Living with Petroleum Allergies in a Chemical World: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

By Steven Neil

When my dermatologist handed me the list of chemicals I needed to avoid, I wish he had mentioned that heat and hot water could also trigger allergic reactions. It took a month to eliminate enough substances from my life to isolate the hot water in my shower as a significant source of problems for me.

The National Eczema Association recommends taking short showers or baths in lukewarm water because it is easier on the skin. Because of the severe reaction to heat on my face, I wash it separately with a washcloth. I also clean my hair in the sink to avoid getting it wet in the shower.

Since I can’t use ANY commercial skin moisturizers, I mix a few drops of pure red raspberry seed oil with an ounce of avocado oil, then apply it to my face in the morning, before bed and after washing my face. Doing that has dramatically helped my skin.

I began the long process of finding the chemicals that bothered me most by looking first at my soap and shampoos. I was shocked to find out that the “natural” soaps and shampoo I used was in fact, anything but “natural.” I found that they were identical except one contained coconut oil and the other argan oil. Here are the ingredients for one of them:

Water, Cetyl Alcohol (and) Stearyl Alcohol (and) Stearalkonium Chloride, Glycerin, Fragrance, Phenoxyethanol (and) Ethylhexylglycerin, Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil, Tocopherol, Hydrolyzed Wheat Gluten, Panthenol.
These ingredients are rarely allergens:

* Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil
* Cetyl Alcohol
* Glycerin
* Panthenol
* Stearyl Alcohol
* Tocopherol oil

These ingredients are widely known allergens:

* Ethylhexylglycerin: A plant-based preservative that is a known skin irritant

* Fragrance: Manufacturers are not required to disclose ingredients in a scent, which is one of the most common allergens in cosmetics. Because this affects between 2% - 11% of the population, several customer advocacy groups are demanding that manufacturers should be required to disclosures all of the ingredients. So far, though, the government has sided with cosmetic makers.

* Hydrolyzed Wheat Gluten: This wheat product is found in foods and cosmetics and is a known allergen.

* Phenoxyethanol: This petroleum-based preservative is found in cosmetics and can affect the nervous system and cause severe allergic reactions.

* Stearalkonium Chloride: Derived from stearic acid and initially developed as a fabric softener, it is often used as a cheap binder in cosmetics and is known to cause eye and skin irritation and can affect the nervous system.

Anyone concerned about the ingredients in the toiletries they use should set up an account with SkinSafe. The site allows you to build a custom shopping cart based on your particular allergies. Once I submitted my chemical hypersensitivities to SkinSafe, it reported that there are no commercially available shampoos that are safe for me to use. So, every time I had used them, I was applying allergens to my head and face with predictable results. I looked into bar soaps and found the only one I could use is a particular olive oil soap.

With my inability to use commercially made shampoos, I had to find a way to calm the itch I occasionally got on my scalp. I found an excellent recipe for a natural rinse that reduces the irritation and leaves my hair clean, which I use every third day.

SkinSafe did not identify any conditioner, deodorant, shaving cream, or toothpaste that I could safely use. While it was not difficult to switch to an electric shaver or give up deodorant, giving up commercially made toothpaste is a real challenge because I have had several cavities in the past. Currently, I brush my teeth at least twice a day, once with baking soda and hydrogen peroxide, the other with cinnamon-baking soda-coconut oil. I can’t tell you it has worked perfectly for me, but my options are somewhat limited.

Making these changes has helped lessen the severity and frequency of my flare-ups. They still happen all too often, but as anyone suffering from a chronic illness knows, by taking control of your treatment, you are one step closer to coping with the disease.

My allergies to corn and chemicals cause me the most problems because so many items hide them under different names. Over the next few installments, I will be writing about formaldehyde in our clothes and other places hiding chemicals.