Irina

I love most BPAL especially since I began experimenting with making my own perfume cos of allergies. But initially I reacted very very allergic to most oils. So I've made a routine that helps me enjoy any scent:

 

-I never smell the oils directly from the bottle/imp: I take a toothpick/q-tip, brush it against the cap, wrap it in a tissue and then take a whiff

-I always use vinyl gloves when opening an imp so i don't get any oil on my fingers. Bottles are even better cos I don't need the gloves.

-I always dilute the oils before applying them directly to the skin, mostly at least x 5! (using jojoba oil)

-If I apply an oil for the first time I do it on an the back of my hand where I can wash it off easily (I use handmade soap with coffee grains, a wonderful natural deodorizer) and never directly but using the scented q-tip.

 

I think that having sensitivities means you cannot be too careful with highly concentrated oils like BPAL's. But it's really worth it, it made my BPAL scent journey a lot more fun!!!

First, the previous post that mentioned the following:

BPAL Public Service Announcement:

 

If you have any doubts about whether or not you'll have an allergic reaction -- no matter how mild -- please do not use the scent.

 

Absolutely right on track.

 

That being said, people often confuse allergies, irritants, and sensitivities. They're not all the same but people usually call all of them allergies. Likewise, the treatment for each isn't the same, although avoidance and some other basic strategies will work for all of them. Fortunately, most chemicals in perfumes actually cause irritation or sensitivities rather than true allergies, although allergies do occur.

 

... Allergic reactions will still occur, but may be more tolerable provided you aren't dead. Seriously, see the first point about avoiding things if you really are allergic.

 

...

 

Again, not a strategy for those with allergies, since an allergy will occur regardless of concentration (think of the stories you've heard of the kid who died because something was just made in a factory that processed nuts, even tho' there weren't any nuts in the product).

 

I'm on the same page as you are, as I've been tested and turned inside out by doctors If you have allergies for cosmetics and/or perfume, you have to be real careful when using BPAL.

However...

Not all allergic reactions result in life-threatening anaphylactic reactions and potentially death.

Take a mild allergy like hay fever. Or atopy (allergic hypersensitivity affecting parts of the body not in direct contact with the allergen) like eczema, asthma, hives and rashes which could be really annoying and painful but again no life threat there.

 

Fortunately most people in this thread don't seem to experience deadly reactions when it comes to fragrances and perfume

Doesn't the oil dissolve the rubber gloves as well (already tried latex gloves and the oil burned holes in it...)? I'll keep trying

Glad I found this topic, I will be working my way through it, as I'm highly allergic to so much stuff, including most BPAL oils I've got a list from my dermatologist with stuff I should avoid but they're all chemical names and I have no idea how to 'translate' that into BPAL scent info

 

Ow and I'm not allergic to alcohol perfume as I spray it on my clothes, but I have no idea how to transform the BPAL oils into alcohol fragrances... Washing products like soaps and shower gel would be even better as they are not 'stay on' products and therefore better for my skin.

 

Any suggestions are welcome!

 

Irina

 

If your allergies are so severe then have you considered scent lockets? The tradingpost makes beautiful ones but there's also a thread dedicated to them in the Beyond Perfume forum -- it's possible to get base metal lockets on ebay etc much more cheaply than the BPTP ones. The oil doesn't touch your skin at all and it would make it much easier to try oils without having to learn to make sprays (and still being able to swap or sell the imps if the scent doesn't work for you).

 

Thank you BlueSage They do sound lovely indeed!!! I will certainly do that, but first I'm still searching for MY SCENT. Right now I can't even test the cca 100 imps I've got *blush* properly, still have to find a way to get the oil out of the vial without getting any on my hands... My right hand is now quite blistered from opening too many, so I can't even 'crack' another imp open... So I'm saving up so I can afford to buy some licensed BPAL scented products that I can try without so much hassle... We'll see

But first I have to give my skin a break.

Glad I found this topic, I will be working my way through it, as I'm highly allergic to so much stuff, including most BPAL oils I've got a list from my dermatologist with stuff I should avoid but they're all chemical names and I have no idea how to 'translate' that into BPAL scent info Ow and I'm not allergic to alcohol perfume as I spray it on my clothes, but I have no idea how to transform the BPAL oils into alcohol fragrances... Washing products like soaps and shower gel would be even better as they are not 'stay on' products and therefore better for my skin.Any suggestions are welcome!

Well, the whole forum devoted to it would work stellar for what you need: Beyond PerfumeMore specifically is a thread on "Making BPAL-scented Room & Linen Spray".I imagine it's very tricky to figure out what chemical names mean in BPAL info. I tried to do a few searches for sites that may list Chemical names in connection with their "common" names. But I couldn't find anything Maybe you could go to the wiki, and search for the chemical names. Chances are, the search will direct you to the "common" name of the thing.Although, BPAL has many scents that don't have -any- description on the notes at all. But, the reviews section should help you figure out what's present.I feel slightly fortunate so far, and haven't had any reactions to Oils at all. I don't think I'm allergic to much at all o.o. I've never even had poison ivy after rolling in it for a while ^^'. But I have had sun poisoning. Go figure, right? Allergic to nothing but too much sun

Thank you *smile* Of course like any eager newbie *blush* I had to work my way first through the ton of info and found the topics/fora you mentioned :)But... still I have to figure out how to handle the oils when 'transforming' them as they spill from the imps onto my hands (therefore again rash) and they tend to dissolve latex gloves *huh?*So I'll be reading a lot and sometimes I am really sad cos I've discovered some GORGEOUS scents and I can only stash them away... This bloody hot weather doesn't help either pfff (sorry for moaning )Ow and bout the chemical stuff, even if I see the common names (say orange oil) there is still no way how to see in some BPAL scents what's in them... But fortunately I did found about some notes like 'spice', 'wood', 'violet', 'citrus', 'incense' that I should avoid.But hell I won't give up so easily LOL

I noticed last Winter some reaction to Dia de Les Muertos. I tried it recently again and it burned so bad. Heartbreaking as I love the thing. I have no idea what I'm reacting to. Any suggestions?

As far as my knowledge goes and I take a look at the description:This is a Mexican paean to La Huesuda: dry, crackling leaves, the incense smoke of altars honoring Death and the Dead, funeral bouquets, the candies, chocolates, foods and tobacco of the ofrenda, amaranth, sweet cactus blossom and desert cereus.myself I have to look out for these notes:-incense-tabacco-amaranthSad that you'd have to miss something you love

Glad I found this topic, I will be working my way through it, as I'm highly allergic to so much stuff, including most BPAL oils I've got a list from my dermatologist with stuff I should avoid but they're all chemical names and I have no idea how to 'translate' that into BPAL scent info

 

Ow and I'm not allergic to alcohol perfume as I spray it on my clothes, but I have no idea how to transform the BPAL oils into alcohol fragrances... Washing products like soaps and shower gel would be even better as they are not 'stay on' products and therefore better for my skin.

 

Any suggestions are welcome!