Frequently Asked Questions

Hello all. Due to a recent uptick in coconut allergy activity, I have been receiving several emails (some frantic) asking for help. Most of the questions are the same thing, over and over, so I will post answers here:


Q: I think I'm allergic to coconut, but I'm not sure. How can I sort it all out?
A: Really, truly, if you have not been to see an allergist/ allergy doctor specialist please make an appointment. They can do skin tests and blood tests. Sometimes the skin tests have false positives, sometimes the blood tests have false negatives. Occasionally, you might need to do both. Keep a detailed food, cosmetic and skin reaction log before the appointment documenting all reactions for at least two weeks, because any good doctor will ask you to do this, and you will save a step if you already have it.

Q: What do you use for. . . laundry detergent?
A: I use All Free and Clear, or other unscented detergents, and just do a second rinse cycle.

Q: . . .dish soap?
A: I am fine if I use almost anything. I wear those sexy housewife yellow gloves and rinse well.

Q: . . . hand soap?
A: Kiss my face pure olive oil soap. Sometimes soaps with palm oils instead of coconut oil.

Q: . . . shampoo?
A: When allergies are at their peak, I sometimes use the olive oil soap or no soap and just use conditioner. Most conditioners don't have a bit of coconut in them! When there is build up, I can do a quick rinse with vinegar (don't get it in your eyes!).Usually I shampoo with things that have the least coconut ingredients possible. Sometimes they are not totally coconut free, but if it's just a coconut sugar or oil and it's the 10th ingredient and I rinse well, it doesn't bother me.


Q: What else are people who are allergic to coconut usually allergic to?
A: Sometimes just coconut, sometimes a ton of things. I have to mention here that there is something allergists call "Total Allergic Load." This means that if you are allergic to a lot of things, you will be having more allergic reactions and be more sensitive to the things you are allergic to. For example, a lot of people have fewer food allergies in the winter because their total allergic load has decreased when the ballistic pollen has all frozen over and their bodies get a rest from being hyper sensitive all the time. A few folks (very few) are also sensitive to Palm oil or Palm kernel oil as well as coconut because they are more closely related. Coconut is in NO WAY related to actual nuts like peanuts or tree nuts, but the brilliant folks who control food labeling will list coconut as a tree nut anyway.

Q: My skin keeps breaking out when I use this soap/shampoo/lotion/ detergent/ product, etc. that people say is coconut free. What do I do now?
A: You may not be having an allergic reaction. You could have another skin condition like eczema or dry skin or a fungus that a dermatologist can pinpoint and treat. Maybe you are allergic to a fabric, something in the air like a pollen, mold, or your pet. Maybe your spouse uses a product you are allergic to and you like to hug him/ her lots. I don't know, but at least I can give you lots of wild guesses, which any good friend would do, right?

More soaps!

Thanks to everyone for your emails and comments- they really are useful!
A special thanks to Kim who just sent this email:

Since the last time I contacted you, I have found a few more soaps. Native Mother Naturals makes a baby soap that is olive oil and avocado oil based. It is really gentle and way less harsh than the

Kiss My Face one. Also, there is an anti-itch soap that is sold in horse catalogues, but is also formulated for people. It smells like sulfur, but it works well on my face and seems to keep it pretty clear.

I talked to the owner of the company, and she HATES coconuts. She doesn't like anything about them; so, there isn't any coconut ingredients in it. I am going to include links to some really good

natural companies I have found. Most of them are local companies but can be found on their websites. Have you found any other shampoos you can use. I tried the Hugo one, and it stripped my hair

really bad. Plus, I am really allergic to phenoxyethanol; so, I can't use the conditioner you use either. My hairdresser friend told me my hair is oily; so, the vinegar and baking soda aren't doing the trick.

I will keep researching and passing information on to you.

Thanks,

Kim

http://nativemothernaturals.com/

http://www.supersalve.com/

http://www.egyptianmagic.com/

http://www.100percentpure.com/

As you probably guessed, not all of their products are coconut free. They all make really natural products that work.

Soap Nuts

Soap Nuts come from a soap nut tree and are actually an alternative to soap when washing your clothes. I have not personally tried them, but if you google them, you may want to check them out.

One of our readers, Kim, is trying them out right now and will keep me posted. So far, she says , "The soap nuts work OK, but they are a pain to use. Our water is so hard that I have to boil the berries to get the soap out and add salt to the water. I may try grinding them up and see how that goes."

Make your own laundry detergent

There are many sites on the web that explain how to make your own laundry detergent. Here is just one example.

Homemade Laundry Detergent

Our coconut allergic friend, Heather says uses the Grandma's Lye soap. The great news is, people save a ton of money when they do it!

More soaps! Yay!

Attention coconut allergic readers, there are more soaps out there for us than I had posted long ago.

You may want to try these:

In the baby aisle of your supermarket:
Burt's Bees Baby Bee Buttermilk Soap

At various country stores, and even Ace Hardware:

Grandma's Lye Soap
Please don't pay more than $4 for it ;-)

At whole foods, sunflower market, and many other grocery stores:
Kiss My Face Pure Olive Oil Soap

I recently stayed at a Renaissance Hotel and discovered Aveda soaps that I am not allergic to. Little did I know how much they cost or I would have taken them home with me!
Aveda Rosemary Mint Bath Bar

Bella Vado Avocado Bar Soap.  Comes in several scents and unscented! This comes highly recommended by our reader Doug.

There are several others with palm instead of coconut oil in them that may work perfectly fine for you. You can even use them as shampoo if you can't find a shampoo that works for you.
Yes, soap can be your friend!
Oh, and by the way, none of these companies has ever contacted me to promote their coconut free product. LOL. As if they would need promoting.

Orange Juice with Traces of Coconut?

This is a new one for me. My orange juice may have some coconut in it? Why? How? When did this happen and is it a new cross contamination or just newly labeled? Anyway, this is the generic Walmart "Great Value" OJ. I'm not a big OJ drinker, but we have it in our house nonetheless. Look out, super coconut-sensitive people. But, hey, it's gluten free ::giggles::.

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.