Allergy Questions, Allergies and other reactions to oils

[Krista]

I'd try putting it somewhere with less sensitive skin. The inner arm is very sensitive. I can't put my LUSH massage bars or shimmy shimmy on my inner arm, I get the EXACT thing you are describing. Itchy, flesh colored hive things. But I can use them practically everywhere else.

[etherealchild]

If the scource was the oils, it's just contact dirmatitis. Not strange considering the strength of BPAL products. Your skin becomes more suseptible in the winter from dry skin. Lay off anything with fragrance, alchohol, or any other irritants, and slap some hydracortisone cream on there. I get it quite frequently. Basically you over stimulated the nerve endings in your skin, and in reaction they worked overtime on whatever they were attatched to, i.e. oil ducts and hair folicles. I have ultra sensitive skin, and I am a fragrance whore, so I ALWAYS have hydracortisone cream on hand. I have been known sometimes to even get excema once in a awhile from severe reactions....... but I sooooo love things that smell good.....

[tempete]

If the scource was the oils, it's just contact dirmatitis. Not strange considering the strength of BPAL products. Your skin becomes more suseptible in the winter from dry skin. Lay off anything with fragrance, alchohol, or any other irritants, and slap some hydracortisone cream on there. I get it quite frequently. Basically you over stimulated the nerve endings in your skin, and in reaction they worked overtime on whatever they were attatched to, i.e. oil ducts and hair folicles.

Etherealchild is probably right in that it's contact dermatitis. However, from violetblue's description, her case is most likely caused by an allergic response and not skin irritation (or primary irritant contact dermatitis). First, she did not have an initial response and secondly, not everyone who's worn Blood Amber develops a rash - refer to this website for a detailed description of both allergic and primary irritant contact dermatitis.

 

You should only use hydrocortisone creams sparingly and for just as long as you need them. Overuse can cause thinning of the skin, prolonged redness and stretch marks (my reference is this website).

[surf-tormented]

I have gotten headaches from Jack, which means there is something in Jack my body doesn't like. The same with Goth Rosary's Tea and Sympathy. The two scents do have some things in common. Both are both foody scents. Both may contain vanilla, some kind of sugar scent (real or not) and a buttery tone (unknown.)

 

I wonder which note gives me problems.

 

It would be really nice to know, since I could avoid all oils/products with said note.

 

Right now, I just avoid the foody, sugary, buttery or overly vanillay oils. I tend to not like any oil that smells like candy, cake or Kool-Aid .

 

It is of note that AIRS French Vanilla oil doesn't give me headaches. So if I could break it down to who uses real vanilla and who doesn't, that could help.

 

Plus, I know I can handle Warm Vanilla Sugar from Bath and Body Works. Maybe it isn't sugar or vanilla then...oh, it is so hard to tell...maybe it is the butter note?

 

If anyone here knows the breakdown of Jack, let me know.

 

 

But, to respond to the whole cinnamon note statement, yes cinnamon does burn the skin if there is a lot of it. Abramelin oil, for example, is supposed to leave a red mark, but I make it, so it doesn't. (PM me if you want to know what Abramelin Oil is.)

 

Anise can give people bad reactions too. I used some in the bath once and it burned my skin and I couldn't wash the oil off. Not a good time.

Edited November 20, 2004 by Madame Nyx

[diabolique]

when i initially used glitter, it didn't have an effect on me. about a month and a half ago, i tried it on again and i kept sneezing. i'd especially sneeze if i smelled it straight out of the bottle. i doubt i'm allergic to it, but my sinuses definitely didn't like it.

 

other than that, i've never gotten a rash from anything that didn't have cinnamon in it, and i only got a rash from oils with cinnamon if i put it in sensitive skin (such as my cleavage. i still have the scars, man). blood kiss had a strange reaction with my skin; a couple of minutes after i put it on, the area of my skin it came in contact with was contracting. i'm not really sure WHAT it was doing, but that seems the most appropriate word for it. then the area got really warm, and i've been in lust with it since.

[evanesce]

I'm horribly allergic to Malice. I put it on and my skin instantly got inflamed and red and swollen and I started to itch so badly I want to peel my skin off!

 

Hence, I swapped it out. I still don't know what caused it... I'm gonna look at the break down so I can figure it out. I've worn a lot of straight essential oils and I have only been ordering stuff with notes I am familiar with (and allowing the lab to throw in whatever they want as random, so it works out)...

[lorajc]

I got a horrible rash from Sugar Skull. The first time I tried it, I wasn't sure what caused it, so I let it clear up with Cortisone cream and it finally healed and I wore it today (2nd time) and I got a horrible rash everywhere I applied it. I'm so bummed, as I really don't want to get rid of all of it. I never had this happen with any oils. Even the cinnamon ones just burn and then the redness clears up. This clearly made a bright red rash every where I applied it. How am I gonna get my sugar fix now?

