weird question about soaping and tongues

[Guspuppy]

Does anyone ever get a chemical taste or slightly numb tongue from making soap? I don't even make very much soap, only maybe 5 batches in the past 2 months, but for a few weeks now I've had that weird taste on my tongue. Not all the time, in fact at first I was thinking it was from breathing/tasting lawn chemicals when I was walking dogs in certain neighborhoods. I made two batches of soap in the last three days and today the taste/numbness is pretty strong. I usually mix my lye outside but still got some fumes last night, and yesterday I also zap tested a new soap with my tongue. Also since I was able to turn the furnace off, my curing room is now open to the rest of the house so I can smell the fragrances a lot too.

Never google anything, it has me full of horrible diseases or lacking vitamins or even going through menopause, but to my mind soaping is a new thing for me before this started so it makes sense it might be the culprit. Anyone else?

 

[DeeAnna]

You could be sensitive to fragrances -- the way to figure that out is to get everything scented with FOs out of your living space and see if that improves matters. Should know fairly soon if that's the case. Or your soaping could simply be coincidental and not related to your problem. You could be having a reaction to medication or supplement you may be taking. Or some kind of health problem that affects your sense of taste. Hard to say. Regardless, it's not something to ignore.

 

[Obsidian]

No, I never get that from soaping. I did get a bit of numbness when I accidentally got some FO on my hand then touched my lips with it, same thing happens if I use lip balm with artificial flavors/scents.

Maybe close your soaping room, see if that helps. You can put a small fan in the room to keep the air moving.

 

[KristaY]

I agree with DeeAnna. Possibly you've developed a sensitivity to scent or any component in soap making so removing it or closing it off is a good place to start. As an FYI, my hubby developed a severe sensitivity to MSG a few years ago. The first symptom he has when he's eaten something he shouldn't is tingling and numbness of his tongue and the roof of his mouth. So it could be soap related or it could be coincidental and something else entirely. Still, not something to ignore.

 

[DeeAnna]

I made the mistake of listening to some well meant but unsafe advice to take a supplement high in iodine to "support" my underactive thyroid. After one dose, the result the next morning was an intensely itchy scalp and a metallic taste. It was creepy and alarming. So it's possible that certain supplements or, as Krista mentioned, some food additives can cause reactions like this.

 

[Guspuppy]

Thanks all! I don't take anything at all, no medicine or supplements of any sort, so it's not that. The MSG thing is interesting because I have been eating particularly crappy food for about 10 days or so, ever since starting a road trip and then just carrying on with crappy eating. Just the sort of foods that would be chock full of MSG. Could be something like that. Need to clean my diet back up! I was just at the dr. last week for my annual checkup and my bloodwork from the week before was all on par, so I don't think it's a medical issue, but of course it could be. I'll close the soap room back up and see if that helps.

 

[Arimara]

I agree with DeeAnna. Possibly you've developed a sensitivity to scent or any component in soap making so removing it or closing it off is a good place to start. As an FYI, my hubby developed a severe sensitivity to MSG a few years ago. The first symptom he has when he's eaten something he shouldn't is tingling and numbness of his tongue and the roof of his mouth. So it could be soap related or it could be coincidental and something else entirely. Still, not something to ignore.

How are you guys with unfermented soy products? For different reason, I avoid MSG most of the time, as well as most things soy.

 

[KristaY]

How are you guys with unfermented soy products? For different reason, I avoid MSG most of the time, as well as most things soy.

I haven't tried unfermented soy. I don't even cook edemame anymore. :cry: How has the unfermented soy worked for you? I'd love to be able to cook a meal with Asian flavors.

 

[KristaY]

Thanks all! I don't take anything at all, no medicine or supplements of any sort, so it's not that. The MSG thing is interesting because I have been eating particularly crappy food for about 10 days or so, ever since starting a road trip and then just carrying on with crappy eating. Just the sort of foods that would be chock full of MSG. Could be something like that. Need to clean my diet back up! I was just at the dr. last week for my annual checkup and my bloodwork from the week before was all on par, so I don't think it's a medical issue, but of course it could be. I'll close the soap room back up and see if that helps.

If all was good during your routine check up but then your eating habits went south, it could easily be that. In the good 'ol US of A MSG is EVERY DARN WHERE. The only places DH can eat out is Chipotle and a local restaurant where the chef knows how to prepare his meal with nothing added. Other than that, it's all fresh food prepared from scratch. I could write a book on where MSG hides and under what names. It's an exhausting issue as you have to be mindful of every single ingredient in every item and understand the chemical names. Even Nutrisweet in diet soda breaks down to glutamic acid and causes the same reaction.

I could go on and on but I won't bore you further so I'm off my soap box for the moment!

 

[Susie]

I used to have frequent migraines with a STRONG trigger in MSG. I can name all the places it can hide, along with all the foods that break down into glutamic acid. I still have to avoid certain soy products to avoid a numb/tingly nose tip that warns me not to eat any more to avoid another migraine.

 

[Guspuppy]

Wow this is really interesting. I have migraines too but I usually attribute my trigger to a day of not having caffeine. (drinking a mountain dew at the start can sometimes stop one in its tracks) I felt one starting last night (it's not mature yet but will be later today for sure, sadly) but had had plenty of caffeine yesterday so was wondering why. I just bet MSG is also a trigger!! That's it, I'm going back to my clean eating diet TODAY.

