I bought a pair of hypoallergenic pillows a couple of weeks ago and immediately started having a reaction to them. I washed them and no change.
I looked at what they’re made from and I think it might be the Lyocell Tencel in the cover - made from eucalyptus trees.
Everything else about them is the same - afaik - as my other pillows.
Anyone else experience this or know anything about it?
I find that odd actually; eucalyptus contains an oil that quite a few people are allergic to. I’d never heard it was a rare allergy, in fact, elements of its oils are often associated with allergies:
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/273331261_Eucalyptus_oil_Contact_allergy_and_safety
I wonder if it has to do with the Tencel being made from the wood, not the leaves - that there’d be less oil in the wood versus the leaves?
Could be… also, the real allergen tends to show up in the essential oil, which is highly concentrated.
Yeah, essential oils are pretty potent. As are the delusions some folks have about them.
The leaves probably have the highest concentration but there’s oil throughout the whole tree.
In reading on how the Tencel is made, it doesn’t appear that they do anything special to remove oils, just making sure the fibers are flexible and “dry.”