This is a hard one. I went to the health food store today and read shampoo bottles for about an hour. This was bad because I had my two-year old with me. Unfortunately, I was disappointed and found NONE. All the shampoos use some kind of coconut product. So, online I found some:
Terressentials:
Pure Earth Clay-based hair wash- this is clay-based and seems a little un-shampoo-like, and I didn't order it yet because shipping is a little crazy. But, one of our readers tried it, and said it was so gross that she couldn't brush her hair afterward.
Morroco Methods:
Earth Essence Shampoo- You can read the comments people leave on their website. Way expensive, but supposedly great stuff except it has a powerful fragrance.
Trader Joes:
They have some spa shampoos that are not totally coconut derivative free, but are SLS free, so I like those.
Go shampoo and conditioner free! This blogger tells how to use baking soda and apple cider vinegar.
Let me know if you've tried any of these or any others!
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I'm allergic to coconut too! I just ordered the Crunchy Mama All-in-One, but haven't received it yet. I've had an itch, terribly scalp for years. Just wondering if you've found anything else?
My son is allergic to tree nuts, and while it's unusual for someone with a tree nut allergy to also be allergic to coconut, I think my son is one of the few. He started itching after using Johnson's 24 Hour Moisturizing Wash (body wash), of which the third ingredient is coco-glucoside. I was trying to find shampoos, body washes, and soaps without dyes and perfumes because of his tendency towards itchy rashes; now I wonder if it was a coconut allergy. I tried the Kiss My Face Olive Oil bar soap, which he didn't really like the smell of, but didn't make him itch. I've also read about a shampoo, and also a lotion made by Gluten-Free Savonnerie which is also coconut free. Haven't tried it yet, but intend to order a small bottle. Here's the website: http://gfsoap.com/
- Michelle
Hi Michelle-
Let me know if you order and try the lotion and shampoo. I am also "technically" allergic to peanuts and tree nuts according to my allergist, but have only ever had reactions to cashews. I read somewhere that there are molecules similar somewhere between walnuts and coconut, but other than that I haven't found any scientists interested in the coconut allergic plight.
oh my gosh.......i am cracking up b/c i just ordered the blue house soap shampoo and the canola oils thing is so true....i kept thinking, am i doing something wrong? my hair looked like i hadn't washed it in months....and i ordered the normal, even though my hair is naturally curly. is the earth science one better? i keep spending all this money to find coconut free products and some of them are just awful.
mlpete4@netscape.net
Yes, the Earth Science fragrance free one really is excellent. I've been using it for a couple of months now and LOVE it. The unscented scent reminds me a little of unscented laundry detergent, but there is nothing in it that I have been allergic to at all and it definitely leaves my hair clean!
I use Paul Mitchell hair products.
I use Oil of Olay Sunscreen Moisturizer.
For Makeup I use the Victoria Secret brand makeup - so far the only one that does not put "vitamin additives" that is deadly to me or high amounts of copper to help the skin retain moisture-I had a reaction to that too.
Unfortunately I had to learn the hard way in order to find out exactly which product I can trust, even though the ingredients list didn't list coconuts and nuts. Sometimes the listed "fragrance" but not described what kind has a coconutty smell! hugh!
Recently, for winter, I bought Norwegian Formula Hand Cream, for my hand lotion/cream, and so far not reaction.
I am EXTREMELY allergic to coconut (it's the killer-literally) and all nuts in general, hazelnut, and some seeds, jojoba oil, collagen found in makeup products. So far the particular brands listed above, I have not had any trouble with it yet.
But with anything I buy, I always read the ingredient labels, just to make sure that they did not modify any of their ingredients. Even though I might have bought their products/foods before.
Also, if you are thinking about buying the products I recommend, read the ingredient labels first. Because there might be a certain ingredient that you know personally that you are allergic to that I am not allergic too. So be careful!
Ok, sorry for the Many comments, but I read your list of different names for "Coconut Oils" and sure enough my "Norwegian Formula Hand Cream" has SEVERAL derived coconut oils in processed ways. Maybe that's what triggered my reaction along with the coconut hand soap at the restaurant last night!
So STAY AWAY from the Norwegian Formula Hand cream!!
I'm going to throw away my little bottle of it right now!
Thanks so much Becky for your good info!!
FYI- I am also allergic to coconuts and ordered the Gluten-Free Savvonnerie Shampoo. It absolutely has coconuts in it! It is listed in the ingredients but I gave it a try anyway just to make sure....and sure enough! My scalp was on fire! Beware of any companies who are not willing to list their ingredients online.
