Teach Soap

So I'm going on a vacation with my 7 year old cousin who is really allergic to peanuts and she wants me to teach her some of the stuff that I do like bath bombs and maybe something with shea butter is there any thing i should stay away from like a type of FO/EO or certain ingredient I've looked it up but I couldn't find that much on the subject

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Anna Rose @-}--
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How severe is her allergy? If there are any products around that have been opened which have any part of the peanut as an ingredient, I would be leery. I don't know of any essential oils or fragrances that might cause her an allergy as well, but you never know. There are lots of products that have peanut ingredients or have been processed in a facility that uses peanuts. You have to read the food label.

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Irena
Closed minds are like faulty parachutes; they refuse to open.

I was thinking citric acid (from BB) and baking soda and mainly EO/FO(fromBB) and it is fairly bad she has an epi-pen I'm 99.99% sure there will be no problem but it never hurts to be too careful

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Anna Rose @-}--
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I'd be leary of any oil that comes from a nut, like shea butter for example.

I agree with ariagirl, because shea butter comes from a nut, there is a potential for someone with a peanut allergy to react to it. That goes for any type of butter or oil that comes from a nut, such as almond oil, macadamia butter, pistachio butter, etc. For any products that you plan to use, I would look up what their primary source is if you're not certain they are not nut based. (Search things like "how is shea butter made" etc")

Although some people with peanut allergy can use some nut products without problems, I would still keep her far from any nut product at all because each exposure can cause a more severe reaction than the previous one. Even things that may have come into contact with nut products (such as almond oil on the outside of a container) can cause reactions in people with severe allergy.

Also wanted to add info just incase you are alone with her and she has a reaction. An epipen won't completely stop the reaction or cure it, it just buys more time to get to medical attention. When it wears off, the reaction will return so it's important to call 911 or get to an Emergency Dept if she has an allergic reaction. I'm sure her mom will come prepared, but make sure you bring some Benadryl (Diphenhydramine) to have on hand as well.

Ohhh Biology Facts: Peanuts aren't actually nuts, and most people who have peanut allergies are fine with actual nuts. They can have issues with some other legumes tho! Generally the allergy isn't even to the "nut" at all, but the aspergillus mold that coats peanuts! True peanut allergies are also quite rare, macadamia nuts are a much more common allergen, yet you don't see "macadamia nut free!" on packages. In over 40 years as a doctor Dad has had 2 peanut allergy patients (he has something like 8200 patients currently). Okie... that's enough silly biology facts!

If you use any oils make sure you get them from some place reputable. Many grocery store oils have tested as mixed even though the labels say pure. I've read about peanut oil in "pure" grape seed oil even! I prefer using jojoba in my bath bombs personally, as it doesn't seem to leave that "greasy bathtub" effect. Plus I just love jojoba!

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~~Heather~~
Mad [soaping] Scientist

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Anna Rose @-}--
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Peanuts and tree nuts are different. My son is highly allergic to peanuts, and peas, and all other legumes. He is perfectly fine with tree nuts.

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Shari

Huh. Interesting. My sister is allergic to peanuts, walnuts, and macadamia nuts. Her doc told her she should stay away from all nut products, so we always just assumed it was all "nut" type products. I have heard about the allergen being mold rather than the actual nut. Probably the only way to know for each individual is to get allergy testing. Thanks for the cool bit of knowledge about peanuts!

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~~Heather~~
Mad [soaping] Scientist

She's always got to ask what menu items are made from if she goes someplace new, but she kind of has an idea of what things are ok for her at places she frequents. One time she got a new dessert and the waiter didn't know that there were crushed up walnuts in the cake. She hadn't had them in years, so wasn't familiar with the taste, and she kept saying "This tastes so different, it has a familiar taste, but I can't put my finger on what it is." Then all of a sudden, she said Oh No! and her face started to swell and turn red. Luckily she always carries Benadryl and an epi pen, but she was miserable for quite some time and got a hospital visit out it.

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Anna Rose @-}--
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Linda
I know the voices in my head aren't real, but they sure have some great ideas!