Using tea tree oil face washes/shampoo...

[JL27850]

Hi,
I've had Jax for nearly 11 years and have only just been told that tea tree oil is bad news.
The thing is I have been using tea tree oil face wash and body wash for over a year and have just recently (6 months-ish) started using tea tree shampoo as well. All are from The Body Shop in Australia. I have only just been told that it can be toxic.
Obviously I don't let him preen or lick my face/hair when it's wet but otherwise he does do it quite a lot, especially my nose.
I've never seen any signs that it's effecting him and he was checked out by the vet in March and given a good bill of health etc. But I'm wondering if I should change to something different?
I'm worried that I could be harming him.
Would appreciate any feedback.

 

[LaManuka]

Hi,
I've had Jax for nearly 11 years and have only just been told that tea tree oil is bad news.
The thing is I have been using tea tree oil face wash and body wash for over a year and have just recently (6 months-ish) started using tea tree shampoo as well. All are from The Body Shop in Australia. I have only just been told that it can be toxic.
Obviously I don't let him preen or lick my face/hair when it's wet but otherwise he does do it quite a lot, especially my nose.
I've never seen any signs that it's effecting him and he was checked out by the vet in March and given a good bill of health etc. But I'm wondering if I should change to something different?
I'm worried that I could be harming him.
Would appreciate any feedback.

To be honest I'm not sure what concentrations of tea tree oil would be harmful, but personally I would avoid it as it's named on a number of lists of ingredients that can be dangerous to birds, here are two of them...

Tea Tree Oil - American College of Veterinary Pharmacists

Tea tree oil, also known as melaleuca oil, has increased in popularity with the heightened use of "natural remedies." This ingredient can be found in gels, body lotions, shampoos, conditioners, balms, toothpaste, insect repellants, and other household products. In veterinary practice, tea...

vetmeds.org

Dangers in your home! - Birdzone

We cannot stress enough about the dangers to your birds of some of the everyday items around the home. While you may not have your bird in direct contact with the items, fumes and spray from many of these can adversely affect them.

www.birdzone.com.au

Perhaps you could contact your vet's office and see what they think too?