How to remove scents from your skin

[hologhost]

I keep an small bottle of really cheap and wretched drinking vodka as an all purpose organic solvent. (Don't have to worry about poisoning myself by mistake.) It works pretty well.

[Nycorson]

I am brand new, and still waiting for my order to arrive, I jumped in big time and ordered 18 imps. So we shall see.

 

But while waiting I have been reading reviews and noticed a coupled people were complaining that some of the oils that did not agree with them they could not get off their skin. I have a trick that might work, and it will also remove the oil from jalepenos and other hot peppers if you get them on your skin.

 

Put enough water in a sink to cover your hands, or affected area, and put about a cap full to a 1/2 cup of bleach in the water. If you watch you can see the oils jump to the suface. Let sit about a minute, then wash you hands, and no oils.

 

I use this trick when cutting hot peppers and the oils get on your hands, soap won't remove them, this will.

 

Hope this helps.

Edited July 4, 2006 by Nycorson

[Bagfish]

I am brand new, and still waiting for my order to arrive, I jumped in big time and ordered 18 imps. So we shall see.

 

But while waiting I have been reading reviews and noticed a coupled people were complaining that some of the oils that did not agree with them they could not get off their skin. I have a trick that might work, and it will also remove the oil from jalepenos and other hot peppers if you get them on your skin.

 

Put enough water in a sink to cover your hands, or affected area, and put about a cap full to a 1/2 cup of bleach in the water. If you watch you can see the oils jump to the suface. Let sit about a minute, then wash you hands, and no oils.

 

I use this trick when cutting hot peppers and the oils get on your hands, soap won't remove them, this will.

 

Hope this helps.

 

Wow, thats such a cool idea - I have dreadful trouble getting chilli off my fingers and then I forget and rub my eye (or even worse, stick my finger in my ear - owwww).

 

And next time I've tried an oil that just won't come off, I will try the bleach in water trick.

 

Good luck with your 18 impies, hope you find some that you love!

[parrot_suspect]

When I need to get a scent off my skin, I generally swab the area with rubbing alcohol then liberally wash it with soap, sometimes repeating until the scent is gone. It always does the trick.

[kebechet]

Why do I think I mentioned this somewhere before? If I'm repeating myself, please feel free to disregard. =)

 

Try lemon juice. It's less abrasive than rubbing alcohol, and works just as well!

[meabh]

Why do I think I mentioned this somewhere before? If I'm repeating myself, please feel free to disregard. =)

 

Try lemon juice. It's less abrasive than rubbing alcohol, and works just as well!

 

You know I remember that post but I tried to search for it and came up empty handed. I was starting to think I imagined it, I feel sane again .

[forspecial_plate]

Rubbing alcohol?

Salt and lemon juice?

BLEACH?!

 

Wow, be good to your skin....on top of removing your bpal oil you're removing your skin's natural oils which are there for good reasons...and people go to the e.r. for contact with bleach, don't forget!

 

I did feel a need to get Silk Road off because I was tired of smelling like my great grandmother's house (as nice as those memories are)...so I just jumped in the shower and used Kiss My Face Olive Oil soap. But I haven't had big problems like some of you, where something stayed on me for days. I guess that calls for drastic measures!

[Malista]

I have this thing about putting chlorine bleach into the water system. I just don't do it. I find that lemon juice or Dr. Bronner's Tea Tree soap (or Lush's Narcotik, of blessed memory) work great to get persistent unwanted smells off. Narcotik even worked with Blood Moon, and I thought I was doomed to smell of red musk for the rest of my life, at one point, until I remembered I had the Narcotik.

[clover]

My trick to getting off an unwanted scent is to rub the "affected area" with a whole bunch of some sort of carrier oil (usually jojoba in my case) to try to soak up some of the scent, and then rub with either a sugar scrub or plain dishsoap. Almost always does the trick, and is moisturizing, too.

[maewitch]

I find that Ocean Salt by Lush is really good at getting pretty much every scent off, is not harsh on the skin (not on the places I put on perfume anyway), and leaves behind its own nice scent. Granted, this does not make it the best option if you want to put something on afterward.

[cupide430]

Why do I think I mentioned this somewhere before? If I'm repeating myself, please feel free to disregard. =)

 

Try lemon juice. It's less abrasive than rubbing alcohol, and works just as well!

 

I think it is because you posted this particular trick on the NALF. But it is good to see it posted over here, it's a great tip.

 

I've found Dr. Bronners works particularly well for removing scents too, though I haven't tried to scrub anything off in a good long while.

[Galatea]

In the past I always used rubbing alcohol, but usually all it did was lighten up the smell of the oil, not remove it completely. It's convenient for artificially aging the oils, if you don't want to wait the three hours it often takes for an oil to mature in scent.

 

So just awhile ago I tried the lemon juice and salt trick. Success!

 

[Teggy]

I wasn't really sure where to post this and I haven't really found any answers on the forum. I'm curious to know if there are any solutions to getting a perfume OFF my skin quickly. Ideally, something portable I could bring to will-call or a store where I'd like to try multiple scents. It would also be especially handy to know in case I were to try on a scent I hate.

