Get to Know: Tamanu Oil (for Acne, Scars, Stretch Marks, Scabies, Burns, Athlete’s Foot …)

crunched by Crunchy Betty on May 3, 2011
filed under Natural Beauty Recipes, Skin

Calophyllum inophyllum Mosaic - tree, flowers, nuts

Tamanu - By Tatters, on Flickr. Gorgeous, yeah?

It seems like every couple of years, there’s a new miracle fruit, antioxidant, oil, vegetable, nut, or cat.

(Not really the cat thing, except mine.)

Tamanu might have actually already had its heyday, but up until about 6 months ago, I’d never heard of it.

Most famously, I’ve read of many people who use it to help with their acne. And, pretty much across the board, the consensus is that it works.

Confession: Sometimes I get pimples on my cheeks still. And I pick them, unconsciously. And they turn into scabs. It’s a horrible, horrible habit STOP JUDGING ME.

I’ve mostly used tamanu when I do those terrible, horrible, no good, very bad things. I can honestly say that the healing time seems drastically reduced. Where, maybe, it would’ve taken a week for one to heal, it’s usually gone in three or four days.

BUT (tada!) that’s not all it’s useful for. Among other things, it’s been scientifically shown to reduce the appearance of stretch marks (and I get TONS of emails asking about how to do that), it heals burns and wounds, soothes and heals insect bites, scabies, athlete’s foot, chapped lips … the list really does go on and on and on.

What On EARTH is Tamanu Oil?

Tell me if I’m wrong: Tamanu kinda sounds like an animal, right? When I first read the word, I envisioned a lopsided sheep-goat animal that rolls around in the mud and bleats like a stretched-thin balloon stem.

It is not.

It’s actually a beautiful flowering tree that blooms twice a year and produces fruit that taste similar to apples. In the middle of these fruits are seeds. Within the seed is the oil.

Extracting this oil sounds to be an arduous practice, as they have to climate-control the rooms in which they dry the seeds – and then wait patiently for them to secrete their incredible oily goodness.

The word “tamanu” originates from Tahiti, but they’re called anything from “kamani” in Hawaii, to “dilo” in Fiji, to “Ballnut” in Australia.

Oh, you Aussies.

Tamanu oil is incredibly rich in fatty acids, and it’s also full of compounds that science hasn’t completely isolated yet. One thing that is known for sure is that it’s highly antibacterial, antimicrobial, antifungal, and antioxidant.

An abstract, macro picture of my tamanu oil. Artsy, until you add text.

All over the world (but especially in the Southern portions), its sap, oil, and leaves are used to treat:

Psoriasis
Diabetic ulcers
Acne
Scarring
Athlete’s foot
Scabies
Scrapes and cuts
Sunburns
Diaper rash
Sore throats (applied topically, even)
Joint aches and pains

And, seriously. The list still goes on from there.

But here’s my new favorite thing to do with it.

Exfoliating, Healing Tamanu Oil Dry Scrub

Tamanu oil is really thick and slightly fragrant (like … green fruit), and it takes a while to sink all the way in. This makes it not the most attractive option – alone – as a facial moisturizer, at least if you’re planning on doing anything in public for about 2 hours after applying it.

However, I do add it to my “kitchen-sink” facial oil mix that I use nightly. Once it’s thinned out a bit, it goes on like a charm.

My favorite way to use it happens to be as more of a dry scrub.

You can use this scrub on your face (although not recommended for OPEN wounds … I use it once the healing process has started and there’s no true broken skin left), on your stretch marks, or anywhere you want to exfoliate, encourage the tamanu to sink into your skin, and ultimately soften and heal.

How to Do the Tamanu Oil Dry Scrub:

Rub a thick-ish layer of tamanu oil over the skin you want to exfoliate. (Make sure your skin is clean, i.e. NO makeup.)
Massage for a minute or two.
Take a small handful of sugar into the palm of your hand, and very, very softly massage the sugar around on your skin.
Do this for 3-5 minutes.
Rinse the sugar off with water.

Left behind will be amazingly soft, glowing skin. It may still feel a tiny bit oily for a while, but it sinks in relatively quickly. Within 10-15 minutes.

Technically, you can use this method with any oil you’d like – especially olive.

I do feel like, though, since doing this weekly (for about three weeks), I’ve had far fewer issues with dry patches on the tops of my cheekbones and pimples on my cheeks.

