The list grows

At 2am, after finally giving my daughter some Benadryl, I started running through my mind all the things she'd eaten/come into contact with recently that could cause the new itching. The poor child has a very limited diet that I closely monitor so it couldn't be food, could it?

I thought perhaps it could be the new salve that I had made. Camp Wander has posted a wonderful salve recipe and I made up a batch this weekend. I included the optional vitamin e oil because it's so healing. In fact, in my early 20s, I burned my leg on a motorcycle. I began putting vitamin e oil on the burn every day when I changed the bandages and continued applying vitamin e oil everyday until it was healed. I never had a scar. So I totally believe in the healing abilities of vitamin e oil on the skin.

I had been having some success with my little one's skin using the LLP oils (Lavender, Lemon and Peppermint) on her feet. So I added the oils to the salve and we rubbed it on her skin everywhere she was itching.

Then things gradually started to get worse. I thought perhaps it was the dairy she's been eating (more than usual since that's a once-in-a-while food). But that doesn't usually cause itching. I was stumped.

Until 2 am. Apparently that's when I do my best thinking.

Last year, I made a coconut oil body butter - just coconut oil and vitamin e oil. It made her skin worse and I assumed it was the coconut. A few months ago, I ordered some vitamin e oil to put on her feet. Made everything worse. I assumed it was the wheat germ listed on the ingredients. So I ordered pure vitamin e oil (which, to be fair, I thought I had ordered the first time around). But I hadn't used the oil on her until making the salve.

The only thing all these have in common is vitamin e. So I looked up "allergy to vitamin e" and it turns out that this causes dermatitis. And vitamin e is found naturally in things like peanut butter, mayonnaise, and eggs. Hmm...all of these things are on her deadly list.

I'm annoyed that I have to throw out all the salve I made and start over (mostly because it seems a waste of money). But I will do it anyway. Anything for my little one.

Now comes the question of how to avoid vitamin e. That one's a little trickier than the rest of the laundry list.