Perfume Yes or No?

[Alamogirl]

Oh man, we've smelled it too. Isn't it awful? Nothing like Emeraude or Youth Dew....(anyone remember those lovely scents?) especially after the one who dowsed themself with it, then spen a couple hours in a smoke-filled casino.

 

Blech-:(

I remember Este's Youth Dew.,, everyone in the late 60's when I graduated just HAD to have it, yes even me. They still sell it!!

[melthemadhatter]

No! I have both asthma and allergies and most perfumes make me sick give me a raging headahce and a nasty asthma attack.. I find that if I want to smell nice, I use natural perfumes I can get at health food stores.

 

Polo for men and Avon products really set me off.

 

I also found as I get older the less tolerant I am to scents, whichis no fun because I like them, but they do not like me:(

[AlinaMaria]

My answer: yes, do wear perfume! I rather move away from someone wearing too much perfume than from someone with strong body odor.

 

BO is offensive and disrespectful to humankind. :eek::mad:

 

I do wear different kind of perfumes. I have day and evening fragances; work and going out fragances.;) If anyone ever told me not to wear perfume in a cruise, I will probably stop cruising that one specific line.

 

Like someone already mentioned: too many "do nots" out there, we have enough rules while cruising. Some are great, some are good, and some are totally senseless.

 

If anyone were to complain about my perfumes at dinner, I will just ask to be moved to another table. Same if someone in my table had an adverse reaction to bathing on a daily basis.

[ellecruiser]

Someone mentioned people who seem to take a bath in it, do they not realize it? Ummm nope. You get used to your own perfume and often can't smell it when others still can.

 

I will be taking my perfume with me but I always try to remember how much I need to put on from the first time that I use a new perfume. You really do get used to it and some folk think they need more and more.

 

A woman at my work asked if I had some headache tablets that she could use - she said she had a headache as she had sprayed to much perfume:eek: I was never really aware that perfume could cause such problems before.

[KatieGator]

Yes, I do wear perfume but unless you're within a foot or so of me, you'd never know (as it is supposed to be).

 

My mother always said a lady's perfume should never enter the room before her or linger in the room after she is gone.

[wrp96]

BTW, many people who are allergic to perfumes are allergic only to the newer all natural, organic ones....the ones. Makes sense!

 

 

My mother is the opposite. She is chemically sensitive - so the synthetic perfumes set her off worse than any other items.

 

But, she doesn't ask that scents be banned. She just wishes people were judicious in their usage, especially in tight, closed in spaces.

 

In places that she frequently goes (church, work, etc) she has made people aware of her extreme sensitivity and most people have been doing much better the last few months. The biggest culprit, my sunday school teacher, has even cut back from wearing a full bottle each time, down to half a bottle (not quite that bad, but it seems like it sometimes).

[lives-to-travel-er]

I always wear perfume but just spritz my wrist; you really have to get close to me to invade my space but it is enough for me to smell it.

I make a point of getting a new one for each big trip that I go to because when I smell the scent again, it always brings back associative memories of that particular trip.

[Jane110]

 

My mother is the opposite. She is chemically sensitive - so the synthetic perfumes set her off worse than any other items.

 

 

 

Well, if she's allergic to chemicals, that's a different issue.

 

Most people with allergies - those that are allergic to things like ragweed, plants and go nuts when the pollen count is high, are more typical than chemical based allergies, and are the ones that will have more allergic reactions to scents which are natural, organic, sustainable, or eco-friendly than traditional fragrances.

[Road Pirate]

Personally I like to wear colognes or after shaves. I lean toward the spicy with my new favorite being Bay Rum. I recently bought a sprayer to get a lighter, more even coverage rather than pouring it into my hands and splashing it all over. I'm sure it will be more economical as well, which is good as the nicer Bay rums are not cheap.

 

We guys notice the "bathers" and I have made comments to my fellow males like " ..you spill the after shave on you this morning?" or " hey that's some strong aftershave. Nice, but strong".

 

As to banning colognes or any scents, like those in hair spray or vanilla for instance, or restricting people wearing after shave or cologne to the port side of the open air promenade is unlikely. You would have to forbid eating an orange in public, or add people of certain religions, who do not bath as often as U. S. citizens, to the banned list as well.

 

If people continue to be courteous to there fellow man, and respectful of each others rights, then we can enjoy each others company without snide looks or medical emergencies.

[endosunshine]

I do like to wear perfume, there are only a couple of scents by Chanel that I like. I have a rule - one tiny squirt on my chest and sometimes one tiny one on the small of my back and it MUST be at least one hour prior to leaving the house (room, etc) to give it a chance to dissipate.

