Allergy Questions, Allergies and other reactions to oils

[tart]

Wow, so you seem to be truly allergic to it -- not just a rash? Maybe you should email Beth to ask her what's in it.

[hypothermya]

Beth -- on this subject, several of your scents don't have any description in them and I know that you're working on a tomato leaf single note. Being horribly allergic to tomatoes, is there any way to find out if a scent is likely to have that in it before I order it or try it?

[kebechet]

There are no blends that contain tomato leaf. =) Honestly, at this point, I still don't have a clue what to do with it! Everything I've attempted smells like marinara.

 

[Ina Garten Davita]

I had a headache and a sneezing fit immediately after applying and sniffing Machu Picchu. I've never had such a full on reaction like that to any of the preciousss.

[blackrayne]

There are no blends that contain tomato leaf. =) Honestly, at this point, I still don't have a clue what to do with it! Everything I've attempted smells like marinara.

 

 

Marinara... yum.

[Penance]

Well, guess that answers my question, LOL.

[summer]

I don't have any specific allergies that I know of, and I've been able to wear all the other BPAL oils with no problem. The only one besides Snake Oil that's caused any hint of a similar reaction was Imp -- but there are no common ingredients in those two, as far as I know -- ?? Anyway, because it happened with Snake Oil and slightly with Imp, I used to wonder if it was just that *very strong* fragrance caused my throat to close up. However, I am able to slather on copious amounts of lots of other strong fragrances without any problem.

 

It's so strange. The first time it happened, I just figured that perhaps I was on the verge of getting sick and it was all a coincidence. But I'm pretty sure it's causally related now! Last night I slathered on quite a bit of Snake Oil from my 5ml bottle, and almost immediately I felt my throat closing, and my lips and gums started feeling tender. I even woke up this morning still reacting to it, and it didn't start to subside until I showered and washed it all off.

 

Frankly, I'm dumbfounded! And sad -- I really love Snake Oil. I will just have to remember to apply it lightly in the future. A tiny, tiny bit of it doesn't seem to cause a problem, but if I apply even a whole drop, I have this reaction without fail.

 

*scratches head*

 

[shriekingviolet]

maybe you'd be better off wearing snake oil in some sort of scent locket? I was about to say "dab it on your sleeves" but then I remembered that snake oil was one of those oils that can stain!

[Lady Ravenglass]

I'm sneezing an awful lot at the moment. I'm going to assume (and hope) it's the dusty house, but I've a nasty feeling some of the imps are a bit too strong for me :/ Possibly the rose is doing it, but that said, I wore Lucy's Kiss all day yesterday without a sniffle. I think I'm going to have to look into getting carrier oils.

[Eoywin]

I've gotten some headaches from sniffing imps... but I'm very prone to headaches anyway. Luckily, none of the scents I've tried so far have made me have headaches while wearing them.

 

As a side note, if any of you are breaking out into hives, it may not be the oil at all. I break out into hives all the time, because my skin is super dry. I put some lotion on, and usually it goes away.

[tempete]

I have never been so happy to be sick.

 

I thought that I was developing an allergic reaction similar to summer's, since my throat felt all swollen and closed up yesterday, a day that I was wearing Snake Oil. That would be devastating because I adore Snake Oil and I have a 5 ml on the way. But this morning, I woke up feeling very tired even though I had enough sleep, I've been feeling crappier and crappier as the day progressed and my throat is scratchy and sore (a typical cold symptom for me).

 

Yay! I'm not allergic!

 

This means that I can spend tomorrow watching CSI and posting reviews!

[summer]

LOL!

 

You know you've got a (delicious) problem when you're happy to realize you're sick rather than allergic to the preciousss.

 

I love it!

[jessamynit]

I'm somebody who is lucky to have almost no allergies (just to sulfa antibiotics, something that most people have a reaction to) - I've even been touched by stinging nettles and poison oak and nothing! however! this morning I slapped on some drizzles from my new cordelia imp (smells so lovely!) and about 3 minutes later my boyfriend said "why is your neck all red?" I thought I had just scratched myself with the imp wand (something I do a lot) but then I looked in the mirror - every SINGLE spot where cordelia touched my skin is completely red and puffy and totally hived-out! as you can imagine I freaked out and jumped back into the shower scrubbing myself off but the red spots are still here - it's the strangest thing. it looks like cordelia was a red skin-staining dye, every tiny amount that touched my skin is completely swollen and red. you can even see where I put a droplet on my arm (it looks like an oil drop, but bright red!), smeared it ALL OVER MY NECK (nice), and rubbed some in up and down my arms.

so I'm not sure what to do except look "cool". it doesn't itch too much but it's very freaky looking and frustrating.

also I have no idea why I would have such an instant strong reaction to this one - I've tried lots of other scents with rose and others with cinnamon and had absolutely no reaction. this is very disconcerting.

phew. thanks for letting me ramble.

any advice? thoughts?

[clover]

You know, the only time I have ever had a reaction to a BPAL oil was one morning when I slathered on some Kabuki right after I got out of the shower. The same thing happened to me as what you descibed. It was especially odd because I wear Kabuki all of the time...it's one of my favorites.

