Fellow Gatherers, I need your help.  I love fragrances, but most of them give me a headache.  Can you name any in the moderate price range, say $50.00 and below that won't kill my head.  Actually, I think $50 is a lot of money, but it would be worth it if I could find one that worked.  I look forward to your input.

essential oils are a better way to go.....also, recently I bought an inexpensive natural perfume by Pacifica called "mediterranean fig" from Whole Foods. I adore it's fragrance.

I always did better with the fragrance lotions, rather than the liquid perfumes.  As long as your skin isn't sensitive to them, they may work better for you.

I gave up on them too after a while.  My husband gave me some Kiehl's fragrances in little tiny jars (citrus and vanilla), they look and feel like lip balm, but are perfume.  I use those from time to time.

Another problem is that nothing really lasts on me and also no one ever says,  "Oh that smells good.  What are you wearing?"  Maybe that is because I am fearful of putting too much of whatever it is and ending up with a headache.  

Some people wear really powerful scents that can knock me over.  Yesterday in the hotel there was a woman with toooooo strong of a fragrance.  It lingered forever in the hotel hallway!

Someone said there are more synthetics. So possibly there are more reactions. Since my mid-50s I cough a lot when I am exposed to certain perfumes. It can be quite embarrassing at work waiting on a customer with fragrance!
But the other day, I was in Whole Foods, & there were several kinds of smells in the air(certainly all were natural!). But I started coughing again. Maybe it is a menopause thing. Maybe it is actually the body being more sensitive to things around me in a good way. Maybe it is the combination of so many things in the air.  Who knows? I like fragrances, but I can't tolerate so many of them!  
Cheerio!
Mrs "T"   O+ Gatherer? with a hunting license!

Jovan Musk oil.  ( I think it was under $10.00)  works for me.  

'Tressor' from Lancome......is the only one I can tolerate.

I'd try to find an Avalla consultant in your area (there has to be one kind near seeing as HQ is in Houston *I think*). Because theirs are botanically sourced, they may be easier on you. They have one called "Viola" that I just LOVE, and I'm not sure if they still carry Georgie on Ice- but that was without a doubt my fave.

Avalla is a distributor of Nutri-Metics, and it's not sold in stores. (Myavalla.com)

Thanks for all the ideas.  I went on line, but could not find a place to order from Whole Foods online.  Maybe I am just challenged this early in the morning!  I will try later.  Any more suggestions will be appreciated.  

Aren't gatherers more sensitive to fragrances?????

Hi, the only one that lasts on my skin and smells attractive on me, rather than like soap lol, is Chantal Thomass, it's around £20 a bottle for the edt, slightly more for the edp and you can get a parfum extract which is around £50 but lasts for hours at a consistent level of fragrance.  I don't get any bad reactions to this one and I just love it.

Loraine

I buy essential oils from Mountain Rose Herbs. You can buy single fragrance oils or one of their blends. The oils last a good long time and can be used alone or put into lotions, cocoa, shea or mango butter, etc. You can check out their website at http://www.mountainroseherbs.com

Gatherers might be more sensitive to perfumes and fragrances because they tend to have trouble with estrogen dominance if they are overweight. I've also noticed more problems with strong perfumes now that I'm menopausal. They make me react the same way I do to pollens or mold--sneezing, congestion and watery eyes, though it isn't as severe a reaction.

I've been using musk oil by Coty for years - very inexpensive (in the $10 range) and I've received many complements over the years about how good the fragrance is on me. The interesting thing is I can barely detect that I'm even wearing fragrance. No doubt this is an individual thing - you may have to experiment.

This Nomad is also quite sensitive to fragrances.  I try to avoid even walking through the makeup and perfume section of a store.  Strong fragrances often burn my nose and eyes and make me cough, and I'm sure it's nothing to do with menopause or estrogen dominance!   It's a rare cologne that I can stand to wear.  The only one I own is called Avatar, but that's probably not of much interest to you unless you are a guy too.

