Allergy Questions, Allergies and other reactions to oils

[ImperatrixMundi]

I remember hearing somewhere that black pepper and pink pepper come from unrelated plants, so that might be something worth researching - if that's truly the case you might be allergic to one and not the other.

 

Black pepper (Piper nigrum) and pink peppercorn or brazilian pepper (Schinus terebinthifolius) are from different plant families. Black pepper belongs to it's own family, the Piperaceae, and pink peppercorn belongs to the Anacardiaceae. The most prominent members of the Anacardiaceae are cashew trees, so as a matter of fact pink peppercorn is closer related to cashew nuts than to actual pepper. But the actual red or pink pepper is ripe Piper nigrum as well, the dried black pepper is harvested while it is still unripe while the preserved red pepper is ripe pepper.

 

Sorry for the lecture, that was just the botanist in me coming through! But I hope it helps to sort out the peppers. I think the lab can give a definite answer to what they really mean by pink pepper.

[backthatelfup]

I remember hearing somewhere that black pepper and pink pepper come from unrelated plants, so that might be something worth researching - if that's truly the case you might be allergic to one and not the other.

 

Black pepper (Piper nigrum) and pink peppercorn or brazilian pepper (Schinus terebinthifolius) are from different plant families. Black pepper belongs to it's own family, the Piperaceae, and pink peppercorn belongs to the Anacardiaceae. The most prominent members of the Anacardiaceae are cashew trees, so as a matter of fact pink peppercorn is closer related to cashew nuts than to actual pepper. But the actual red or pink pepper is ripe Piper nigrum as well, the dried black pepper is harvested while it is still unripe while the preserved red pepper is ripe pepper.

 

Sorry for the lecture, that was just the botanist in me coming through! But I hope it helps to sort out the peppers. I think the lab can give a definite answer to what they really mean by pink pepper.

 

Hey, I'm always down for a lecture in botony! Sweet!

 

[bonny]

eeek had my first actual physical pain resulting from bpal today:/ tested a bit on tarot: the star in my elbows and was immediately hit with a stinging pain intense enough that i half-ran for the bathroom to wash it off! doesn't seem to be anything too crazy as far as notes go, looking at reviews i'm seeing all lime, coconut, mint all of which i have worn with no problem. get out of here, imp!

[lunaticana]

I might be allergic for a new favorite.. Snow Maiden

I sneeze and sneeze and sneeze and keep sneezing and I just HAD a cold

ohw well, I guess I have to accept this then, only thing I can do I guess

[Stormslegacy]

eeek had my first actual physical pain resulting from bpal today:/ tested a bit on tarot: the star in my elbows and was immediately hit with a stinging pain intense enough that i half-ran for the bathroom to wash it off! doesn't seem to be anything too crazy as far as notes go, looking at reviews i'm seeing all lime, coconut, mint all of which i have worn with no problem. get out of here, imp!

 

Inside the elbows are extremely thin skin--you'd be much better off applying oils elsewhere--I generally put a little on each wrist and on my neck.

[Jenn2D2]

Found out that the lab's "prune" note now joins fig as one of my migraine triggers -- just in time to get a bottle of 13 Nov... ;_;

[FelicityTwitchell]

[Original title: "Has anyone ever gotten headaches?"]

 

especially sinus ones from any BPAL perfumes?

 

Yes, two of the lunar blends have given me sinus pressure and from one a headache. It seems my skin eventually amps Dragon's Blood and then once it has come out the sinus pressure starts in. Of course it could be the combination of DB with something else, but I don't think so. I used to have some DB incense that gave me a headache too.

[starfish327]

i'm apparently allergic to something in grand guignol. it's the only blend so far that i've had a response to, but it was caused a burning pain on the application point.

[iletaitunefois]

Samhain 2009. Not a good experience. I think it was allergies, but I'm not sure. I loved the scent at first and applied it on my wrists and above le bosom.

 

An hour later? I could not breathe. At all. It was like the room was full of gas--I just could not get any air in. Very scary.

 

Any ideas on what could have caused this? I'm not even sure which notes are in Samhain 2009...

[lunaticana]

iletaitunefois: sounds like an allergic reaction on your lungs

 

 

I just had a major reaction on my face..

I had putten some Velvet Unicorn behind my ears and on my wrists

and I guess some of it came on my cheeks

it was very very hot and red, allover, just washed with some Fresh Farmacy (Lush) and it kinda feels better

but still very hot

I'm afraid to put any lotion on it aswell..

but why oh why my most beloved scents the Velvet Unicorn???

and what was it?

Spun sugar, sparkling rainbow candies, strawberries, merangue, and cherry fluff.

maybe the cherry fluff

[Sinmara]

I can't have anything with jasmin in it, I get a stabbing pain the head if I put too much on :/

[Jenn2D2]

I can't have anything with jasmin in it, I get a stabbing pain the head if I put too much on :/

 

I have the exact same reaction! I am alright with the 'night blooming jasmine' accord they use, so there must be just enough different between the two. I also have problems with the lab's 'prune' accord (oh, Nov. '09 13, I weep for you...), magnolia, gardenia, and sometimes fig. Not so fond of the stabby pain.

[Sabir]

So far I've been ok with all the scents I've tried until I put on some Bewitched this morning. I was sneezing like crazy and got all snuffly. I'm trying to figure out what could be the note that is setting off my allergies because I'd like to stay away from it, but it's hard for me to tell. I might have to subject myself to it again, just to confirm it was the oil that set off my allergies. Has anyone else had a reaction with this scent?

[kat23a]

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?

[sqwook]

Hi! Do you know for sure it's the almond that caused the reaction? Eclipse also has cinnamon, and many people's skin reacts poorly to cinnamon.

