Allergy to Chemical in Shampoo/Conditioner? Itching Scalp? Help!!

[piffyanne]

Warning: this is a long and technical post. I'm hoping some of the specifics help someone aid me in identifying the problem, and especially help someone ELSE out who might be having the same problem! :flowers:

I've been experiencing a painfully itching scalp after using to certain products from the VO5 line. I realized after my newest reaction (all Friday night, until I fell asleep, gone the next morning) that it was allergy1 an allergy!! :agape:

There are a couple threads on hair-related allergens, but not these specifics. Mods, if you want to move this here http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=70112, please feel free.

First off, I'm a huge fan of VO5's products. Heavens know I can't resist buying them when I see a new flavor.:shrug: I'm heavily, heavily enabled; at last count, I had 18 bottles. I may even be certifiable about them, I love them so much. I really don't want to dissuade people from buying them. :flowers:

Here comes the trouble, and it started months back.

I'd been using VO5 products for a couple weeks or so and realized I hadn't clarified EVER, so I may still have buildup from previous products. I used VO5 "Richer Lather" Herbal Escapes Kiwi Lime Squeeze Clarifying Shampoo, and followed with a conditioner that I knew from previous experience that my scalp ADORES, Tea Therapy Blackberry** Sage Tea Revitalizing Conditioner :crush:. My scalp tingled unpleasantly for hours afterwards. I'd showered in the evening, and it was still tingling as I fell asleep that night. I knew it must have been the Clarifying, and thought that was normal.

Weeks of cycling through different flavors of VO5, I came across another that caused tingling. This time, it was more unpleasant, the tingling was so annoying that I felt vaguely like I had to throw up:barf:. That was VO5's "Shine Enhancing Nutrients" Normal Balancing Shampoo (Gentle, balanced cleansing with Vitamins C & E). I tried it again another time, same reaction, same :barf: feeling. After that, I never used it on my scalp again, but I use it as a bodywash now: no tingling. Even when I use it on my armpits, I have no reaction, even though there are hair follicles there. Is my scalp more sensitive?

Other things I've reacted to are Extra Body "Rich Formula 2X Stronger Hair" Volumizing Conditioner (With Collagen), Tea Therapy Vanilla Mint Tea Clarifying Conditioner (yesterday's reaction), and I think I also reacted to Herbal Escapes "Rich Formula 2X Stronger Hair" Clarifying Conditioner (I tried this before I tried the Vanilla Mint Tea one, as I wanted to see if the clarifying shampoo was too harsh, and then I experimented to see if the kiwi scent was a factor with the VMT one. (I get a vaguely itchy mouth eating kiwis, and my dad gets a worse reaction to them.)

I don't react to ALL the VO5 stuff I have: those are the only known ones yet, and I fine even with shampoos like the Herbal Escapes Strengthening Shampoo Antioxidant Rich Pomegranate & Grapeseed Extract, and plenty of others I've used. This one and the Tea Therapy Conditioner are going to be my basis of comparison.

Does anyone see what I might be reacting to? I’m lost. :shrug:

VO5 “RICHER LATHER" HERBAL ESCAPES KIWI LIME SQUEEZE CLARIFYING SHAMPOO INGREDIENTS:
Water (aqua, eau), Sodium laureth sulfate, Sodium lauryl sulfate, Sodium chloride, Fragrance (parfum), Cocamidopropyl betaine, DMDM hydantoin, Polyquaternium-7, Benzyl salicylate, Hydoxypropyl methylcellulose, Disodium EDTA, Guar hydroxypropyltrimonium chloride, Butylphenyl methypropional, Linalool, Hydroxyisohexyl 3-cyclohexene carboxaldehyde, Benzyl benzoate, Glycerin, Citric acid, Yellow 10 (CI 47005), Blue 1 (CI 42090), Polysorbate 20, Propylene glycol, Tocopheryl acetate, Rosmarinus officinalis (rosemary) extract, Panthenol, Cymbopogon schoenanthus extract, Citrus aurantifolia (lime) extract, Ascorbic acid, Actinidia chinensis (kiwi) fruit extract, Niacinamide, Biotin.