 

[DeeAnna]

Even though the results from a checkup look good doesn't mean there aren't problems. It makes it less likely, yes, but not all problems are detected by routine blood tests and a routine exam.

 

[Susie]

Warning: Mini lecture on Migraines

Migraines occur when blood vessels in the brain expand for one reason or another. Those reasons are called triggers. Some triggers you can control (what you eat and drink), some you can't (weather and stress).

Common foods known to cause migraines: MSG, artificial sweeteners, chocolate, red wine, eggs, dairy products, dried fish, autolyzed yeast protein, soy products. These are the common triggers. Your list may widely vary. For instance, I can't eat cane syrup.

You can also trigger migraines by: too much/little sleep, too much/little caffeine, overuse of over the counter (OTC) pain medicines.

Caffeine can shrink the blood vessels. You can, if you do not drink caffeine all day every day, stop a migraine that is just starting by drinking a cup of coffee or a cola. If you drink caffeine all the time, this is much less effective as your blood vessels have adapted to the caffeine intake already.

If you are having frequent migraines (2 or more a month), it would help you greatly to keep a migraine log for a few months. You write down everything-what time you got up, everything you eat and drink, and the weather until you can see a pattern of when you get the migraine. I kept mine on a day planner for ease. I narrowed down most of my triggers in about 3 months.

 

[Arimara]

I haven't tried unfermented soy. I don't even cook edemame anymore. :cry: How has the unfermented soy worked for you? I'd love to be able to cook a meal with Asian flavors.

honestly, unless I want to be out for the count for at least a day, I avoid high levels of soy where I can. I even read to see if products have soy lecithin in it. Unfermented soy items, like soy milk and younger tofu and even soy flour, I avoid where I can. Miso and things that have been fermented for a greater length of time I can tolerate once in a while.

Soy aggravates my migraines so reducing it has helped me tremendously.

 

[penelopejane]

I used to have frequent migraines with a STRONG trigger in MSG. I can name all the places it can hide, along with all the foods that break down into glutamic acid. I still have to avoid certain soy products to avoid a numb/tingly nose tip that warns me not to eat any more to avoid another migraine.

Metalic taste and tingling tongue and tongue I s my initial reaction (followed by a migraine and other symptoms) to salicylates- a naturally occurring substance in many foods including fruit, vegetables, spices and palm oil especially.
What a joy it is!

I'd say you have an intolerance to something - you just have to workout what.

 

[Susie]

Isn't it strange? The doctors ask about visual disturbances, but I have heard at least as many people describe non-visual warnings for migraines as visual ones.

 

[Guspuppy]

Metalic taste and tingling tongue and tongue I s my initial reaction (followed by a migraine and other symptoms) to salicylates- a naturally occurring substance in many foods including fruit, vegetables, spices and palm oil especially.
What a joy it is!

I'd say you have an intolerance to something - you just have to workout what.

I highly suspected the regular black tea, which I had been drinking in unusual quantities in the week following my trip. I've stopped drinking tea as of yesterday and it's already getting better. I looked up if tea has salicylates and it does! This stuff is just so amazing and interesting to me.

 

[Barbsbreakingbath]

Does anyone ever get a chemical taste or slightly numb tongue from making soap? I don't even make very much soap, only maybe 5 batches in the past 2 months, but for a few weeks now I've had that weird taste on my tongue. Not all the time, in fact at first I was thinking it was from breathing/tasting lawn chemicals when I was walking dogs in certain neighborhoods. I made two batches of soap in the last three days and today the taste/numbness is pretty strong. I usually mix my lye outside but still got some fumes last night, and yesterday I also zap tested a new soap with my tongue. Also since I was able to turn the furnace off, my curing room is now open to the rest of the house so I can smell the fragrances a lot too.

Never google anything, it has me full of horrible diseases or lacking vitamins or even going through menopause, but to my mind soaping is a new thing for me before this started so it makes sense it might be the culprit. Anyone else?

The whole three times I've made soap I've noticed kind of a bitter, salty taste on my lips afterwards- and I'm not drinking the batter. I'm wondering if there's a tiny, tiny bit of lye dust that gets in the air (I mix the lye outside and wear a mask because I'm sensitive to the fumes), or if it is from the lye fumes (if just a little settles on your skin/mouth etc). Or maybe I just have a very well developed imagination.

 

[Arimara]

I highly suspected the regular black tea, which I had been drinking in unusual quantities in the week following my trip. I've stopped drinking tea as of yesterday and it's already getting better. I looked up if tea has salicylates and it does! This stuff is just so amazing and interesting to me.

You reminded me I've been slack with my tea drinking. I used to drink about 4 cups of tea (at least) a day. At least one was black and the others either mint or something fruity. Summer is almost here and I'm gonna have me some iced tea this year.

 

[Susie]

You reminded me I've been slack with my tea drinking. I used to drink about 4 cups of tea (at least) a day. At least one was black and the others either mint or something fruity. Summer is almost here and I'm gonna have me some iced tea this year.

I drink iced tea from morning to night, all year around. Could not live without iced tea. But not that syrup some southerners call sweet tea.