If you find a blend you like at Whole Foods (or if you experiment and make your own), you can put them into a carrier oil and just rub the oil on you.  The thing about natural fragrances, however, is they just don't last.  They're not meant to.  Natural things break down and "return to dust from whence they came."  They biodegrade and decompose.  It's the synthetic stuff that lasts.  I make a blend for a friend of mine who's very sensitive, but she found she sneezes around natural lavender essential oil too.  So I make her one lavender-free. Mine is the only thing she's found that she can wear.  I made her up 4 or 5 different blends to try and she picked her favorite.  

I can post a few ideas here if anybody's interested.  They're really easy to make once you have the oils.  Again, it's easiest to just buy a pre-mixed fragrance.  Go spend a few minutes in the essential oil section of WF and see what you like.  

BTW, you need to look for "essential oil," not "fragrance oil."  Fragrance oil is synthetic.  It won't be as bad (they say) as the terrible chemicals in regular perfume, but some people still have reactions to them.

BTW again, use your brain when trying to figure out if something is natural or not.  Chamomile, roses, almonds and lavender, etc. have natural oil that can be extracted and used.  Cucumbers do not.  So if you find something that says "Natural Cucumber fragrance," you can be sure it's not.  A lot of the fruity fragrances are synthetic.  Fruits don't have oils you can extract.  They have to come up with a chemical combination that smells enough like the real thing to sell.  The plant parts like bark, leaves, seeds and flowers have oils which can be extracted, and those are used in natural essential oils.

This morning before work I bought some Lancome Tresor at Walgreens.  I wore it all day and did not get a headache!!!  Thanks, Lola.  Now we smell alike!!!

I would love any information on essential oils.  I am a great believer in them, and know that they can cure all kinds of conditions!  But I got frustrated with them because they did not last long.  Now I know why.  Thanks, Ribbit.

I do not like strong perfumes, give me a headache, so I don't wear them (also I really don't like a lot of the smells). However, I have been using pure lavender oil as a deodarant (neat - also seems to keep flies away, and I had less bites last summer) and occasionally people have commented I smell nice,even though I can't smell it myself!

Quoted from meribelle

Thanks for all the ideas.  I went on line, but could not find a place to order from Whole Foods online.  Maybe I am just challenged this early in the morning!  I will try later.  Any more suggestions will be appreciated.  

I don't think that you can order perfumes online from Whole Foods, but you can order direct from Pacifica here:
http://www.pacificacandles.com/perfume.asp

Quoted from meribelle

I would love any information on essential oils.  I am a great believer in them, and know that they can cure all kinds of conditions!  But I got frustrated with them because they did not last long.  Now I know why.  Thanks, Ribbit.

I'd like to suggest the book titled AROMATHERAPY A complete Guide to the Healing Art by Kathi Keville & Mindy Green

It was used as the text in my beginners aromatherapy class and covers lots of topics, charts, and stuff.

You can use pure lavender oil on your skin without mixing it with a carrier oil?

I just got over mastitis (again) and one of the suggestions I ran across was to use lavender oil, but I mixed it with castor oil.  It would be great to use it by itself as a deodorant!

Yes, lavender essential oil is one you may safely apply to the skin directly as is, provided the manufacturer is reliable, like Primavera (German), Absolute Aromas (English) etc. It works as a disinfectant, and the fragrance is gorgeous.

Me too, I can stand very few fragrances, and usually I prefer not to wear any. The only 'heavy' fragrance I sometimes like to use is Caleche by Hermes. I also like colognes by Crabtree and Evelyn (Lily of the Valley, Vetiver), good old 4711 and of course Yardley lavender.

Quoted from yaeli

Me too, I can stand very few fragrances, and usually I prefer not to wear any. The only 'heavy' fragrance I sometimes like to use is Caleche by Hermes. I also like colognes by Crabtree and Evelyn (Lily of the Valley, Vetiver), good old 4711 and of course Yardley lavender.

I was looking for Yadley products here in my town and never found them.  Guess I did not look in the right places.

meribelle,
that s good to hear!!

Meribelle,
Years ago there were rumors that both Yardley and 4711 stopped manufacturing. I think Yardley went through some changes, but they exist and here the website(the page for U.S.):
http://shop1.mailordercentral.com/yardleylondon/products.asp?dept=12

4711 are still alive as well
http://www.4711.com/english/index.php#

Quoted from yaeli

Yes, lavender essential oil is one you may safely apply to the skin directly as is, provided the manufacturer is reliable, like Primavera (German), Absolute Aromas (English) etc. It works as a disinfectant, and the fragrance is gorgeous.

