 mL bottle of it to have on hand to add to band-aids to ward off infection.

Stinky Shoes

All three of my daughters play soccer and their cleats can get fun-ky! If your child (or man child) has the same issue, try combining 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar, 1 cup water and 10 drops of melaleuca essential oil in a glass spray bottle and spritzing daily and airing the offending footwear outside.

Acne

Got a blemish? Maybe your pre-teen does? Not to worry. Apply melaleuca essential oil directly to it before bedtime and let the pimple popping power of melaleuca do its thing.

—Becca Edwards, founder of Female IQ