Conclusions.

Years ago I found out the hard way I couldn't use Burt's Bees lip balm. I got a painful, itchy, peel-y, red rash around my mouth quickly after my last use of it. About 6 months ago I had to stop using my favorite lip balm (EOS vanilla) because I experienced the same allergic reaction. I got a new chap stick for my birthday and had an allergic reaction to that one too. As each of these allergic episodes passed, I have wondered just which ingredient is giving me so much trouble. Last week I tried a new moisturizer for my face and after the second day of use, I broke out in a terrible allergic rash around my eyes, nose and mouth. After reading up a bit online as well as talking to my friend Theresa (who has an allergy to Methylisothiazolinone, a preservative (formaldehyde) in almost any product a person could use on their body or hair) I have come to two conclusions:
1. I need to see an Allergy Specialist. I did this when I was a kid, the results of my skin test landed me in a situation where I needed allergy shots twice a week for two years, an immunotherapy referred to as Hyposensitization. While other kids had piano lessons or dance class after school, I sat in a doctor's office Tuesdays and Thursdays waiting for the nurse to measure my allergic reaction to the shot I was given 30 minutes earlier. I hate allergy tests (but not needles, I had to get over that quickly).
2. I cannot put anything on my face/body that I wouldn't put directly in my mouth. But really isn't this just common sense? If our skin is our largest organ, and anything you put on it can and will affect you eventually beneath it's surface, shouldn't we be conscientious about what is in the product we are putting on/in our bodies?
Admittedly I am not hyped about seeing a specialist. So until I do, I'm sticking to Chap Stick brand lip balm (the black label), incidentally my favorite gift on my 3rd birthday many years ago. And for my face, this at night:

and this during the day:

 I'm three days in and no allergic reaction...fingers crossed.