Natural skin care brand Balm Balm has suggested ten ways in which tea tree oil might be useful as a remedy for a variety of ailments.

The company lists the ten possible uses in a blog post - although it warns against taking the shortlist as a form of medical advice.

Instead, readers are told that they might be interested to hear about the developers' own experiences of using tea tree oil as a natural skin care remedy.

For instance, neat application of the oil may be able to help with a range of skin problems.

These include athlete's foot, veruccas, cold sores, cuts, spots and stings, with a dabbing action suggested as the best way to apply the oil.

A few drops in a bowl of water is also suggested as a possible way to counteract smelly feet.

Balm Balm adds that, in general, essential oils should not be used neat as they are highly concentrated, but that they should instead be "treated with respect and caution".