Allergy Questions, Allergies and other reactions to oils

[Synthetika]

As of late I've been getting really nauseated by the oils. Not just any one ingredient, I don't think, but just by the smell. It never used to bother me, so I'm guessing that my medicine is making me a little more sensitive to strong stuff like that and I'm just reacting to it.

 

I hope it goes away soon...I love my bpal oils...

[taramarie]

I've had irritant contact dermatitis from All Night Long, Coral Snake, and MB: Tokyo Stomp. Cinnamon and peppermint do not like me at all.

 

Eris, however, was another story -- headache and lightheadedness. It's too bad, since I really wanted to like it.

 

So, that's 4 out of the 29 that I've tried so far.

[Jenesis]

I've never had a skin reaction, but Somnus gave me a terrible migraine I don't know the notes, but anything that smells similar to Somnus (and I think things with lavender in) all give me headaches. A shame, but not as bad as some of the poor people on this thread react!

[Honor]

BPAL and electronics:

So I know this is primarily an "allergy/body reaction" thread, but I was given the OK to post this here as it's still technically a reaction. That said...

 

Has anyone had the following (or anything similar) happen?...

 

I was testing some new imps out at my computer desk, so I could write down my notes and do the reviews right there. I'm really bad about doing reviews and wanted to get better so I thought testing my imps at the computer would help insure I do the review right there.

 

While opening one of the imps, a few tiny drops/spray of oil gets on the keys. Nothing big..like itty bitty pin dots on a few keys. I'm not concerned about it, I sniff the oil, get a few thoughts in my head and type my review. Afterwards, I still see the tiny bubbles and go to wipe them off...only to realize that bubbles, where the oil *was* are raised bubbles of keyboard plastic. It was similar to a blister but...plastic. But I still think that CAN'T be true so I physically wipe it, to have the plastic actually come off.

 

So the long and short of it is: a few accidental splatters/drops of a BPAL oil, gave my *keyboard* "blisters" and caused the plastic to melt/come off

 

(I bolded that so folks could find my point among my ramblings. I'm not very good at being succinct)

 

Has anyone has anything like this happen??

 

I didn't even think such a thing was possible because this stuff goes on your *skin*...but I guess plastics like essential oils alot less then human tissues do.

 

I'm kind of annoyed(in general) because I LOVE this keyboard and it was quite expensive. They don't make it anymore, so I'd have to get a new one from ebay or settle for something else I don't quite like. I'm not going to get a new one now, or even soon...but I'm worried this will cause the deterioration of the keys to happen much faster.

 

Of course, now my keyboard smells good.

[ivyandpeony]

HonorA - Sorry about your keyboard! I know what a bummer that can be. My husband and I bought some really nice nightstands when we moved in our house back in 1999. They're from a company that hand works everything and they are lovely. So of course... as I go to bed one night I absentmindedly put my wee bottle of all-natural cuticle oil on the nightstand and in the morning it's sitting in a gooey ring, just the residue on the outside of the bottle was enough to dissolve the finish. I was so horrified, and my husband gave me more shit than if I had splashed a gallon of spaghetti sauce on the Mona Lisa. (Don't worry, as the rules of marriage decree, I silently filed it away and have harangued him tenfold for the household transgressions he's committed, all of which have been much worse. )

 

I guess experiences like that may have made me a bit more conscious when messing around with my BPAL, although there are some splatters and spills you just can't avoid. I have spilled BPAL oils on the top of my dresser when decanting, but have had something handy to wipe it up immediately, so it has never damaged the finish. But I think most furniture finishes and most plastics can be damaged by fragrance oils, some essential oils, and BPAL. Oil based paints can also be damaged by it. I just try to remember to have a box of Kleenex, a pile of paper napkins, etc. around if I am going to start sniffing a pile of imps and bottles that just arrived or decant some things. The length of time the oil sits on a surface affects how badly it's damaged.

 

For your random knowledge database: If you pour nail polish into a Solo cup, it will dissolve the bottom of it and make a huge mess. That's another plastics fact I once learned when I dumped out some of one color in order to add another color to it. If you think that a bottle of glue has dried up, put the cap back on anyway before you throw it in a wicker wastebasket that's sitting on carpet. That's one of my husband's.

