Within my previous blog I talked about how this current pandemic affects people with latex allergies due to the medical equipment used at hospitals that are supposed to save lives but can also do a lot of damage at the same time. Today, I wanted to talk about the link between latex, an ingredient normally found within everyday household products, and the lovely smelling things we put on our skin and in our hair, and food allergies.
Latex is a naturally occurring substance, it’s made of proteins, alkaloids, starches, sugars, tannins and other compounds. Natural latex, derived from the rubber tree, is also the primary ingredient used to make rubber and other man-made items. The official name of this tree is the Hevea brasiliensis. It is the ingredient found in bananas, papaya etc… that causes allergic reactions. This is the main reason many people who are allergic to latex can’t have kiwi and other nuts and fruits that contain this one crucial ingredient.
It also explains why a lot of people often find themselves struggling with certain types of sweet-smelling shampoos, conditioners and skin potions. Not just because they often contain perfume, but also because they contain fruit extracts of the very thing that they are allergic to. Even if digesting these foods don’t cause a major reaction, sometimes applying them can leave people with scabs in their scalp, breakouts in their faces or even eczema.
This is what I found happened to me. I would often spend hours checking over the ingredients in shampoos before buying it, but once I got home and would try using it, I saw that the results were, not just incredibly painful, but also incredibly disappointing. After a few moments of using the product my scalp would begin burning, and a day or so later I would see that my scalp would be covered in sores, scabs and dandruff. It was a catastrophe.
Just when I was beginning to give up all hope on hair products and skin care, a woman messaged me about something that she was using. She sent me several products from a company called ‘Forever Living’, an assortment of hair care products like shampoos, conditioners, skin creams and the most interesting of all, Aloe gel. It came in liquid form in a bottle, when I asked her what to do with it, she told me to drink it. I was sceptical at first, after living with my allergies my whole life I was sure that this would be yet another flop. So, to save myself the pain, I did extensive research first and read up on all the ingredients and different reviews before I finally began the experiment. I first tried the aloe gel, although it didn’t taste the best, the results were amazing.
Within five days I noticed my energy levels were higher than ever, I felt amazing, and the best part was, I didn’t have a reaction. It was like drinking the world’s weirdest tasting coffee, but without having a horrible caffeine crash. Then I tried the others. Normally, I avoid makeup at all costs. Mascara, hair bonding glue for wigs, body paint etc… leaves horrible long lasting effects on my body, and to be honest, that’s why I expect to happen when I tried the things from Forever Living, but instead, I had the complete opposite reaction.
For the first time in years I can wear deodorant, used non prescribed lotions and shampoos. For the first time in my life, I feel less like someone surviving and more like a woman able to care for herself, her skin and her hair.
If anything within this blog seems to resonate with you, or if you relate to it whatsoever, please do arrange with your doctor to order an allergen T.R.U.E skin patch test from Allerderm Laboratories.
Dairy Free Vegan Queen 