So, aside from the main one – latex elastic in clothing, which I’ll cover later – where in my normal daily life do I have to be aware of latex?
Elastic Bands – those sneaky things that postmen leave lying on the floor! If I find a loose one in my house I’ll pick it up with a tissue and bin it. More than once I’ve accidentally put my hand on one if it’s left lying around, so I’d rather not risk it.
The alternative:
These things! They are everywhere at the moment and they’re dirt-cheap. Made of silicone, they do the same job as a latex rubber elastic band whilst being funky colours and silly shapes :D I just hope they don’t go out of fashion!
Hairbands/Bungees – I used to wear one on my wrist for tying my hair up, but I had to stop about a year ago, which was annoying, but guess what – now I use the coloured silicone bands for that too!
They aren’t a perfect solution, they snag a little more than conventional bungees, they wear out quicker and you have to use 3-4 at a time to stop them snapping, but the convenience of having them on my wrist and not having to search around for something to tie my hair up at short notice is worth getting through a packet every few weeks.
Hot Water Bottles – aside from the fact that they are made of latex, do you know why it’s dangerous to use a latex hot water bottle? Because boiling water causes the rubber to perish, meaning it could split and pour said boiling water all over you!
The alternatives:
There are plenty of silicone hot water bottles for sale these days, so please ask for a new one for Christmas and stop using unsafe rubber versions immediately! Or if you prefer, get a wheat/grain bag which you can heat in the microwave.
Pencil Erasers - I love to draw, so using a pencil eraser is unavoidable for me. Luckily you can get plastic versions, some of which in my opinion work better than traditional rubber ones.
The Staedtler Mars Plastic is a good one, but I’ve found the Tesco (supermarket) own-brand erasers are a very good imitation and very cheap!
Before, when my allergy wasn't so bad I would just wrap regular rubbers in masking tape/sellotape, leaving one end free to rub out with. If you have to do this, be aware of where the 'dust' from the eraser goes, preferably get it into a bin so it's not lying around for you to come into contact with later. Also be aware that your hand will probably touch where you have just erased, so work with an extra piece of paper between your hand and the page, or wrap your wrist in something like cling film(saran wrap)
Mouse-mats – I worked out quite quickly whilst at school that traditional mouse mats(you know, the ones with the black foamy layer on the bottom) were made of latex. I would get a rash along my wrist. The simple answer is not to use them, most mice these days will work on a tabletop. I use a piece of thick cardboard on my desk, but of course there are latex free mousemats.. I found some here. Condoms – This could be one of the most common exposures to latex that I can think of. If you already know that you have a latex allergy don’t risk it! Aside from that being a place you really don’t want a rash, mucous membranes are much more easily irritated by allergens than skin(think hayfever)
Durex Avanti is the leading latex-free condom. Most people are not aware that Femidoms(female condoms) are also latex free!
These options are more expensive to buy, but check with your local sexual health/family planning/Brook clinic – they should provide condoms for free or at severely reduced rates. If your local branch do not stock a latex-free alternative, pester them until they do. Explain the risks of latex allergy and make them see that this could be a life or death matter(they should already know that unprotected sex is!) Hormone contraception could be an option for you too, discuss this with them too.
Chewing gum/Bubble gum – yes, this can be latex based, I avoided chewing it at all for years when I found out(which didn’t have a huge impact on my life to be honest.) But the good news is, both Trident and Wrigley’s gum are latex-free.
There may be other brands that are too, if you know of any let me know.
Latex gloves – these are another of the biggest factors in over-exposure to latex. Latex allergies now affect 1 in 6 staff in the National Health Service(NHS, united kingdom) who are still in the process of switching over to latex-fee alternatives. If you know you have a latex allergy, make your doctor aware, refuse to be touched until they find some non-latex gloves, or bring your own! In my experience the surgery will have an alternative somewhere, even if that’s not what they use on everyone else.
The alternatives:
There are several plastic alternatives to latex gloves, including PVC, Polyurethane and Vynil, but the best, and the one now used in the NHS, by surgeons and by body piercing and tattoo professionals is Nitrile. Also, they come in pretty colours – like pink! (:
Marrigolds – the traditional yellow washing up gloves are also made of latex, I don’t use them for washing up, but I found a cheap and latex free version for cleaning the bathroom. Just look for ones that say ‘latex free’, some labelled‘hypoallergenic’ may also be latex free, but not always.
Baloons –Aargh would you stop batting that damn thing at me, I’m allergic!
It’s quite inconsiderate when shops decide to liven up the place with some latex balloons, especially larger chains of shops who could afford the slightly more expensive Mylar helium balloons. I can tell as soon as I walk into a room with balloons, because they are floating around in the air and exploding they release lots of little particles of latex, so my eyes will probably start to water a little and my skin tingles, I’m usually alright as long as I don’t actually touch them. For someone with a worse allergy this would be an unbearable situation.
Alternatives:
There are many funky mylar designs, they aren’t as cheap but they last longer, can be reused and I’ve even see ones shaped like ‘traditional’ balloons.
Shoes – beware of Converse all-stars, plimsolls(Daps) or anything similar, these are made with particularly soft latex and thin or sometimes no lining between the rubber part and your foot. Where possible try to choose shoes that have a plastic sole, check the label/box if it has one.
Makeup – the main one to avoid in your makeup kit is eyelash glue, if it’s white and milky then it’s probably liquid latex. There are latex free version, someone found a couple here, but I usually use Mastix(spirit-gum) which is a body-safe glue. It’s a little too strongly adhesive(hard to remove) for eyelash use really, so only use a thin layer.
Some of the new bendy mascara wands are made of latex, I'm not sure which ones - if you find a specific brand let me know. Best to stick to the bottles with 'traditional' mascara brushes, or use cake-mascara and your own brush. Another one is makeup-sponges, which are usually latex – some hypoallergenic versions are latex free or use a brush or your fingers if you have to.
Be aware if you ever come into contact with prosthetic makeup for any reason a lot of prosthetic artists rely heavily on latex to create realistic skin/monster/injury effects. If you have to be made up talk to your makeup artist as soon as possible to discuss latex-free alternatives.
If anyone else has found anything latex in their makeup kits let me know and I’ll add it!
Handles – my other half is a pro photographer, and I like to dabble from time to time. The annoying thing is that his professional Manfrotto tripod has latex rubber gips on the 3 adjustment handles and rubber stops on the end. So what I do is grab a load of clingfilm(saran wrap) and wrap it securely around each knob! My hands still itch after about an hour using it, but it’s better than them itching immediately.
Other handles I’ve had problems with include, my micro-scooter, bike and my friend’s wheelchair. My solutions have been to either remove/replace the rubber part(cleaning the metal part underneath well!), wrap in clingfilm or wear Nitrile gloves.
Wellington Boots - The first time I went to Glastonbury festival I wore wellies with plastic bags inside and 2 pairs of socks.. I didn’t notice until it was too late that my legs were red and itchy all over from the top of my wellies down and I had bleeding/peeling legs for months afterwards. It took a year and a half until you couldn’t see the line where my wellies had been! D:
The alternative:
Crocs wellies are the only type of wellington that I know of that do not contain latex(don’t worry about the price, I’ve got some imitation ‘crocs-style’ wellies that do the job just as well!) I only wish Crocs would come out with a taller version, for people who have to wade through serious mud!
I'm gonna post this and go get on with something else now, but I'm sure there are many more to be added. Let me know what you think of what I've written so far and any other problems/suggestions you've come across!
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