Have You Used Tamanu Oil Before?

Are you way ahead of the curve and have known all about tamanu this whole time?

I’d love to hear your personal experience with it.

It’s one of my new favorite oils; one I really don’t know if I’ll want to go without in the future.

Plus, it sounds like such a great medicine cabinet addition for burns and scrapes.

Almost makes me want to go skateboarding – just to test it out.

(Someone talk me out of this before I get hurt.)

WHAT’S FRESH AT CRUNCHY BETTY’S NATURAL MARKET

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Take a look at the popular LUCID Moisturizing Facial Oil - Blended with acneic and oily skin in mind! (Soaks into your skin and nourishes from the outside in)!

Crunchy Betty Natural Market's BEST seller!: Kokomo Cream Handmade Deodorant - a light, lime-and-coconut cream deodorant packed full of ingredients to keep you fresh and oh-so-soft.

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http://greenmakeup.wordpress.com/ Green make-up

Hi! I really like this post and I find this oil amazing!
I also started to write posts about oils, especially cold-pressed, which
have a lot of benefits for the skin, as you wrote also about Tamanu oil.
Can you let me know where can I find it to try it?
Thanks
Best to you:)
Dasha
- Crunchy Betty
  
  Hi, Dasha! I got mine from Mountain Rose Herbs, and I’m not really familiar with any of the other brands out there. I’ve been so happy with the stuff I DO have that I don’t know if I’d even bother to switch just to see. (But you never know.)
  
  Good job with the crunchiness! Cold-pressed or expeller-pressed is the only way to go with oils, IMHO.
  - http://greenmakeup.wordpress.com/ Green make-up
    
    Ok, thank you very much the info! I will check it.
    Best, Dasha
LarissaA

Don’t go skate boarding!
Thank you for this post. I’ve never heard of tamanu oil. Where dud you buy yours? I’d like to gift it a try.
By the way, another topic, have you heard of cupuacu butter? Have you ever tried it?
- LarissaA
  
  (sorry about the misspelling, my phone “corrects” words in a weird way)
- Crunchy Betty
  
  Ha. No worries about the misspelling – at least it wasn’t of DYAC proportions!
  
  I got mine from Mountain Rose Herbs (big surprise). And like I just mentioned to Dasha above, I’m so happy with it, I doubt I’d even bother to switch brands.
  
  I’ve heard of cupuacu butter, but I haven’t ever tried it. It’s now on my ever-growing list of new things.
http://www.hippie-status.blogspot.com Kelli

Have you ever used it as a spot treatment for pimples?
- Crunchy Betty
  
  Actually, I haven’t really. Whenever I start getting a pimple, if I can realize what’s happening BEFORE I start absent-mindedly picking, I always put a spot treatment of clay and lavender oil on it. That’s my favorite way to get rid of ‘em fast.
  
  I will say that I was getting a weird pimple on my neck last night that seemed like it was going to be a doozy, but then I put tamanu all over my face/neck to psych me up to write this post. This morning, the weird-o neck pimple is gone. Completely.
Brittany

I would love to hear why you bought this stuff!
- Crunchy Betty
  
  Haha. Why? Because I kept reading about it in different places, and then I was placing a big order with Mountain Rose Herbs with a gift certificate my mom gave me for Christmas.
  
  So I stuck it in my cart, and it’s become just about my favorite purchase in that order (except for soap nuts).
  
  Really, I bought it out of curiosity more than anything at all. I LOVE that it’s turned out to be an accidental fave.
Rebecca

This is perfect timing! I have been breaking out like a teenager lately and I also am a picker. Just can’t leave em alone! Hopefully this will help with the whole thing. Also, there are at least four kids where I work that were just treated for scabies. I am feeling really paranoid about the whole thing right now! Crawly, crawly…ew!
- Crunchy Betty
  
  Yikes-o. The only thing scarier than scabies is lice, when it comes to kids coming home with creepy stuff. Hope this helps! Let me know what kind you get, if and when you get some … and what your thoughts are!
Brittany

I definitely meant to type “where” but I’m glad i also got to hear why you bought it! Hahaha!
Minerva

i use tamanu oil daily for the past six months and it works great on my face. haven’t had as many breakouts. but it did wreak havoc on my eyelids. they are dry, irritated, and crusty in the morning. (yuck) although i will always use tamanu, i’m very careful not to put any oil on my eyelids.
- Crunchy Betty
  
  Verrrrrry interesting! Thank you for sharing your experience with it. Nice to know what NOT to do.
Angel

That description of where the oil comes from makes me think – expensive. :) Haha Actually, I was wondering if this helps for acne that has already scarred. My skin just doesn’t heal like it use to and I have noticed that when I do get a pimple it usually ends up scarring in some way. I’d love to find something to lighten those scars and prevent them from happening in the first place.

