I bought new liquid hand soap and can't get the scent to rinse off no matter how long I rub my hands under the water. And then my hands itch. I am using bar soap until I can find something that works.

Scents normally do bother me, and I sniffed this stuff before I bought it and though it was fine. But, no.

I am pretty sensitive to scent and use bar soap exclusively. (it's funny when my grandson's friends visit and they can't find the soap in the bathroom because they only know the pump kind). It's really hard when I'm at someone's home and their powder room liquid soap is a scent that affects me and I can't get it off my hands. I've taken to going to the kitchen and using liquid dish soap (which usually isn't so scented) to try to get rid of the scent.

A couple of weeks ago I had house guests who use laundry soap that has that ubiquitous scent that I smell on EVERYONE these days, in elevators, in crowds, etc. I don't know what it is - it's the scent you smell in the laundry soap aisle at Costco and elsewhere. It was so hard because I could barely breathe in my own house; touring with them in the car was almost unbearable. luckily it was cooler here than they expected and they had to buy some new clothes, so I got a small break. I couldn't even go into my guest room for a week after they left, because I had to air it out. I don't get why people don't just buy unscented everything.

After people raving about it here, I bought CeraVe. It took me a couple of days to figure out that I wasn't smelling cigarette smoke everywhere, it was the CeraVe on ME. Scents react differently on different skins. I can't smell it in the bottle, but when I put it on I felt like an ashtray!

Olychick,

Welcome to my world!!! I can't go down the laundry detergent aisle at most grocery stores. A good handsoap that I use is Dr. Bronners. I don't love the castille soap but the Shikakia is great. Method also has a hand soap that is unscented but you have to buy it online. I do find that it can be a little drying. My current favorite for body and hands is the Jason Gluten Free Body Wash.

It is increasingly difficult to avoid scents. Detergents, dish soaps, shampoo, conditioner, hair spray and event tissues now have scents embedded. Most people can't smell scents anymore unless they are very strong.

I have a belief that about 10years ago, the ingredients being used in perfumes were modified to be stronger. I have a bottle of perfume that is 12years old and the current version of the perfume is so strong, I can't even keep it in the house (someone gave me a gift).

I have a list of products that work for my needs and are unscented. They tend to be more expensive than the average supermarket find but I can't handle a 7 day migraine when I can avoid it.

Good luck!

Subway's "fresh baked bread: smell wafts out their open door presumably to attract customers. It has the opposite effect on me and I have to hold my breath and rush past it. Fortunately, many have closed in my area.

I recently went to Bed, Bath & Beyond and couldn't smell a darn thing after the first two testers I sniffed. Everything after that had the same plastic/chemical scent to it. It was really odd, as I used to love going there and testing the scents.

Kirkland's is overpowering with scent - at least the two stores I've been in. It hits me even before I open the door and walk in, and stays on my clothes for hours after I've been there. I can't imagine having to work there. It's migraine-inducing.

I was in a local candle store a while back and it was just as bad as a Bath and Body Works. I can't imagine working in a place like that all day. It made me very sad to see a kitty inside. I don't know if the people take him home at night or he lives there. I couldn't bring myself to ask. I just told myself maybe him being there was better than his before in life. He looked happy, but that can't be good for an animal either.

Kirkland's gags me too. And Yankee.

While I've learned to really like dry shampoo for how it works on my second day hair, I can't deal with the smell anymore. Doesn't seem to matter the brand. It just stays up in my nose and I can smell and almost taste the stuff all day.

A lot of odors don't bother me and some I actually enjoy. But Yankee candle is one place I can't go in. I also can't deal with avon products because they are so strongly scented that it even wakes me up at night.

Gives a whole new insidious meaning to, "Avon calling!" ;-)

Gah, scents! Blech. They don't cause me problems like migraines, but I just don't like them. It's taken me ages to find deodorant that is unscented. I don't WANT to smell like waterfall mist mango kiwi pine rainfall all day. And especially if I've burned my mouth, I taste most scents and odors. I go through a lot of Tic Tacs!

We use all unscented products. I can't go into places like Bath & Body shops. I have had to leave places because of someone's perfume.

The worst is Hollister and Abercrombie and Fitch, those two "teen" clothing stores. They both waft scents into the mall and I always have to hold by breath when walking by. In one mall I know, the two stores are across from each other. It is just awful!

It's good to know I'm not the only one (misery loves company). My sensitivity tends to get worse when I'm fighting off a virus--I can always tell when I'm getting sick, because up until I actually get stuffed up, I can smell EVERYTHING. I know that 50% of my coworkers didn't spontaneously one day start wearing cologne, it's just that suddenly my sense of smell is haywire.

Depending on the scent, I either get lightheaded and can't concentrate, get wheezy (asthma), or I find myself repeatedly clearing my throat to clear mucus. Blech.

