Allergy Questions, Allergies and other reactions to oils

[mermaidsdream]

I started keeping a spreadsheet with testing notes, and have been looking at common notes that seem to cause me issue. It's not always easy, because some scents don't list notes at all, and others don't have all notes listed, but it does help. I know that most rose notes tend to go straight to baby powder on me, and that the combination of cinnamon & clove (at least, to the extent they're in Bengal) cause a physical reaction. I have a bad nasal-allergic reaction to some of the Patchouli notes (Implacable Beautiful Tyrant made me ), and the dusty-tome note in Aziraphael makes me sneeze all day long. I'm still trying to figure out which note (or combination) it is that turns to "diaper wipe" on me

 

It really is a lot of trial & error, as everyone's body chemistry is different; and body chemistry & personal preferences are constantly changing. Some scents I loved when I first got them, but now I sniff and go "what was I thinking?" If I wait another week, it'll change again.

 

FWIW, Dorian, Morocco & Mouse's Long and Sad Tale didn't work for me either. O seems to be hit or miss.

[Dedee]

Agreed to all of the wonderful help above!! I heard about BPAL about a year ago and was never into perfumes AT ALL before, they all gave me a headache. But the love expressed from the BPAL community made me want to give it a go. All the scents I tried that I thought I would love were horrible on me (florals, citrus especially- I end up smelling like household cleaners, talk about nausea!!) but the frimps thrown in were very intriguing! I started swapping and testing dozens and dozens of random scents and have now found a few that I cannot live without, but it took a LOT of testing and mucho swapping. Don't give up quite yet, you might find a Love you never knew you'd have!!

[Numanoid]

Just to add to the convo and TMI bit, did you recently have a baby? After my son was born, all the lovely scented things I loved (perfume, candles, lotions, shampoos, etc etc) made me NAUSEAUS!! That was almost 6 years ago, but my scent preferences have changed and I can love things like that again, but what I love now I know I would have hated before having him. Also, let some of those imps age. Snake Oil is yummy new, but after a couple months, OH BOY!!!

[MuskWitch]

I know what you are going through. I ordered LOTS of things when I first found BPAL, and now I have LOTS of things on my Sale Page. One thing I discovered and cannot explain is that Red Musk really does make me nauseous, but not always on the first try of a certain scent. But after trying several Red Musk blends, I have banned myself from ever ordering ANYTHING with Red Musk in it. For example, I loved Eat Me at first, now I can't stand it, even in the bottle. Same thing happened with Hygeia, Witch Dance, Cake Smash, and several others. I can't blame periods, don't have 'em any more. Can't blame pregnancy, that never happened and now the ship has sailed. Gardenia is another one I find to be too gross, and rose. And there is something in Antikythera Mechanism, The Raven, and a few others I can't remember right now, it has the "roofing tar" effect. It doesn't smell like roofing tar, but any time I'm around that tar smell it seems like my barfing mechanism is primed and ready. I don't get sick, but I have that "gluck" feeling. I've been keeping track of my impressions of my BPAL purchases, and when I write "roofing tar", the blend may smell really nice, but it has that effect on me.

 

I also agree with all the previous advice. You'll find your niche!

[Withjoy]

I'm another one who is not a fan of Snake Oil. Somehow it smells almost rancid to me. After much trial and error (and spending WAY too much on a bottle of Mme. Moriarty on eBay!), I figured out that I was reacting to patchouli. Although it's a very popular base note, there is only one scent that I've ever been able to tolerate with it and that scent had "white patchouli" listed as the note.

 

As others have said, it's pretty common for a couple of notes to react quite badly with your skin and/or nose. In addition to patchouli, I stay away from honey and anything with a dairy note listed (cream, milk, etc.) Once I learned what worked and what didn't, it became MUCH easier to find scents I love!

 

(For what it's worth, musks and vanillas are my deepest loves.)

 

Good luck finding scents you love! And hang in there...don't give up!

[meaganola]

I call the nausea/headache combo triggered by certain scents as The Quease. Some things always trigger it, but some things only sometimes does. I have to sniff my way through my rollerball a some days so I can figure out what won't make me feel like I'm going to throw up because it varies from day to day. Sometimes it's not a note but rather a feeling: Dark/thick/heavy oils tend to be more Quease-inducing than light stuff, although light stuff are more likely to trigger STABBITY PAIN.

 

And then there are things that used to problematic but are not any more. It might be worth just setting these aside for now and trying again in six months.