Loving your site, just found it a few weeks ago. I’ve been doing oil cleansing for a few weeks now and I’m really liking it. I need to get together a few pimple fighting ingredients for me to use when I have flair ups.
- Crunchy Betty
  
  It’s kind of expensive-ish, though not nearly a bank-breaker like I expected it to be. And a little goes a long, long, long way, so that really helps mitigate the price.
  
  So, it SHOULD work on pimple scars, and I totally have the same issue. I had pimples and stuff in high school, but it never scarred. In the last four or five years, whenever I forget and accidentally pick and it scabs, I’ve started scarring a little there. Weird how it just “happens” like that, yeah?
  
  ANYWAY, there was a scientific study done on tamanu a while back, and it showed significant improvement in the appearance of scars. I’m starting to use it – alone – more often on my mid-cheek scarred areas because of that. Fingers crossed – for both of us!
  - Angel
    
    Thanks! Good to know. Now I need to find some to try. :)
  - Beth Ann Donnelly
    
    Hiii! (Not sure if you’ll get this since it’s been 2 years since this post.) BUT I just discovered Tamanu Oil and I was hoping it would help “fade away” my awful acne that just “happened” to appear… (read: I’m a mindless picker as well.) :-/
    
    I was just curious to see if it did help your the appearance of the scars to fade, or at least some. Mine are mid-cheek as well and with no makeup or after a sweaty workout, I’m pretty self conscious about it and they just stick out.
Paula Frazier

I saw the supermodel Carol Alt talking about it on the Dr. Oz show a few months back, and had to have some because she looks gorgeous for her age. I too bought mine from Mountain Rose Herbs, but then I started reading comments about it where people were either pro or con about using it on their face, because even though it worked well at first, it quickly became a nightmare for them with breakouts (clogged pores).

I bought my daughter a bottle at the same time I bought mine, but told her to hold off on using it until I could get more information. She is getting married in June, and I don’t want to be the cause of her skin breaking out beforehand.

So, your suggestion is to use it with sugar at the same time?
- Crunchy Betty
  
  Y’know, I did tons of research when I first bought it to find out whether or not it was noncomedogenic, and I think it just hasn’t been studied enough yet to know.
  
  I do find it VERY thick (like I said here) and slow to soak in. So I’m not sure it clogs pores as much as it just takes a long time to be fully absorbed.
  
  It would be interesting to do some sort of survey on people who’ve used it and have had trouble with it. Apparently, it comes in two different “colors” – dark, almost black-green and the lighter green like mine is from MRH.
  
  Apparently the darker oil is expressed via a very high heat (which makes the oil secrete faster, but probably inevitably makes the oil itself lose some of its antibacterial effectiveness). I’d just be interested to see if a decent percentage of those who broke out from it were using the dark oil.
  
  ANYWAY, as far as what I recommend … I really can’t “recommend” anything here, per se. Only because we’re talking about a wedding day. In my opinion, doing it (no more than once a week) with a light sugar scrub is going to be less “pimple-inducing” than using it nightly on your face. But, honestly, I don’t know for sure. It hasn’t made me break out any more than the usual hormonal pimples I get anyway, but I don’t really have acne-prone or incredibly oily skin, either.
  
  Ultimately, though, if she cut it with another oil, like jojoba (which many people have said helped their acne, too) and then put a few drops of an essential oil like lavender or tea tree, she might have more luck than the people who used it as a moisturizer straight. That way, you get the good healing properties without the ultra thickness.
  
  Let me know what you decide! And congrats!
  - Paula Frazier
    
    Thanks for your thoughts on it.
    
