The Problem with "Fragrance"

[Hairkay]

I can't use fragrances at all not even essential oils ones. I do use soapnuts and I use vinegar in laundry. I have one source of fragrant free sensitive skin detergent so I keep soapnuts on hand when I can't get that. My family never used fabric softeners since allergies run in the family. What's really annoying is that some detergents that say they're for sensitive skin mess it up by adding fragrance and or colouring making them useless for most sensitive skins. The same happens with deodorants. I never use perfume. I only do DIY hair masks and stay away from soaps for baths since I'm allergic to even the fragrance free, colour free ones as well.

[neko_kawaii]

Not just the fragrances in products you use yourself, but sometimes the residue from laundry detergents, softeners, and dryer sheets can cause skin reactions. My husband has this issue. 20 years ago he had a skin biopsy done on his arm where he had a painful itchy rash that never went away, left him with a cute little divot but all they could determine at the time was that it was photosensitive and to stay out of the sun. After switching to fragrance free soaps it cleared up some but didn’t quite go away until we stopped doing our wash at the laundromat. His mom invited us to do the wash at her house and only used the soap we bought but then her sister moved in with her and used dryer sheets and the rash came back after years of being gone. Dryer sheets were banned and all was well again.

My problem with fragrances is asthmatic. Every now and then I get a library book that has so much of another borrower's perfume in it that I can’t read it. And why do department stores locate the cosmetics and fragrance counters at the entrance? It is like they are actively trying to kill their customers.

[KameRose]

I am more sensitive than everyone else in my house hold when it comes too laundry detergents, softeners, etc.(but I don't have like real bad reactions to them, I just find that things feel rather gross if they've been washed in traditional products and more super annoying, than any true irritation to me) So I actually have developed a system where I do a couple loads of towels between someone else laundry and my own. Others in my house hold use the more traditional fragranced products, I use either a DIY mix or a free and clear detergent. And some rather generous vinegar rinses, especially on the towel runs I do as like a pallet cleanser for the machine between someone else's laundry and my own.