[Atrous]

Recently, I was sick for two weeks. During that time everything I tried to put on - all my most beloved scents - smelled horrible to the point of feeling like I was going to throw up.

Now that I'm better all my favorites are favorites again.

 

Something unusual might be throwing your chemistry out of whack. Maybe try your imps again in another week or two and see if you get a different result.

[mermaidsdream]

I'm another one who is not a fan of Snake Oil. Somehow it smells almost rancid to me. After much trial and error (and spending WAY too much on a bottle of Mme. Moriarty on eBay!), I figured out that I was reacting to patchouli. Although it's a very popular base note, there is only one scent that I've ever been able to tolerate with it and that scent had "white patchouli" listed as the note.

 

As others have said, it's pretty common for a couple of notes to react quite badly with your skin and/or nose. In addition to patchouli, I stay away from honey and anything with a dairy note listed (cream, milk, etc.) Once I learned what worked and what didn't, it became MUCH easier to find scents I love!

 

(For what it's worth, musks and vanillas are my deepest loves.)

 

Good luck finding scents you love! And hang in there...don't give up!

 

I'm going to second the "once I learned what works on me" ... like I said, it's been a lot of trial & error for me, and a lot of being OCD with a spreadsheet, and a LOT of spending money on imp lots on eBay & on the forum. A few scents broke my heart (Arkham, for example; violet gives me migraines & I amp it like crazy), a few I fell in love with that I'd have never looked at or thought to try. I also learned (the hard way) that even though a scent might have notes in it that work on me, in combination with other notes, they're just rancid (most of this year's Lupers, for example).

[Seajewel]

most things are too strong for me in the wet stage.. I almost always have to let it sit for a while before I can stand to sniff. Like Dragon's Milk is lovely honeyed vanilla but the wet strong dragon's blood stage is just too much.. Snake Oil has never worked on me, very medicinal, but it smells amazing on the boy. but yeah--maybe try letting the oils dry a little? and be very careful how much you apply. usually a drop or two is all I need as the oils are very strong. so, too much oil+wet stage would probably make me sick also..

[akw]

I'd second what some here have suggested about categories -- try thinking in terms of note categories rather than specific scents. Rich, deeper notes work fabulously on me, but I can't get near florals and herbs, as much as I'd love to. From what you describe, you might be the opposite.

 

 

Once you get the hang of this, it's part of the fun and the beauty, but it can be frustrating in the beginning.

 

 

 

 

 

[Xanon]

It seems there is a stark polarity in reception with many oils. Some people report their favorite oils being even more than perfume, their experiences are so evocative... while others can say about the same thing that it is vile to them. I'm just wondering what to do, because at this point I feel like I just flushed almost 70 bucks down the toilet!!

Addressing the cost: As many people have suggested, the sales subforum is a great place to try lots of different oils. I know that you can find deals ($1 general catalogue imps, $3-5 limited edition decants) from forum sellers.

 

Addressing the stark polarity of people's impressions: when I started reading reviews, I looked for people who had similar opinions (good or bad) to my own and then followed the things that they reviewed. It was really helpful in getting me to try some oils that were out of my comfort zone. Keep an open mind about the oils too, there has been more than a few times where I tried something that I was sure would smell awful and it ended up being a top favourite for me. Also, are you social and a bit adventurous? See if there is a Meet and Sniff in your area. It is a fun way to meet people and try/sniff a variety of oils.

 

Good luck!

Edited May 29, 2013 by Xanon

[Mellifluous]

I'd like to agree with some of the others saying that you might be applying too heavily, when it comes to the nauseous portion. For me when testing from imps, I swipe once on one wrist, and gently dab my wrists together. Thats it. A couple of scents I slather, but like others have mentioned, only if I know I love that scent, and how it reacts on my body.

 

As for not liking the popular blends, it actually makes sense, because like you said, this is your first time trying perfume oils, and of all the perfume oil sellers, this one is the farthest away from mainstream perfume. Most of us bpal-fanatics, I think, were not satisfied with mainstream perfumes, and therefore these very different blends are really popular for us. So, if you have been perfectly satisfied with mainstream or designer perfumes, it would make sense that you would lean towards more traditional blends. Certainly dont loose hope though. Beth has hundreds of blends that are definitely of the more 'perfume-y' side, and definitely should be easy to obtain through swaps... especially since you have a lot of the popular ones to trade with

[arsinoe9]

How frustrating! The first two BPAL scents I tried were both bottles I purchased unsniffed via eBay. Hexennacht 2008 and Wolf Moon 2007. I loved them both, and probably wouldn't be here right now if I hadn't. That said, I have to be careful about when/how I test new things...

