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Location: Anaheim, California, United States

Regular contributor for Random Lengths (circulation 56,000) in San Pedro, CA, 2001-present. Columns "Life in Long Beach" and "Life After Mother" pub. in Senior Reporter of Orange County. Manga reviewer: LA Alternative (circulation 150,000), 2005-2006. Some manga reviews also ran in NY Press around this time. Entertainment reporting: Music Connection (circulation 75,000), 1983-1906. Travel writing: Oakland Tribune (1998) and Life After 50 (2006). Other bylines: Goldmine, Star Hits, Los Angeles Reader, Los Angeles Times, Long Beach Press Telegram, Blade, BAM, Daily Breeze, LA Weekly. Specializations include community news reporting, writing reviews (book, theater, concert, film, music), copywriting, resumes, editing, travel writing, publicity, screenwriting, lecturing, and content development. Education: B. A. Theater Arts, UCLA. Post-grad work, Education, Chapman University.

Friday, March 27, 2020

Product Reviews and My Allergies: Dimethicone

My allergic reaction to dimethicone sneaked up on me but there were warnings. The first came when several years ago when I bought a different face powder from "my" brand and I had an itching burning sensation immediately, and had to take the product back. At the time I had no idea what ingredient was causing the problem. Now I think it was the dimenthicone. 

I didn't notice anything else until I bought a new bottle of my usual foundation cream, made by Revlon, during the 2019 holidays--and it itched and burned my skin. That turned out to contain dimethicone. I tried other products including:  

Avon True Color Flawless Cream-to-powder Foundation with broad spectrum SPF 15 sunscreen, DIN 02374145, contains dimethicone. (All the colors in this line do.)  I tried the product 7 Feb '20 and immediately my skin tingled and burned. After ten minutes of minor discomfort, I washed the product off. Here is a complete list of ingredients: https://www.avon.com/product/avon-true-color-flawless-cream-to-powder-foundation-57702

Mary Kay Timewise Matte-wear Liquid Foundation, ivory, combination-to-oily skin, which the saleswoman insisted is also used for normal-to-dry skin. The product has two big strikes, one that it doesn't pass the PETA standard for cruelty-free, and the other that it includes dimenthicone among its dozens of ingredients, as listed on the below link. I tried it 8 Feb 20, and couldn't tell how much discomfort was due to the itchy sweater I was wearing and how much was due to the foundation, but plainly neither one was wearable. For this Mary Kay product's ingredients :  http://allthings7.info/2016/03/27/mary-kay-timewise-matte-wear-liquid-foundation-review-matujacy-podklad-w-plynie/


After that came itching and burning reactions to several brands of soap and all three of the hair products I'd been using for decades. As for my longtime shampoo and conditioner--Suave Essentials Ocean Breeze--it's possible the formula has changed because I can't find an ingredient list online that matches the labels of both products I know I used in February. I stopped using them after that, and started using homemade shampoo, because I knew was taking a risk using even when taking Benedryl as a precaution. 


I also had to stop using Mane & Tail detangler which contains dimenthicone:  https://manentail.com/products/detangler/

Then came March 19 when I used a homemade shampoo that contained soap slivers other than Ivory soap as a base. Those must've had dimethicone or citric acid, or both, or something else I'm allergic to, because I itched and had adrenaline rushes for about three hours afterward. Taking even two Benedryl had little effect, so either the reaction was extreme enough that the Benedryl didn't knock it out, or it was some other type of reaction. When extra rinsing didn't work either, I began to wonder if I was going to have to shave my head to find relief. I finally grabbed two bars of Ivory, one in each hand, and scrubbed down to my scalp. That took care of it. I may have to do that more often.

I made up a batch of homemade shampoo using only Ivory yesterday, and I had an adrenaline rush for about an hour afterward. (I only took one Benedryl this time, it stopped before I felt the need for a second.) My guess is that either the container was contaminated and I'll have to try another container, or possibly the allergens that have been put into my hair (and system) previously are causing an after-effect. 

Postscript:  I do find a listing for simply "Suave shampoo" (not Suave Essentials) that apparently does not contain citric acid or dimethicone, but it warns against gluten sensitivity--and that's another problem I have: https://www.reference.com/world-view/ingredients-suave-shampoo-e6d7f4e6c75ddca6 

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