Allergy Questions, Allergies and other reactions to oils

[mandiapple]

Hi all, and thanks so much for your friendly and lovely replies!

 

It's so nice not to be treated like a freak for once - I don't know if Chin has ever experienced anything like this, but here in the UK (where I live), I've all but given up going out to restaurants to eat because even if I phone up ahead of actually going, I get treated like somehow I'm causing trouble deliberately or being awkward just to be difficult

 

So I get a bit embarrassed having to ask, but for the sake of my health, I guess I have to

 

Still... I'm going to make me a greatbiglonghuge list of everything I want to buy and then email it to the lab - poor things, I apologise in advance to them!

[chin]

Hey Mandi, I'm in Canada and I've seen awareness progress massively throughout my life - when I was a kid, I used to have friends' mothers try to feed me peanut butter sandwiches and when I refused to eat, they would treat me like I was just being fussy; now a lot of daycares and pre-schools ask all parents not to give their kids nut products in their bag lunches. Restaurants are usually really understanding too - haven't had a problem for ages, touch wood.

 

I think that the lovely folks at the lab are vegetarian - so I'm sure they will be very understanding about having a health-related reason to ask about the components of the oils!

[amberbella]

This is a great question. I'm a teacher at a school with a girl who has a severe alergies to nuts. We are actually a nut free location...I'm not allowed to bring anything with nuts to school. I would hate it if a perfume I was wearing caused the poor child to have an allergic reaction.

[summer]

Hm. I've noticed that about 20 minutes after applying certain oils (Imp yesterday, and now Dragon's Milk today), I start feeling a "catch" at the back of my throat. It's hard to explain, but it's a slight itch or tickle, and it feels as though my throat is closing up a bit. I can't think of any explanation other than that perhaps something in the oils is causing me to have a reaction?

 

Has anyone else had anything similar happen? And if so, which oils seemed to trigger it? Have you been able to isolate any one ingredient that may be causing it?

 

(I have worn both Maiden and Twilight before all day with no effect. Strange.)

 

[grrrlennyl]

hmmm...weird. maybe you're allergic. is there anything that imp and dragon's milk have in common? (sorry, i'm too lazy to look it up. )

 

ok, i looked it up...

 

dragon's milk - Dragon's blood resin and honeyed vanilla.

imp - white peach, amber, golden musk and patchouli.

 

nothing in common that i can see. weird...

 

sorry to suggest this, but...since it's just been yesterday and today, could you be getting sick?

[allamanda]

I wonder if it could be overload from keep sniffing?? I noticed just now my lips and mouth were tingling, I can't decide if it is a reaction to the perfume (Black Dahlia) or me in effect hyperventilating !!

[summer]

Oh my gosh Allamanda, I can't believe you just mentioned your lips tingling, because I've noticed the same thing! Mostly just my bottom lip, but it goes kind of numb and tingly just as the throat thing starts happening with me.

 

Grrrlennyl, you could be very right. I first noticed this effect last week (when I was sniffing Carnivale and Persephone every five minutes), and I developed a cold the next day, so I attributed it to that. However, I'm over the cold now, and had no further sign of the throat thing until yesterday when I applied Imp. I didn't think anything of it, because when I showered last night it went away, and it didn't return until about a half-hour ago when I applied Dragon's Milk.

 

How strange! I can't think of any rational explanation for it, but I *feel* like it could be a reaction to the sweet, sugary nature of these scents. There's something about that burnished sugar smell that triggers something in my brain. I really do like the scents very much, but I wonder if my brain's just not tolerating them right now? Or like Allamanda said, maybe it's just olfactory overload? (Not from sniffing too many scents, because I've only smelled the one today, but perhaps from the intense nature of the scent.)

 

*shrugs*

[TygherRayn]

I don't know about the throat tickle, but I know if I sniff too much at once, my nose goes on strike for a while, so it could be some kind of reaction where your body is saying "Hey, waitaminute! Give us a break here!"

[allamanda]

There's something about that burnished sugar smell that triggers something in my brain.

I find amber smells like that to me.

 

I think you should be a bit wary in case you are reacting to something in the oils. It startled me when I noticed the tingling in my mouth, even worse it hasn't gone yet. Are you prone to allergies? I am, but not dangerously so and I have never experienced this reaction before.