I too, hate the people (male or female) that bathe in it!

[DoniaG]

My answer: yes, do wear perfume! I rather move away from someone wearing too much perfume than from someone with strong body odor.

 

BO is offensive and disrespectful to humankind. :eek::mad:

 

I agree that BO is offensive, but it has never made me sick - and perfume definitely has. I'm a reformed smoker, and a small part of why I quit (several years ago) was because it has become perfectly acceptable to say offensive things in offensive ways to the most considerate of smokers that no one would dream of saying to anyone else (including the person next to you who forgot to bathe this morning).

 

I have a long-term friend with whom I travel quite often. Before I quit smoking, she made sure that I never smoked anywhere she could smell it - and I willingly complied. But when I asked her (very nicely) to lighten up on the amount of perfume she was spraying in our cabin or hotel room, she was highly incensed! Go figure. :eek:

 

Donia

[BroncosFan2010]

My dad is also sensitive to perfumes. Most of the time he does not notice if he does not see anyone put anything on. Therefore, we bug him about it being psychosomatic! I realize some people are genuinely sensitive, and some people really do need to learn when to tone it down.

[janabm81]

I only wear perfume during special occasions and even though I consider a cruise a very special occasion I don't bring any. I just figure it's one less thing to pack.:)

[Happy ks]

I'll put on just a touch of cologne in the evening. I put it on the outside of my forearms, though, my skin is too sensitive for fragrance on the inside. I've found a couple that don't make me wheeze and have a sore throat, but I still have to be careful. My husband no longer wears cologne, he'd rather have me close that trying to avoid him ;)

 

Strong cologne is something that I'll get away from if I smell it anywhere, since it makes my throat close up and my eyes water. People who overdo the cologne or perfume don't seem to realize that those of us with severe reaction end up being sickly feeling from it for a day or two afterward. It's just as bad for me as exposure to cigarette smoke.

 

I've moved from seats in a theatre, changed seats with my husband at a dinner table (discreetly), pretended to forget something if I enter an elevator with someone smelling of strong fragrance. I walk a wide loop around candle stores and stores like Abercrombie and Fitch, or fragrance departments in stores. The absolute worst for me is aerosol room fresheners....or the soap aisle in the grocery store.

[Happy ks]

I only wear perfume during special occasions and even though I consider a cruise a very special occasion I don't bring any. I just figure it's one less thing to pack.:)

 

 

You know what some do is to visit the fragrance store on their way to dinner on a cruise ship. Just a tiny spritz of a sample will do for the whole evening. Or, sometimes you can find foil samples from magazines or at the fragrance counters of department stores.

[endosunshine]

 

The laundry soap isle gives me an instant migraine!!:( When I must purchase something there, I take a deep breath at the end of the isle, hold my breath the whole time that I get the product and walk back to my cart.

[Happy ks]

My very sweet husband shops for our laundry soap, sin ce he knows how I react :) We do purchase the unscented type, along with fabric softener that is unscented. (or should I say, fragrance free?)

 

I kind of find it odd that people don't mind so many products that are scented. Soap, body lotion, facial creams, shampoos, hair sprays, etc.... and then want to wear perfume on top of that??? Over the years I've found products by trial and error with the least amount of fragrance in them.

[endosunshine]

Maybe that is why some people seem to smell horrible (not as in BO), it is all those competing products (hairspray, lotion, perfume) clashing with one another.:p

[DollyJ]

Scented things make me sick (migraine, burning eyes, nose & throat), and my mother as well (more of a classic allergic reaction, sneezing, runny nose, that lasts for several days). People generally don't listen when we try to explain this, and I don't mean just strangers but other family members too.

 

If someone was allergic to a cat, would you just pooh-pooh it and set your cat down next to them? If they told you they were allergic to peanuts, would you fix them a PB&J sandwich for dinner? Then why, when someone tells you they're allergic to perfume, scented candles, etc. - why would you just blow it off and continue to indulge your desire to smell?

 

Being anti-cigarette is very PC, but even when it's a legitimate health issue, people tend to ignore sensitivity to scent because it infringes on their right to preen.

[LiftLockCouple]

DollyJ and Happy ks: Just found your posts. Couldn't agree more. My DW has the same problem. The issue is gaining more repect though as time moves on. Not sure if it will help us for our July SOS Alaska cruise but we hope so. Of course we will have to watch out at the elevators on formal nights. Canadian / Alaskan fresh air and flonase will have to be our best assests. You do get good a spotting the offenders from a distance though. Lots of face paint usually means lots of bathtub fragrance......or is it a bathtub of fragrance.....