 

- I cannot test more than one at a time. More than one scent at a time will usually cause a nauseous headache. Even sniffing numerous scents that arrive in a package (without applying any of them) will trigger a nauseous headache.

- I cannot test anything if I'm very, very hungry.

- I cannot test anything if I'm very full. Or if I've had too much sugar.

- I cannot test anything when I'm really hot.

- I cannot test anything if I've had a shit day.

I kindov sound like Goldilocks, don't I?

 

Application of any scent at the wrong time can really put me off wearing it again, even if it's one I've previously enjoyed. I get better results by testing one scent sparingly before my morning shower. Or after an evening bath.

 

In a week or two, when your nose is fresh and you're no longer feeling let down or disappointed about your order, try again. Maybe one scent daily?

 

I hope you find a few that you love! It's so much fun when you do

[Luthien]

joyfulgirl- Not TMI, actually, quite interesting! I think you might be right about that. I will be ovulating in the coming week, and now that I think about it it seems around that time all smells go "straight up my nose" so to speak...

and I am suspecting vanilla and musk, now.

 

ReallyZeb- I think I dab a little too much on myself... at first I felt like I couldn't smell the oil, but someone told me they could smell it on me when I walked in the room. I was standing several feet away as well, which is odd! I wonder why I can't smell it at the same level that those around me do.

 

skyshark- Some I loved before branching out to BPAL were:

 

My first love in perfume was Issey Miyake's L'eau D'Issey with notes of...

Lotus, Freesia, Cyclamen, Rose Water, Fresh Peonies, Carnation, White Lilies, Precious Woods, Osmanthus, Tuberose, Amberseed, Musk.

 

I think Issey is usually called an aquatic, though it is described as a "pure floral with musky and woody tones" That sounds a bit generic, but it is a special scent. It is very light, clear and fresh, with a depth to it... Kind of like the green/musk kind of depth in Dorian. Light, but complex, begging one to come closer.

 

For a time I also loved 24 Faubourg by Hermes...

Bergamot, Orange, Peach, Hyacinth, Tiare Flower, Orange Flower, Jasmine, Orris, Sandalwood, Patchouli, Amber, and Vanilla

 

This is definitely the most perfume-y of the lot, sometimes it is too much for me... but, what I like about it is the subtely smoky, deep and resinous dry drown...it is kind of high-pitched, but deep at the same time.

 

Stella...

Rose, Peony Flower, Mandarin, Rose Absolute, Amber. (Very amber-y and deep)

 

Versace Bright Crystal...

Iced Accord, Yuzu, Pomegranate, Peony, Magnolia, Lotus Flower, Acajou, Vegetal Amber, Musk.

 

That on is another very light kind of icy or watery fragrance like Issey, but with a "light" depth as I mentioned before.

 

Chloe Love...

Orange Blossom, Pink Pepper, Iris, Lilac, Hyacinth, Wisteria Blossom, Powdery Musks, Talc, Rice Powder.

 

Another "sheer" floral with a hidden depth.

 

Lasty, Hermes, Un Jardin En Mediterranee...

Mandarin Orange, Bergamot, Lemon, Fig woods and Leaves, Orange Blossom, White Oleander, Cedar, Cypress, Juniper and Musk.

 

This is also another green/cool aquatic with something interesting/unusual beneath the surface and can be defined as unisex by some.

 

Oh, there is also a shampoo/conditioner I had that was Vanilla and Rice Milk that smelled divine. I would LOVE to find scents with rice milk in it.

 

 

Thinking about it now, I definitely prefer scents that have an ice-y or watery feel to them. Scents that are sheer initially, but have a hint of something more animalistic and deep underneath it all. I think of it kind of like an afterthought when you've smelled the main notes in the perfume, lingering in the background, but persistent. I like the idea of Dorian, structurally, I just wish it were a lot less sweet/a bit deeper.

[Luthien]

AEris- Here are the ones I have:

 

Bastet (Initially smelled good, but turned a bit too sweet for my tastes. This is probably one of the ones I might consider trying again. It was a little too, honey/golden for my tastes, maybe too foody?)

 

Morocco ( Red musk seemed to overwhelm here... but, this really just smelled hugely floral, but not in a way I enjoy. The red musk and carnation seemed to be wrestling for dominance)

 

Dorian ( I actually like Dorian, but it is not very me. I like smelling it, but I don't want to smell like it, if that makes sense. Again, it is too sweet, but I LOVE the fougere and musk in this...very sexy!)

