The possibility of a reaction shouldn't stop you from trying natural products. Be aware that you could react, and keep Vitamin E oil on-hand, in case you do.
 “Propolis is the glue that keeps the hive together, literally. A resin made from saps, beeswax, tree and flower buds gathered by honeybees, propolis’ antseptic/microbial properties not only disinfect the hive from bacteria, it’s also used to fix and maintain the hive’s constructive integrity. Historical accounts of humans using bee byproducts, including this “bee glue,” date back as far as ancient Egypt. Greek healer, Hypocrites, the father of Western medicine, used it to treat wounds. And, Dioscorides, said propolis could cure skin diseases.” – Quoted from website, https://sahabeehoney.wordpress.com |
If you haven’t tried making your own face or body creams, it’s hard to predict which natural ingredient (if any) you might be allergic to. To be safe, cut the quantities of a new recipe in half to test it out. If you don’t react, you can always make more. Making a smaller batch also affords the flexibility to personalize the recipe to your skin type by adjusting an ingredient (adding more or less of it), or replacing it with something else.
Although allergies toward natural ingredients are generally rare, the propolis contained in beeswax is the most common culprit. Beeswax contains a natural ingredient called “propolis”- a glue created by the female bee to build the walls of the honeycomb cells. And while the beeswax offers many skincare benefits, separating the propolis from the beeswax is impossible to do. Thus, if you’re allergic to propolis, you’ll have to switch out the beeswax for a different natural wax like candelilla, which is derived from the leaves of a candelilla bush. The ingredients in a recipe could remain the same, except you’ll need to use less of the candelilla wax than the beeswax called for in the recipe (approximately 1/2 the beeswax quantity). As a general rule, be wary of natural ingredients for the skin that correspond with an existing allergy. For example, you’re allergic to peanuts, you may want to avoid peanut oil. If your skin reacts to an ingredient, don’t panic. One effective way to deal with an allergic reaction is to wash the product off, then generously apply Vitamin E oil directly onto the affected skin. If you tested your product in the evening, the reaction should clear up by morning. Vitamin E oil is gentle, and it should sooth and heal the allergic reaction overnight. (You can purchase pure Vitamin E oil at your local organic store. It’s available as capsules you can ingest and/or puncture and squeeze the oil out of to use topically, and it’s available as a liquid.) Allergic reactions to natural products are rare, but they do happen. Once you start using natural products, there’s no going back because you’ll soon notice there’s no comparison to the natural and unadulterated ingredients supplied by Mother Earth. |
 Candelilla wax is derived from the leaves of the candelilla shrub |
