Let’s talk the elephant in the room… ALLERGIES!!

[Colettey87]

I was the kid who grew up with zero allergies.  Now at 36, it seems like they are flooding in.  I used to be able to put anything on my skin, but now… it seems like so many things are causing burning and itching that would drive anyone to drink LOL!  I recently found out I’m allergic to blueberries which limits so many of my favourite products.  What is everyone else allergic too?  What are your go-to products for sensitive skin?  Any weird allergies?  Or allergies/reactions that you developed as an adult?  I’m always down for hearing about good sensitive skin products 😊

[Fae2k]

I'm used to allergies, I got my first allergy test when I was like 6, but I'm basically allergic to outside and as I've gotten older it's gotten worse. Now I have cross-protein and cross-pollen reactions too, so I can be allergic to things I'm not actually allergic to on top of all the other stuff I have to avoid.

Among the generally common ingredients in skin and hair products that I can't use or ingest are:

-grapes

-bananas

-chamomile

-blueberries

-peaches

-oranges

-anything even related to an aster

-anything even related to amaranth and tarragon

-onion

-anything derived from hemp

-anything close to hops

-basically any tree (palms and willows are debatably safe, frankincense and myrrh are not)

-basically any grass or weed

-anything even close to mint (up to and potentially including lavender)

-a good chunk of the carnation family

-aloe. literally just aloe, I can't use the soothing cactus juice because it gives me hives

-anything that comes from a plant that could be classified into a family of plants known as soapberries (lychee pending, I've only had it in mochi)

-we can lump all the heathers in with the trees, they hang around oak too much

-olives

-mango

-chickweed

-and jasmine

That's what I've found since my most recent allergy test a little over a month ago. And all this started because I have a latex allergy and I made an off-handed comment about how I must've been eating my bananas too quickly because the pieces were always really hard to swallow. Had no idea that was anaphylaxis. And my current body wash probably has something in it making my skin all bumpy because I've had them since high school, but everything else I've tried has made it even worse. At this point I'll try almost anything.