 

Snake Oil (Smelled really yucky on me. Sickly, almost... and a bit like cheap/stale incense. It is not something I can readily describe, but it also smelled like cough syrup over patchouli, not really letting up. I got very little, if any, vanilla from this)

 

Le Lethe (This would have been good, but the tobacco was too strong for my tastes. My Mom smelled it and noted it smelled like someone spilled a bottle of rum on me, hah. It made me nauseous after a while)

 

Lyonesse (Weird... smelled exactly like dryer sheets on me initially, but after a while settled into faint vanilla-y, ambergris that was lovely)

 

The Rose (My favorite, a true, fresh rose that stayed lovely on me)

 

Obatala (Quite pleasant, a little sharp and/or powdery/milk-y that gives me pause... perhaps this will age well and that slight disturbance will subside and become more rounded?)

 

Xiuhtecuhtli (The copal was quite dominant, I got very little orange that is so present in the imp. It was too bitter for most of the time, but after sleeping in it over night, upon waking it was quite pleasant, but very faint)

 

Dee (for someone else so I didn't try it)

 

Anne Bonny (Loved the resinous depth here... initially it actually smelled light and fresh on me, I didn't get much patchouli, but it was mostly sandalwood (love) and then a lovely veil of frackincense. Sadly, a pine-y note came out in this that overwhelmed and killed it for me)

 

The Antikythera Mechanism ( ditto, for someone else... smelled terrible on me though!!)

 

My frimps were:

 

Vice (didn't like it, smelled like chocolate covered cherries mostly, too foody)

R'lyeh (didn't try it yet)

The Scales of Deprivation (ditto)

Opium Poppy (ditto)

 

flyby-

 

Most suspicions exactly!! I really the problem with some of these is the vanilla other herbal-y, patchouli notes. The way you describe your experience with Snake Oil is exactly how I would say it smelled on me! And I agree, Obatala is not foody smelling, which is why I think it works.

 

London- thank you SO much for the recommendations! I adore Rose, it is my favorite floral note.

 

Numanoid- No!!! I did not just have a baby, and hope I'm not pregnant... those these sensitivities give me pause!! Hahaha... But, I will keep that in mind in the future.

 

Musk Witch- I know what you mean by feeling "gluck", but it somehow smells nice at the same time... very perplexing!

 

Xanon- I wouldn't quite say I'm "afraid" of being out of my comfort zone, but I'm not even sure where to start! I am very opened minded about trying new scents, but I need at at least a note or two I can be assured might work. Well, I suppose I will need to plunge head long into completely uncharted territory with some to see if I find something unexpected!

 

 

To everyone else: Thank you SO much for all of your thoughtful replies. I feel a bit better that I didn't waste my money, but I'd like to see it as an initial investment that will allow me to at least get some swapping going... This is overwhelming, but I feel hopeful that since all of y'all have found your loves, I might too!

Edited May 30, 2013 by Luthien

[Evilynn]

I wore my beloved Gypsy Moth while being in the sun for too long a couple of weeks ago, and broke out in a rash on my wrists. It subsided and I went back to using bpal as normal, and now they're baaack. Argh. I thought it was the cardamom in Gypsy Moth in combo with the strong sun that did it, but I think I wore a Dorian chaos theory when I relapsed, and I'd tried keeping my wrists covered at all time. I guess I have to lay off using perfume on my wrists for a while.

[Lyrical]

I used to get delayed dermatitis on my wrists when I first started testing BPAL. It looked a mess for weeks after the initial reaction. I never figured out a specific note, and it went away when I started testing on the outside of my arms instead, but later I had a similar rash on my neck after sun exposure over BPAL. Now I test new scents on my arms for convenience, but for daily wear I apply on areas that will be covered by hair or clothing.

 

Cinnamon burn is different - the skin goes red within minutes, and recovers within hours. And it burns!

[Alaeidrel]

Now that we've gotten into summer - I'm really sensitive to bright sunlight and will get migraines from forgetting my sunglasses for five minutes - every scent and it's brother has decided to be headache inducing. I'm having to be really careful about what I apply and how much I put on. So far sticking to my light tea scents like Kumiho and Sudden Invitation seems to work, but I don't have many that are very distinct and I'm getting bored. Even my darling Loosening of the Obi with it's light musk is just too much to wear. I'm working in an aquarium now and spend a lot of my time running touch tanks, so I really want to wear things to counteract the salty-fish smell I end up with at the end of the day... but everything is just stabby pain throughout my brain. Any suggestions? I normally have to avoid heavy insence/smoke/patch/vervain scents because of headaches anyway, as well as overly sweet scents.