I don't go in stores like Bath and Body Works, I avoid the perfume department in department stores, I buy natural bar soaps (like oatmeal soap), free and clear laundry detergent, and NO fabric softener. Shampoos haven't been a problem because they seem to rinse off cleanly. I don't use conditioner. Incense is awful.

I'm often astonished be how far away I can smell some people's perfume. I recall one woman who I could smell from 1/2 a block away. Unbelievable.

I usually wear Bobbi Brown blush but left mine behind when traveling. There's no BB counter near me and I hadn't gotten around to ordering a replacement. Since I was shopping near the mall today I stopped by the Chanel counter to see if I might try one of theirs this time.

The SA swirled a shade of powder blush on my cheeks and then said to smell the compact she'd used. She said their formula contained rose water. I definitely smelled it. In fact, I smelled it on my face for the next few hours.

I am not generally sensitive to scents. This wasn't a bad smell, but I'd prefer not having any lingering scent in my makeup.

I did buy the blush, but seeing this thread I'm thinking of returning it before I open the package...

ETA My point in writing was because the scent was an important point in her pitch. It must be a draw for many. Apparently a lot of people enjoy scented products.

I got a catalog in the mail today, and had to immediately get it out of my house because it had those perfumed cards in it.

DD wanted a large piece of art for Christmas last year, and it was at Kirkland's. I had never been in one before. I ordered it online and picked it up in the store. It took forever for someone to help me and retrieve it from the back, and I thought I was going to be sick from the smell in there. Never again. I can't go in places like Bath and Body Works.

I received a candle as a gift last night, and it is so strong and literally sickening. Trying to figure that one out because the person who gave it to me will probably wonder where it is next time she's over here. It's in glass, so may have to have "accidentally" dropped it.

I don't understand the use of all of these strong scents, especially when it can make people so ill.

There's nothing like going to the auto products aisle to find an air freshener for your car. Tonight I decided to check out Dollar General's offerings. Oh man, now there are some SMELLS.I spent about 15min. trying to pick one out and finally, after nearly getting a headache, chose a pack of Mixed Berry scented clips on thingies you put in your air vent. I had sprayed a little of an aerosol can of "new car" scent to get an idea
of what it smelled like. It followed me all the way to the cash
register. It was horrible.

I used to buy a small bottle of spray air freshener at the car wash that was fairly decent, but they don't sell it anymore.

Yes, Reff31, those teen stores--too much candles or perfume or whatever they're using. I get a headache 30 seconds after entering.

I love all of Dr. Bronners scents, esp. the hemp oil and citrus. I clean with those products and they're all the scent I need. My dog though hates to be bathed at home, and I use Dr. Bronners peppermint when I have to wash her feet after a rainy, muddy walk. Every time I get out the bottle and she catches a whiff, she hides.

I really like the efficacy of the Burts Bees oil wash, but I don't find the smell overpowering at all. The Neutrogena oil cleanser would somehow always get in my mouth and it tasted like gasoline. Burts Bees is set much better in comparison.

Almost everything I have is unscented as chemical perfumes on my body give me a headache. It's more that I can't escape the scent. I wish hair products weren't so scented as they are right near my face.

I generally have a bad sense of smell as a result of allergies that aren't strong enough to really bother me. I prefer not to take medicine if possible and theorize that missing out on the bad smells more than makes up for missing the good. Smells on other people rarely bother me.

Tonight I stopped in at Target on my way home from work. Big mistake. Today is the beginning of Pumpkin Spice Season and the store was overrun with the cloying stench of faux PS. I thought I'd escape it when I got to the checkstand but there I was caught up in the last vestiges of the dreaded "Summer Coconut" scent. I couldn't see where it was coming from, so I assume the checker had a candle or something under the counter.

I'll be PS'd out until mid-November when it starts to compete with the gag-worthy and migraine inducing 'cinnamon spice' scented pinecones that come out for the holidays.

I couldn't even find non-scented cat litter for my poor purr heads. I just don't think they'd appreciate Febreeze or Gain scented litter boxes.

Watch out for products that disguise odors because some of them actually knock out your noses ability to smell temporarily. Some of the air scented products are using these chemicals as well. Some of the lemon scented cleaners are associated with respiratory irritation. If you can avoid synthetic fragrance, it's healthier.

I don't care for the highly scented laundry products either. The aisle has a bad chemical smell. Some people are extremely sensitive to fabric softeners as well. The softeners have a plastic like coating action that's hard to remove from fabrics and dryers.

A natural sachet in the drawer or closet is a nice alternative. Natural scented oils in a diffuser work well too.

I can barely stand the Michael's near us. The fragrance in the store makes me want to put a gas mask on.

I buy unscented laundry detergents and never use fabric softener. I simply see no need for a softener. But on weekends we have that slightly nauseating fabric softener odor wafting over the neighborhood, as people do their laundry. It's just like being near a chemical plant.