After posting this I tried my lavender essential oil as deodorant and it works fine, but it turns out that my armpit skin is too sensitive for it, so I have to pass. Back to my favorite Aloe Ever Shield. Yes I know, still it's the best and mildest I've ever came across.  

Something good to try and not expensive, is Amazing Grace from philosophy which is located in Phoenix, AZ. You can try it as a head-to-toe body shampoo to see if you might like the cologne. They have others, too. It's sold on QVC as well as in stores and online. I usually get it online. The philosophy line is great.
I get headaches from alot of colognes, myself, tho I still explore the new scents.

I am a Gatherer and have had issues with fragrances for ages. I am anaphalactic to citrus oils. Most synthetic perfumes us a citrus base to make the scent last longer.D-limonene is the main offending ingredient.Bergamont tea. Tea tree oil is processed with citrs! Household cleaners bike degreasers and vinyl removers will do me in.
I am afraid of most things labled Natural! I mean even arsenic is Natural!
I react to the processed oil product. I can eat oranges and grapefruits.
Jean

Quoted from drgnwng1

I am a Gatherer and have had issues with fragrances for ages. I am anaphalactic to citrus oils. Most synthetic perfumes us a citrus base to make the scent last longer.D-limonene is the main offending ingredient.Bergamont tea. Tea tree oil is processed with citrs! Household cleaners bike degreasers and vinyl removers will do me in.
I am afraid of most things labled Natural! I mean even arsenic is Natural!
I react to the processed oil product. I can eat oranges and grapefruits.
Jean

WOW... And I thought I had a problem with fragrances.  Life must be difficult for you.  Maybe eating as a gatherer will make you less sensitive.    

I tried on some Jovan Musk Oil this morning before work and now it is after work and I can still smell it.  That is amazing.  I have never had anything last that long.  I wonder does anyone know what it is made of?

My throat tightens up around some perfumes.  I carry Benedryl with me at all times for that, flowers and insect bites.  My Father bought me Channel #5 when I was a teenager and that is my staple.  I worried when I heard they might have changed the formula.  Usually the older perfume brands still use natural ingredients.  I haven’t figured out yet all the flowers that cause me problems.  Some do, some don’t.  Lavender does.  I guess we all have to figure out for ourselves what are own peculiar sensitivities are.

In the past more natrual ingredients were used for perfumes,such as Ambergris. This is very expensive and not so easy to find and they switched to using more synthetic forms many of which were citrus based.
Boy was a surprised to read all the other uses for Ambergris. King Charles II even liked it with a side of eggs( yuck).
I wonder were Ambergris falls on the BTD  
Jean

Ambergris was the original musk source, would be too controversial & expensive for use by big perfume houses now tho.

I can not wear or be around strong scents, The body shop has a range of cheapish oil perfumes, I am not sure if they are natural ingredients though? Does anyone know? They have sandalwood and a vanilla oil that I don't find too bothersome, they are long lasting though, so perhaps they are synthetic. Not all of their range is tolerable for my nose!

I also like solid perfumes that are usually wax and oil based. But they don't last very long  

(BTW Perfume by Patrick Suskind is a good smelly read!)

If their sandalwood is affordable it's not natural.  

Quoted from Ribbit

If their sandalwood is affordable it's not natural.  

Oh sandalwood, how i like you.

Here is the body shop vanilla perfume oil ingredients from website; I wonder what actual ingredient 'Fragrance' is?!

Fragrance, Benzyl Benzoate, Coumarin, Hydroxyisohexyl 3-Cyclohexene Carboxaldehyde, Benzyl Salicylate, Limonene, Linalool, Hexyl Cinnamal, Hydroxycitronellal, Benzyl Cinnamate, Butylphenyl Methylpropional, Citral, Benzyl Alcohol.

I tried Coty Wild Musk yesterday morning and I did not get a headache.  

