George Washington Carver found more than 300 uses for peanuts and peanut oil. That’s more than 300 ways people with an allergy to peanuts can be exposed! One way that peanuts sneak in under the radar is in beauty products, including shampoos and soaps.
Shampoos
Dr. George Washington Carver and Dr. Austen W. Curtis Hair Care Products, as the name might imply, contain peanut oil using technology that is more than 50 years old. The product addresses specific concerns for black hair.
Dr. Hauschka Shampoo uses peanut oil to boost volume in hair and address dryness issues.
Philip B Shampoo is usually recommended for people with color-treated and damaged hair. The peanut oil here is combined with truffle oil to remedy hair shafts.
Derma-Smooth FS is a prescription-only skin product made with fluocinolone acetonide and is in the corticosteroids group of medications. Oddly, this product is commonly used to treat eczema and itching caused by allergic dermatitis among other things. Be sure to let your dermatologist or allergist know that you cannot use this product if you have a peanut allergy.
Polytar Shampoo is often prescribed by doctors for skin conditions including cradle cap, dandruff and psoriasis, and eczema. It has mild antiseptic and anti-inflammatory properties. It also contains peanut oil.
Peanut Oil’s Other Names
When checking labels, also look for these ingredients: Aceite de Cacahuete, Aceite de ManÃ, Arachide, Arachis hypogaea, Cacahouète, Cacahuète, Earth-Nut, Groundnuts, Huile d’Arachide, Huile de Cacahouète, Huile de Cacahuète, or Monkey Nuts. Especially in products that are imported, you might see any of these more exotic names.