[harlequin]

How am I gonna get my sugar fix now?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

 

have you got a scent locket that you could wear it in so it's not actually on your skin?

[lorajc]

No I don't have one.........

[xoe]

You could use it as a room spray. Or put it in an oil burner. That would be a yummy bit of goodness!

[phoefromelsewhere]

Maybe I can help...have pmed you.

[Penance]

I get horribly sick if I wear (or even smell) anything with almonds in it and carnation is starting to do the same thing.

 

Luckily I have yet to break out in a rash from any BPAL oil, I just have to avoid anything with almond or carnation in it or anything that smells like almonds, regardless of whether there's actually almond oil in it or not.

[goddessrobyn]

I had my first reaction yesterday... Dragon's Tears caused major rashies on my arms... so bad that I had to make the husband pull over at a gas station so that I could go scrub it off...

I know for a fact that I don't have sensitive skin... I wear cinnamon blends all the time... and have worn several other things with dragon's blood so I know its not that... I can only assume its the "aquatic notes" (which if anyone knows what those are please PM me so that I might avoid in the future...)

 

On a totally unrealted note... I use Lubriderm to mix my oils into when I want lotion... I've only done 1 or 2 but so far I like...

 

~robyn

[closedacct]

Check this one out!

 

I have a large, black tattoo on my forearm. I swiped Arcana once. The entire tattoo tingled and raised up. My tattoo stood up off of my skin.

 

Why? Has this ever happened to anyone? I have many, many tattoos and this has never happened to me before.

[evanesce]

On a totally unrealted note... I use Lubriderm to mix my oils into when I want lotion... I've only done 1 or 2 but so far I like...

 

Same here. I used the unscented sensitive skin formula. And lemmie tell you, it holds the scent. I just hate the thought of using that much of an imp, so this is reserved for 5mL bottles.

[miss apple]

I haven't been able to wear anything for a week now because every single oil was making me break out. I think I was stressing a lot and that's why my skin became so sensitive. Hopefully it'll calm down in a few days.

[Penance]

I've had some reactions to oils myself, lately.

 

For some reason, aquatics and musk are making my nose burn something awful and Black Dahlia made me sneeze like crazy. I have no idea what was in it that I'm allergic to, but it wasn't pleasant.

 

I don't know what it is about musk that's making my nose burn. It never used to do that and then all of a sudden, starting with Haunted, every blend I've tried with musk as a major component has made my nose burn like a cut burns when you swab alcohol on it.

[surf-tormented]

I sensed a cinnamon spice type oil that doesn't like my skin unless I put a tiny bit on. A lot of spices used to make a dish "hotter" can cause problems with the skin, so it could be pepper or cardamom as well. But I could smell something like that in Snake Oil, which to me smells a lot like Old Morocco, so I may get the latter because it is a little less burny to me.

[Julilla Regina]

Check this one out!

 

I have a large, black tattoo on my forearm. I swiped Arcana once. The entire tattoo tingled and raised up. My tattoo stood up off of my skin.  

 

Why? Has this ever happened to anyone? I have many, many tattoos and this has never happened to me before.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

 

Tattoos can be sensitive even after you think they should be all healed. I know if I scratch certain parts of mine, the edges of the outline will raise up like that. You might want to keep scents off the tat from now on. The tat I have that is about 12 years old doesn't do it, but my other, more recent one does. I have no idea why. I think it's just one of those thangs. Could depend on location, colour, how deep the ink went, etc.

Edited December 7, 2004 by Julilla Regina

[ChupaChup]

Mercury (now discontinued) caused large, red areas wherever I placed it, I washed it off fairly quickly so I don't know if it would have eventually burned. It may have been the cinnamon but cinnamon hasn't bothered me in any other oils.

 

Some of the mintier oils, like The Star, make me sneeze a lot, as do a few of the florals, but thankfully not many.

[Penance]

Eep, Blood Kiss causes the skin I put it on to turn red and raise up.

 

But I still love it because it smells delish.

[diabolique]

Eep, Blood Kiss causes the skin I put it on to turn red and raise up.

 

But I still love it because it smells delish.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

wow. i'm still wondering what's in that. i'm familiar with all of the notes listed and none of them usually give me a reaction, but i'll reiterate what happens to my skin when i put it on: the area gets warm and a bit tingly, it feels like my skin is sort'f.. crawling? it doesn't turn noticably red and i don't get any welts, but it's very odd. and i love it. -purr-

[Penance]

I have no idea what's doing it either. So far as I know, I'm not allergic to any of the notes in it...very odd.

 

At least I'm not crazy though.

[ChupaChup]

I have no idea what's doing it either.  So far as I know, I'm not allergic to any of the notes in it...very odd.

 

At least I'm not crazy though.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

That proves nothing

[Penance]

 

I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that...or see it, or something...

 

We're all mad here.