Allergy Questions, Allergies and other reactions to oils

[London]

Anyone know which oils Last Squished Jelly Bean and Saw Scaled Viper have in common?

 

Both scents give me large red marks on my neck that look like I had a bad date with a vampire.

 

Didn't happen until after both had aged a bit though.

Edited April 19, 2010 by London

[doublehelix]

Anyone know which oils Last Squished Jelly Bean and Saw Scaled Viper have in common?

 

Both scents give me large red marks on my neck that look like I had a bad date with a vampire.

 

Didn't happen until after both had aged a bit though.

 

I have no idea if last squished jelly bean is BPAL or not... but it's most likely the cinnamon that's doing it to your skin!! It seems the most common oils that are prone to giving people rashes are pumpkin and cinnamon... and a lot of pumpkin/halloweeny blends use cinnamon in the mix. Last October I purchased a "pumpkin crunch" scrub from a etailer, hopped in the shower, and emerged with red blotches ALL over my body, where I had used the scrub. I had no idea what was causing it, until I posted on the LUSH forum...Cinnamon is very strong, a lot of people will dilute the oils or just stay away from them! I'm not sure why it happens, but it gives me blotches that almost look like burn marks, and it ITCHES! It doesn't happen to everyone, but everyone's skin is a little different... and some obviously more sensitive (like ours!)

[ivyandpeony]

Anyone know which oils Last Squished Jelly Bean and Saw Scaled Viper have in common?

 

...

 

The Lab never released a description or notes for The Last Squished Jelly Bean, so you'd definitely have to e-mail them to get a definitive answer. Otherwise, you're just relying on reviewers and what their opinions are. (It's been a while since I smelled that one, so I won't offer any guesses - but Saw Scaled Viper is a notorious skin-burner for the sensitive Right up there with the super cinnamon-y Inferno!)

[Vega]

Hello all,

 

Yes - I read the entire thread. But I didn't see any question/answer concerning this, so...

 

I don't have food allergies, any hay fever is very mild if it happens at all. But I do have sensitive skin - have had eczema in the past, as well as sporadic contact dermatitis to certain soap products.

 

I didn't react when I tested a couple imps from a friend, nor when I bought a few scents direct from BPAL and Blooddrop. But I bought a large passle of BPAL imps off Swaps, and since then I've been gradually developing rashes/hives over all the places I test on a regular basis. I used to always test on my wrists, and when the hives developed, I started on my upper hands, and they're now developing hives too. Small, red, raised lumps that itch occasionally, and get inflamed only when I scratch them.

I've only just started keeping track of what oil I apply and where, but it seems the hives take a while to appear -- I don't get immediate fiery inflammation/swelling, so I suspect that it's not a particular ingredient that's causing it (though I'm not ruling that out either).

 

However, this only started when I started testing a HUGE batch of imps from Swaps. So...

 

Am I just over-sensitizing my skin by trying many many different scents in quick succession? (quick = a different scent each morning/evening) Since I didn't have any skin reaction when I just had a few imps before I got onto the Swap forum, perhaps my skin had time to get acclimated to the new oils then, and I'm now simply overloading it, however that may happen.

 

I'm also wondering what the potential is for contamination due to use, ie. if the imp wands have been skin-tested by the previous owner, and I'm reacting to "contamination" from the previous owner's skin and not the oil per se. Now I'm not at all squicky and I've no problems with using cap wands and oils that have touched other people's skin (and I definitely trust that most BPALers don't grossly contaminate their oils during normal use! ), so I feel this question is pure overreaction/paranoia. But I really want to narrow down the cause of my dermatitis and avoid it in future. If that means not being able to swap anything, I'd be very sad - but I'd rather not have rashes!

 

Thanks for reading this through I hope it made sense. Any advice from more experienced BPALers is welcome!

