Proof that the gods are cruel: I am now allergic to all forms of coconut. Even the oil. Allergies are generally to proteins, so oils are generally exempt. Not so for me. I just love being the exception to the rule. Again.
"Contact dermatitis to coconut is more common than food allergy." So sayeth half a zillion websites. I have no skin reaction... just all my usual food allergy reactions.
I will post some more recent recipes and such later. I'm too pissed off right now.
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About Me
- Bekki
- Tejas, United States
- I am many things... all at the same time. (No wonder I don't get much done!) I am a wife to a retired infantryman, mother of 3, stocker (and stalker) of the fridge, passionate fan of food, nutrition, ecology, coffee, wine, and college football. I love all things witchy and piratey. I often cook with booze. I feed stray cats. I don't believe in sunscreen. I don't like shoes and really hate socks. And I currently can't eat any gluten, dairy, eggs, soy, coconut(!?), or sodium metabisulfite (aw, shucks, no chemical snackies.) Sometimes even citric acid gets me. But only sometimes.
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7 comments:
can you help me? my son was diagnosed with coconut allergy. i have no idea what to avoid in processed foods and lotions and soaps. have you figured this out yet? this is making me crazy. he is 7 and was diagnosed with 37 allergies last week.
I'm not blog-savvy enough to figure out another way to contact you, so I'll answer here (finally! sorry!)
I haven't needed to avoid coconut in topical products. Has your son been having rashes that seem to come from coconut products in lotions/soaps? If not, I'd suggest not worrying about that at first. If so, there are two ways to go... the very chemically products probably breakdown the coconut significantly, so it won't pose a problem. Or, find people who make goat milk or olive oil-based soaps. Jojoba oil is a nice moisturizer, and if something thicker is needed, I recommend Eucerin. It is the ONLY mainstream moisturizer my skin likes.
What allergy testing did you use? Feel free to email me directly: junegoddess@gmail.com
Baekki, I joined your world this week with a trip to the ER from eating raw coconut and having an anaphalactic reaction... I am trying to figure out what this means for me other than carrying an epipen and benedryl... I am afraid of what I don't know and unsure of how extreme my lifesyle is going to need to be... any wisdom you would be willing to pass on would be very appreciated... it is a bummer to have one of the rarer food allergies because I don't know what all to avoid.
Thanks
Debby, I'm sorry you had to join the allergy club!
An anaphylactic reaction is scary. I have been spared those, so far. I suspect (but don't know) that it means you'll need to avoid ALL coconut, possibly even the derivatives that are so incredibly common in skin care products. Shampoos will be the biggest concern. It's possible to wash your hair with all-natural olive oil soap, but it probably won't be pretty. I can recommend jojoba oil as a very good moisturizer.
You'll want to get a good long list of all the things coconut derivatives can be called, and read labels really well. I am not that allergic, and can even use coconut oil to cook in with no ill effects. Since it is the protein in coconut that causes allergy, it's POSSIBLE that coconut oil and all the soapy stuff derived from it won't cause you a problem. Only you can decide if/when you feel like testing that on yourself. Sometimes our skin doesn't react to the same things, but often in the case of anaphylactic reactions... the skin gets involved, too. (Hope that made sense.) If you do feel like finding out which coconut products you are ok with, I recommend waiting a good long time. Your body has been through a lot and needs to rest.
Feel free to email me, I'll help as much as I can.
junegoddess @ gmail dot com
I have skin allergies to coconut (along with various essential oils and anything that has a fragrance). No matter what process the coconut has undergone, my skin eventually figures out it is coconut and reacts. I make my own bar soap and liquid soap which I use for shampoo. Lots of books on the market to get you started. It looks daunting at first but once you get the hang of it, it becomes fun and taps your creativity.
I can use Curel Continuous Comfort Fragrance Free lotion.
Hope that helps.
I have skin allergies to coconut (along with various essential oils and anything that has a fragrance). No matter what process the coconut has undergone, my skin eventually figures out it is coconut and reacts. I make my own bar soap and liquid soap which I use for shampoo. Lots of books on the market to get you started. It looks daunting at first but once you get the hang of it, it becomes fun and taps your creativity.
I can use Curel Continuous Comfort Fragrance Free lotion.
Hope that helps.
Hi. I'm also allergic to coconut (both skin and food). I get these gross, oozing hives if I use a shampoo or conditioner than contains straight up coconut oil or a coconut derivative. I've noticed, in recent years, with the "All Natural" movement in beauty products the sudden uprising of coconut oils present in the products. It's incredibly frustrating! I have to disclose my allergy to all beauty salons... and then comes the stream of questions. I've learned to avoid anything that says "Tropical" or "Palm", and read "New Formula" labels very carefully on bottles of the same products I've been using for years. Manufacturers are tricky sometimes.
However, I don't react to all derivatives all the time. It seems to be concentration-based. If it's a primary ingredient in it's purest form, forget about it. But if it's way the heck down on the list (like where my eyes tend to skip parts) sometimes I'm ok.
As far as the food allergy goes. I seem to forget the epipen and benedryl the same time I'm eating unknown foods. In chocolates, I usually mistaken the coconut for some kind of soft nut... until I realize it's not chewing like a nut.
Does anyone know if there is some sort of scientific reason why this particular allergy is so finicky?
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