[LadyCrow]

With allergies to tobacco and coniferous trees (pine, fir, spruce, etc.), I may win some kind of weird prize: I now have a self-compiled list of more than 70 GCs, LEs, SNs, and discons that I can't wear. On the bright side, this keeps me from lusting after Storyville, for example.

 

So yeah -- before I email the Lab, does anybody know off the top of their head whether the smoky note in Chrysanthemum Moon is, in fact, tobacco, or just the opium-smoky note? If it's the latter, that's wonderful. If it's the former, that's one more for my long, sad list, and I can use the "cry" emoticon... but better that than the Benadryl and all that shiz.

[kyubikitsy]

Just a quick and curious question - because the oils can work differently on different people, will the scent/effect also be different if say, it was used in a perfume locket? I'm guessing it will work more like an aromatherapy warmer?

[tristessa]

I did a search for hives in this tread and sadly, found many posts about breaking out in hives from certain bpal scents.

 

I got hives twice this month and I am thinking it must be bpal however- each time I had them (last night, actually!) I didn't actually apply any oil that day. Is it possible to have a delayed reaction? I've been trying so many scents lately I wouldn't even know what could have caused it. Darn it!

 

Here is the strange thing- I am not allergic to anything I know of and have only broken out into hives once in my life, until this month. Any thoughts or suggestions on how to avoid a reaction?

 

I guess I will have to be really careful with what I put on. What a bummer!

[ivyandpeony]

Tristessa - do you have allergies in general? Here's why I'm asking - hope the history doesn't seem too much.

 

I have had a very strange turn since this spring - I've been allergic to pollen since I can remember, but it got much worse since I moved to Atlanta, GA in 1999 (apparently there are lots more things I am allergic to here: deciduous trees, grasses, molds... I finally got tested and also found out I'm also allergic to dust, cats, and dogs. I sleep with one of those and refuse to give it up .) I don't have food allergies, my skin historically has only been slightly sensitive for the most part, but I do take Zyrtec daily for these respiratory irritations.

 

I don't know if it is extra stress, for example my husband's new job, some family issues, having my house on the market at a bad time, or my age (41), a combo of all these factors or something mysterious - I should have followed up with my allergist by now - but this spring I started having bouts of hives and dermatographia (where you feel mildly itchy, aren't usually even aware that you rubbed or scratched at yourself, but it looks like you have been attacked by wolves. A mild scratch, or just bumping up against something as you're bustling about the house, can leave a monster welt that starts to itch and swell. I had only had hives a couple times in my life - the first I recall in my 20s when I had an allergic reaction to penicillin, my first to that drug. The others were mystery episodes with widespread hives everywhere, one during law school exams and one while closing on our house and moving here.

 

Anyway, my thing about hives - my only BPAL reactions have been local, and they were to blends that I now know contained cinnamon or other strong spices. They are small welts that feel hot and burn vs. itching. The types of hives that I get on my legs, back, upper arms, etc. don't seem to be a local reaction & would be very difficult for me to link causally just to my perfume use.

 

If the hive reactions that you are having are local - across wrists, crooks of elbows, etc., even though delayed - then I would be wary of applying BPAL, and you should track things very carefully. Test everything from now on with just a dab and write it down as you go: "back of L hand: Bordello," "L wrist: Kumiho" etc. so if something gives you a reaction, you will know to avoid it in the future. Avoid cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, cassia and anything else that seems to be a common irritant.

 

If you are getting hives all over, it would be worth talking to an allergist or dermatologist and getting some advice. Obviously we aren't doctors here although we like to play them on the internet.

[xleighx]

Eden makes me ill. I know it's the coconut, because I'm allergic to a lot of Florida native and exotic (read: those frickin' Australian imports like melaleuca and carrotwood) flora. So people with coconut allergies, avoid Eden or you'll die, lol.

[Trish]

My skin's quite sensitive, and I am allergic to various flowers and grasses (as in hives, hayfever, and in the case of jasmine, asthma). But so far I've been fine with Bpal. Chimera and Snake Oil both irritate and redden my skin for about 30 minutes if I apply them to my cleavage/neck after a shower but are fine otherwise, and Saw Scaled Viper bit me but good the one time I put it on my wrists after a shower. Again it's fine otherwise. However all the other spicy ones I've tried are problem free at any time, and I've tried quite a few now (including the oft mentioned Eclipse and Tintagel). I haven't tried Inferno though.

