Am I allergic to SAO?

[jellycatty]

Last night I used Sweet Almond Oil (mixed with my regular coconut oil) for the first time, and about 10 minutes later any part of my body that touched the SAO was burning ): thankfully not my scalp.
This lasted all night since I couldn't wash my hair until this morning. My hands turn red even when I touch my damp hair.
Is it possible to have an allergy to SAO but not almonds itself? I eat them quite regularly.

[ravenreed]

I would wait a few days and try a small patch test in the inner elbow to see if you get the same results. Keep some Benadryl handy to take if you do get a reaction! If you do react, you might want to keep an eye out for problems after eating almonds, as allergies can develop quite suddenly.

[Lostsoule77]

I second what Ravenreed said. Oils are often concentrated so maybe you just never noticed before because you didn't eat that many.
If you do get a reaction on the patch test I would suggest you don't eat almonds anymore. Nut allergies can turn quite serious and the reaction to them can get more severe each time you have a reaction.
When you do the patch test I would suggest having liquid Benadryl on hand because it works quicker. Just make sure you take an adult dosage which should equate to 25mg-50mg (the equivelant of 1-2 of the tablets.)

[heidi w.]

Last night I used Sweet Almond Oil (mixed with my regular coconut oil) for the first time, and about 10 minutes later any part of my body that touched the SAO was burning ): thankfully not my scalp.
This lasted all night since I couldn't wash my hair until this morning. My hands turn red even when I touch my damp hair.
Is it possible to have an allergy to SAO but not almonds itself? I eat them quite regularly.

It is wholly possible to have an allergy to a given oil. This is a nut-based oil, so you might be allergic to the nut, and the oil is a distillation of the nuts. Get that off your hair and body as soon as is possible. THIS IS WHY I OFTEN CAUTION TO RUN A SKIN TEST PATCH BEFORE APPLYING TO THE ENTIRE SCALP. This is a case in point.

I'm sorry this is your experience. Thankfully, though, there are plenty of carrier oil options.

heidi w.

[Ml001]

I would wait a few days and try a small patch test in the inner elbow to see if you get the same results. Keep some Benadryl handy to take if you do get a reaction! If you do react, you might want to keep an eye out for problems after eating almonds, as allergies can develop quite suddenly.

I agree with ravenreed's advice on testing and also that they can develop suddenly. About 6-9 months ago I discovered I have an allergy to almonds...seemingly out of nowhere. It stinks because I like them and ate them regularly as well. Just one day I had a reaction. (Yes, I am certain it was an allergic reaction and that it was caused by almonds. lol)

[jellycatty]

Thanks for the replies, everyone. I guess I have to stay away from anything almond now because I'm so paranoid.
I washed my hair twice and it still feels the same when I touch it. :/ I wash my hair with a SLS free shampoo, would a sulfate shampoo get rid of the oil tomorrow or should I clarify with baking soda to get it all out?

[torrilin]

I'd actually check with a doctor. It does sound like a possible anaphylactic allergy, and that means your doctor needs to know!

The other thing is with some kinds of allergy, the response can be to a very minute quantity. So if you used a cosmetic grade sweet almond oil, you *could* have been reacting to an impurity that is not in the food grade almonds you eat. While I don't patch test everything as Heidi suggests, I do try to use only food grade ingredients... if I know I can eat the ingredient safely, it will be fine for cosmetic use. Eating stuff is a much higher level of exposure.

If you work with an allergist, it may be possible to pin things down.