One of the benefits of making your own bath and beauty products is having complete control of the ingredients. Whether you have sensitive skin, allergies or prefer to avoid particular ingredients, creating products from scratch allows you to fully customize for your personal preferences. If you or somebody you know has severe allergies to products such as nuts or gluten, creating your own bath and beauty products can be especially appealing. If you have concerns regarding specific ingredients and how it will affect your allergies, it’s always best to consult with your doctor.
Tree nut allergies are one of the most common allergens in both adults and children. Tree nuts include (but are not limited to) walnuts, almonds, hazelnuts, cashews, pistachios and Brazil nuts. Peanuts are also a common nut allergy, but are technically considered legumes. According to FARE (Food Allergy Research & Education), people who are allergic to tree nuts are more likely to be allergic to other types, and should avoid all nuts.
Some fixed oils used in bath and beauty products are derived from nuts, such as sweet almond oil and hazelnut oil. If you are allergic to nuts, you may want to completely avoid using oils from nuts. While these oils are bath and beauty products and are not being consumed, FARE states, “Tree nut oils may contain nut protein and should be avoided. Tree nut oils are sometimes used in lotions, hair care products and soaps.” It’s always better to be safe than sorry, so if you or a customer are allergic to nuts, you may want to avoid these oils in your projects. If you are unsure if you should use oils derived from nuts in your products, contact your doctor. A great substitution for both sweet almond oil and hazelnut oil is apricot kernel oil.
Some oils are derived from nuts. If you are allergic to nuts, you may want to completely avoid using oils from nuts in your bath and beauty products. It’s important to talk to your doctor to help make the right decision for you.