Edited May 3, 2010 by Vega

[theandorran]

Has anyone else had a negative reaction to Languor? I only see one post about it. I've never had an allergic reaction to BPAL before, but last night I put it on and went to be, and I woke up this morning with my face (especially my lips) itching like crazy and redness on the inside of my wrist that subsequently went away. I was puzzled at first but after some thought I realized the only new thing that I'd been exposed to was Languor, which had previously gone untested and had been sitting in my ammo case. Is this normal? Will taking a couple of benadryl help me out? Please help me, BPALers!

[reynardine]

I don't have food allergies, any hay fever is very mild if it happens at all. But I do have sensitive skin - have had eczema in the past, as well as sporadic contact dermatitis to certain soap products.

 

I didn't react when I tested a couple imps from a friend, nor when I bought a few scents direct from BPAL and Blooddrop. But I bought a large passle of BPAL imps off Swaps, and since then I've been gradually developing rashes/hives over all the places I test on a regular basis.

 

I know this reply is kinda late, but I've had the same problem as you (my skin is sensitive as well.) What I figured out is that I can only test 2 or 3 scents in a day. Any more and I start having problems.

 

The oils that I end up getting bottles for have never set me off, so no problems there.

 

Hope this helps?

[xscpx]

Anyone know if actual hops are used to make the oils for Mabon 2010? I'm severely allergic to gluten and don't want to have a major reaction.

[Gwydion]

Anyone know if actual hops are used to make the oils for Mabon 2010? I'm severely allergic to gluten and don't want to have a major reaction.

 

Wow, better ask the lab directly on that one.

[xscpx]

Anyone know if actual hops are used to make the oils for Mabon 2010? I'm severely allergic to gluten and don't want to have a major reaction.

 

Wow, better ask the lab directly on that one.

 

 

I sent them an email. Still waiting on the response. I was just hoping maybe someone happened to know the answer. Thanks!

[Mordath]

Anyone know if actual hops are used to make the oils for Mabon 2010? I'm severely allergic to gluten and don't want to have a major reaction.

 

Wow, better ask the lab directly on that one.

 

 

I sent them an email. Still waiting on the response. I was just hoping maybe someone happened to know the answer. Thanks!

 

For what it's worth, I asked them about gluten a couple of weeks back and was told that none of their oils had gluten in them.

[xscpx]

Anyone know if actual hops are used to make the oils for Mabon 2010? I'm severely allergic to gluten and don't want to have a major reaction.

 

Wow, better ask the lab directly on that one.

 

 

I sent them an email. Still waiting on the response. I was just hoping maybe someone happened to know the answer. Thanks!

 

For what it's worth, I asked them about gluten a couple of weeks back and was told that none of their oils had gluten in them.

 

Damn! I wish I had read this 45 seconds sooner! I just placed an order with no Mabon!

Oh well! That's an excuse to make another order!!

[cuervosueno]

Hops wouldn't have gluten anyway, would it? It's a flower, and not from a grain.

[amberite]

For the information of future info-seekers, hops do not contain gluten - they're in beer, and wheat is in beer, but they're unrelated to wheat and are actually a kind of flower:

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hops

http://www.fortunecity.com/boozers/brewerytap/555/gfbeer/gfbeer.htm

[ModderRhu]

avoid putting BPAL on your inner elbows ESPECIALLY right after showering. i don't even have sensitive skin (not in the least, it's very resilient and puts up with a lot of abuse ) and it bothers me. the area breaks out in a hurty, angry red rash. it DOES go away after an hour or so but it's not at all pleasant. blech

[xscpx]

For those speaking about hops and gluten: It's a contamination issue from how they are processed. By my research/experience they are nearly always processed in plants that also process wheat and wheat products.

 

As someone with Celiac's disease, it's better for me to assume they are contaminated that to risk how sick I could get.

 

Oats don't technically have gluten in them either, and those are almost totally off limits. Contamination is major to people with my disease.

Edited August 31, 2010 by xscpx

[Mordath]

For those speaking about hops and gluten: It's a contamination issue from how they are processed. By my research/experience they are nearly always processed in plants that also process wheat and wheat products.

 

As someone with Celiac's disease, it's better for me to assume they are contaminated that to risk how sick I could get.

 

Oats don't technically have gluten in them either, and those are almost totally off limits. Contamination is major to people with my disease.