I'll take that one off the list. I'm going to try some new ones that people have suggested soon. I hope we're not all destined to wash our hair with soap forever!
Came across this today:
http://www.terressentials.com/haircareingr.html#212
I love how under the "You won't find this" section, all the coconut derivatives are listed. This is a clay based shampoo, so it's totally different, but I'm thinking of giving it a shot. has anyone else tried it?
The Earth Science Fragrance Free has Sodium Myreth Sulfate which is derived from Palm/Coconut oil...
I have Celiac's disease, so I can't use the Earth Science products because they contain wheat germ derivatives, so I am going to order the clay based shampoos and see what's up. I think it's important to mention that they have specific instructions for "detoxing" your hair when switching over, so it may take a few weeks!
I've known I was allergic to coconut since I was 11, but it took me thirty years to realize that cocamidapropyl and its kin were coconut derivatives -- and that dandruff shampoo was CAUSING my dandruff.
For those of us with both a coconut allergy and psoriasis or seborrheic dermatitis, there's a commercially-available coal tar shampoo called MG217. It's the ONLY shampoo I've found on regular drug store shelves that doesn't contain cocamide, cocamidopropyl, or other coconut derivatives.
Be advised that it's STRONG, though; the coal tar concentration is actually higher than the shampoo my dermatologist prescribed, and that may have other adverse effects in the long term.
I'll give some of these others a close look. Thanks for the information!
I recently discovered that I have a bad reaction to shampoos with sodium lauryl sulfate. So, in doing some research, I found that organic is the way to go, except those with coconut derived surfactants (e.g. sodium c14-16 olefin sulfonade, sodium laureth sulfate, sodium lauroyl sarcosinate, cocamidopropyl hydroxysultaine, soodium myreth sulfate, sucrose cocoate, coco-betaine, lauryl glucoside, decyl glucoside). They are everywhere! After going through numerous websites promoting all natural shampoos, I think I hit the jackpot. It's morroccomethod.com. They're 100% natural, vegan, and GLUTEN FREE! I'm willing to give them a try since they sell inexpensive trial sizes. Here's hoping they're good!
Here is another one to try: Olive Babassu Shampoo Bar
http://chagrinvalleysoapandcraft.com/shambar.htm
Hello, and thank you so much for sharing your knowledge and experience!!!
I too have, (well what I think is), Latex/Fruit Syndrome or some strain there of. My most recent issue is with Palmitate or Vitamin A (palmitate). And, it's in EVERYTHING!!! Cereal (ALL), Milk (ALL), Bread etc. Because it is processed, my allergy (eyes swell shut) is slight in comparison to having a banana or avocado or any other raw source. None the less annoying to have the small amount of puffiness around my eyes all the time. I will continue to monitor labels and diet with even more scrutiny... I'll be lots of fun on a date!!!
8~(
Could this really be the culprit???
Any feed back would be greatly appreciated!!!
I don't know much about vitamin A palmitate, except that it might affect people who are allergic to the whole palm family. But, I would ask your allergy doctor, and if he/she doesn't know, keep searching for a doctor that can help you. I do know that sometimes allergies are not what you think they are, and that it is worth exploring everything you might be allergic to to reduce your total allergic load so that you don't react to something as tiny as an additive. Good luck!
I have found a couple of small businesses that make coconut-free products. They're not all coconut-free, but they list their ingredients and will respond quickly to your emails.
For shampoo and soap: http://www.countryrosesoap.com/shop.htm
And for lotion: http://lotionsecrets.com/
I emailed the gal (Tara) at Lotion Secrets and told her all of my allergies. She put a recipe together just for me and emailed it to me so I could check it.
Christina
We found this great fragrance free shampoo you can find at Choices (Organic Store based in Vancouver, BC). My sister is allergic to Coconuts, nuts and palm kernel oil, among others. I will find out the name and post it here for you. She also uses Val's Soap. Which is carried by Whole Foods here. I took an old bottle of the shampoo to WF and they said they would love to carry it. I'm sure other locations would do the same.
Real Purity makes a coconut-free Chamomile Shampoo. It works well for fine, straight hair, which tends to get a greasy buildup from olive oil castile. I'm sensitive to all sorts of chemicals and botanicals but haven't had any problem with the plant extracts in this shampoo.
I just recently found out I am allergic to coconut derived chemicals and finally found a shampoo at Whole Foods that I can use. It is Earthly Delights herbal shampoo. hallelujah! I was thinking I was destined to have dirty hair.