 

As for jasmine, well it gives me a brief stabbing headache but otherwise it's fine. It seems to just be the flower or burning the EO/FO that provokes the asthma thankfully. The other two big hayfever causing florals are chryanthemum which I've only tried in Frumious Bandersnatch which was ok, and fresia which I'm not sure is in any Bpal.

 

So I guess I'm lucky! I just need to remember to never put on Saw Scaled Viper less than an hour after a shower! Oh and not to put any containing mint near my face, which is ridiculously sensitive to it.

[Mixxi]

I have fairly sensitive skin but no allergies (that I know of) but the other day I applied Tokyo Stomp about 10 minutes after a bath & it burnt the crook of my elbow . My wrists, neck, clevage etc were fine but just the crook of my elbow went all sore & burny & red. I'm guessing it was the mint in it but I've never had that kind of reaction to any perfume.

[Vampy]

I haven't had any skin reactions to any bpal/tals except Hand of Hermes, - and that's only when I apply too much of it - the cinnamon burns in too large a quantity, but the burning dissipates quickly. (The first time this happened I had the most amusing red splotch between my eyes. )

 

But I have a lot of respiratory allergies - almost any commercial perfume will make my nose stuff up and give me an awful headache. Some bpals give me a problem - I have to be very cautious with anything floral (though some florals don't bother me.) And for some reason, when vanilla is mixed in almost any perfume, it goes very unpleasant and headache inducing on me. I can't fathom why, as I have some pure vanilla diluted in jojoba, and it smells lovely to me. I know the synthetic vanillas commercial companies use are awful, but I think bpal uses natural vanilla...

Edited August 5, 2007 by Vampy

[AuntieMaim]

I applied Queen of Sheba to the insides of my elbows today and developed a rash about 30 seconds later. Of the 12 scents I've tried, this is the only one that has affected me in this way.

 

Guess I'll stick to just running the wand through my hair.

[Nemesister]

most cinnamon blends will leave red blotches on my sensitive areas. my writs, elbow and neck will usually suffer. inferno was the worst and can never be used! snake oil sometimes burns if i put it on just after a shower. in fact most BPAL blends do. or maybe i just prefer the spicier scents and they will burn. never had a problem with mint though, thankfully!

[dronzeka]

I actually had a weird allergic experience for the first time last night. I was going to a friend's house for dinner and put on a new BPAL. Very gradually, over the course of the evening, my allergies/asthma started bothering me (mostly I noticed by the end of the evening I was starting to cough, the kind of deep icky cough that's a function of my asthma). I've had this happen at friends' houses before, but usually when they have dogs, and these friends have no pets. When I went to bed (after reapplying the perfume because I like to smell good when I sleep ), I noticed that I was a little wheezier than usual (before I got the asthma under control I was always wheezy when I lay down to sleep at night, but it hasn't happened in a long time), but I thought maybe there was mold in their house or something (even though officially I'm not allergic to mold!). This morning, I woke up with my sinuses completely clogged ...which got much better after I took a shower.

 

So I finally went, Duh, it must have been the BPAL!

 

The scent? Allison Gross, which I'd only tested very briefly before. And Allison Gross is full of all kind of green herbal things. And I'm really allergic to almost every grass and tree that grows.

 

So in case I needed it, that was confirmation that what Beth puts into these things really is all-natural!

[darklorelei]

I have fairly sensitive skin but no allergies (that I know of) but the other day I applied Tokyo Stomp about 10 minutes after a bath & it burnt the crook of my elbow . My wrists, neck, clevage etc were fine but just the crook of my elbow went all sore & burny & red. I'm guessing it was the mint in it but I've never had that kind of reaction to any perfume.

 

You probably applied it too soon after your bath. Your pores are all open and your skin is more sensitive.

[Nemesister]

You probably applied it too soon after your bath. Your pores are all open and your skin is more sensitive.

 

 

i get that if i apply certain (most) BPALs after a shower. however, phantasm never, ever stings

[captainecchi]

Same here - I just tried this one the other day and looooved the smell but it gave me the worst case of contact dermatitis I've ever had (even worse than Eclipse and The Phantom Calliope). I did apply it right after a shower, which seems like it makes a difference? according to this thread.

 

I may try putting a little lotion on first before trying this again. I SO want this one to work.