VO5 HERBAL ESCAPES ‘RICH FORMULA 2X STRONGER HAIR” KIWI LIME SQUEEZE WITH LEMONGRASS EXTRACT CLARIFYING CONDITIONER INGREDIENTS:
Water (aqua, eau), Cetyl alcohol, Stearalkonium chloride, Cetrimonium chloride, Fragrance (parfum), Glyceryl stearate, DMDM hydantoin, Hydrolized collagen (?), Benzyl salicylate, Disodium EDTA, Butylphenyl methylpropional, Linalool, Hydroxyisohexyl 3-cyclohexene carboxaldehyde, Benzyl benzoate, Hexyl cinnamal, Limonene, Citronellol, Yellow 5 (CI 19140), Benzophenone-4, Polysorbate 20, Blue-1 (CI 42090), Propylene glycol, Stearyl alcohol, Steareth-21, Tocopheryl acetate, Rosmarinus officinalus (rosemary) extract, Panthenol, Cymbopogon schoenanthus extract, Citrus aurantifolia (lime) peel extract, Ascorbic acid, Actinidia chinensis (kiwi) fruit extract, Niacinamide, Biotin.

VO5 "SHINE ENHANCING NUTRIENTS" NORMAL BALANCING SHAMPOO (GENTLE, BALANCED CLEANSING WITH VITAMINS C & E) INGREDIENTS:
Water (aqua, eau), Sodium lauryl sulfate, Cocamidopropyl betaine, Ammonium chloride, Sodium laureth sulfate, Fragrance (parfum), DMDM hydantoin, Citric acid, Tetrasodium EDTA, Benzyl salicylate, Bytylphenyl methylpropional, Linalool, Yellow 6 (CI 15985), Sodium chloride, Polysorbate 20, Tocopheryl acetate, Panthenol, Ascorbic acid, Niacinamide, Biotin.

EXTRA BODY "RICH FORMULA 2X STRONGER HAIR" VOLUMIZING CONDITIONER (WITH COLLAGEN) INGREDIENTS:
Water (aqua, eau), Ceytl alcohol, Steralkonium chloride, Cetrimonium chloride, Fragrance (parfum), Clyceryl stearate, DMDM hydantoin, Hyrdolized collagen, Limonene, Benzyl salicylate, Disodium EDTA, Hexyl cinnamal, Amino acid/Lysine hydroxypropyltrimonium chloride, Geraniol, Citral, Yellow 6 (CI 15985), Yellow 5 (CI 19140), Polysorbate 20, Stearyl alcohol, Steareth-21, Tocopheryl acetate, Panthenol, Ascorbic acid, Niacinamide, Biotin.

TEA THERAPY VANILLA MINT TEA CLARIFYING CONDITIONER INGREDIENTS:
Water (aqua, eau), Cetyl alcohol, Stearalkonium chloride, Cetrimonium chloride, Fragrance (parfum), Glyceryl stearate, DMDM hydantoin, Disodium EDTA, Butylphenyl methylpropional, Hexyl cinnamal, Linalool, Benzyl alcohol, Coumarin, Polysorbate 20, Propylene glycol, Stearyl alcohol, Steareth-21, Vanilla planifolia fruit extract, Tocopheryl acetate, Panthenol, Ascorbic acid, Mentha piperita (peppermint) leaf extract, Camellia sinensis leaf extract, Niacinamide, Biotin.

TEA THERAPY BLACKBERRY SAGE TEA REVITALIZING CONDITIONER INGREDIENTS (NO REACTION TO THIS PRODUCT):
Water (aqua, eau), Cetyl alcohol, Stearalkonium chloride, Cetrimonium chloride, Fragrance (parfum), Glyceryl stearate, DMDM hydantoin, Benzyl benzoate, Disodium EDTA, Linalool, Limonene, Citral, Citronellol, Polysorbate 20, Propylene glycol, Stearyl alcohol, Steareth-21, Tocopheryl acetate, Panthenol, Ascorbic acid, Salvia offinalis (sage) leaf extract, Rubus fruiticosus (blackberry) fruit extract, Niadinamide, Biotin.

