Scent Crazy

[DavidDetroit]

I was in my house the other day and got hit by an overwhelming cologne/perfume smell. I really thought someone was at my front door. It turns out that it was a neighbor across the street getting into his car.
I just don't like the fake scents but didn't realize, until after reading, that they are not good for people.
My household is as scent-free as you can get.

What is the lay of the land in the UK regarding perfumes/colognes/scents?

From a site called treehugger, 2014:

"Full of toxic petroleum and coal-derived synthetic chemicals, 'fragrance' is a catchall term for whatever secret ingredients manufacturers want to add.

Fragrance is called “the new second-hand smoke.” Like cigarettes, fragrance is harmful to the health of users and bystanders, its toxic effect lingering for hours after initial use. Unfortunately, the level of public awareness about the dangers of fragrance has not yet reached that of smoking, nor have fragrance-free workplaces and public spaces become the norm."

Fragrance, also called parfum, is a key ingredient in perfumes and colognes. It is put in a wide range of products from detergents, soaps, and cleaners to diapers, candles, medications, cosmetics, and sunscreen. While some fragrances are added to give a pleasant aroma, others are used to mask the harsh chemical smells of the other ingredients, so even an ‘unscented’ product contains fragrance in order to create that non-scent."

A study was done in 2009 by the University of Maryland: http://www.national-toxic-encephalopathy-foundation.org/fragsmoke.pdf

 

[simon12]

I had to answer no as I never thought about it. These days it seems everything is bad for you.

 

[Chippy_Tea]

I voted no, these days a squirt of deodorant is all i use but back in the day when Barry Sheene was winning everything it was a different story.
(the last bit was a joke)

 

[BeerCat]

Plenty of women walking around that smell like air fresheners. Not my cup of tea.

 

[Chippy_Tea]

I had to answer no as I never thought about it. These days it seems everything is bad for you.

It does seem its going that way -

Drinking alcohol or sugary drinks is bad for us.
Eating meat or processed food is bad for us.
And now having a wash or putting some smelly on is bad for us.

I have just read an article saying avoid negative people for a better life (i kid you not) if we all followed the rules above how would we find any positive people to make our lives better?


Purge negative people from your life. Positive mental health is part of a healthy life. You don’t need toxic people in your life. If you feel that a friend is overly critical or negative, let him/her go. Check out:
Purge negativity from yourself. You don’t need negativity from yourself either. Listen to the thoughts that come up and get rid of your negative thoughts. One great way to remove your negativity is to brain dump when you feel frustrated. I do this with my clients, where I ask them to write out their deepest thoughts so that we can address them. Don’t keep these thoughts pent up inside you — it’s not healthy.
https://personalexcellence.co/blog/healthy-living/

 

[dad_of_jon]

perfume or not some people smell better than others. I always try to avoid bad smelling DRAINS and seek out nice smelling RADIATORS

 

[DavidDetroit]

I thought I had allergies through my teens. Took a whole bunch of allergy medication. The actual cause of the "allergies" was that in the warmer months, the fragrance trapped in my shirts through laundering would be released more readily and cause my eyes to water and nose to run.

 

[DavidDetroit]

Purge negative people from your life.

It is very easy for me to believe. I've been doing that for decades. I agree with getting rid of critical, controlling, belittling individuals from one's life and that it is very important. I mean, some we may be stuck with by can reduce the contact considerably, but who needs negative people around? What purpose do they serve? None, obviously.
As far as inner thoughts, it's good advice but tough to put into practice.

 

[DavidDetroit]

perfume or not some people smell better than others. I always try to avoid bad smelling DRAINS and seek out nice smelling RADIATORS

It's that way with babies. Cats have the market cornered though since they are odorless. They do create odor but have the courtesy to bury it.

 

[DavidDetroit]

Plenty of women walking around that smell like air fresheners. Not my cup of tea.

Do you have RAID in the UK? I don't feel like Googling. It's a bug killer. I swear, on occasion, some women smell like RAID. I am truly puzzled as to why anyone thinks that's appealing.
And then there's air fresheners....
Essences are the way to go. They are just more expensive.