If it says "fragrance," it's not natural.  Anything natural will say "essential oils."  The word "fragrance" means fragrance oils, which are synthetic.  Even the term natural fragrance doesn't necessarily mean anything.  I honestly wouldn't trust anything I didn't get at a HFS (or off an all-natural website) to be truly natural.  Even if something says, "With essential oils" (like the new Glade Candles), it's still going to have synthetic fragrances in it also.  Just because it's synthetic doesn't mean it will make you sneeze or give you a headache.  I'm just saying if you want something natural, you better make sure they know what they're talking about.

I believe natural musk is illegal.  Anything that says "natural musk" isn't.  It's a chemical, or it might be a natural substance that smells similar.  

As far as citrus fragrances go, anything that says "natural citrus oils" probably isn't.  Citrus oils have a terrible reputation for not lasting long.  They have to use synthetics or something that's not really citrus but smells similar.  For example, if you're making your own perfume, you can dump all the lemon or orange oil in it you want to, and it will be really nice when you first put it on, but it doesn't last.  It evaporates quickly.  When you're mixing fragrances, use two or three "tones" to make something that will last and to give it depth.  Pure lemon oil will be boring.  But if you mix it with neroli essential oil it will last longer on the skin and be a little more interesting.  Add something even more floral (neroli is citrus-floral) and you'll have some neat undertones that will last a while.  You notice that when you put on perfume it smells a particular way at first, but by the end of the day if it's still there at all it will be much different.  Those are the different "tone" coming through.  Many times what's left on your skin at the end of the day is vanilla or musk.  That's because they're used as "undertones" to give it depth and make it long-lasting.  Like I said, the citrus oils are the first to evaporate.  

Sorry if that's a little disjointed and/or repetitive.  Got a houseful of noise this morning and I can't concentrate.

thanks Ribbit for persevering with your thought threads thru the noise for us

http://www.chebucto.ns.ca/education/CASLE/fragrance.html

As I was reading other sites it was noted that limonene and linalool are usually made with chemicals and you have to make sure they are natural before using or you are asking for a host of issues. Many people forget that the skin is the largest organ of the body and gets subjected to lots of chemicals daily.
Jean

Apologies for the epistle &I have touched on this before http://www.dadamo.com/cgi-bin/Blah/Blah.pl?b-nonnie/m-1275719350/​s-all particularly post 69, 73, 79, 80, 81 & 82...
Now but now even more curious re my reactions to essential oils?

Most times I get stinging eyes within moments of being near them & I am constantly exposed at work, in premises that have no outside air flow & without a real chance to take breaks?!

The “fumes� from a small amount of lemon oil on the other side of a cleaning cloth, will result in lemon burps within an hour & I get a foggy head & recurring hives, which become boils!! I now have scars, as they rarely got a chance to completely heal (delicate post menopausal skin) Eeek??!!

On one occasion I also suffered an obvious anaphylaxic (throat closing, violent coughing & inability to breathe) reaction, which stopped when I moved away from source & reoccurred each time I returned!!

Interestingly, I am symptom free if on holidays, but I always thought that was due to leaving NZ/Wellington, or avoiding certain foods, allergens &/or stress...but at present, I have been home for a week & a half so far, due to an investigation for "alleged" misconduct, so under more stress, yet within the first week, I am again symptom free!!

As some know - I am employed 3-4 days a week... I work in two locations & on at least 1 day, I also answer a beautician/masseuse’s phone, who shares our premises, who leaves oil on her phone, our counter & anything else she touches & never wipes these surfaces down...I also breathe in the fumes from oils & wax she heats in our shared lunchroom/office, when her clients are in for a massage...

In the other location, on 1 day a week, I was subjected to a co worker's personal use of essential oils on her skin, as well as the accumulation in both places in the air/paintwork etc from them being burned on days I am not at work!!

As a co worker was also very sensitive, even needing to go home sick, her migraines were so bad, they stopped burning oils at work, for well over a year... However, a new boss & most staff have now ignored our concerns for about 6 months & burn them even on days when we are rostered to work a later shift & despite there being a requirement to, no staff ever clean out the oil burner!!

There is even a warning on a lot of these oils that pregnant women are not supposed to be near oils for more than 5 mins???!!! My concern for them is if they come into work & don't know they are pregnant & can't avoid exposure, it could be a problem to their unborn baby, they would not be aware of???