HERBAL ESCAPES STRENGTHENING SHAMPOO ANTIOXIDANT RICH POMEGRANATE & GRAPESEED EXTRACT INGREDIENTS (NO REACTION TO THIS PRODUCT)
Water (aqua, eau), Sodium laureth sulfate, Sodium lauryl sulfate, Sodium chloride, Cocamidopropyl betaine, Fragrance (parfum), DMDM hydantoin, Polyquaternium-7, Hydroxypropyl methylcellulose, Disodium EDTA, Guar hydrozypropyltrimonium chloride, Butylphenyl methylpropional, Benzyl benzoate, Benzophenone-4, Amyl cinnamal, Limonene, Glycerin, Citric acid, Red 33 (CI 17200), Red 40 (CI 16035), Polysorbate 20, Propylene glycol, Tocopheryl acetate, Punica granatum extract, Panthenol, Ascorbic acid, Vitis vinifera (grape) seed extract, Niacinamide, Biotin.

[piffyanne]

PART 2 (sorry this is so long!)


The following list shows ingredients which do not appear in the one I don't react to
KIWI CLARIFYING SHAMPOO:
Benzyl salicylate – not there, is it related to Benzyl benzoate, which is?
Hydroxyisohexyl 3-cyclohexene carboxaldehyde
Yellow 10 (CI 47005), Blue 1 (CI 42090)
Rosmarinus officinalis (rosemary) extract
Cymbopogon schoenanthus extract
Citrus aurantifolia (lime) extract
Actinidia chinensis (kiwi) fruit extract

VO5 HERBAL ESCAPES ‘RICH FORMULA 2X STRONGER HAIR” KIWI LIME SQUEEZE WITH LEMONGRASS EXTRACT CLARIFYING CONDITIONER:
Hydrolized collagen
Benzyl salicylate
Hydroxyisohexyl 3-cyclohexene carboxaldehyde
Hexyl cinnamal – related to Amyl cinnamal?
Yellow 5 (CI 19140), Blue-1 (CI 42090)
Rosmarinus officinalus (rosemary) extract
Cymbopogon schoenanthus extract
Citrus aurantifolia (lime) peel extract
Actinidia chinensis (kiwi) fruit extract

VO5 "SHINE ENHANCING NUTRIENTS" NORMAL BALANCING SHAMPOO (GENTLE, BALANCED CLEANSING WITH VITAMINS C & E):
Ammonium chloride
Tetrasodium EDTA – different enough from Disodium EDTA?
Benzyl salicylate
Yellow 6 (CI 15985)

EXTRA BODY "RICH FORMULA 2X STRONGER HAIR" VOLUMIZING CONDITIONER (WITH COLLAGEN):
Hyrdolized collagen
Benzyl salicylate
Hexyl cinnamal – related to Amyl cinnamal?
Amino acid/Lysine hydroxypropyltrimonium chloride
Geraniol
Yellow 6 (CI 15985), Yellow 5 (CI 19140)

TEA THERAPY VANILLA MINT TEA CLARIFYING CONDITIONER:
Hexyl cinnamal
Benzyl alcohol
Coumarin
Vanilla planifolia fruit extract,
Mentha piperita (peppermint) leaf extract
Camellia sinensis leaf extract

RESULTS?

I automatically disqualified the extracts, as they don’t appear in multiple mixtures. From what I can tell, Benzyl salicylate appears in 4/5 of the irritating mixes, and the last one contains Benzyl alcohol. Does anyone know why I don’t have a reaction to the Benzyl benzoate? Although Amyl cinnamal appears in something I don’t react to, Hexyl cinnamal appears in 3/5 mixes I react to. Hydroxyisohexyl 3-cyclohexene carboxaldehyde appears in 2/5 mixes I react to. Hydrolized collagen also appears in 2/5 mixtures.