The Earth Science Fragrance free does NOT have coconut. Sodium Myreth Sulfate is an organic compound but is not coconut based. This shampoo is all wheat/vegetable based. If allergic to wheat : be careful!
coconut free shampoo!
http://www.vitacost.com/Kiss-My-Face-Whenever-Shampoo
Apple cider vinegar is fine as a conditioner but not as a shampoo.
I wash my hands with apple cider vinegar, and from reading online it seems that it is just as hygienic as commercial cleaners, but it did NOT work as a shampoo. I left it in for a bit and rubbed it around before rinsing but my hair was still horrible and greasy afterwards.
I actually wrote in to Gluten-free Savonnerie and complained because they had told another coconut-free blog they had no derivatives in the shampoo.
Thanks for your comments guys! I recently found out i was allergic to coconut after using a natural castile soap on my face... I looked like I had a horrrrible sunburn. Then I started to realize that's what was causing my itchy scalp & dandruff. SO until I find a good shampoo, i have been using a little bit of baking soda mixed with apple cider vinegar ( I noticed the previous post was about how ACV is not a good cleanser in itself ) - agreed - but make sure to mix it on your head, otherwise you will have an exploding science experiment in your bathroom :-). I also mix with a bit of soap (kiss my face olive oil) to make it a little more "cleansy". Just make sure to do like a diluted ACV rinse on your hair after or it will be dull and lifeless. I usually do one part ACV, 3 parts water. Good luck to everyone in the search for coconut free shampoo and keep posting your successes!
I'm allergic to coconut too. I have found an amazing shampoo. Its called morrocco method.
Just wanted to save some people time after reading comments, making a list, and researching ingredients...
1. Olive Babassu Shampoo Bar mentioned above has Palm Stearic. Some people who are allergic to coconut also avoid palm.
2. Earth Science Fragarance Free has Cetyl Alcohol, a coconut derivative.
3. Real Purity Chamomile Shampoo has Palm Kernel.
4. Kiss My Face Whenever Shampoo has cocomidopropyl Betaine, a derivative.
The ones I can't find any coconut derivatives listed are the morroccomethod shampoos (avoid the apple cider one - has almond & sesame), country rose soap, and earthly delights. Just read those ingredients because they have a LOT of other things that might be in your list of allergens!
I'll let you know if I try any of these...my daughter is allergic to coconut by ingestion, and I didn't think I needed to pay too much attention to topical until the other night I left some conditioner in her hair and it made her scalp skin peel off. Yikes! So I'm off to try some of the above mentioned ones...kinda hard to swallow the prices on these for a 5-year-old's shampoo! I'll let ya know if any work well!
P.S. Oops forgot to comment that Earthly Delights conditioner has coconut in it!
I was tested for allergies and I am allergic to coconut and also fragrances in shampoos. I was using a shampoo through a doctor but a scent was added to the shampoo this year so I can now no longer use it because my head and my back burn when I use it. I used Real Purity a few times but my hair now looks dry and the roots to my hair hurt when I run my fingers through my hair. I tried Burts Bees which has a coconut ingredient in it. The first time my head felt OK but after the second time last night my head started to burn and I started to get dandruff again.
Would ANYONE know of a shampoo that does not contain both coconuts and fragrances? It seems every shampoo that doesn't contain coconuts has a fragrance or every shampoo that doesn't contain a fragrance has coconuts. Oh, and I may also be allergic to palm oil. I'd really appreciate if I can find a shampoo containing neither coconuts or frangrances. This is a real nightmare.
Anon, check out Country Rose's Castile Soap:
http://www.countryrosesoap.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=crsoap&Product_Code=LCS1&Category_Code=lcs
They have a fragrance free kind. I just got the lavender so I'll let you know how it cleans. :-)
Thanks Kat for the suggestion. However, I'm a little apprehensive about trying the Country Rose Castile Soap because it has almost the exact same ingredients as the Kiss My Face unscented olive oil soap and when I tried using Kiss My Face on my skin it burned. I think this could be because I have very oily skin and my skin can't breathe when I use it. I also noticed Kiss My Face has a fragrance to it even though there is no added fragrance to it. Maybe this is why Kiss My Face bothered me. Does the Castile liquid soap have a scent to it like Kiss My Face?
the kiss my face olive oil soap doesn't say it's unscented, but there is a scent, and that scent made my eczema worse. They just say there's no added scent, but the country rose castile soap can be purchased unscented.