 

I applied Queen of Sheba to the insides of my elbows today and developed a rash about 30 seconds later. Of the 12 scents I've tried, this is the only one that has affected me in this way.

 

Guess I'll stick to just running the wand through my hair.

[crimescenecleanup]

I tried out Tannin'Iver today on my wrist. the scent was beautiful, but the exact place where I swiped the wand became a bright red, blotchy spot that burned like crazy a few minutes later. I blame the cassia.

Edited August 22, 2007 by crimescenecleanup

[eldritchhobbit]

This is a really ignorant question, but I'm going to ask anyway! I am allergic to various kinds of trees, and I take medications/injections during certain times of the year for this (pollen season, etc.). Does this mean I should avoid any scents that have these trees (say pine, for example) listed in the description? I don't know enough about oils to understand what they contain, and whether the same thing that makes me allergic to a tree would make me allergic to the scent. Thanks for your help!

[ClareN]

Another ignorant question. My boyfriend has an oral allergy to almonds. That's *not* the life threatening, anaphylactic kind of allergy, but it means he'll throw up and get serious heartburn if he accidentally consumes some almond.

 

With the amount of actual almond in a perfume like Hecate or Bastet being fairly miniscule, am I right in thinking it's no big problem if I wear those perfumes around him and he kisses my wrist or something?

 

I've asked him before, and he doesn't know. Can anyone here help?

[Vampy]

This is a really ignorant question, but I'm going to ask anyway! I am allergic to various kinds of trees, and I take medications/injections during certain times of the year for this (pollen season, etc.). Does this mean I should avoid any scents that have these trees (say pine, for example) listed in the description? I don't know enough about oils to understand what they contain, and whether the same thing that makes me allergic to a tree would make me allergic to the scent. Thanks for your help!

 

If you have a respiratory allergy to pine, probably you should avoid scents with pine in the description, and the same with the other woods. You'd have to ask your doctor to be sure, but if you're allergic to the actual proteins - like say, if you waved a bunch of pine needles in your face, it would make you sneeze - then those same proteins would definately be in the scents with pine resin in them.

 

Another ignorant question. My boyfriend has an oral allergy to almonds. That's *not* the life threatening, anaphylactic kind of allergy, but it means he'll throw up and get serious heartburn if he accidentally consumes some almond.

 

With the amount of actual almond in a perfume like Hecate or Bastet being fairly miniscule, am I right in thinking it's no big problem if I wear those perfumes around him and he kisses my wrist or something?

 

I've asked him before, and he doesn't know. Can anyone here help?

 

I don't claim to have medical knowledge on this one, but if it is a food allergy - like he has to ingest it - I can't imagine that it would cause him a problem unless he drank the oil (which, I mean, would be a pretty bad idea even if he wasn't allergic. )

[eldritchhobbit]

If you have a respiratory allergy to pine, probably you should avoid scents with pine in the description, and the same with the other woods. You'd have to ask your doctor to be sure, but if you're allergic to the actual proteins - like say, if you waved a bunch of pine needles in your face, it would make you sneeze - then those same proteins would definately be in the scents with pine resin in them.

 

Thanks so much! That really helps. I hate to miss those scents, but that still leaves me lots to explore. I have tons of imps and bottles now that work so well for me. When I asked my allergist, he told me it's his rule to discourage wearing all scents anyway, so I should just go scent-free, and that would avoid any pine problems all together. Wow, that was an unacceptable answer. They can take my Shub-Niggurath when they can pry my cold, dead fingers off the bottle. LOL!

 

Thanks again for your help.

[ravenfeathers]

Another ignorant question. My boyfriend has an oral allergy to almonds. That's *not* the life threatening, anaphylactic kind of allergy, but it means he'll throw up and get serious heartburn if he accidentally consumes some almond.

 

With the amount of actual almond in a perfume like Hecate or Bastet being fairly miniscule, am I right in thinking it's no big problem if I wear those perfumes around him and he kisses my wrist or something?

 

I've asked him before, and he doesn't know. Can anyone here help?

 

i also have an allergy to almonds (they make the skin in my mouth blister), but i've never had any problems with any type of almond oils on my skin. whatever kills me in the nut isn't present in the oil. that doesn't mean that the same holds true for your BF, though. since it's not an allergy which is going to kill him if you goof up, there's no sense in not experimenting.