Allergy Questions, Allergies and other reactions to oils

[sophie-au]

How many of you ladies actually deal with rashes that go away eventually? The thing is, my skin hates BPAL, but i love it. My skin can tolerate some scents, like Antique Lace, Morocco, Dorian, etc. but it seems like 80% of the scents I try nowadays break me out. EVERYTHING. even the one wrist that was working for me won't. i also noticed that with Snake Charmer and morocco, they don't break me out separately but if i layer them they do.. i think it might have to do with the fact that i actually sort of rub it into my skin as opposed to other times when i put on Snake Charmer, i just dab it on with the cap and let it be. But these rashes show up about 30 mins after i put it on, and go away in about 15 minutes, and then things are fine. but i'm not sure if persisting with the oils is a good idea.. but i also can't live without Snake Charmer.

 

[...]

 

so i'm afraid of all the experimenting, but want to know if anybody else has as terrible skin as mine, or experience with rashes that you just let alone until they go away .. any thoughts? i really need to try diluting.. :/

 

Edited to add: that is, i'm wondering about the reports i see of oils that "bite" but then calm down. Do you think it's harmful to keep using oils like that, and if it might exacerbate some kind of allergy or sensitivity?

 

Hi SeaJewel (love your nick!) and other folks struggling out there!

 

Please forgive me if I ramble on too much but this is a topic close to my heart (I'm struggling too!) plus I hope to get into medical school, so I'm a wee bit obsessed.

 

The thing about allergies, is that they not a black-and-white, you-have-it-or-you-don't. Everyone has the potential. It's all about reaching a threshold. Of course, the lucky people rarely do!

 

Those of us who are atopic (the genetic tendency to develop the classic allergic diseases - they usually have two or more different types) will have much lower thresholds than others who have a single or no allergies.

 

Think of it like this: imagine that everyone has a bucket. When the bucket overflows with water, you have a reaction. "Normal" people have bigger buckets than we do, so they rarely react, (except perhaps to the things that affect everyone, like poison ivy.)

 

Anyway, back to the bucket analogy: water represents the offending substance, but the bucket doesn't have to have just water in it to overflow. Stress, lack of sleep, smoke and other factors can be represented by rocks that go in the bucket. When we are stressed, exhausted etc. it requires less water for the bucket to overflow.

 

Drugs and other remedies can be thought of as scooping a finite amount of water out of the bucket. For example, if an anti-histamine removes x litres of water, and is normally sufficient to help you, but the amount of water/allergen that particular day is 5 times normal levels, you may find the drug is not enough to help that day.

 

As well as avoidance of the offending substance and treatment, the other thing we can do is try to stop the number of rocks that go in the bucket. Of course, that's easier said that done!

 

Regarding skin reactions specifically, rubbing oils into the skin would definitely make it worse, especially, over pulse points like wrists as the skin is so thin.

 

One thing I've noticed when reading up on this is that there is a strong correlation between atopy and dry skin. Probably because atopic people have lower levels of fatty acids (substances that provide moisture and elasticity) in their skin, which causes dryness and reduces the skin's ability to control inflammation.

 

I've wondered if following a program of consistent daily all-over moisturising and increasing GLA (gamma linoleic acid) intake would make a difference. GLA is an essential fatty acid, and the most common types of supplements to increase one's levels are evening primrose oil (EPO) and borage oil. There is research showing EPO/borage oil to have a positive effect on eczema and sometimes other conditions, and while there are contradicting studies, there seems to be more in their favour.

 

Anyway, my point is, if you're dry-skinned, and you take measures to lessen the dryness, it may help you to try out more BPAL oils with less resulting rashes! Also, whether you're dry-skinned or not, try working out what other irritants you have regular exposure to (e.g. wool clothing, very hot showers, low humidity, nickel etc.) and reduce your exposure to them.

 

As for the oils that "bite" but then calm down, I would definitely avoid them for a while. Once you get to the stage where the less strong oils are rarely causing you rashes, then give the stronger ones another go. Cinnamon seems to be the biggest culprit IIRC.

 

HHTS!

