Sunscreen solutions

I do hate sunscreen. . . smearing it on, missing spots, and breaking out in all sorts of allergic reactions. I found one sunscreen that works fabulously for me- it is by Badger. I call it my Kabuki sunscreen, because it leaves my skin white. At least it's not too drastic and I can see where I've put it.

But, what I like a THOUSAND times more than my kabuki badger sunscreen is my UV Skins. They are swim shirts that feel great in the water and block UV rays so that I don't have to worry about putting sunscreen on a large portion of my body. Okay, I don't love that they went on sale right after I bought them and that they are somewhat expensive, but I love not getting sunburned. I bought one for my little three year old, too, and I love not having to put sunscreen on him as well when we swim or go to the splash park. Well, I do have to put some on our faces and ears, but other than that, we're good now. When you dry them off, they are just like drying off your own skin- they don't retain water at all. And, they do look cute- even next to all my tan friends in their bikinis.

Children's Gummi Vitamins

My husband bought these for our son. . . and I almost ate one just to see what they tasted like until I read the label. I would have NEVER guessed that they contain Fractionated Coconut Oil!

Surprise!

Coconut hiding in baked goods

Some of my fiercest allergic reactions have been to the whack-'em-on-the-counter variety of baked goods, namely Grands biscuits and Pillsbury crescent rolls. So I had to stop eating them entirely. I contacted the company and they said that they would only give the secretest ingredients to my allergist, blah, blah, so my allergist, rather than get involved in the weirdness with pillsbury, told me just to stop eating them.

Today I was shopping instead for frozen biscuits because I have had a certain off-brand before in Arizona that had totally pure ingredients (I don't remember which one), so I looked in our local Oklahoma store. I picked up a bag of
BEST CHOICE BUTTERMILK biscuits, and there, lo and behold, actually listed in the ingredients as a flavoring is COCONUT. So. . . the secret ingredient in many of these things that can legally just be listed as a "natural flavoring" is actually coconut. It must scientifically corellate to buttermilk as far as our taste buds are concerned.

Another thing to beware of is the ingredient: sodium steroyl lactylate in these items. This contains Stearic Acid, which is over 50% of the time derived from coconut in America. Argh.

Please be careful, coconut allergic people, and read all labels of baked goods now, too, in addition to everything else you are already looking out for.

Warning: Prescription Drugs containing SLS

I have just had an experience that makes me very wary. I got a prescription for a new drug from the doctor, and I actually read the "other ingredients." I would suggest that anyone who is allergic to coconut do this, because the pharmacy is certainly not going to do it for you. Actually, you would have to get a really overly involved pharmacist to even think of such a thing. Luckily, my pharmacist today kept me out of trouble. I don't know how much Sodium Laurel Sulfate is in an average capsule, probably not much, but if you have to take a medicine three times a day, it could possibly mess you up.
I am not kidding here. I have had at least mild allergic reactions to almost every single prescription drug I've taken in the past 4 years, since I developed an allergy to coconut, but of course, I don't think any of them have SLS in them, so I don't know what it really is.

Anyway, I decided to get crazy and look up some random common drugs that may contain SLS. Of course, I don't have time to look them ALL up, so this is just to give you an example. Most drugs don't contain it. Sometimes some dosages don't have the capsules, so all the rules apply, except when they don't, of course! There seems to be no rhyme or reason to the types of drugs that contain it.

B12 capsules
CIALIS® (tadalafil)
CYMBALTA® (duloxetine hydrochloride)
Deconsal (Guaifenesin)
Lyrica (pregabalin)
Robaxin (methocarbamol)
Vibra-Tabs® (doxycycline hyclate, USP)

Why do I only SOMETIMES have allergic reactions?

The question has come up (thanks, Lara) of why people are allergic to some coconut sometimes, and not other times. Well, coconut allergies seem to be related to skin, in my unscientific opinion.

I've never had huge problems with coconut milk for some reason. I was able
to eat Indian and Thai food and the only problem I had was feeling a little
dizzy and having some phegm. I think that this is because it just slid
right down with soft food, unnoticed by my immune system once it got past my
mouth. If I can get coconut down my throat, it usually doesn't bother me.
My terrible reactions were if I ate something chewy or crunchy that even
gently scraped the inside of my mouth. Weird, huh. For example, I could
eat cool whip on pancakes just fine, but if I mixed it with crispy bacon, I
would end up taking benadryl as my throat closed up.

I used to eat macaroons with just a little congestion,
so I don't know what the deal is with dried coconut. But give me coconut
shrimp and I'm dying. Still, mysterious why it only happens sometimes. It
could have to do with stress levels and health or some thing. I need to go
see if there are any new books in the library, or find an allergist who has
explored these things as much as I'd like!

Sunscreen Alert!

I am a big fan of sunscreen- it keeps us from getting skin cancer and age spots and even wrinkles. It's especially important to cake it on our kids before they go outside.
Now that the weather is getting hot, I was reminded by a reader (thanks, Lara) that sunscreen is a huge issue for coconut-allergic individuals. Here is part of her email:

My son gets free sunscreen at daycare from a melanoma foundation. He broke out in an angry rash everywhere that it touched. The sunscreen turns out to be high quality and "hypo-allergenic", but it's based on coconut oil. -Lara

You would think that sunscreen for babies would be our best bet, since they watch the ingredients in them so carefully, but in actuality, kids' products have even more coconut that you could imagine. Even a super high-end HelioSol that we got from our dermatologist has small amounts of Laurel-y stuff in it.

I use these with no problems (no guarantee that they are perfect for everyone, but it works for me):

Trader Joes sunscreen, and

Banana Boat Kids Ultra Mist Tear-Free Continuous Lotion Spray (this is brand-new spray-on sunscreen) I am amazed that this spray-on stuff actually works, let me tell you, I was skeptical. I just picked it up at Walmart.

I'm sure there are plenty of others, so just make sure to read labels because sunscreen sticks like glue and I know putting the wrong kind on makes my eyes puffy, my lips swell up, and gives me a huge headache and makes me dizzy. Others will just get a rash, but please be careful!

COIR- Help! I'm allergic to doormats!

This week was a big DUH moment that proved my theory that coconut will find me no matter where I go! I decided I wanted a new doormat, so I started shopping for them. I wanted an awesome one, so I went to fun import stores and all they have are bristly brown ones with various designs, called "coir". As I'm digging through these, my hands start itching like they are on fire. It wasn't until I started checking prices on the labels that I read that coir is actually coconut husks. As you can imagine, I changed my mind about getting a cute doormat! I'll have to keep you posted on alternatives as it seems that other than a rubber or carpet one, these coconut husk ones are here to stay and very prevalent. These are also called "cocoa mats" and come in full-sized rugs, too.
So, if you're not going around touching them, what is the harm? The fact of the matter is, they flake off tiny coconutty particles all over your house when you rub your feet on them. Then, you'll be wondering, "why am I wheezing when I sweep the floor?" Could it be your doormat?