I don’t think these are specific problems themselves, but Rosmarinus officinalis (rosemary) extract, Cymbopogon schoenanthus extract, Citrus aurantifolia (lime) extract, and Actinidia chinensis (kiwi) fruit extract appear in 2/5, because the Kiwi Clarifying Shampoo and Conditioner both cause problems, and are scented identically by coincidence.


Ammonium chloride, Tetrasodium EDTA (different enough from Disodium EDTA?), Amino acid/Lysine hydroxypropyltrimonium chloride, Geraniol, and Coumarin each appear in 1/5. I assume I’m not allergic to any of these, by default.

Dyes that don’t match ones I’m OK with are Yellow 10 (CI 47005), Blue 1 (CI 42090) [2/5 mixes contain it], Yellow 5 (CI 19140) [2/5 mixes contain it], and Yellow 6 (CI 15985) [2/5 mixes contain it]. I don't think there are any allergies here, either.

Tentative Conclusion: Allergy to Benzyl salicylate/Benzyl alcohol?


**I originally typed Slackberry, it was too funny not to share. That needs to exist.


Note: I have not tried the Tea Therapy Vanilla Mint Tea Clarifying Shampoo, so I can not make a judgement on that one.

[renia22]

Were you able to figure out what it was that was irritating you? Not sure if this would help you or not, but here's a link with a list of products that have less toxic ingredients & shouldn't irritate as much (the shampoo & conditioner is further down the list)

http://www.lesstoxicguide.ca/index.asp?fetch=personal

[kme81]

Maybe the ingredients in those particular shampoos reacted within the shampoo to make something your scalp did not like? For example, if I were to pour vinegar onto my conditioner, my hair hates it. But if I totally wash the conditioner out of my hair then apply vinegar, my hair (ans scalp) love it. Sorry that this is not much help, I am as baffled as you, nothing seems to match up in the ones that don't work for you! :/

[Bunnysaur]

Hmm. I'm not sure what ingredient(s) could be causing this, but I think making a list of ingredients that overlap them was a good idea.
I agree with you that it might be the Benzyl family you're having problems with, but in regards to the hydroxyl (keyboard mash), you might find this (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14531869) interesting. Do you have eczema by any chance? Or maybe you do any you just don't know it! :p
I know some people who are very sensitive to perfuming ingredients, I found this (http://www.ewg.org/skindeep/ingredient.php?ingred06=702841) on the cinnamal. It is related to amyl cinnamal, and it is, at least in Europe, known (http://cosmeticsinfo.org/ingredient_more_details.php?ingredient_id=1914) to be allergenic.

My guess (though I'm not a chemist, or allergist, not by any means) would be that you've developed a sensitivity to synthetic fragrance additives like the cinnamals. Welcome to the club! :waving:

[piffyanne]

First of all, thank you all SOOO much for responding! I know my posts were huge, and looked pretty daunting. You guys that waded through all that for me are heroes!! :cheer: (I thought I'd killed my own thread for a while there, haha)

I've got PLENTY of other VO5s that I don't have problems with. Would it help if I continued with the ingredient comparisons?

Also, of the 18 I now own, 6 were new-bought, so I've got even more options to test on my poor guinea-pig of a scalp (not animal testing, just Anne-testing. shudder: ). The trick is probably to shower JUSSSST before bedtime, so if my scalp BURNS again, I can go straight to bed without feeling guilty. It's a really bad burning, tingling sensation.

I haven't seen any damage to my hair after having one of these reactions, no noticeable hairfall, etc, so I'm not averse to continuing the experiments, it's just the discomfort that's annoying. Also, my hair seems to LOVE being clarified, even if my scalp goes nuts:rant:.


Hmm. I'm not sure what ingredient(s) could be causing this, but I think making a list of ingredients that overlap them was a good idea.
I agree with you that it might be the Benzyl family you're having problems with, but in regards to the hydroxyl (keyboard mash), you might find this (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14531869) interesting. Do you have eczema by any chance? Or maybe you do any you just don't know it! :p
I know some people who are very sensitive to perfuming ingredients, I found this (http://www.ewg.org/skindeep/ingredient.php?ingred06=702841) on the cinnamal. It is related to amyl cinnamal, and it is, at least in Europe, known (http://cosmeticsinfo.org/ingredient_more_details.php?ingredient_id=1914) to be allergenic.