[Gator83]

Scented things make me sick (migraine, burning eyes, nose & throat), and my mother as well (more of a classic allergic reaction, sneezing, runny nose, that lasts for several days). People generally don't listen when we try to explain this, and I don't mean just strangers but other family members too.

 

If someone was allergic to a cat, would you just pooh-pooh it and set your cat down next to them? If they told you they were allergic to peanuts, would you fix them a PB&J sandwich for dinner? Then why, when someone tells you they're allergic to perfume, scented candles, etc. - why would you just blow it off and continue to indulge your desire to smell?

 

Being anti-cigarette is very PC, but even when it's a legitimate health issue, people tend to ignore sensitivity to scent because it infringes on their right to preen.

 

The reason people pooh-pooh it and don't take it seriously is because they are self-centered and rude. I personally wish life could be free of fragrances and scents but unfortunately it cannot. It is a huge health issue to a lot of people.

[mistyflannigan]

I have given up wearing perfume after I suffered a serious asthma attack in a grocery store. A female shopper doused herself in strong perfume and I could feel my airways constrict. I moved away from her as quickly as I could and tried to check out. She got behind me in the checkout lane. The added problem here was my son had taken my inhaler out of my purse because he let his run out, so I was stuck without medicine. I was on the verge of calling the paramedics but managed to crawl to my car where I had another inhaler...

[Gathina]

Controversial issue.

 

I love to wear exquisite perfume..not the cheap stuff.I wear "just enough" , not too much.

 

If I know that someone has some type of reaction and I am headed to a function with that person, of course I am going to be mindful and not wear it.

 

But for everyday life, I can't control who in society has a problem with perfumes or allergies and it's impossible for me to know ahead of time if the clerk at Publix or the woman in the taxi has allergy issues.

 

So I am not convinced I need to give up something that brings pleasure to me, "just in case" I run into someone on the street I don't know that may have an allergy to perfume or a reaction. It's unreasonable, IMO for those people to expect people like me to not wear perfume or something scented.

[Andee]

My guess is that the people who others think "bathe" in perfume don't realize how strongly they smell.

 

I got out of the habit of wearing perfume when I worked in hospitals because I figured that people who weren't feeling well might not enjoy any additional scents.

 

Now I occasionally wear perfume--just one very small spritz on the back of my neck, and not when I know I'm going to be in close quarters with a group of people--like in a theater or on an airplane.

[Happy ks]

Controversial issue.

 

I love to wear exquisite perfume..not the cheap stuff.I wear "just enough" , not too much.

 

If I know that someone has some type of reaction and I am headed to a function with that person, of course I am going to be mindful and not wear it.

 

But for everyday life, I can't control who in society has a problem with perfumes or allergies and it's impossible for me to know ahead of time if the clerk at Publix or the woman in the taxi has allergy issues.

 

So I am not convinced I need to give up something that brings pleasure to me, "just in case" I run into someone on the street I don't know that may have an allergy to perfume or a reaction. It's unreasonable, IMO for those people to expect people like me to not wear perfume or something scented.

 

 

I have to agree with you up to a point. For those people who know how to apply fragrance lightly most of us have no problem with that. But, when people spray so much or continue to reapply over the course of the day or evening because they cannot smell it...that's where the problem occurs.

 

I have a relative who was asked to not wear cologne at work. She was deeply offended even after I told her what my reaction to cologne is and there are probably people in her office whom are sensitive. She did admit to reapplying several times a day at her desk, since she could no longer smell it herself she thought the smell was gone. I think there are a lot of people who erroneously think this. After a few minutes, you should not be able to easily smell your own cologne. The problem must have been severe as she was told to not wear cologne at all in the office and was told by the owner of the company. Knowing her, it had probably been hinted at and you have to be very direct with this person for her to "get" it.

 

Just as we ask others around us how we look when going out, perhaps it would be a good idea to ask if we have applied too much fragrance as well.

 

Yes, we don't really have the right to ask others not to wear fragrance at all, but I'd not want to be the one to make others sick just because I think I smell good. Those of you who have no reaction to scent are very lucky. For those of us who react to strong scent (it could not possibly be psycosomatic (sp) since I have no idea who is wearing the fragrance or see them put it on) it's a full day at least of a sore throat, watery eyes, runny nose. If I get the fragrance anywhere near my face or chest area, I look like I have a severe rash. That has happened to me before when hugged or kissed on the cheek by a man wearing aftershave, I get a big welt on my face.