BellaOnline Forums Health and Fitness Alternative Medicine Allergic to lanolin

I just read the First Aid Solutions for Summer -

http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art32375.asp

and was happy to see someone else mention being allergic to lanolin. I have had eczema my whole life, or so it seems (40+ years) and spend a great deal of time reading labels on cosmetics to make sure I am not buying something that has lanolin.

Many of the lipsticks do not even list the ingredients so I have to go in search of products.

Any tips on avoiding lanolin and what other types of products contain this?

If you have wool alcohol allergy( lanolin) the best way to avoid any problems is by avoiding all products that contain wool alcohols. Check all product labels for the list of ingredients and do not use if they contain wool alcohols or any of the other names for wool alcohols. If you are unsure, ask your pharmacist for advice and a suitable alternative.

Alert your doctor to the fact that you have an allergy to wool alcohols. This is particularly important as some topical medications that your doctor may want to prescribe to you contain wool alcohols.

Products that contain wool alcohols.(Lanolin)
Pharmaceuticals Cosmetics/toiletries Industrial
Steroid-containing creams/ointments:Hemorrhoid preparations:Medicated shampoos:Veterinary products: Liniments:Hand creams:Moisturizers:Protective creams:Self-tanners:Sunscreens:Glossy lipsticks:Makeupremovers: Foundations,powders Eye makeup:Hairspray:Shaving creams: Baby oils:diaper lotions:Printing ink:Furniture and shoe polishers:Textile finishers:Lubricants, cutting fluids: Paper Leather:

Alternative names for wool alcohol
Wool alcohol is also known by several other names.
These include:
Adeps lanae anhydrous
Aloholes lanae
Amerchol
Anhydrous lanolin
Lanolin
Wool fat
Wool grease
Wool wax
Avoid all of these. At work, request a material safety data sheet to help identify potential sources of exposure.

Thanks for posting all the details on the alternate names for wood alcohols. I cannot use nail polish remover when my hands are sore and cut from eczema since it burns and I only use a q-tip dipped in the stuff.

I know about 80% of lipsticks do not mention their ingredients, so I bypass those brands. I lucked out when I got the tan towel plus through HSN since I could not find the ingredients - but I figured if it did contain lanolin I would just sell it on ebay.

Thanks you for the hint on tan towel plus. I just tried an expensive name band self-tanner, not thinking it would have lanolin. I was wrong, I went crazy with the stuff. I was so happy that I would finely get that golden look alike tan I didn�t even care if it looked orange. It had lanolin and my skin reacted. I would have preferred the orange look.

Here are some home remedy I use for my skin:

A Chamomile compress is calming cure for itchy, inflamed rashes. Chamomile contains azulene, an ant-inflammatory agent, for reducing the redness and swelling.

To prepare this soothing compress:

1. Steep a few tablespoons of dried chamomile or dunk a tea bag into a cup or two of boiling water. Let the mixture cool.

2. Dip a cotton pad or small cloth into the brew.

3.Wash the rash with the cloth and repeat as often as needed.

You can refrigerate the mixture to use later that same day, but its potency wears off after about 24 hours

Oatmeal recipe: Place 1-2 cups of large flake oatmeal (not instant) in the blender, blend until it is a fine powder. Wrap this in a cotton handkerchief, place a rubber band around the top, dunk in water and use as you would a washcloth. It coats the skin and helps retain moisture.

Comfrey is the herbal remedy for inflamed, irritated and related skin ailments. Packed with anti-inflammatory properties and helps to promote cell renewal, comfrey will reduce redness and speed healing. You can make your own herbal remedy using powdered comfrey root and water to form a paste. Apply the paste to infected area and cover with a bandage. Try this nightly, using fresh comfrey root, until the area heals. Can be found in most herb shops.

Cool the itching: milk is a great way to soothe the skin. Put milk into a glass of ice for a few minutes, and pour into a gauze pad or thin cotton pad. Apply to irritated skin for 2-3 minutes, re-soak the cloth and reapply continuing the process for about 10 minutes.

Hope this will help your Eczema.

Thanks for the tips - they are interesting and new to me, except the mention of milk, I have heard that before.

I also keep all my creams - cortisone over the counter and Rx ones in the refrigerator. It is so soothing this time of year - I even sent that tip into Family Circle hoping to make $50.

Another helpful item I found by mistake is epson salt. I pour it into the kids baths and noticed how soft it made my hands - so I always do this, but have not tried just putting some in a bowl with my hands, that might be next.

Dermablend is another company that mailed me their ingredients. That reminds me - Serious Skin Care is on this weekend on HSN. I get the free sample as a team member, so this way I can check ingredients and test it out. Their website has the spot to sign up for it. [url=BellaOnline ALERT: For anti-spam reasons, we restrict the number of URLs allowed in a given post. You have exceeded our maximum number of URLs.

You might pay a small fortune buying a salt/sugar rub(we saw one today for $40 from Dead Sea salt-I am not sure my hands know the difference)You might try olive oil/almond oil/or any carrier oil of your choice, add you own sea or kosher salt(the bigger the particles the better) and any essential oil scent you may prefer...NOT for you face...use once a week for exfoliation on whatever body part you want(except as noted)makes you soft as a baby's bottom...