 

[Clint]

You've hit the nail on the head there. .some perfumes are rancid...fly killer!! How can anyone think that smells nice?
Thinking about it,it's probably because it's promoted by someone who has lips like a trout,an orange face and a huge ****...

 

[MmmBeer]

I used to work with someone who avoided man-made fragrances, and he stank! Once when moving offices, someone hid a plug-in air freshener behind his desk, hoping to moderate his aroma, unfortunately within a couple of hours, it had been discovered and binned.

Some years ago I visited a perfume factory in Grasse, southern France, where most of the best known perfumes, colognes and aftershaves are made. All of the aromatic oils used to blend together to create each fragrance were natural, made from petals, leaves, fruit, musk etc. Couldn't comment about cheapo air freshener, but quality scents are natural.

 

[DavidDetroit]

Ugh! Sounds like he also avoided showering or had a medical problem.

Yeah, the ones extracted from plants/flowers are great and pleasant to be around.

Family thinks I'm weird about the fragrance thing and being too sensitive. Whenever we have house guests, I just put up with it.

 

[DavidDetroit]

I went around and checked. We have one scented item in the house: Oxyclean. I use it for getting the odd grimy bottle clean.

 

[Clint]

I buy the pure unscented oxi..
I'm very sensitive to some smells...I really can't wear aftershave at all..of any kind.

 

[BeerCat]

I have not used deodorant for years but thankfully I don't stink. Still I don't even use shaving foam, I get the hair clippers out every few

Do you have RAID in the UK? I don't feel like Googling. It's a bug killer. I swear, on occasion, some women smell like RAID. I am truly puzzled as to why anyone thinks that's appealing.
And then there's air fresheners....
Essences are the way to go. They are just more expensive.

Not sure, I had no idea people still used bug spray. Mrs found some under the sink and sprayed some ants. I couldn't believe the smell so her friend told her to use flour. Worked a treat.
i swear some women are surrounded by a ten foot chemical cloud. Perhaps it's to keep men away.

 

[Rodcx500z]

You've hit the nail on the head there. .some perfumes are rancid...fly killer!! How can anyone think that smells nice?
Thinking about it,it's probably because it's promoted by someone who has lips like a trout,an orange face and a huge a**e...

You have a way with words Clint, love it

 

[DavidDetroit]

I buy the pure unscented oxi..
I'm very sensitive to some smells...I really can't wear aftershave at all..of any kind.

I will next time and I'm on the fence about tossing it. The smell from using it is annoying but I can get rid of it before bottling. We used to use Scrubbing Bubbles. Granted, it always had a scent but it would fade after a half hour. The maker wrecked that--harsh perfumes added that last two days or more.

The less man made scents we used, the more annoying they became when we smelled them. We became really aware of all of it. I would never go down the laundry aisle in the grocery store but there is unscented stuff we need--which gets scent all over it from the other stuff. Dryer sheets are a good example. The scent gets through the cardboard and "scents" the unscented product!
Health food stores/vitamin stores are a good option for us.

 

[DavidDetroit]

I have not used deodorant for years but thankfully I don't stink. Still I don't even use shaving foam, I get the hair clippers out every few
Not sure, I had no idea people still used bug spray. Mrs found some under the sink and sprayed some ants. I couldn't believe the smell so her friend told her to use flour. Worked a treat.
i swear some women are surrounded by a ten foot chemical cloud. Perhaps it's to keep men away.

It still packs the shelves in the US. We definitely don't use bug spray in our house but when I was a kid I'd watch one of the older siblings or a parent track down a single fly with a five or ten second spray of RAID. I thought, even as a kid, "That stuff kills flies. Why would that chemical be okay for a person to breath in."
We use diatomaceous earth. Probably does the same thing.

Or the Bugzooka. It gives the occasional intruder a chance instead of just snuffing it out with a tissue. I release them outside. Sometimes though, they don't fare too well from the 0-60mph ride into the container.

 

[Leon103]

Seems like most on here would rather smell than use deodorant