Well, I have to say I'm a new fan of castille soap! The reason I like country rose so much is because it has no other added ingredients to it, and my daughter has many other allergies. I got the lavender scent, and I am sensitive to scents, and it didn't bother me. I will order an unscented bottle and let you know what it is like. I used it in both of my girls' hair and today their hair is soft and even more curly than usual! I love it! It makes me feel good knowing I'm using something that is not adding to my daughter's allergic load.
I would caution against country rose's shampoos. I bought one of those and the fragrance was so overwhelming it knocked me into bed for the rest of the day. Ugh. I also got the morrocco method shampoo and it's fragrance also was too much for me (thank goodness, cause that is expensive stuff!).
HTH!
i am looking for a shampoo with absolutely NO coconut or coconut derived thigns also NO sulfates???
HAS ANYONE FOUND A CONDITIONER THAT HAS NO COCONUT INGREDIENTS IN IT??
I tried the castile olive oil liquid and bar soaps but they caused burning on my skin. No matter how much I tried I couldn't rinse it out of my hair and skin. I'm not sure if it is an allergy problem or a different problem? I've also tried Grandma's soap which only has lard, lye and water but that irritated my skin also. I can use the Real Purity shampoo but even that may cause a little irritation which may be because it has vanilla in it which I'm allergic to. Also, my face is so greasy the next day after using it my face starts to get irritated and burn. After I use it for a few days my hair in front looks matted down. Either it is too moisturizing for me or it doesn't clean well but at this point I'm running out of options.
Has anyone ever tried soap nuts to wash their hair? Does it do a good job of cleaning? I tried using it a few years ago but I think I didn't make it the right way because the smell from cooking it made me sick and the soap nuts didn't make any suds when I used it.
I am looking for a new shampoo since the one I had been using changed the ingredients. I have spent most of the morning going through all the suggested shampoos. I appreciate your blog and how all are trying to help one another. I am glad I did seem to find a few such as the country rose but I will double check via email or calling them. Please be aware that many of the shampoos suggested have coconut or its derivaties. ****Cocamidopropyl betaine, glycerin, palm, palmitate, coco-?, you get the point.**** Please always check the source of ingredients! Check the ingredients with the products actual website not Amazon or wherever you are buying it from because they may not have updated the ingredients. Then you will end up like me with a $30 dollar bottle of shampoo and a VERY ITCHY scalp. Hopefully whatever I order will come in quickly or I will have to start wearing a wig again :( FYI if you are looking for toothpaste you could check ipsab powder. Personally I like Kiss My Face soap especially since I can get it from Vitacost at a reasonable price. The down side to it is that it gets gooey if too much water is added to it. We flip it often and stand it on its end to get it dry. Yes it sounds weird. Thank you for listening to my rant. PS I also have Celiac disease, am allergic to nuts, and now have to avoid sunflowers. OH how I miss sunbutter.
Another option is to go "poo free" - a new trend hitting the net. People are going shampoo & conditioner free, using only baking soda & apple cider vinegar. Interesting stuff. Here is one blogger's take on it: http://simplemom.net/how-to-clean-your-hair-without-shampoo/ - but all you have to do is Google "poo free" and you'll see tons of sites talking about it!
I have been trying using Kiss My Face shampoo and using baking soda to wash any residue left in my hair and I don't seem to be having too much burning or dandruff in my hair. There seems to be only one ingredient in the shampoo that is coconut related but the shampoo doesn't foam up a lot which perhaps means there is not too much coconut in it. I had burning on my scalp when I didn't use baking soda afterwards but that may be because I am allergic to fragrances so maybe everyone else could use the shampoo without the baking soda. I had tried using baking soda by itself but after four days my face got very greasy so I don't think it was cleaning enough of the oil out of my hair and scalp.
Thanks for the coconut-free shampoo list. I am allergic to most fruits including coconut and finding shampoo is a nightmare. I currently order all of my topical products through House Of Lukaya. The owner's name is Lucretia and she worked with me to create a custom blend just for me that I wasn't allergic too. She has been a blessing and her products are great! I highly recommend her products if anyone is looking for alternatives.(http://www.houseoflukaya.com/)
Diana :)
Finally, I don't feel so alone and upset about being allergic to coconut! It is so hard being deathly allergic to something that is in shampoo, lotions, makeup, soap, food, TOOTHPASTE, and so much more. Just trying to find alternatives is pricy and time consuming. If you get really daring you can always wash your hair in a Lime Beer mixed with organic greek yogurt.
You know, MirandaJade11, after reading some of the weird ingredients in alternative shampoos, I am wondering why we don't all try washing our hair in various substances to see what we come up with! LOL.
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