    One other thing that I found Tamanu is great for is as a cuticle oil. I have very dry cuticles, but the Tamanu keeps them looking nice all day long.
alex smith

I have a scar on my forehead about an inch or so in length do you honestly think this tamanu oil will help reduce the length and visibility of the scar?
J.C

where can you buy this product in Australia, Sydney. it sounds amazing and i cant wait to try it.
Fliptryp

hi betty,

i live in hawaii…east side of the big island, on the coast of puna. kamani trees grow all along the coast here. i make my own kamani oil by hand (a very involved and tedious process), it is gorgeous, pure, potent stuff. (a surfer friend of mine taught me how, he learned from an old tahitian woman.) i use it on my face, neck, shoulders and decolette…for acne, acne scars, sun damage, and aging skin. (i’m in my fourties.) i’ve also used it on burns, cuts, mild skin infections, and rashes. it is amazing stuff, and is by far my favorite oil!!

the fresh nuts can also be shredded and mixed with coconut oil as a poultice, and the leaves have powerful healing properties as well.

i have another friend who makes larger batches of kamani (and kukui) oil with a mechanical press, but i prefer my magical hand-made stuff. the nuts i use are gathered from trees right next to the ocean, in an area that is known for having some of the cleanest air on the planet. i have great appreciation and respect for the kamani trees, and i send them love & thanks every time i see them.

thanks for this great post, and for your fabulous blog!

btw…my other main beauty product is raw honey…i use it as a face and body mask, and i mix it with salt for a scrub…incredible results. one of my fave at-home spa treatments is this: i scrub my whole body (using scrubbie mitts) with cider vinegar, then rinse…then i coat my body in honey, put down a towel, and do yoga for 20 minutes or so, then rinse it off. oh my, total goddess-ness! also nice to do with a partner :) i call it “honey yoga”, and i’m convinced this treatment has mood elevating effects as well!
- Fliptryp
  
  …oh yeah, don’t get it near your eyes, it’s very irritating to them.
- Cheryl Walker
  
  That’s fabulous! I wash with Manuka honey myself, and just bought a bottle of Tamanu/kamani oil as an addition. Would you suggest it as a spot treatment?
  Thank you!
Lisa

I have just purchased this oil and it arrived today, I can’t wait to use it for my dry skin and acne scarring! Yay!
http://www.facebook.com/people/Brittany-Squires/513575617 Brittany Squires

What would be the best way to use it to get rid of stretch marks? Would you mix it with another oil like jojoba? Curious as to your thoughts and suggestions!
http://ramblingsofahappyhomemaker.blogspot.com/ Pam

Yay! I’m excited to have read this this morning. I just ordered some Tamanu oil. It should be here tomorrow. I have been researching ingredients as I’m starting up a natural skin care company, and this is one oil that really grabbed my attention. You had some info about it that I hadn’t read about, though. Go, Crunchy Betty! I’m thinking it would be great to add to a healing salve.
[email protected]

Hi Betty,
I regularly use tamanu oil, and I love it. it really does work. it works great on scars. i have very fair skin, and had gotten a really bad sun burn mark across my chest, after just a few days, it was almost gone, and now it is completely gone! i use it daily on my face in stead of moisturizer, alternating only with a vitamin a polyglycenol moisturizer sometimes. Just wanted to spread the word! Love your logo by the way!
byoteenapp

Smell aside,…love the stuff. Aside from rose hip see doil, tamanu oil has the best healing properties in my opinion. For acne or pimples, I apply it about 4xdaily and see an immediate reduction. I’m not happy about the time it takes to reduce hyperpigmentation, but it does a great job on that also.
- G_uidance
  
  By the way, it’s great for eczema sufferers!
Guest

I’ve been using Tamanu oil for 5 weeks now ( cold pressed organic) for tha facial scar left after chemical burn ( had terrible experience with glycolic peel). I regret not starting this oil sooner, cause it does help. Hyperpygmentation post chemical burn is nearly gone and scar is less noticable. I doubt that scar will go away at all, it’s quite deep, but I am gratefull it is improving. Neither vit E, nor vit A were working, and after I’ve read about Tamanu oil I decided to try and it does work. It did cause break outs initiallly ( I have acne prone skin), but hardly anymore. I hope this review helps.
Cboust

