sophie-au

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?

Hi Rinadoll.

I have heard of this as an allergy symptom occuring in some people. And it does not necessarily seem to have a scent-based cause. People have reported anything from exposure to molds, pollen or dust mites, food intolerances, mercury fillings, candidiasis, outgassing from building material , drug interactions, encroaching anxiety or vitamin deficiencies as being the cause for them. It's not an easy thing to tackle because of the many possible causes.

http://www.drmyhill.co.uk/article.cfm?id=174

It's possible that one or more of these things is taxing your body to its limits, and when you wear fragrance it's "tipping you over the edge" into brain fog and drowsiness.

Taking nutritional supplements or other dietary changes seems to be the easiest way to tackle it. Interestingly, someone (with CFS, not just fogginess) who had the same problem and used Vitamin D supplements reported that taking Vitamin D derived from fish oil made their fogginess worse, not better.

http://www.cfs-recovery.org/vitamin_d_recovery.htm

Since you know your own health better than anyone else, I suggest searching with Google to see what other people with your symptoms and history have done. And have a think about the past several months to see if there's any change in your life that may have been a contributing factor.

As for BPAL, maybe try one of the simpler scents with only a few notes (but not blends with bouquets like musk) like Delirium, Nocturne, Penitence etc. and see how you go?

Hope this helps!

Caveat: I am not a doctor. (Yet.) So don't sue me!

My first review, so please bear with me...

As others have said, Whitechapel is horribly underrated. Remember, this is the 21st century people! Gender lines have never been more blurry, so step out of your comfort zone and try something that may be referred to as "masculine." Because by limiting yourself, you are missing out on some wonderful olfactory pleasures!

This was the second BPAL I ever tried, and this had me ensnared at the outset. I'd bought a bottle from an eBay auction a year ago, and after trying it, I fell for it - hook, line and sinker. So what did I do? I did what all grateful addicts do: I made sure my first order to the lab included a 10ml of Whitechapel so I could freely slather the gentlemanly goodness

Don't be afraid of the citrus in this: the lime and citron are oh-so-smooth. The white musk and lilac are a lovely base to make them more long-lasting.

After an initial burst from the citrus top notes, they recede somewhat and come together with the lilac and white musk to make a mesmerising combination that envelops your skin with just a hint of powder.

It has throw, yes, but this is no brassy powerhouse scent. It's a genteel sophisticate that politely accompanies you without broadcasting itself to all and sundry.

This is a scent that cunningly slithers and insinuates its way into your presence rather than brazenly announcing its arrival. And when it has arrived, you just don't want to let the smell go.

It is truly a superb gentlemen's blend, but it's just as lovely on a woman! Give it a try - you KNOW you want to...

Is there a jumping-up-and-down emoticon? I just tried the frimp of Wilde the lab sent with my Luperci. It smells like Gingembre, but without the ginger! I'm almost there! Granted, it's a little on the bright side, but it's close. Yippeeeeeee!!!

 

Ahem. Just thought I'd share. Now to get my hands on some gingery BPAL scents and start experimenting.

Perhaps you could try mixing a bit of Wilde with some ginger essential oil?

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

In my newbieness I'm wondering if there a problem with the PayPal auto responder?

My July 25 order and subsequent PayPal email receipt was quickly accompanied by a "PayPal payment received" email from the lab's auto responder.

However my Aug 30 order was not. I only got an email receipt from PayPal. Should I be worried?

TYK people!