 

Sophie in Australia

[Seajewel]

Sophie,

 

thank you for your reply! it was really very illuminating, and helps me understand my skin better. Unfortunately i've found that the my right wrist, which up 'til recently had been rash-free is now reacting severely to Snake Charmer.. and i imagine all the other oils that my left wrist reacted to before, but not the right wrist. your explanation is perfect- before, my left wrist had been okay until i abused it for a few times with Chimera, and after that just about everything bothered it.. things that didn't bother my right wrist. Now my right wrist is throwing in the towel.

 

I'm really crushed because i love love BPAL. i like the ones that my skin actually doesn't mind, but .. it's really upsetting to find that so many things cause rashes on me.

 

i guess i'll have to look into diluting and test things out slowly. i also have 4 bottles of Snake Charmer. i'll keep it for special occasions. lol

[seamor]

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

 

Mandiapple, I completely commiserate. I am allergic to wheat and ground nuts (soy, peanuts). Nobody seems to realize how many foods have those components in them in hidden forms. So in restaurants I ask things like, "Do you use wheat flour to thicken the sauce? Is the crab real, or a faux crab made with whitefish and modified wheat starch texturizer? Do you ever cook with peanut oil?" Etc. It has taken me a long time to get used to doing this (you're right - it does annoy some people), but ending up sick every time I go out to eat, or constantly refusing to go out and play with my friends is REALLY not fun.

 

Keep trying. People do get used to it. I recently met a waitress who very willingly checked out every one of my questions for me and was completely pleasant and friendly about it. The key, as another allergic friend has pointed out to me, is to be gracious and friendly when you ask, not embarassed or hangdog. You are completely deserving of having servers help you with this problem - that's what they are there for. My friends have stopped being embarrassed, although there is a certain amount of joking about it. People are learning.

 

I haven't had trouble with any of Beth's blends but one - a single drop of Water of Notre Dame on my wrists really knocked me back recently. Someone else in this thread said something about reacting to the green, watery scents, so maybe I'm not alone with this one. I don't know which component of WOND got to me yet, so for now I'm avoiding the green scents. Since I tend to be an amber, musk, incense girl, it's not a problem - there are plenty of other choices available.

 

Customer service at BPAL is always very kind and helpful. They may be able to steer you in the right direction if you email them explaining your concerns.

 

[darklorelei]

If there's something you *know* you're allergic to, definitely ask the lab. I think Penance asked about almonds in particular, and got a list of oils to avoid. You're obviously not going to get all the components, but if there's something that's going to make you really sick, they'd probably help you out.

[smelly]

I am curious about people's experiences with headaches and BPAL. I definitely tend to get perfume headaches. Especially from department-store type perfumes. Usually I stick to essential oils. Those are far less likely to give me a headache, so I guess I'm mainly susceptible to the synthetic components.

 

I've had a good batting average with the BPAL perfumes I've tried. I may have gotten a bit of a headache from Goneril yesterday, but that's it.

 

I may get a headache from patchouli, but if so I'm in denial about it, because I really like patchouli-based scents. Maybe the headaches I've gotten are from other ingredients in those perfumes. Yeah. That must be it. It's not the patchouli at all...

[darklorelei]

What I'm most sensitive to in traditional perfumes is the alcohol. Makes me sneeze. Most artificial light florals, do it , too. I'd stay away from the really floral scents (not rose, but the white florals, etc), because I bet that's what it was in Goneril.

[hologhost]

Mandiapple, I completely commiserate. I am allergic to wheat and ground nuts (soy, peanuts).

 

 

My Mom is celiac. Based on what she's told me wheat AND soy must be a real challenge!

 

She goes to Outback alot. She's really nervous about the whole restaurant thing, but they're supposed to be more concious of these things. I guess it's easier in some other countries.

[13bodies]

I am curious about people's experiences with headaches and BPAL. I definitely tend to get perfume headaches. Especially from department-store type perfumes. Usually I stick to essential oils. Those are far less likely to give me a headache, so I guess I'm mainly susceptible to the synthetic components.

 

I've had a good batting average with the BPAL perfumes I've tried. I may have gotten a bit of a headache from Goneril yesterday, but that's it.

I'm a migraineur and regular perfumes and colognes tend to trigger my migraines. I can use body spray, but that's it.

 

BPAL, however, has been wonderful. The only blends that have given me trouble have been those that smell perfume-y to me; so far I've only gotten migraines from Penny Dreadful, Stardust, and Jailbait. Considering how many BPAL's I've tried so far, that's a personal best.

