Wearing perfume while sensitive

April 1, 2017 2:58 AM

Theoretically, I like perfume and natural oils. In practice, I'm extremely sensitive to them. Which places on the body are the best for very subtle applications?

As far as I know I'm not medically allergic, just sensitive to most perfumes and oils. (It normally manifests as nausea, not headaches or breathing issues.) I do like them, but in very small amounts!

Question: Which places on the body are subtle not just for other people, but the wearer as well? I've tried researching different application spots but would like anecdata.

Bonus question: I accidentally put too much perfume oil on my wrists at the store to test before buying earlier today. This location is now obviously out of the question. I have tried rubbing alcohol and vigorous soap scrubbing, but I am still smelling it and feeling a bit sick. This was $45 of perfume oil and something I did want to buy, had been considering for a while, and now expect to last forever based on how little I now know to use. But I don't want to keep feeling sick tonight! Please give tips and techniques to neutralize my personal bubble (I do not own Vicks)

posted by lesser weasel to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion (8 answers total)

If you have it, try some Dawn dishwashing liquid as it will strip the oil. I'll also caution you that the nausea you feel may well be a sign of intensifying sensitivity and I would hesitate to put it ON your skin. If you must wear a fragrance, place a small amount on some cotton wool inside a fragrance locket. I used to own literally hundreds of fragrance oils (BPAL) and now I must have everything in my home fragrance free or I have an asthma attack. I can no longer go to 'the mall' and many retail spaces, restaurants (and their bathrooms, FFS) are off limits to me unless I want to suffer breathing difficulties. Listen to your body.
posted by PorcineWithMe at 3:53 AM on April 1, 2017 [2 favorites]

Like dissolves like, so to dissolve oil you could try something oily. Try some mineral oil, canola/olive/other cooking oil, or even petroleum jelly. You could, if you were desperate, put petroleum jelly and then a band-aid to cover it up.

As for wearing it: maybe put it on a corner of a scarf or a pin (maybe something wooden?) or something else you can remove. It may not smell exactly the same, but it should last longer and you can put it on or remove it as you like.

A lot of perfume contains propylene glycol, which many people are sensitive to. You could try alternative types of perfume that don't use that as a base.
posted by amtho at 5:39 AM on April 1, 2017 [2 favorites]

Behind your knees or, frankly, anywhere below your belly button.
posted by flibbertigibbet at 5:45 AM on April 1, 2017 [2 favorites]

A pomander used to be a lovely smelling thing that fancy people would carry and sniff at when the stench of impoverished humanity in the streets would get to their sensitive noses. But pomanders then became hollow items (usually metal) that you would fill with scent, either a wax or potpourri or an incense, and used for things like ceremonies (think Catholic church) or in the form of precious jewelry or in shrines and such.

Luckily for you jewelry pomanders are still made today in many different forms, especially, you guessed it, on etsy. There are little locket rings and pendant necklaces, but also things like fobs that attach to a chain like a pocket watch or clip onto a belt or bag. There are also some that have separate compartments for holding different smells like different dried spices and herbs. All of these allow you to enjoy nice smells without getting any of it directly on your skin (I'm another one who is worried that it sounds like you're developing an allergy) and can be washed thoroughly to switch scents cleanly.

For right now the thing that's best at neutralizing scents is baking soda. It is super abrasive so don't scrub with it but take a couple tablespoons and mix it with just enough water to make a paste (use a disposable container) and glop it on your wrists and let it sit as long as you can manage (maybe do one hand at a time so you have one free). Just rinse off with water, soap won't make a difference.
posted by Mizu at 6:13 AM on April 1, 2017 [4 favorites]

I spritz or dab various scents onto my clothing near my ankles. It's far enough away from my face that it doesn't bother me (or other people who are sensitive to scents) but it's still noticeable. It doesn't irritate my skin at all, either, which is a concern with some oils that I like to wear.
posted by VioletU at 9:33 AM on April 1, 2017 [3 favorites]

I like to use scent in my hair. Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab's Trading Post makes hair glosses just for this purpose, but you can apply a little perfume oil to the ends of the hair just as easily.
posted by gateau at 9:50 AM on April 1, 2017 [1 favorite]

I love perfume but even one little spritz often smells overwhelming to me and makes me wonder if everyone within a mile thinks I'm Lady Smells-a-Lot. What works for me is to spray the tiniest amount possible on a tissue and then very gently touch the tissue to whatever body part I want to smell nice. This gives you so much more control over how much product you put on your body and lets you build up if your first dab doesn't leave you smelling lovely enough.
posted by kitty teeth at 2:00 PM on April 1, 2017

I'm the same way, I like scents but am easily overwhelmed by them. I do the same thing that VioletU does, I put essential oils on my feet or toes in the morning. I only sometimes catch a whiff of the scent when I am sitting with one foot up on my knee.
It's a ridiculous thing to do, too. Perfumed toes, really? But it works for me, and it's good to be ridiculous sometimes. And I don't worry that I'm overwhelming others with scent.
posted by Vatnesine at 5:57 PM on April 1, 2017