I always have been sensitive to both sulphur & sulphites & alcohol & can get headaches from particular perfumes, air fresheners etc... Certain plants are naturally high in sulphur, & more so I imagine, when the oils are distilled, so I am now trying to figure out of it is a sulphite or sulphur reaction? Or also a potential reaction to the ethanol/alcohol used in extraction?!? Thanks for reading!!

Interesting read on Contact allergy to various essential oils here:  http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8565250

Anyone?

Hey possum, sounds like a tough week, try and relax

My mum can not tolerate essential oil burning - she can taste it within a few minutes, and that is the high quality good stuff too.

Where myself, I can not stand cleaning prods that are not based on natural scents and oils where my mum has no problem with those types of harsh cleaning prods  

(My first thought was environmental sensitivities / explorer type issue..)

Are you able to discuss your concerns with your co-worker about the oil on the shared surfaces at all? And maybe suggest having a soft cloth available for her to wipe down with?

Nah I'm ok...But definitely environmental explorer issues...I have had 2+ years off this stuff going on & virtually being ignored...Previous boss stopped burning them in one shop but as I said coworkers in the other shop do burn them & now so does this new boss *sigh*

I have been advised to follow it up with the Department of Labour re safety in the workplace, seeing as I now know for sure that is what causes my problems!! Least I have it documented...here & at work

I am just really interested in what others think could be at the bottom of it all...??!! As in what exactly might cause the reaction - apparently sulphur gases are used in the process of extracting corn oil from the corn germ...so maybe they use that in their oil processing? I have written to the company asking...

Ok - have heard back from the company, who were kind enough to ring today...The oils I react to most are actually steam distilled... However, I forgot to actually ask if the extracts were preserved in alcohol at all...
But from talking to them & further research, looks like it could well be the high concentration of phenols in the plants themselves that are the real problem...

Plants/fruits etc (as we all know) have a long list of naturally occurring properties, that may cause irritants to us Explorer nonnie types... Monoterpenes, (chemicals found in most essential oils, with citrus oils having a very large percentage of them &  are colourless and highly volatile),  Sesquiterpenes, Phenols, Alcohols, Ethers / Esters, Ketones, (which in large doses, can be a poison to the nervous system & can cause miscarriage, convulsions, and even epileptic fits), Coumarins & Aldehydes (which can be quite harsh, and posibly cause major irritation to both the skin and mucous membranes)

"Although tolerated in small doses, large doses (I imagine concentration of exposure over time too) are quite toxic...& can cause a wide variety of complaints, including: poor concentration; skin problems, constipation & bloating   Phenol and its vapour are also corrosive to the eyes, the skin, and the respiratory tract.  Repeated or prolonged skin contact with phenol may cause dermatitis, or even second and third-degree burns due to phenol’s caustic and defatting properties.  

Inhalation of phenol vapor may also cause lung edema.  The substance may cause harmful effects on the central nervous system and heart, resulting in dysrhythmia, seizures, and coma.  The kidneys may be affected as well. Exposure may result in death and the effects may be delayed. Long-term or repeated exposure of the substance may have harmful effects on the liver and kidneys.â€�  Eeek

Phenol is also the toxic agent in poison ivy and poison oak & is found in thyme oil which is used to produce menthol... Just remembered - someone broke a bottle of menthol & camphor herbal cough medicine on the floor near me & the computer & never bothered to clean it up properly!!!
NB Included in a long list of, hazardous essential oils is: Camphor (Cinnamomum camphora)??!! Cinnamic Acid (a phenol) is also found in approximately 22 foods, especially fruits, cheese, lettuce, and tomatoes… Symptoms include common dermatological problems including acne... Sheesh??!!  
http://www.allergy-details.com/chemical-sensitivity/phenol/ http://www.desbio.com/phenolics-intro.html

Maybe try Prada Infusion D'Iris, a line called "Clean" or Jo Malone:

http://www.jomalone.com/home.tmpl?ngextredir=1

The Clean fragrances are very reasonably priced:

http://www.sephora.com/browse/product.jhtml?id=P42083

Cheers... I'm not really looking to replace them, more was researching for curiosity & satisfaction... to get some answers (which I have found) but thanks