What is the likely culprit for itchy red bumps on my arms?

valerieinthegallery · Apr 20, 2015

So, I did a batch of hot processed soap last night.

It was a lard batch, with olive, coconut (at 20%) and castor.

I used 0.5 ounce lemongrass essential oil in 1.5 pounds of soap, mixed in after the cook of course, before scooping into mold.

It smells DIVINE. I have been using a bit of it since last night at the sink to wash my hands. No problems. I have washed my hands 5+ times with it. No problems.

Snuck a bit into the shower with me tonight even though it's still a tad soft (but still pretty firm!). It was gorgeous - the slip was perfect, fluffy bubbles, creamy lather. I was worried about it being too drying, especially on my face, but it was way less drying than the soap I usually use.

My forearms started getting itchy while I was still in the shower, which sometimes happen with hot water simply because I have dry skin.

By the time I got out and dried off, I saw that I had bumps all over my forearms - red, itchy bumps!

Could I just be sensitive to lemongrass oil? Only my forearms are affected by this rash. Bizarre, huh?

I've triple-checked everything on soapcalc and everything looks fine!

Seawolfe · Apr 20, 2015

That is frighteningly early to use a soap with no cure, even HP, on your body. Are you 100% sure the soap had saponified and was zap free? What was your ratio of EO to oils in the recipe?

Do a patch test with the EO just to check sensitivity and start ruling things out.

When I forget to wear long sleeves when I make soap I sometimes have splatters on my arms that I don't notice at first that cause lye burns.

abc · Apr 20, 2015

Lemongrass is a dermal irritant.

valerieinthegallery · Apr 20, 2015

Seawolfe - I am pretty sure everything was saponified - I did at least 5 or 6 zap tests, stirring vigorously in between each one - and there was no zaps or zings to be found.

From my reading on the subject,a lot of people use HP right away, and like I said, I used a bit of it at the sink for hand-washing since last night and it was fine. No issues whatsoever. (Although my plan is to cure them for hardness, so it's not like I plan on using the whole batch within a week or anything. lol.)I have also used a CPOP batch starting the next day (for handwashing) and that was fine as well.

And if it was an issue with lye, wouldn't it have affected any other part of my body besides my forearms? This isn't a burn, it's bumps. And absolutely no other part of my body felt any irritation at all whatsoever.

(replying to your edit: I didn't splatter at all - I am SO SO careful - and I was wearing long sleeves, too...)

abc - yes, I know that lemongrass and things similar can be irritating, but I did use it within the acceptable parameters, so would that mean that I am just personally sensitive to it?

Thank you for the responses.

valerieinthegallery · Apr 20, 2015

So, I did a spot test - dabbed a drop of the lemongrass essential oil on my arm and within a few minutes it had turned red and bumpy.

Does this mean I can't use it at all? What if I used less of it in a batch? Am I sensitive or allergic? Would most people react this way to lemongrass eo? It's not an issue with the soap, right? As long as I used everything within reasonable parameters/amounts? What I mean to say is - if my kids (both teenagers) aren't sensitive to lemongrass eo, they could use the soap? It's not because I messed it up or anything?

I have used SO many essential oils in the past and never had any problems.

Bummer.

Edited to Add: I just used 3 other fragrance calculators, 2 of them specifically being able to choose lemongrass essential oil, and I definitely was ok with my amount - I used 1/2 ounce (by weight) to 24 ounces (by weight) of soap oils.

abc · Apr 20, 2015

The dilution level I use for lemongrass EO must be different than yours. The info I have has a safe usage at .7%

DeeAnna · Apr 20, 2015

"...Does this mean I can't use it at all? What if I used less of it in a batch? Am I sensitive or allergic?..."

Yes, this means you should stop using it. I personally wouldn't use any more at any level of dosage, but its your call. It doesn't matter which --without a dermatologist's exam and expertise, there's no way to know. I would be cautious in the future about using other EOs, because this could -- not saying it WILL, but it could -- signal a general trend for you.

valerieinthegallery · Apr 20, 2015

abc - Not sure if you saw my Edited to Add comment, but I have used 3 different calculators that all confirm that my amounts were ok. ??

For example, Bramble Berry's fragrance calculator. Specifically for Lemongrass Essential Oil, using 24 ounces of soap oils, it says for a light scent to use 0.66 ounces, for medium scent to use 1.02 ounces, and for Strong to use 1.2 ounces.

I used 0.5 ounces! And actually, less than that, because when I grabbed the bottle to see if there was enough for a spot test, there was quite a bit left in the bottom of the bottle that just couldn't come out easily because of the way the top is made.

I think it must just be me, never knowing that I was really sensitive to that eo. I just panicked for a bit, thinking it was my soap. I am confident in my calculations, specifially because the bottle only HOLDS 0.5 ounces, so there is no way I COULD have added more than that. LOL.

Thanks again for the responses.

valerieinthegallery · Apr 20, 2015

DeeAnna said:
"...Does this mean I can't use it at all? What if I used less of it in a batch? Am I sensitive or allergic?..."

Yes, this means you should stop using it. I personally wouldn't use any more at any level of dosage, but its your call. It doesn't matter which --without a dermatologist's exam and expertise, there's no way to know. I would be cautious in the future about using other EOs, because this could -- not saying it WILL, but it could -- signal a general trend for you.

