#scent free

[burrowkit]

Rant-

Why oh why do people wear scented products in public spaces? Most spaces are scent free!

I don’t usually say something cause it’s rude, but like…

My lungs hurt to breathe because of people’s scented products and like… I think it’s more rude to cause someone to be in pain for up to several days because you’re wearing a scented product???

[fatfemmefreaquency]

ever since my migraines have become debilitating enough that I’m bedridden for weeks at a time, i’ve started to feel really strongly about the importance of living scent-free in public spaces.

i understood before that scent-free public spaces are important for accessibility, but now that i’ve had to live with the horrible consequences of people bringing or wearing highly odourous things into spaces like businesses, malls, on buses or into government buildings and places other people have to be at like doctors offices, i can’t say this enough: you need to be mindful that strong smells are debilitating for a huge number of people.

stop wearing strong perfumes and colognes in public. never apply an aerosolized or spray perfume in a public space or bathroom. steer clear of using aerosol sunscreen and hair products in these places too.

stop drinking alcohol in confined public spaces that aren’t bars, pubs or reataruants

(seriously. if you and i are on a crowded bus and you’re drinking hard liquor from a coffee cup i will be stuck in a dark, soundless room for the next three days at a minimum)

be really, really mindful of where you smoke and NEVER smoke in any closed or even semi-closed space. don’t smoke if you live in a non-smoking building. no, not even on the patio.

if you work with strong smelling chemicals, bring a change of clothes with you and switch into it right before you leave work.

these are basic things you can do to be courteous to other people, yes, but they’re essential if you’re using public services because you are actively hurting disabled people like me if you bring these strong, chemical scents into public spaces.

other scent-sensitive people feel free to add scents that debilitate you.

this is an accessibility issue i’ve seen so little acknowledgment of. but for those of us for whom this is a problem, it’s a big one.

live scent free or reduce your scent use and spread in public spaces. it’s about accessibility.

[yournewapartment]

Whenever I smell perfume I get a slight feeling of sickness and a bad headache. I'm the only one from my family with that's reaction, is it normal? Also is there anything I could do about it (except just not using perfume)?

It’s normal! A lot of people are sensitive to perfume or any chemical smells. I’d recommend using unscented products and, if you feel comfortable, letting your close friends and family know that you’re very sensitive to this and it makes you sick! Hopefully they’ll adjust their use of highly scented products!– Mimi

[fatfemmefreaquency]

folks, if a place tells you it’s a scent-free space, it’s pretty damn vital that you do everything in your power to show up scent-free. this means: 

no perfume

no scented hand lotion or sanitizer

no body or hair sprays

no scented dry shampoo

don’t wash with a scented body wash or soap before hand

if your shampoo/ conditioner is scented, make sure your hair is dry

absolutely do not paint your nails right before entering a scent free space.

this is an accessibility issue. if a space says it’s scent-free, then it is likely frequented by people who can have allergic and other adverse reactions to scents. 

honestly, we should be at a point where we’re moving, as a society, towards being scent reduced. so many spaces are inaccessible to people who react to perfumes in products and cleaning supplies, and this is a huge barrier to a lot of us being able to exist in public space. this isn’t meant to shame you for wearing perfume and wanting to smell nice-- i often want to smell nice too! but a lot of us can’t be in the room when you’re wearing perfume, and it’s important to be conscious of the public space you take up, especially when that space is somewhere that provides important services, like a doctors office. 

[devotedlyscreechingllama]

If I can smell your perfume in the elevator after you've gotten off, you are wearing too much.

[thestarfishdancer]

Dear Jerk,

Look, if you want to tan and straighten your hair and wear a full face of makeup with a perfectly chosen outfit to the gym, good on you, do you, I am not going to care, I am going to focus on my own workout and whatnot. HOWEVER, the PERFUME? The one that I was forced to inhale every time you shifted on the stairclimber because it was so strong and overpowering? The one that make me cut my workout short and triggered what is now a three day headache?  That I am judging you for.  That has earned you my derision and enmity.  Even if there wasn’t a scent policy at the gym - which I’m pretty sure there is - you can’t be that unaware about how much you were wearing.  I despise you, Perfume Jerk, and if the muscle relaxants and copious painkillers I am throwing at this today don’t work, you will have earned yourself a nemesis.