 

Cause you know those stick with you all day even if you try to wash them off.

 

Thanks!

[The Perfumed Ferret]

I use alcohol, and sample no more than five things a will call.

[Seanan]

I wasn't really sure where to post this and I haven't really found any answers on the forum. I'm curious to know if there are any solutions to getting a perfume OFF my skin quickly. Ideally, something portable I could bring to will-call or a store where I'd like to try multiple scents. It would also be especially handy to know in case I were to try on a scent I hate.

 

Cause you know those stick with you all day even if you try to wash them off.

 

Thanks!

 

I've found that vodka -- straight vodka -- works quite well with most perfumes (nothing works with all of them), and doesn't leave a scent behind. You can carry it in a little spritzer bottle, spray it onto your wrist, and wipe it away.

 

Also, remember to carry some fresh coffee beans, to 'reset' your nose between sniffs!

[evanesce]

My Vodka is waaaaay too expensive to be spraying on my wrists (and cheap Vodka stinks!)

 

I'd stick with the Alcohol. It comes in those nice little handy wipes you can stick in your purse.

[Teggy]

Many thanks to Donna for guiding me here!

 

You guys are brilliant. I don't think the lab folks want me filling their sink with bleached water, but baby wipes and swabs...awesome. They also provided little sniffing cups full of coffee beans at the will-call which helped a ton.

 

Next month...baby wipes!

[gypsybaby1]

I tried the alcohol wipes last night trying to get rid of a terrorising scent - and could still smell it.

 

I broke down and reached for Burt's Bees Garden Tomato toner... dripped it on and rubbed it in, instant Scent B Gone!!

[Teggy]

I tried some unscented, sensitive skin baby wipes last night and it didn't do squat. Pity cause I was going to bring the box to will-call for people to use. I did, however, achieve success by using Isopropyl alchohol followed by soap and water. I haven't found any disposable alchohol swabs yet that I could carry with me.

[kwsix]

Any suggestions for me? Alcohol doesn't work, lemon juice and salt don't work, and washing with soap and water does nothing. I haven't tried using vodka, because the only vodka I have in the house is Grey Goose. Maybe I should buy some cheap vodka.

[portalkat]

I tried some unscented, sensitive skin baby wipes last night and it didn't do squat. Pity cause I was going to bring the box to will-call for people to use. I did, however, achieve success by using Isopropyl alchohol followed by soap and water. I haven't found any disposable alchohol swabs yet that I could carry with me.

 

I don't know if they're still available, Purell (the waterless hand sanitizer) had individually wrapped towelettes. The main ingredient in those is ethyl alcohol (52%) and I had a friend try it once on an unwanted scent and it seemed to work.

[Wench457]

Here's one I discovered by accident, and it's portable. Yardley of London's Aloe and Cucumber lotion. For some reason, it just seems to cancel out whatever BPAL I'm wearing. It's a very light scent itself, so I often just apply the next oil over it, but if I want to make sure it's all gone, a wash with soap and water gets rid of the Yardley's scent.

 

Of course, it could just be my wonky skin chemistry, so YMMV.

[oakmoss]

I haven't tried this yet with BPAL scents yet (and I don't really want to go put some vetiver on my fingers to test it! ), but it works for onions, garlic, fish smell, etc., and those are also oils: Just rub your skin with a steel item. Real steel (like on an old knife blade from a sterling silver or silverplate set) seems to work better than stainless steel, but that will probably work too. Instantly removes the scent, in some magical way. Let me know if it works for perfume!

[Scrangie]

I haven't tried this yet with BPAL scents yet (and I don't really want to go put some vetiver on my fingers to test it! ), but it works for onions, garlic, fish smell, etc., and those are also oils: Just rub your skin with a steel item. Real steel (like on an old knife blade from a sterling silver or silverplate set) seems to work better than stainless steel, but that will probably work too. Instantly removes the scent, in some magical way. Let me know if it works for perfume!

 

 

I always rub a stainless steel spoon over my hands under running water after I've been cooking with onions and garlic. It really does seem to remove the smell. I've never thought of trying to remove fragrance with it though!

[Trish]

Usually soap and water works fine for me, but Blood Kiss is another matter! For some reason it loves me a whole lot more than I love it. It is 7 hours since I put it on and I have:

 

- used Wet Ones (like baby wipes but they smell better)

- washed several times with soap

- had a shower and scrubbed with shower gel

- scrubbed with concentrated dishwashing liquid

- rubbed in olive oil and then washed with dishwashing liquid

- used those "refresher towels" from KFC (knew I kept them for a reason)

 

And I can still smell it!! Not only that, but it's still strong! All I seem to be doing is forcing it further into my skin. Just as well I don't hate it, I just want it off and I am stubborn.

 

I have no rubbing alcohol (metho yes, but I don't want to use that) or lemon juice. Lush's Ocean Salt is the next try...

 

 

... oh yay, salty limey cherry vanilla.

 

I give up. It's got to wear off eventually, right?

 

 

 

 

 

Actually the salty lime is an improvement, takes away some of that sweetness.

Edited September 17, 2006 by Trishek