No air fresheners or scented candles in our home either. The best remedy for the stale air is throwing the windows open and letting the breeze in. If it's cold, air the room for a short time only - an hour or less. It makes a huge difference.

LanaRoma, you're the first person I've heard complain about the scent in the outside air from people doing their laundry (besides me). I can tell which neighbor is doing laundry by the smell (and I live in the forest, with more than 1/2 acre of land). I sometimes have to close my windows to get away from it. It's really crazy making that I can't be in my own garden because of the chemicals being spewed from a neighbor's house (every week)!

Olychick,

My guess is that many Americans don't notice the fragrances much because they might have been conditioned to them since young age. Unless they have allergies or a heightened sensitivity to smells.

As someone who lived for decades in another country where heavily scented household products were uncommon, I might notice the fragrances more than others. No one would bother to spray fragrances or use air fresheners in stores during the Soviet era either. On the other hand, people used perfumes and eau de cologne way more than Americans do here. But in most cases all it took was to move away from the person.

I'm not familiar with Burt's Bees cleansing oil. The products I have used have all smelled good. I have smelled a couple of cleansers with some type of oils in them go off. One even took on a rancid odor. It happens if the product is old or has been exposed to too much heat. Could that be what you are smelling?

My neighbors use Gain for their laundry. I am not able to sit outside on Sunday afternoons because that is when they do laundry.

Fabric softener is actually an important item for people with allergies. Purchase a natural fabric softener that is unscented. I use Seventh Generation. It allows the final rinsing of detergents from clothes and reduces the residue left behind. It also softens the clothing which for people with sensitive skin prevents the clothes from being scratchy and rubbing their skin.

I'm not a big fan of most scents. Not sensitive or allergic but just don't like them. I tend to find a few I can tolerate and stick with them, for example I always buy the same hand soap and deodorant. I too only use unscented laundry detergent and no fabric softener - - had to break my husband of that habit early on. My pet peeve is the really strong vanilla scented hand soap - - I find that scent really lingers on my hands and I too have going to rewash my hands in the kitchen to get it off. But my auntie said the same thing about my beloved hand wash soap which I thought had a very light and disappearing scent. I do however love laundry day for other people because I do enjoy the scent of fabric softener wafting in the breeze. That, sea salt air, spruce forest and wood smoke are all very evocative for me.

Oh, Neetsie, pumpkin spice season. A former coworker used to get one of those drinks from Starbucks every day in the fall, and her office was next to mine. I would close my door every morning as the smell would gag me.

How about those scented pine cones that many stores have out at Christmas? I have to run past them quickly, to pick up any decorations I need, and rush out before the smell actually makes me sick.

Oh now I like those scented pine cones and branch things the stores carry. I caught a whiff the other day while at the grocery store and it made me happy.

always, there's a store near me that uses pine cones very heavily scented like cinnamon. I love the smell of apple pie with cinnamon baking, but the scent of these cinnamon pine cones is a very strong fake almost chemical scent, that is nothing like the aroma of the real thing, unfortunately!

It's only going to get worse as the holidays approach. The other day I pulled into the parking lot of a local grocery store. It was a nice day and I had my car windows open. There was an overwhelming "aroma" of something cinnamony that I couldn't quite place. It wasn't until I walked up to the front doors that I realized it was those scented pinecones. I can't even imagine what they would be like in your house given that you could smell them across a parking lot. Yikes!

Laughing at myself, I read robo's last line and thought "who uses wood smoke scented fabric softener???" I had to read that twice to get it. More coffee, please!

Scents don't normally bother me too much but I agree that Kirklands is terrible. I've only browsed the store twice since it opened a couple of years ago and both times left almost gagging with burning eyes. Pier One is bad as well--all those scented candles.

The only smells I really get ill from are cheap/bad men's aftershaves. I certainly don't mean this to be an ethnic generalization but we have some Arabic young men students on my campus (we have an exchange program with Saudia Arabia) and they all seem to use this stuff so liberally some teachers can't even be around them without getting ill. We've had to talk to them about it. . .with little success. It appears to be a cultural thing.

Cinnamon brooms. The craft stores will carry them and usually they put them outside as the scent is so strong. Every year I buy one and hang it in my outhouse...the perfect place for something strongly scented...and it's so nice to step in an outhouse and smell cinnamon instead of what one might expect.

I love the fragrance of lavender, so this year, after the flowers died off and the buds started drying, I stripped off a whole bunch and put them in an open dish in my PR. Before guests come, I smash a few with my fingers to release the fragrance. It's really nice.

Re Arabic men, perhaps it's because they're used to 110 degree heat, against which probably no deodorant is effective.