 

With as many weird skin reactions as I get, I'm really lucky to not have run into issues with any of the cinnamon scents (and I love me my Inferno, so thank god). Unfortunately, I still can't figure out what note in Fire of Love makes me break out in giant welts where it touches the skin...

Edited May 30, 2013 by Alaeidrel

[Sidhechaos]

For me I really have to avoid lavender. Not if it's just that teeny tiniest backed note I can tolerate it, and the actual living plant does not bother me but lavender oil will trigger terrible asthma issues as well as set off my allergies with swelling eyes and running nose. And it seems inevitable that whenever I'd get free imps from the lab there is always vice and 51 and thanatotsis amongst the amps and all of them have made me ill. It's odd you can break down individual scent components and I have no problems with them in other perfumes but combine them and blends and it's enough to make me want to scrub it off with lye.

 

There were very few perfumes in the way of store sold blends that I was able to wear, and actually wound up in the hospital when Giorgio came out. Some girls brits it on me without asking and the EM T's nearly had to give me a tracheotomy on the way to the hospital. Thank god I've never had a bpal scent give me a reaction like that. I can walk past someone in a store wearing Poison and will literally throw up within seconds, it's like being sprayed in the face with raid. Not sure why store bought perfumes would affect me so violently when bpal is so much pure in terms of fragrance, possibly it is the carrier chemicals that set me off.

 

Before bpal, I could not wear anything with a lot of floral notes as my skin amps them to bullet train levels. How Beth does it I don't know, but with bpal I can now enjoy wearing rose, jasmine, ylang ylang, lily of the valley, mugeut (what exactly is the difference between lily of the valley and mugeut? For some reason I always thought they were the same thing) typically these fragrances often turned old lady or potpourri stank on me, but with the bpal blends I enabled to enjoy florals that don't become gaggy or overwhelming.

[Evilynn]

I used to get delayed dermatitis on my wrists when I first started testing BPAL. It looked a mess for weeks after the initial reaction. I never figured out a specific note, and it went away when I started testing on the outside of my arms instead, but later I had a similar rash on my neck after sun exposure over BPAL. Now I test new scents on my arms for convenience, but for daily wear I apply on areas that will be covered by hair or clothing.

 

Cinnamon burn is different - the skin goes red within minutes, and recovers within hours. And it burns!

 

I'm working around the issue by applying oil to my clothes (which is what I used to do with perfumes before BPAL). The only problem is it's a little bit trickier to change scents. Luckily enough I've never had a reaction to cinnamon, the only skin issues I've had with BPAL until now (and I've been at it for over 5 years) is that I'll get cystic acne(!?) if I apply oil to my neck.

[Balaclava]

I'm getting headaches from Sacred Whore of Babylon. No other perfume of any type has ever given me that reaction, so is there a particularly rare ingredient in the blend that could be causing this?

[GinnyMoonbeam]

Has anyone found that drinking alcohol increases likelihood of getting a cinnamon burn? I've been trying Harlot and Serpent's Kiss over the last few days (my first two cinnamon scents that I'm aware of) and the only time I got a burn was when I applied Serpent's Kiss after I'd been drinking for an hour or so. Even then it was only on my inner elbows, throat, and cleavage, and not on my wrists. Just wondering if that could have had an effect.

[ivyandpeony]

I think that alcohol can cause vasodilation (think of the stereotypical guy with the red face leaning over the bar) - of course, different degrees for different people, but it would make sense that drinking alcohol might increase your skin's sensitivity to certain things like cinnamon. I wore Jailbait once and got hot and sweaty and that's the only time that it ever made me break out.

[Saffrin]

I'm getting headaches from Sacred Whore of Babylon. No other perfume of any type has ever given me that reaction, so is there a particularly rare ingredient in the blend that could be causing this?

 

Unfortunately, the scent doesn't have a notes listing, so it'd be hard to pin down.

 

Headaches are easily set off by notes your body doesn't like, and it doesn't have to be particularly rare - just one you haven't had before, and the lab has a LOT of notes.

Mine, for instance, are reallly common - white tea, black tea and opium, though I only have a few imps with them, because the lab has such variety.

[chinkee21]

Ok, this is strange, I think I may be allergic to something in Alice in the Pumpkin Patch...every time I have it on I keep sneezing...strange because I never had this reaction to any of my other pumpkin blends....