Tea trea and other natural oils can act like estrogen in your body

I've been a walking commercial for tea tree oil ever since I discovered the wonders it could work on my skin. Anything that needed to heal, be less red or less dry- I'd put tea tree oil on it and, poof! It seemed to be a miracle cure, and it came from a tree. I felt good about that.

Now scientists say that tea tree oil and lavender oil in soaps, shampoos, hair gels and body lotions can act like estrogen in our bodies. In fact new research linked exposure to these products with the growth of enlarged breasts in boys.

Granted, I'm not a prepubescent boy. Researchers weren't sure what effects, if any, the oils had on girls or adults. Regardless, I'm not crazy about any beauty product that's able to mess with body chemistry and hormones. Also, the effects from this study came from only using soaps and other products containing highly diluted oils. Who knows what the much higher concentration I'm using on my skin could be capable of!