DeeAnna - Thank you for the response. Interesting, because I have never had issues with essential oils in the past. I have used them before and never had a reaction to them. I have never used lemongrass before though.

DeeAnna · Apr 20, 2015

I'm glad you caught the problem so quickly!

Allergic responses, if that's what you have, sometimes happen out of the blue after many years of trouble free use.

A friend of mine who was a pro woodworker could not spray her pieces with lacquer without first suiting up like she was going for a moon walk. She'd used lacquer for years, but suddenly she became intensely and dangerously allergic to it.

A rash or hives is sometimes the first sign of a systemic allergy and it's nothing to ignore because the allergic reaction can easily escalate into life threatening problems.

Bear in mind I'm not doing any diagnosis, just sharing information!

Mommy · Apr 20, 2015

Sidenote- I am beginning to think that the BB fragrance calculator is very fragrance-heavy. When I use it, even for medium, the scent level seems very strong.
I don't think that will help you with your lemongrass sensitivity, but I think I've also heard that EO's vary greatly by the manufacturer- maybe it's worth patch testing with a different brand of lemongrass?

valerieinthegallery · Apr 20, 2015

Mommy - They do calculate it higher than others.

The MMS calculator (which is also very reputable in these parts) says:

Subtle: 0.3
Moderate: 0.42
Strong: 0.60

So, I was somewhere between Moderate and Moderate/Strong - I would say it was about 0.45 that I used when you consider the small amount left at the bottom of the bottle.

So, again, I was definitely within safety guidelines.

I pride myself on being detail-minded and I triple-check all my calculations and have been formulating recipes on soapcalc for MONTHS before I even started making CP soap, so I am pretty familiar with it - I was so scared that I messed something up!

valerieinthegallery · Apr 20, 2015

DeeAnna - I just saw what you edited in to your last post. That is crazy about your friend, and no, I know you're not being alarmist - just stating the facts.

As a matter of fact, I was sitting here a few minutes ago and I got a tickle in my throat and when I coughed to clear the tickle, my throat felt funny and I immediately went into panic mode thinking "Is my throat closing up? Am I having an anyphylactic shock response??" I ran upstairs and jumped back into the shower and washed my whole body with another soap to get it all off of me.

It had settled down before and now it is all bumpy and inflamed again, no doubt from washing it again.

Should I call a doctor or something??

Seawolfe · Apr 20, 2015

I am SO not a Dr, and you probably should call yours for advise. When I suspect an allergic reaction I take a Benadryl. Your dr may also recommend an OTC cream with Benadryl.

valerieinthegallery · Apr 20, 2015

ok, I will call the hospital and speak with a nurse there - I don't have a Benadryl cream but I do have some diphenhydramine capsules.

Yikes! Who knew? Crazy!

houseofwool · Apr 20, 2015

I am not a physician either, but if you felt a tickle in your throat, that is an extremely serious reaction. Allergic reactions typically get worse each time, so the next reaction could cause your airway to close to a dangerous level.

Please contact your doctor about this. You will also need to see what other plants are in the same family as you are at a greater risk for a reaction.

This is serious enough that you cannot ignore this.

houseofwool · Apr 20, 2015

valerieinthegallery said:
ok, I will call the hospital and speak with a nurse there - I don't have a Benadryl cream but I do have some diphenhydramine capsules.

Yikes! Who knew? Crazy!

That is Benadryl. My guess is that they will tell you to take a double dose.

valerieinthegallery · Apr 20, 2015

So I called the hospital - they said they couldn't advise me over the phone. They did say, though, that you can experience the same symptoms as you would a food allergy with a contact allergy, which I didn't know. You can experience the swelling of the throat, inability to breathe, etc. and it can happen from a few moments to a few hours later..

Ugh.

So I told her I would take a Benadryl and wait it out. If I felt any other symptoms, I would come in. I don't really want to sit around an ER filled with flu germs and stuff if I can avoid it.

Adventures in Soapmaking!

(I should probably get settled in with a warm blanket and a good book because the Benadryl will make me sleeeeepy).

valerieinthegallery · Apr 20, 2015

houseofwool said:
I am not a physician either, but if you felt a tickle in your throat, that is an extremely serious reaction. Allergic reactions typically get worse each time, so the next reaction could cause your airway to close to a dangerous level.

Please contact your doctor about this. You will also need to see what other plants are in the same family as you are at a greater risk for a reaction.

This is serious enough that you cannot ignore this.

I think the tickle in my throat was just a tickle in my throat and then I panicked and made it bigger than it was. With panic comes heart beating fast, lightheadedness, etc..

Now I'm panicking again!

I won't ignore it though - I won't use it again. Promise. EVER.

Is it safe that the batch is curing in my house? Because I can smell it? I mean, I've never had a reaction like this - how bad is it? Should I remove all the soap from my house so I can't smell it? My skin still smells of it even after showering again.

houseofwool · Apr 20, 2015

I would remove it from the house entirely. And give away the rest of the bottle of the essential oil. It isn't worth the risk.

What is the likely culprit for itchy red bumps on my arms?

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