[summer]

I am quite an allergic person by nature, although I've never had an allergy to any one thing in specific -- I just generally suffer from year-round hayfever.

 

It's the strangest thing -- I had a bath (which washed the Dragon's Milk off), and the throat thing and the numbness in my lips went away.

 

*very perplexed*

[chin]

Hey summer, Q'spice wisely pointed out to me that the descriptions of the oils on the site may not disclose all of the components of an oil. Maybe you're allergic to something after all?

[Pauline]

Yes, maybe there is a 'secret' ingredient that you may be allergic to...

 

Or maybe what it is that the imps are too concentrated for you and causing a bit of a reaction. Maybe you can try diluting the perfumes in a drop or two of carrier oil first and see if you get the same reaction.

 

If nothing works, email Beth about it and maybe she can shed some light into what might be causing this.

 

(BTW: Welcome to the board!)

[summer]

Thank you Pauline, my new phone buddy!

 

I applied a TINY, tiny drop of Snake Oil about half an hour ago, and so far, so good. I think the key with the sweet oils for me is to apply them SPARINGLY. I suspect that the intensity may have just overstimulated my nose or activated my allergies.

 

However, if I continue to have problems with any particular oils, I'll definitely email the lab. Hopefully, smaller amounts will take care of the problem!

[Pauline]

Thank you Pauline, my new phone buddy!   

Awww! I'm putting you on my msgr list now that I have your email address.

 

Next time, we'll go for one of these

 

[starrykitten]

I've been noticing that when I wear Snake Oil often I get a red itchy rash on my collarbone and cleavage. Despite my boyfriend's oh-so-generous offer to "massage" it I can't think how to improve it. Anybody have suggestions on coping with cinnamon-y scents?

Edited July 16, 2004 by starrykitten

[asa805]

Ive heard people mention putting in hair and clothes... ive never tried it though.

[chai_girl]

You might try diluting it a bit in either a cream or a neutral oil like jojoba or grapeseed.

 

The other option might be to put it on a cotton ball then tuck the cotton ball inside your bra where it won't be noticed.

[Ina Garten Davita]

I haven't had the sensitive skin issues, but I have the issue of the scents fading from my skin more quickly than I'd like. I remedy this by wearing a scent locket and applying the oils to my hair.

 

You could implement this for your sensitive skin and still enjoy all the hot cinnamonny BPAL goodness.

[minilux]

I had the same trouble with Azazel which has bay in it, however it only seems to cause a rash in my cleavage area. It's fine on my wrists for some reason. I even tried using a good slather of lotion first, then a tiny bit of Azazel, but still got a pretty bad rash that lasted for 2 days. Guess the skin is just more sensitive there.

[tart]

I had that problem with Snake Oil too. I'll suggest diluting it in a body lotion, too -- instead of concentrating the scent in one area you'll be able to spread the scent all around and hopefully avoid a rash.

[bootso'rourk]

I have sensitive skin. I put moisturizer on the area first and let it soak in for a few minutes.

 

Works for me.

[fairywingmaker]

I had that happen with Snake Oil also, and I love the Scent Locket idea. There are some beautiful ones on eBay!

[nevermore]

Snake Oil and Old Morocco have the same effect on me - I red splotches if I put it on sensitive parts of my body (inner elbow, behind the ears, behind the knees...). So, the only solutions that I find help are putting a little of the perfume on a cotton ball and tucking it in my bra, so it doesn't tough my skin (as has already been suggested) or just don't put the oils on the areas that get the rash - with Snake Oil, I put it on my wrists, a dab on the area between my thumb and index finger (on the back of the hard), underneath my jaw bone, and the hollow of my throat. No splotches, because I find those areas to be slightly less sensitive.

[Electra]

[Merged with another topic and accidentally deleted the title, but this post was referring to a reaction to Midnight. Oops. ~Morrighana]

 

It hasn't caused a rash on my skin the way I read that some oils (ex. cinnamon) do on some people, but my eyes and nose are burning. Has this happened to anyone else with this or any other BPAL?

 

[Lady_Ell]

Yup. With Lightning. I couldn't stop coughing or sneezing and it felt like I'd been maced or something. My eyes were so watery.