My guess (though I'm not a chemist, or allergist, not by any means) would be that you've developed a sensitivity to synthetic fragrance additives like the cinnamals. Welcome to the club! :waving:

Would I have a reaction to the fragrances when sniffing them, too, or are these reactions only contact-based? If the scent is an indicator too, I'd better mention that I find the scent of VO5's "Shine Enhancing Nutrients" Normal Balancing Shampoo (Gentle, balanced cleansing with Vitamins C & E) HIGHLY offensive. The first time I opened the bottle, my nose felt like it turned inside out, and it never grew on me. Now that I think about it, there's a hint of that offensive smell in the other ones I've tested, a sort of tangy, sour smell? It's masked by the pretty flavors they put in it, but it smells of chemicals (closest I can describe it?). I hope I didn't just trick my brain into believing that, but I just smelled them, and the chemical difference is definitely there.

I've been diagnosed with Seborrheic Dermatitis (my doctor only looked at my scalp for a second, so I wondered how she could ID it that fast when there are apparently 5 or so other scalp problems/conditions that produce white flakes. Maybe she knows what she's doing, though?). It doesn't act up much, I go for a week without washing consistently, and only get a few dandruff-like flakes near the edge of my scalp in the middle of my forehead (which happens to be where my part is.)

On the other hand, I'm fairly sure I've got a teeny patch of eczema between two of my fingers: it never seems to heal. My mother says my grandfather (her dad) had eczema, so if there's such thing as a genetic disposition for eczema, I'm potentially a target.

I read in the book The Man Who Mistook his Wife for a Hat about a man who developed a crippling insensitivity to chemicals, felt SICK when people down the street had carpet cleaners in, the road being resurfaced nearly killed him, he had to relocate when so-and-so had a couple rooms painted, etc. I know I don't have that, but that's one of my personal nightmares, and now I'm creeping myself out. I feel like I'm in the Matrix deciding whether I want the red or blue pill now.:lala:

Thank you all again!!:crush::flowers:

[HealthBug]

When the same thing happened to me I was so upset. I have a form of eczema and I break out very bad when I don't watch what I use. Sounds like you have a problem like me. I got a patch test done to find out what my "triggers" were. A pain but worth it. And I'm finding new things to this day that I can't use. The best advice I can give is if you can't figure it out, just stop using it, your body is trying to tell you something. And it may only get worse. as for the smell yes they can come hand in hand. I can't stand the smell of some lotions and it turns out I can smell the DMDM (formaldehyde) in them and I can't touch it with out getting itchy for weeks.

[HealthBug]

Also I got eczema form my father. if you have asthma sufferers in your family it can be past down through them as well. I have no idea why, but they are connected.

[piffyanne]

I just ordered a gianganto-tub o' scented Original Nightblooming Panacea on the swap board. I hope I don't have any problems with it!! shudder: I'll just be using it on my ends, anyway. I'll apply it wearing GLOVES if I have to! :determined:

[raingirl]

Have you considered Parabens as the culprit? I'm sensitive to them and they cause itching and acne if I get it on my skin. Parabens are usually preservatives.

I had to do a little digging, but this site has most of the common chemical names you see for parabens:

http://www.chemicalland21.com/lifescience/foco/PARABENS%20%28METHYL,%20ETHYL,%20PROPYL,%20BUTYL%2 9.htm

[Bunnysaur]

I think the sensitivity would be due to contact, I'm mildly sensitive to a lot of fragrance chemicals too, but I'm perfectly fine with the scents.

[piffyanne]

I think the sensitivity would be due to contact, I'm mildly sensitive to a lot of fragrance chemicals too, but I'm perfectly fine with the scents.
My dad has reactions when someone's wearing extremely heavy perfume. Curiouser and curiouser.

Why do I not react to ALL of these products, then? :confused: