Allergic Reactions to Beauty Products

When I first got diagnosed I was very distraught when I found out that food was not the only thing I had to be careful about but that I had to read every single little label to see what the ingredients were. This included lotions, makeup, shampoo, hair products, nail products, face wash, soaps, and pretty much anything you could name. Too my surprise most products I used on a regular basis actually had wheat or wheat protein was listed as an ingredient! Who knew? I had to re-buy all of my makeup since most I had thrown away the packaging and I was not about to call companies and wait on hold for all 20 lip stick/gloss that I had. Some makeup companies I did call…some were very helpful like Neutrogena, however some refused to disclose their ingredients unless I sent in a note from my doctor.  It was an expensive ordeal to go through and replace everything even makeup brushes (since they would have traces of wheat left on the brush).  However once I became wheat free with all of my products, my face cleared up from those annoying allergic reactions on my skin (and I could stop taking benadryl/putting on hydrocortisone every day- since it would slightly help clear up the bumps)

Even now I do find it somewhat challenging to find beauty products that do not contain wheat.  Especially when it comes to any lip color.  Since most come without packaging some do not list their ingredients, and even some that are wheat free I still have reactions with.  Just last night I used Love my lips SPF 20 Chapstick and today my lips feel like wax, they will just not stay hydrated no matter how much Vaseline I put on.  Vaseline has actually become one the only chapstick I can find that will not leave me with an allergic reaction where my lips become either a. bumps that last a week, b. feel like wax, or c. become so dry they crack.  The other chapstick I have found that does not irritate my lips is Carmex, the cherry kind. I have tried the regular and strawberry ones but they also make my lips feel like wax and hurt to move them.  Also the cherry has SPF 15 and it doesn’t seem to bother me, sun screen is a whole other issue…leave that for another time.

-Jessika