 

Seriously. I only got my Celiac diagnosis a little over a month ago, so I'm barely on my way to healed, but the reactions I had from my one run-in with gluten (trace amounts in cheese, of all things. And not moldy cheese.) have driven my paranoia up to absurd levels. I haven't even eaten out since then, at any of the places locally who are gluten-aware and responsive. Cross-contamination is scarier than most people realize.

 

And yes, there's always an excuse for another order! I broke out my bottle of the original Mabon in celebration!

[xscpx]

For those speaking about hops and gluten: It's a contamination issue from how they are processed. By my research/experience they are nearly always processed in plants that also process wheat and wheat products.

 

As someone with Celiac's disease, it's better for me to assume they are contaminated that to risk how sick I could get.

 

Oats don't technically have gluten in them either, and those are almost totally off limits. Contamination is major to people with my disease.

 

Seriously. I only got my Celiac diagnosis a little over a month ago, so I'm barely on my way to healed, but the reactions I had from my one run-in with gluten (trace amounts in cheese, of all things. And not moldy cheese.) have driven my paranoia up to absurd levels. I haven't even eaten out since then, at any of the places locally who are gluten-aware and responsive. Cross-contamination is scarier than most people realize.

 

And yes, there's always an excuse for another order! I broke out my bottle of the original Mabon in celebration!

 

After about 6-8 weeks when your body is clear of the gluten, you may notice hypersensitivity to it. Before my diagnosis, when I was still consuming it, it was destroying my intestines, but my skin didn't react much to it. After elimination, I developed hypersensitivity where if I were to say rub a piece of bread on my arm, I will break out in blistering hives. I wanted to give you a heads up that it's totally normal. Once your body is rid of what it considers to be a toxin, your reaction to it increases exponentially. Be wary of things like shampoo and soap. Many have wheat germ oil in them and may cause you an awful reaction. [No one warned me and I freaked, so I figured I could pass on some info!] If you need any help or suggestions or just need to vent the frustrations of making the change, feel free to PM me!

 

 

That actually explains why I was asking about the hops. I've become so sensitive that the contamination has caused my blistering hives episodes and I wanted to be sure.

 

 

Thanks for the heads up on the inner elbows! I never would have thought of that!

[Odinite]

The worst thing I have had happen so far (beyond the occasional headaches form something to strong) was from Caliban. Almost every time I smelled it I almost vomited. It was really strange seeing as how I did not think it smelled bad it just made me sick.

[ShannonElisabethJones]

This is all really great info!

 

I'm pretty sensitive to scents and have been known to ask people at work not to wear a certain perfume or use a certain detergent because it gave me headaches. I feel rather good just for finally getting up the gumption to buy some imps for the first time (I was a wee bit tipsy, lol) considering my sensitivity. So far so good!

 

I did have a slight reaction today to The Witch's Garden, though. I got a bit of a rash at the base of my throat but nowhere else (wrists, elbow pits, behind ears). Considering the hives I've suffered through recently while getting allergy shots, this was small potatoes. It was still irritating, though. I'm definitely going to consider carrier oils or unscented lotion in the future for some scents/areas.

 

I am allergic to most weeds, so there was probably something in The Witch's Garden that just didn't agree with me. I'm also allergic to horses (I have no idea why my ENT tests for horses), but I don't think I'll have to worry about that with BPAL.

 

ETA: Everything I've tried has given me contact dermatitis. I guess I'll be diluting. I have had some success with scenting my clothes and hair...so all is not lost.

Edited September 29, 2010 by Sionann

[zmulls]

Wow, I really did it to myself yesterday. I've been testing a bunch of imps and decided to go through a few, rather than wear one the whole day.

 

I wore Perversion in the morning for a couple of hours, was very satisfied with the skankiness of it. Then I put isopropyl alcohol on a cotton ball and cleaned it off.

 

I tried Schrodinger's Cat for an hour or two, got all the citrus and mint and chocolate notes, and wiped that off.

 

Then I tried Yorick, and got a good whiff of it.