 

I have a feeling it had to do with the fact that I had just gotten out of the shower, and maybe my pores were still open and thus more sensitive?? (Just a theory). Anyway, now I wait half an hour or so after I bathe before applying the oil.

[enozgirl]

I know if I slather on my Pumpkin Spice MMU lotion right after my shower, rather than waiting a little bit and THEN putting it on, I have a serious burning reaction to it.

 

I've had that once with Snake Oil, and it was in a similar situation. I've used Snake Oil since that happened, and been fine. Just gotta wait for the pores to close

[jessamynit]

verrrrry interesting. I usually apply scents right after the shower - but maybe cordelia is a *special* scent like that

it did cross my mind too - I'm flying on an airplane tomorrow - quite a nervous flier - maybe my extra sensitivity crossed over to my skin a bit!

in any case, I liked the smell but clearly cordelia is not for me. call me gunshy. if anyone wants this imp, just pm me!

thanks for the advice, the hives are starting to die down (phew!)

[Caitfish]

I agree with the after shower sentiments, especially with Snake Oil. It doesn't bother me anywhere but on my neck, or any time other than after the shower. I think that the pores there must be especially sensitive. If I wait a while, and don't put a ton on my neck, I'm totally okay.

 

I really love to put Snake Oil in my hair before I blow dry it. It doesn't touch my skin, or change the smell, and the scent gets all over my hair. It's great.

[summer]

Hm, this shower theory is interesting! I usually shower at night and apply my BPAL in the morning, which would explain why I normally don't have problems. However, on the night in question, it's quite possible that I was fresh from the shower when I applied . . .

 

Interesting.

[tempete]

Some cortizone creme helped, but I am wondering if this is from my blood amber, and why it happened when I've worn it before.

 

Unfortunately, you can become allergic to something even when your prior exposures didn't produce a reaction. I had a severe allergic reaction to an antibiotic on the second or third round that I had taken before with no problems. This is also why some people have to give up their pets after living with them for years with minimal allergies. The immune system is a very weird thing indeed.

 

If you stop wearing Blood Amber and the rash goes away + if you wear it again and the rash reappears, then it's definitely the cause of your allergies. (I spent some time working with dermatologists who diagnosed drug allergies that cause skin rashes.) But I think that it's pretty obvious that Blood Amber is the source of your problems, sorry

[inkstone]

Some cortizone creme helped, but I am wondering if this is from my blood amber, and why it happened when I've worn it before.

It does sound like the blood amber is the cause of the skin rash.

 

Like Tempete said, sometimes you don't have an allergic reaction until the second or third exposure. But during that first exposure, your immune system decides, "Nope, I don't like this" and then proceeds to have a hissy fit the next time your body's exposed to the allergen. This is what happens with bee stings and why people often develop pollen allergies over the course of a lifetime.

 

(Just be careful if you try it out again. If it is the blood amber, there is a fair chance that the rash will be even worse.)

[allidavie]

I have really bad allergies and my ENT described it like this - basically, your body can only take so many allergens. The level your body can take varies from person to person (mine's really low) , but it's sort of a set point. So if you're allergic to dust, cats, and whatever's in blood amber and the first time you tried the blood amber you were at your spic and span house and the next time you try it you spent the whole day at your messy, cat-owning friend's house you might be fine the first time you use it but have a reaction the second time. Does that make sense?

 

So if you can figure out if there's other stuff you're allergic to and can get rid of it, you might not have as much of a problem. Also you may just want to try it on a part of your arm that has thicker skin - almost all bpal oils cause an instant reaction if I put them in the crook of my elbow, so I tend to just put them near my shoulders and the fronts of my wrists...

[fragrantgrasse]

It may just be too strong to take straight. Why not dilute your 10mls. with a little jojoba oil? This will cut down on the irritatant and still allow you to wear a great scent.

 

I usually just try a just a bit at first - i.e., put a drop of fragrance on your arm and a few drops of jojoba and mix together. This isn't very scientific - but it will give you an idea of what the scent is like and whether or not you have an allergic response. If you seem to get itchy - just add lots more oil to the area.

 

Oil, any oil, (olive oil for instance) is an antidote to too much essential oil - or - fragrance oil and antidotes your sensitivities. Not water - but oil.

 

Hope this helps....

Edited October 16, 2004 by fragrantgrasse

[raven]

Hi You don't have to put it directly on your skin though to wear it! You could use one of those perfume lockets or necklaces to wear around your neck or use it to scent up your home. Just a thought.

[lorajc]

That's really weird that you had that happen. I just got a rash on my left inner elbow from BPAL. I have sensitive skin and do have occasional redness, burning and irritation from some of the oils, but that doesn't stop me from wearing them. However a few days ago, I developed a bunch of whitish looking bumps in the crook of my elbow and when I scratched it, it became a lot worse. That is the one spot that gets a lot of oil. I always touch up there during the day also. I've been using cortisone ointment on it for 3 days now and it is much bettter but still not gone. I have not touched the spot with oil lately. When it heals, I will start reapplying there again, but maybe not to the degree I was before.

[Eoywin]

I get hives and little bumps just from my skin being dry.

 

But I have had allegric reactions from things I took tons of times. I ended up in the hospital from an allegric reaction to ibprofen and aspirin. It was very nasty.