people allergic to nuts and nut oils

[Emilee]

I make cp goats milk soap, and all my soaps contain sweet almond oil.

I have recently realised that more people than i thought are allergic to sweet almond oil, and nut oils in general.

I am thinking of making an olive oil soap for these people, but can I add coconut oil too, or is this counted as a nut oil that people are allergic to as well? maybe I should just use olive and palm?

I would just use olive, but i want some lather in there too.

maybe olive and castor?

 

[Lil Outlaws]

My favorite soap is a castille with a tiny amount of castor. Lathers beautifully, I love it.

 

[Emilee]

does that mean olive and castor?

i make 3 pound 8 oz batches, so maybe 3 pound olive, 8 oz castor?

 

[Guest]

does that mean olive and castor?

i make 3 pound 8 oz batches, so maybe 3 pound olive, 8 oz castor?

Yep -- Castile = olive oil

8 oz of castor in 3 lbs of olive would give you a nice fluffy lather.

 

[Guest]

Castille is the best all around soap for me I love it.

Kitn

 

[Lil Outlaws]

I didn't even use that much castor in mine.. it was 100% olive oil (2lb batch) with 2TBS of castor oil.

 

[Guest]

If you made an olive oil soap for them using the same equipment (washed) as the nut oils...would they still be contaminated? like 'made in a factory where there may have been nuts' types of food.

I always wondered. I don't have any nut allergies and so glad!

 

[maheka]

Nut allergies are the reason why I decided to not use any almond or peanut oils at all. Now I'm just wondering if sunflower oil is nut oil or not...

 

[Lil Outlaws]

I wouldn't think so.. sunflower seeds (not nuts) come from flowers.. nuts come from trees.
??

And I would think if you've washed them in hot soapy water it would be fine..

?

 

[renaissancemom]

my son has nut allergies. coconut is not considered a nut, people with nut allergies are sometimes allergic to sunflowers but that is a case by case situation not an overall assumption. my son's pediatrician told me that i can rub a small amount of the soap with the sweet almond oil, or any other nut oil, on an area of his body (like his arm) and see what his reaction is. he said that people with nut allergies are seldom allergic to the oil version of the nut b/c is has been pressed and extracted down from its original potent version. you could recommend this to those people you give or sell your soap to.

 

[Emilee]

thanks very much.

all very helpful info for me, as i have no prior knowledge of nut allergies.

 

[carebear]

my son has nut allergies. coconut is not considered a nut, people with nut allergies are sometimes allergic to sunflowers but that is a case by case situation not an overall assumption. my son's pediatrician told me that i can rub a small amount of the soap with the sweet almond oil, or any other nut oil, on an area of his body (like his arm) and see what his reaction is. he said that people with nut allergies are seldom allergic to the oil version of the nut b/c is has been pressed and extracted down from its original potent version. you could recommend this to those people you give or sell your soap to.

your pediatrician is right but only in theory. and "seldom" isn't good enough for life threatening allergies.

Nut (and most other) allergies are actually reactions to the protein component of the oil, which should be removed during the processing. But trace amounts can, and sometimes do remain - especially in those funky gourmet oils. And in many cases, trace amounts are all it takes. If you or someone you love is allergic, don't play with the oil either. If it's someone you hate... well have at it.

As far as testing on his arm... well even if it's a mild allergy keep in mind that the next reaction can be gangbusters. so don't test stuff on your kids. AND CERTAINLY DON'T SUGGEST TO A CUSTOMER THAT IT WOULD BE A SAFE WAY TO TEST.

Sunflowers are not nuts, but yes - there does seem to be a connection between nut allergies, peanut allergies (also not nuts), and sunflower allergy. I don't know why - perhaps the proteins are similar in structure or something.

You cannot predict what someone might react to.

It's NEVER a good idea to make medical recommendations to customers. State your ingredients clearly and let them make their own judgments.

 

[kaseencook]

When my husband and I were at Uni we learned of a study that indicated that peanut allergy could be caused in many cases by the use of forumlas, lotions and creams that contained peanut oil (with impurities) in early childhood leading to sensitision to peanuts and eventually allergy depending on genetic predisposition and level of exposure.

http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/abstract/348/11/977

http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/picrender.fcgi?artid=2351656&blobtype=pdf

http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/abstract/313/7056/518

http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/119279212/abstract

The increasing use of cheap peanut oil in formulas, creams and lotions especially in early childhood is thought to be why there are a lot more peanut sensitive children now, compared to several decades ago. Or some think that the level is the same, but that more people are now seeking help and peanut allergy issue has been getting more media exposure.

While I found an article that indicates that peanut allergy suffers are not allergic to peanut oil

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7299001

If the route of sensitation to peanuts is believed to be through the skin in early childhood, I would use caution in exposing children to any peanut oil in soap or creams or rubbing straight oil on their skin as it could possibly make the allergy more severe in the future. I suppose I would use caution in making any soap or cream with peanut oil or other nut oils if there is a possibility that they may be used by children or pregnant mothers, just encase it will increase the chance the child will develop an allergy.

 

[carebear]

Safe - with qualifiers.

"* Studies show that most people allergic to peanuts can safely eat peanut oil as long as it is NOT cold pressed, expelled, or extruded peanut oil."
"Although occasional reports of allergic reactions to peanut oil are reported, most doctors believe that highly refined peanut oil is safe to use. It's safe because the protein is removed during the processing. "


http://www.med.umich.edu/1libr/pa/pa_peanall_hhg.htm

Your article is from '81. Later (2004) the determination was made by the European Food Safety Authority that there wasn't enough info to say that peanut oils are indeed safe for allergic folks

http://www.foodnavigator.com/Legislatio ... peanut-oil

If you can guarantee the oil is highly refined then go for it. But I cannot imagine betting a child's life on it. I won't risk MY children's life on it, that's for sure.

IN the UK, for a period of time women were told to avoid peanuts when pregnant, and the occurrence of peanut allergic children went UP. http://www.foodnavigator.com/Financial- ... r-UK-Lords

 

[Lindy]

My Mom has serious nut allergies so I don't make soaps with macadamia, walnut, or peanut oils. However she CAN eat almonds and Sunflower seeds so I am able to use those oils. We need to be very aware and sensitive to people's allergies when retailing - I even have 3 customers that I know of that are allergic to Aloe Vera which rules out one of my Butters and one of my soaps! When someone comes in to buy soap for someone allergic I always recommend either Castille or Bastille unscented. When they're buying for children under 6 I make the same recommendation.

That's actually one of the reasons I label my soap with the common name as well as the INCI so people can fully understand the ingredient list. It's surprising how many people read the labels (which I have displayed with the display - touchable - soaps).

Cheers
Lindy