I love Tamanu oil and I’m so glad I found it. I put it on at night when I go to bed. I first heard about it in a health food flyer. I didn’t expect much at first..(like most stuff I buy for my face), but after a week…I noticed a nice glow to my skin and my pores seemed smaller. Women at work noticed how nice my skin looked and when I told them what it was, they all headed to the health food store to buy it. I pass on the virtues of Tamanu oil whenever I can.
I did notice though…after a few weeks of using it….my facial skin started to get that tight feeling (dried out). Who knew that an oil would DRY out your skin! So what I do now is moisturize in the evening with either Argan Oil or Sweet Almond Oil and use Tamanu Oil alone once per week or in the alternative I dilute a few drops with the other oils and use it every night. I also use it on it’s own as a spot treatment for the odd pimple and it works wonders! For example…the other day I noticed a few dark hairs on my upper lip and waxed them off (yes, I’m at that age)….the next day two tiny white heads appeared. The old me would have popped them, and been left with a couple of red marks that would have taken a few weeks to disappear. Instead, I dabbed a drop of Tamanu on them. The next morning when I woke up..they were completely gone. I would highly recommend Tamanu oil to anyone who may have an acne prone teenager at home or acne themselves. I just wish this was available when I was in my twenties and suffered with acne!
Nanel

Hi, well today it’s the first day I have applied the Tamanu Oil. Since, I am barely using I cannot say much. But I do want to say that the smell does not bother me at all. I can tell that it’s that ichy or dense on my skin. It’s like using my fave moisturizer. I took pictures and as the days go by I’ll keep track of the process.
Aussie

Australian Ballnuts are not Tamanu, they are a relative of the macadamia but their fruit is poisonous.
http://www.facebook.com/betty.koikai Betty Koikai

Hi Maggie, Kindly give me the name of the tamanu oil you purchased from amazon. Thanks!
damisme

After several trips to the Derm doc, and several hundreds of dollars in acne products, I learned about tamanu oil on….Dr Oz. I ordered the purest form of the oil which smells not so great. It worked a miracle on my son’s acne. He was so embarrassed by his skin that he didn’t even care how bad it smelled. Within a couple of weeks his skin was majorly improved. In one month his skin was baby smooth and no trace of acne. He kept using it for another couple of weeks just to be sure, but its now two years later and his skin is still beautiful and acne free. Be sure to look at ingredients before you buy. Many are mixed with other oils or ingredients. Pure tumanu oil is about $50 for a small amount. Be sure to go for purity.
- Amelia
  
  PURE tamanu does NOT cost that much! Believe me! It costs nowhere near that much, I get 30ml for £10 that’s approx $15! And it is from a reputable company as I know a lady who works there, VERY well, besides I can tell pure tamanu because I used it a lot in the last 3 months of my Beauty Therapy level 2 course.
  - LaeMONADE
    
    where did you purchase your tamanu oil from? (:
Amelia

WHAT???? I have been using pure cold pressed tamanu as a moisturiser ALONE for 2 years and I can go out in public IMMEDIATELY after applying, also it does NOT take a while to soak into the skin! It takes like a MINUTE. You are supposed to shake it before hand. (I did two year beauty therapy course and did best in facial and essential oils part of the course) Also for those saying it may clog your pores, these types of oils CANNOT clog your pores! You can however select an oil that just doesn’t work for your skin type, ie too heavy…. The oil cleansing method for instance made my life a misery! Because you must use hot water to steam several times AND rub the oil off well with a facde cloth I was breaking out in CYSTIC ACNE TERRIBLE FOR 4 MONTHS before I decided enough is enough, now I quickly remove make up with olive oil then wash face with honey, rinse and then apply a honey face mask for 15 mins rinse, apply natural yogurt with chamomile extract in it (my face LOVES this) and then moisturise with almond oil and 2 drops of tamanu oil. Note my skin has NOT recovered from the awful breakout the oil cleansing caused! 6 weeks of leaving that method and new cysts have STOPPED appearing but the old ones WON’T go away!!! And there are lots, if you have acne but with COMBINATION skin or even dry skin DO NOT use the oil cleansing method, in fact really it is not a good method for 2 reasons, the facial skin is SO delicate you should NEVER rub it, especially if you have acne, also hot water should NEVER be used on the face because it dries the skin causing sebum levels to rise, (use luke warm water) and steaming should NEVER be done on acne prone skin as this too causes dryness which means your oils over work, This is a simple thing ANYONE who does level 2 beauty therapy is taught, I STUPIDLY gave the oil cleansing method a try, although did my best to wipe VERY gently but although I loved the fact that lots of black heads came out (gross I know) I have HUGE cystic acne in CLUSTERS all over my chin, forehead and cheeks…. MONTHS past the purging peroid!
Amelia

ps I use the tamanu oil on its own in the morning and mixed at night….