 

Either way, if you confirm what caused the reaction, before you buy scents from the lab you could also ask the lab about any scents you're concerned about - tell them you're allergic to almond & ask if a particular scent you'd like to buy includes it or not.

 

Recs: I find that sometimes almond scent smells like cherries, so maybe you could check out things that have cherry as a note? I wonder if Black Phoenix has almond in it (the notes aren't listed but I got an almond vibe from it). Dana O'Shee smelled like light almond on me and doesn't list almond as a note.

[jizatt]

Snow White is one that I would swear has almond to it, but does not!

 

 

 

I searched the review thread for almond and almondy (results as posts to keep me from going insane) and got these suggestions as well:

 

Mother Shub's Toothsome Banketstaaf (Tubular pastries oozing with spijs, glazed with apricot jam, and dotted with glace cherries.)

 

Some people are getting almond from Hod (I dont).

 

Dana O Shee (Offerings of milk, honey and sweet grains)

 

 

 

and these blends have almond flower/blossom, so I dont know how that will work for you:

Penitent Magdalen -( Immortelle, lily of the valley, gaiac, amber, honey, white sandalwood, almond flower, blonde musk, and hyssop)

 

MIss Lupescu (Animalic musk, with amber, patchouli, ho wood, cypress, almond blossom, golden sandalwood, and strange spices)

[sarajane]

I would definitely recommend Dana O'Shee. However, it could be the "bitter almond" note you're reacting to. A lot of people react to cinnamon, but I don't and it happens to be one of my favorite notes. Eclipse is the only BPAL that I've ever reacted to, and I'm fairly positive that it's the bitter almond note that does it - I don't have a problem with regular almond, just bitter.

[Spork]

plus there's always scent lockets....

[doublehelix]

plus there's always scent lockets....

 

 

Second this! If offical BPAL ones are too pricey for ya, you can find some cute scent lockets on etsy!

 

[Gwydion]

Definitely rule out cinnamon, but I get the almond reaction too, luckily only to the aged oils. (I'm assuming evaporation ups the concentration.)

[sarielswish]

i dunno about anyone else, but i've found three notes that are migraine triggers almost every time i smell them. not *every* time, but almost. i love the smell of the lab's myrrh, frankincense, and red musk notes, but almost every time i put them on, i end up with a migraine. not fun. occasionally, i'll find a blend that has them mixed just right or is aged *just* so that they don't overpower, but that's a rarity. thank god for migraine meds and note lists, though.... otherwise, i'd be in *trouble*.

[Roogna]

I'm allergic to most "perfumes" - especially if they had citrus or floral extracts. I'd put them on and bam! immediate skin rash that itches like crazy!!!

 

so I'd written off ever wearing smell-goods...till I found BPAL. I've tried a few dozen scents with no skin reactions!!!

 

so far only London has given me a headache (wow, that's strong roses)

and Jack was just too overpowering on the pumpkin to leave on and see if it would give me a headache (I tried another pumpkin too, and I just amp it so much it's overwhelming)

 

 

but I'm so torn right now. I just got Strangler Fig in and put it on. I've been sneezing all morning, my mouth is filmy, and my eyes kinda tingle/are mildly irritated. but it smells SOOOO good on me! argh!

 

should I just stay away from it even though I like it?? anyone have any advice?

[lilwhiterabbit]

I've had my first allergic reaction to a BPAL oil. I broke out in raised welts and had a rather nasty rash where the oil was applied. What was it you ask?

 

Oddly, King of Hearts: "Rosewood and black cherry with white musk, red rose, red musk and a spark of lavender."

 

I've worn all of these notes before, except rosewood. Is it possible that I'm allergic to rosewood? That strikes me as a very odd thing to be allergic to!

[fiddledragon]

I've had my first allergic reaction to a BPAL oil. I broke out in raised welts and had a rather nasty rash where the oil was applied. What was it you ask?

 

Oddly, King of Hearts: "Rosewood and black cherry with white musk, red rose, red musk and a spark of lavender."

 

I've worn all of these notes before, except rosewood. Is it possible that I'm allergic to rosewood? That strikes me as a very odd thing to be allergic to!

 

It's actually not all that uncommon to be allergic to tropical woods.

[ivyandpeony]

...

but I'm so torn right now. I just got Strangler Fig in and put it on. I've been sneezing all morning, my mouth is filmy, and my eyes kinda tingle/are mildly irritated. but it smells SOOOO good on me! argh!

 

should I just stay away from it even though I like it?? anyone have any advice?

 

Yeah, no matter how much I liked the smell, I don't think those symptoms would be worth it to me. It's the kind of stuff I'm trying to avoid all the time just due to pesky nature by taking Zyrtec, steroid nasal spray and prescription eye drops, so if I can easily avoid something unnecessary that causes those symptoms I definitely will. With all allergies, your reactions could also get worse the more you're exposed to the allergen(s). You can always try other scents in the same category &/or scents with similar notes to see if you can find one that doesn't trigger a reaction.

 

I've had my first allergic reaction to a BPAL oil. I broke out in raised welts and had a rather nasty rash where the oil was applied. What was it you ask?

 

Oddly, King of Hearts: "Rosewood and black cherry with white musk, red rose, red musk and a spark of lavender."

 

I've worn all of these notes before, except rosewood. Is it possible that I'm allergic to rosewood? That strikes me as a very odd thing to be allergic to!

 

Keep in mind, too, that you can develop allergies or sensitivies to stuff that you tolerated in the past - but on the other hand, it could also be that there was just a higher concentration of whatever ingredient made you react in this blend. I've reacted to cinnamon with big welts when I tried some blends where there's a whole lot of it, but can tolerate a little. Next time you try a blend with rosewood, try a really small amount in a less-sensitive area like the back of your hand and be ready to observe, wash off, etc.