 

Later on, I showered before going out; and wore The Deep Ones to yoga.

 

This morning, huge red blotches on my wrists.

 

Now, I've worn The Deep Ones before, and I don't remember it causing a problem. I was trying Perversion and Schrodinger's Cat for the first time, and Yorick I had only tested briefly before.

 

So, was it something in Yorick? Was it a delayed reaction to Schrodinger? Did The Deep Ones bother me, even though it didn't do it the last time? Or was it a reaction, the next morning, to the alcohol rubs?

 

The only element that has bothered me this much before was the cinnamon in Faustus, which I stopped using....

 

 

ETA: Ah, it looks like, with this post, I am no longer a "wrist-sniffing wench"...that's good news...

Edited October 14, 2010 by zmulls

[Penance]

I doubt anyone can answer this, but on the off chance that anyone has input, I'd love to hear it.

 

I'm apparently either allergic or sensitive to something in Miskatonic University v3. The area where I applied it is red and the blotch is the exact size and shape of the dab of oil I applied. It's not puffy or itchy. It's not hives. It's just red.

 

Cinnamon would be the obvious answer, I know, but I wear cinnamon scents pretty regularly without a reaction (Three Witches is fine, for example) although I do have sensitive skin.

 

It can't be any of the notes it shares with the released version of Misk U, because that one doesn't cause any reaction at all. So there has to be something in the proto version that's not in the released version (other than cinnamon) that's causing a reaction.

 

I'm just curious what it is that I'm reacting to, because it would be good information to have in the future. It's not going to stop me from wearing Misk U v3 since I love the scent and it's not causing me any discomfort (I don't think it's going to progress into something nastier with further exposure, but if it does, I'll have to wear it in a scent locket), but I'd still like to have some idea so I could tuck it away for future reference.

 

Maybe I should email the Lab and see if they have any input, but I wanted to ask here first since I know they have to be swamped with Christmas orders and I don't want to add to their workload if I don't need to.

 

ETA: And I know that there aren't any notes listed for protos, so it's going to be that much harder to pin down, if not impossible without the Lab's help, but I wanted to give it a shot here before I asked them in case anyone has any idea.

Edited December 8, 2010 by Penance

[ivyandpeony]

I tend to think that redness without little welts or itching is a sensitivity and not a full blown allergy but of course, I have absolutely no medical training There are a couple of other spices in addition to cinnamon that can make me a little red - cassia, cardamom and pepper notes are the ones that come to mind (Alone and Red Phoenix both gave me a little bit of that redness w/o itchiness or welts and I think they both have cardamom). I've also gotten that redness sometimes if I'm testing something too soon after a shower or if I inadvertently get more active than I thought I'd be. So a lot of the time I avoid my spicier scents in warmer weather just because of that. It could also be the variety of cinnamon vs. the variety in the oils that you haven't reacted to. So many fun factors to consider

 

If you decide to skin-test it again, try the back of your hand where the skin is less sensitive than the inner arms (if you didn't the first time) and apply some unscented lotion beforehand, too. Sometimes it seems like my dry winter skin is more sensitive & soaks stuff up if I don't stay on top of keeping it moisturized.

 

(What's funny is, I have a gorgeous Trading Post locket and I have found that I hardly ever wear it. When I have the experience of something not working on me even though it's beautiful in the bottle, or making my skin irritated, I tell myself "Oh! Scent locket!" But I have so much stuff that doesn't have those issues - and I think that I enjoy applying and wearing my BPAL so much that those high-maintenance blends end up falling by the wayside.)

[Penance]

I tend to think that redness without little welts or itching is a sensitivity and not a full blown allergy but of course, I have absolutely no medical training There are a couple of other spices in addition to cinnamon that can make me a little red - cassia, cardamom and pepper notes are the ones that come to mind (Alone and Red Phoenix both gave me a little bit of that redness w/o itchiness or welts and I think they both have cardamom). I've also gotten that redness sometimes if I'm testing something too soon after a shower or if I inadvertently get more active than I thought I'd be. So a lot of the time I avoid my spicier scents in warmer weather just because of that. It could also be the variety of cinnamon vs. the variety in the oils that you haven't reacted to. So many fun factors to consider

 

If you decide to skin-test it again, try the back of your hand where the skin is less sensitive than the inner arms (if you didn't the first time) and apply some unscented lotion beforehand, too. Sometimes it seems like my dry winter skin is more sensitive & soaks stuff up if I don't stay on top of keeping it moisturized.