[smelly]

What I'm most sensitive to in traditional perfumes is the alcohol. Makes me sneeze. Most artificial light florals, do it , too. I'd stay away from the really floral scents (not rose, but the white florals, etc), because I bet that's what it was in Goneril.

 

I think that indeed I may get headaches from florals. I don't really dig florals much anyhow, although I thought Goneril was nice.

[smelly]

I'm a migraineur and regular perfumes and colognes tend to trigger my migraines. I can use body spray, but that's it.

 

BPAL, however, has been wonderful. The only blends that have given me trouble have been those that smell perfume-y to me; so far I've only gotten migraines from Penny Dreadful, Stardust, and Jailbait. Considering how many BPAL's I've tried so far, that's a personal best.

 

Mine are just the ordinary variety of headache. But it sounds like in both our cases there are more triggers among the synthetic ingredients than there are in essential oils.

[hologhost]

Just tried Alone for the first time. My skin just lit up. I have giant red welts.

 

I don't know what it was. I do a lot of spicy blends and I've never had a problem.

[this machine]

Hologost, i had the same experience with Alone, though it didn't effect me on my wrists, just where i put it on my neck (more sensitive skin there so that makes sense i guess). The only thing i can think is that it's the cardamom, but i have other blends with cardamom that don't seem to do that to me.

[hologhost]

Hologost, i had the same experience with Alone, though it didn't effect me on my wrists, just where i put it on my neck (more sensitive skin there so that makes sense i guess). The only thing i can think is that it's the cardamom, but i have other blends with cardamom that don't seem to do that to me.

 

 

I'm wondering if it was a special cardemom. I emailed the lab.

[Torrilin]

I am curious about people's experiences with headaches and BPAL. I definitely tend to get perfume headaches. Especially from department-store type perfumes. Usually I stick to essential oils. Those are far less likely to give me a headache, so I guess I'm mainly susceptible to the synthetic components.

 

I've had a good batting average with the BPAL perfumes I've tried. I may have gotten a bit of a headache from Goneril yesterday, but that's it.

 

I may get a headache from patchouli, but if so I'm in denial about it, because I really like patchouli-based scents. Maybe the headaches I've gotten are from other ingredients in those perfumes. Yeah. That must be it. It's not the patchouli at all...

 

I have confirmed that iris blossom, lilac, most lilies, hyacinth, neroli/orange blossom, and narcissus/daffodil plants give me headaches. Not just in commercial perfumes, not just in BPAL, the actual fkn plant gets me with a nasty nasty headache. I strongly suspect that freesia, ylang-ylang, tuberose, and most varieties of jasmine get me as real plant, commercial perfume and BPAL.

 

At least some varients of the BPAL leather note get me.

 

Vanilla, stephanotis, lily of the valley, certain musks, an unidentified ingredient in Gaueko and probably far more stuff that I have yet to identify also cause or may cause reactions. Vanilla should be pretty trivial to clear, I hope, since vanilla beans and vanilla extract do not cause issues. I am reluctant to test orris root (which comes from the iris plant) because of the degree to which iris flowers give me a headache.

 

My boyfriend reacts badly to real chamomile and honey, and the reaction is worse if they're combined.

 

So yeah, just because you've always been ok with essential oils and have always had problems with commercial perfumes doesn't mean all BPAL is headache safe. I'm just skipping any BPAL where I've confirmed the real plant gives me a headache. It's just not worth it. With the list I've got it's not at all surprising I have issues with commercial perfumes... there are just too many things that are at least one note in almost every scent out there, and commercial perfumes have so damn many notes that aren't listed...

 

Kalli

[darklorelei]

It's worth noting that iris in perfume is from the root, not the flower, so if it's a pollen/scent issue there, the orris blends might be ok, although I'd certainly understand your reluctance.

[Torrilin]

That's why I specified blossom *g*. I can't recall whether I've ever sniffed an iris rhizome (have had opportunity). Very often if I'm sensitive to one fragrant component of a plant, I have issues with other fragrant components. While orange blossom doesn't particularly smell like orange peel, a certain component in orange peel can get to me if I peel a lot of oranges. To my nose it smells very much like the part of an orange blossom's scent that gives me the icepick through the nose sensation.