35+ years ago I worked as a drive up teller at a bank. This one fellow sent his wallet in thru the tube and before I even opened it I was overwhelmed by the scent of cologne. I can't remember the name of it-I want to say Aramis-but it was ubiquitous with the Middle Eastern men. I can't imagine how strongly scented that guy was if his wallet reeked of that cologne.

>>Apparently a lot of people enjoy scented products.<<

I'm one of those people and it seems like the older I get the more I love fragrance...on me, in my home and in my car or on others. I've always had a heightened sense of smell but not a SENSITIVITY to aromas. I complimented our waitress' fragrance last night at Outback (hoping she would tell me what it was without having to ask her. She did...Marc Jacob's Dot) I love my Scentsy warmed fragrance wax cubes, perfume is much a staple as mascara and I even wear a fragrance to bed at night. I don't particularly need my laundry detergent to have a scent but I use Persil and as far as I know they don't have an unscented version. It doesn't last long anyway. One day last fall when it was cool outside, I had the windows open and Scentsy Raisin Rum Cookie and Vanillabean Buttercream warming in the warmers. I normally don't do food scents but these were exceptions for cooler weather and the fresh crisp air of fall made the olfactory experience an even better one ;)

Just SHOOT me if I ever lose my sense of smell or become intolerant of scents :(

We are also a fragrance-free household, I particularly dislike the new lingering scented laundry and personal deodorant products. The technology of constant new releases of scent as a desirable feature in these products baffles me. Even after repeated laundering, I can still smell these"fragrance beads" on sheets a guest has used. Walking in the woods, passing by others, the constant smell of Febreze/Tide is always there! I would not be surprised if in the future these enhanced scented products go the way of the antibiotic soaps that are now frowned upon. At least I hope so!

Not only frowned upon, but banned.

http://time.com/4477558/fda-soap-triclosan-triclocarban/

The smell that bothers me is....roasting/grilling meat from restaurants. YUCK, I don't eat red meat and the odor just really is unpleasant to me. I hold my breath when I go by some place and smell that gross burning flesh.

carolv90, the intense smell of Tide and dryer sheets bothers me as well. When I walk my dog, I can often tell who is doing laundry because of the odors wafting from the laundry vents to the street. Gosh, if I can smell it in the middle of the street from your house it is too strong.

Last night it was chilly here with temps in mid-low 60's. Some neighbors lit up their fireplaces to keep warm, as usual.

I went outside and there was the smell of wood smoke mixed with Tide/Febreze chemical aromas. I don't mind the wood smoke smell itself since it's usually light, but the combination of it and synthetic fragrances made me gag.

A while ago I read about light pollution, i.e. excessive nighttime lighting. Is there such a thing as odor/fragrance pollution? I wonder if there's a scale to measure odor intensity?

I agree on those cinnamon scented pinecones. The smell chokes me.

Another scent that I have a problem with is hairspray. I use Paul Mitchell and the scent dissipates. Some hairsprays have a scent that lingers forever. A few months ago I was in my chair yoga class, and the woman in front of me had used a hairspray that stunk up the place.

I don't know why all the laundry and cleaning products are so highly scented. It is hard to find the free and clear among all the scented products. We also don't use dryer sheets either. I will use white vinegar for a rinse if I need it.

I rarely use any type of perfume anymore.

Was visiting my sister this weekend, and she was throwing some things in the wash. Now my clothes are scented. At least most are exercise clothes so they'll get rewashed quickly. At least they were only a few things that got washed.

Update: I rewashed the clothes, and they still have scent!

gsciencechick - my husband works away 10 days at a time, and the facility he lives in provides laundry soap. When he came home I had to rewash all of his clothing, and I could still still smell whatever soap they were providing. He ended up taking some of his own unscented detergent & dryer sheets with him. I use Nellie's All-Natural Washing Soda and LOVE it.

Deodorant is another scented product that I too find intolerable. And it can be hard to find a good unscented antiperspirant.

I'm also a fan of Dr. Bronner's (love the Almond scent), Seventh Generation (fabric softener) and Method (I like the lemon-mint hand soap). Naturally scented products, ie: peppermint, lemon, etc. are much more tolerable for me.

I would think that as fewer and fewer people smoke, scents would get less intense as we can all smell better.

You would think so, wouldn't you Robo..... especially with more awareness re: chemical sensitives and allergies.

A reformed smoker myself, I can now smell cigarette smoke if someone in the car stopped in front of me at a red light is smoking.

gsciencechick,

You may want to use a small amount of ammonia in your wash. It works as a deodorizer. I was on holiday and stayed the night with a friend. I have to tell you when the Bible referred to the Devil, they were talking about Gain and all its associated forms!!! The stuff is brutal. I could not sleep. I was up all night and finally just went and slept at the dining table! I had a migraine for a week. When I came home, I had to rewash every item that was in my luggage because I could smell the Gain everywhere! I take my own towels when I travel because even some hotels are adding scents to their towels.

Good luck!