 

(What's funny is, I have a gorgeous Trading Post locket and I have found that I hardly ever wear it. When I have the experience of something not working on me even though it's beautiful in the bottle, or making my skin irritated, I tell myself "Oh! Scent locket!" But I have so much stuff that doesn't have those issues - and I think that I enjoy applying and wearing my BPAL so much that those high-maintenance blends end up falling by the wayside.)

 

Thanks for the input!

 

I figured it's just a sensitivity since it's not more severe. Hopefully it doesn't progress into something worse with repeated exposures, but I doubt it will. I'm not sensitive to cassia, cardamom or pepper AFAIK since I have scents with all of them that don't bother me. It's very strange. And I tested on the back of my hand the first time around. I guess it's just going to be a mystery. Not that big of a deal since it's only a minor annoyance.

 

I'm exactly the same way with my scent lockets! I could have made that post!

[captainecchi]

Hello, all! I'm relatively new to BPAL, and just bought my first set of six imps, and had a wonderful time trying them all out. I loved Dee and Ouija (although I wished they had a bit more oomph), and waffled between loving and hating Jolly Roger, but once I tried Eclipse, I was just about bowled over.

 

Eclipse smells like pure almond extract with maybe a little bit of vanilla on me. Almond extract is one of my favorite flavors and scents, and after trying Eclipse just once, I was determined to buy a 5ml once the imp ran out. I noticed a little red itchy spot on my neck a few times after dabbing the perfume there, but since it disappeared in about half an hour, and since I loved the scent so much, I ignored it.

 

Well...ignored it until my neck turned bright red with a scaly rash that lasted three days, that is. I'm heartbroken! I've NEVER smelled anything I love half so much as Eclipse, and I can't bear the thought that I'll never be able to wear almond scents. I considered just buying the 5ml and only wearing it on my wrists (I only got the rash if I dabbed the scent on my neck), but I'm afraid that the sensitivity will just spread and I'll end up getting a rash no matter what I do.

 

So...knowing that sometimes scents combine in unexpected ways, can anybody recommend any scents that smell like almonds, but don't have almonds listed as one of the notes?

 

This is a response to a post that's over a year old, but I had a reaction to Eclipse like this, and yet I wear Eden--which has an "almond milk" note--without any problems. That said, I'm not sure it's the almond causing the reaction, actually--Eclipse also has lots of spiciness to it. But if you haven't tried Eden yet, it might be worth a try in a non-sensitive area.

 

I'll also repeat what lots of other people have said, which is the importance of applying lotion beforehand--it also helps the scent last longer. Even my beloved Hellcat gives me contact dermatitis if I apply it right out of the shower without lotioning up first. I have a big thing of unscented Aveeno I use, especially in the winter, or sometimes I'll try to match my lotions with the perfumes I've selected.

[Ryokumuji]

So I have, unfortunately, realized that my beloved and wonderful perfume oils are... what have been causing my acne. I've been getting really bad acne on my chin, neck, and chest lately and I just could not figure out for the life of me why it was so bad.

 

Until I tested to see if it was my perfume oil. I did a test on my inner arm, a place I normally never ever get any kind of acne, and then little zits started popping up. I don't apply perfume oil to my face, but I wonder if because sometimes I would dab some on my neck before bed, it would rub off on my pillow and end up on my face? I don't have any acne anywhere else on my face other than the chin, neck, and chest now. And I would always apply the oil to my neck and chest.

 

It's strange because I've never seen anyone talk about their BPAL or any kind of perfume oils causing their skin to break out in zits. I've seen discussion about allergies to certain notes but nothing like this. Has anyone had experience with this?