 

One thing I've noticed is I'll be convinced a plant I have experience with is scentless and discover other people can detect a scent off it. If I go back and sniff these plants, they're (so far) invariably headache inducers. This pattern is strong enough that since I've had opportunity to sniff iris root, my paranoia is triggered.

 

Since Beth often has unusual ingredients, or differentiates between subtly different ingredients by name, I'm not ruling out that "iris" is iris blossom, and "orris" is iris root until I get up the guts to test or email the lab and ask. There are a couple GC scents where I might get useful results from trying 'em... Scary tho, since iris is the worst reaction I have to a plant aside from poison ivy and hyacinth.

 

Kalli

[darklorelei]

oh dear! That's pretty scary.

 

I just adore orris scents (except for Florence ), and I feel compelled to share the love.

[fiddlehead]

I also had trouble with Alone, even though I always use lotion before I put any oil on. Big welts. I decided it might be because I put it on right after a shower. Haven't tried it in the middle of the day yet to see if I get a reaction then. I really love the scent and have two bottles so I'm bound and determined to find a way to be able to use it, even if I have to dilute it .

[lysistrata]

I haven't ever had allergies before this summer, when I came to stay in the Southern English countryside for four months. The fields of canola oil and a vast expanse of foreign blooming greenery are doing a number on my upper repiratory tract. This is also the summer I chose to get into BPAL.

 

So far, I've been really lucky in that few of BPAL's scents have caused allergic reactions, and none of them on my skin. I can generally tell an allergic reaction by a feeling of dryness in the back of my throat, itchy runny nose, and watery or swollen-feeling eyes. Snake Oil and O (both tried before my trip to England) caused this reaction in me, as did (more recently) Enraged Bunny Musk and (today, much to my great chagrin and broken heart) Dorian. I LOVE the smells of all four of these, but I hate that feeling in my throat and nose, which I've gotten from a lot of commercial perfumes before this, and which has been my reason for avoiding perfume in the past.

 

Anyone have any ideas about commonalities in these scents that may have caused this reaction, so I know what to avoid in the future? It could be musk, but Antique Lace and Morocco don't do this to me.

[juniperus]

I'm discovering that, like my allergies to my kitties, there are certain oils that bother my skin when it's hot (and, therefore my pores are open), not when it's cooler weather - notably Hecate. I'm not sure where the OMG-ouch! is coming from - I'll have to see if any of my other resins are the same, or maybe it's the almond oil. It's not itchies - it burns.

[Rinadoll]

Let me start this by saying that I have strong allergies. To, you know, life. *g* Many things give me reactions, and have for the last 20 years, so I know from allergies.

 

But BPAL is confounding me. I've never liked perfumes, due to allergies, but BPAL rocked my socks. The scents didn't give me headaches or make me sneeze, whee! Never had a contact allergy problem with BPAL, either, which is great.

 

What it does do, however, is make me sleepy. I tend to wear scents sporadically, after years of conditioning against it, but this past December I wore Mistletoe almost daily. Shortly after, I noticed that whenever I wore any scent, I would get sleepy. Eyes would droop, eyes and mind would be foggy. Can I assume this is some kind of allergic reaction? It's one I'd never had before. I didn't wear any scents in the spring, given all of my outdoor allergies, not wanting to aggravate anything. Now it's summer and I want to start wearing things again.

 

Has anyone else had a similar reaction? It was across the board, all scents, so I don't even know what components could be the trigger. Might I be better off diluting it with lotion? Going straight to a scent locket?

 

Rina

[Nance]

A suggestion for folks who've dealt with welts:

 

I got an imp of Blood Moon and adored it, so naturally I sought out a bottle. I was HORRIFIED when application from the bottle left me with huge red welts every place the oil touched. I didn't have the same reaction when I applied from the imp, so my first thought was that the bottle had somehow been contaminated. I loved the scent too much to give up, so after a bit of experimentation, I found that the welting only occured when I applied oil immediately after showering, so I'm guessing that that reaction only occurs when my pores are fresh-out-of-the-shower-open.

[jj_j]

I don't know about the sleepy thing, Rinadoll. Maybe you're just so relaxed by your BPAL that it makes you drowsy? Or maybe you wore it over the holidays and it was the effect of holiday food, rather than the perfume - I know the massive carb and turkey intake of my family from November through January 1 makes me sleepy. I hope it's not actually an allergy!

 

On a different note .... I didn't wear perfume until I was in college and lived away from home - my mother's very strong allergic reaction to the chemicals in retail perfumes led directly to migraines for her, so we all avoided perfume, aftershave, scented lotion, etc. One of the reasons I love BPAL so much is that not only do I enjoy it, my mother, discovering she could be around me when I wear Beth's scents, can also wear it. She's never had a reaction or headache from any BPAL she's tried or I've worn when around her (and that's a lot! ).

 

Which leads me to something a little odd (to me, anyhow): the Voodoo and TAL blends don't bother my mother, who still doesn't take elevators unless she's the only one in them (to avoid the scent cloud/migraine thing), so it never occurred to me that they might really set someone off. However, I'd been working with TAL: King Solomon last week, and had a little on the palm of my hands when I went to work one day. Not only did two of my co-workers mention how odd and moldy the office smelled when they walked in (moldy - King Solomon?!?!! Or an office in Dallas after two weeks of 100* weather and no rain, for that matter?), they both started sneezing like crazy. HUGE sneezing fits, from nine a.m. to about 4 p.m., after repeated scrubbing attempts with Dawn dish soap on my part; sneezing fits to the point that the called the property management office and demanded that the air filters be changed out.

 

Any ideas what it is in King Solomon that set them off so badly? The last time I used it and was around Mom, she mentioned two or three times how fresh and what a lovely "greenish" scent it was. If I can figure out what caused such a reaction in the ladies at work, I can be sure to avoid wearing that note in the future - the last thing I want is them to complain and make our office a "fragrance-free" zone!

[Torrilin]

Anyone have any ideas about commonalities in these scents that may have caused this reaction, so I know what to avoid in the future? It could be musk, but Antique Lace and Morocco don't do this to me.

 

I'd email the lab and ask on that one. Not all the Lab's musk blends are identical, but O doesn't list musk as a component anyway. IIRC Enraged Bunny Musk doesn't list vanilla as a component, and if Antique Lace works on you, that makes vanilla even more unlikely as a culprit (a vanilla allergy would be *damn* weird. about on par with a genuine chocolate allergy for weird.).

 

FWIW, I don't react to black musk, nor to moderate doses of white musk, nor to Arabian musk, but something in Black Rose hates my guts, and I'm betting it's the musk. That *would* be one of the ones that's *just* musk as the descriptor too.

 

jj_j, that reaction sounds a lot like the way a chamomile and honey scent hits my BF. I've seen/heard of other people having reactions like that to a range of other things. I react to certain mold varieties that way. There's so many possibilities that it's hard to even be sure they're responding to your scent. And if they both know they're allergic to mold, well, it *is* possible even in an air-conditioned building to have mold caught in old air filters that gets recirculated (there are even more entertaining possibilities with mold. that's just one of manymany. I'm having mold troubles in sunny Los Angeles right now...).

 

Kalli

[Elrianra]

I'm so glad I found this thread!!!

 

I'm allergic to coconuts, something we didn't know about when I was younger. It's not a fatal allergy, but it's bloody annoying. I figured it out on my own after eating coconut and getting BURNS on my tongue and the inside of my cheeks for my trouble.

Later on, we realized that this included the oil when I used a tanning oil that was basically just coconut oil and extract. I wound up covered in tiny blisters all over my back and upper arms and neck. I itched and ached for days (despite a near OD on benadryl).

 

I've been careful insofar as "avoiding it if coconut is listed" with BPAL so far, but came across a Chaos Theory II blend that the previous owner listed as "green and citrus-y". Imagine my horror when I realized the green was actually sandalwood and COCONUT. I hate to waste a scent, but I know what happens to me and so I had to rush to get it off my skin before damage was incurred. Luckily, I found a loving owner for the bottle on the forum; but I was worried that coconut may exist in more oils than I previously thought.

 

I finally sat down and searched for an allergies thread this afternoon. 3 pages in and abnout 15 minutes of perusal, and I finally found an email address to contact the lab with and ask. Now I'll be extra especially certain as to avoid coconut in all my BPAL adventures!!!

Edited June 2, 2006 by Elri