Wearing Cologne/Perfume at the gym
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So, this is going to make me seem like an idiot, but here's something I did to the entire weight room in an attempt to be helpful... without using my brain first.
I soak paper towels in straight Peppermint Oil at home for cleaning and to freshen the house, so I thought "Oh, I'll just take these to the gym to save them the cleaner/paper towels while having my convenient baggie of towels on me."
After I wiped about 4 weight machines, it finally sunk in that not only had I created an eye-burning, sinus-clearing situation.... but that it could rub off on people's workout clothes. An then the realization of allergic people kicked in, too. I totally panicked, put my baggie away in shame, and proceeded to try to go re-clean every Peppermint Laden machine with the appropriate cleaner. Omg it was horrifying.
I swear I'm not a stupid person, but this was truly an act of intended-helpfulness gone horribly, horribly wrong. I still have no idea if anyone knows what I did. I nearly died of embarrassment and am still embarrassed typing it now.
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Oh God... Axe Body Spray. Just no. My son innocently asked for it once and I had no idea how bad it smelled. So I put a mini in his Christmas stocking. Well... he literally sprayed the entire can on everything he could find in his room. It took weeks for any of us to be able to smell again. Needless to say, Axe is banned in our house now.4
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Straight peppermint might not be obnoxious. It is not necessarily the smells themselves that bother me but the "carriers" in the mix with the smell that bothers me
At home all my personal products are scent free -- deodorant, shampoo, even dish soap and laundry soap. I wish people who wear those perfumes and colognes would have some consideration for those of us that cannot be near them.
If someone is wearing something awful, I have to leave the room or go home.
Thankfully, my gym folks are not as bad as those described up thread.
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It's o.k. to smell after/while working out. Shower afterwards. No big deal.
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quiksylver296 wrote: »PaulaWallaDingDong wrote: »quiksylver296 wrote: »sunsweet77 wrote: »No fragrance and please be clean before you go
. I can't stand smelling someone's dinner, perfume or un-showered body or after work all day smell....sweat just makes it worse. Those sprays don't mask anything either.
Sorry, I'm not showering between work and the gym.
I don't even really see the big deal of someone smelling like BO at the gym. Smells like work to me. Definitely more tolerable than some rank-*kitten* perfume.
I work in an employee fitness center for a company of 5,000+. We have many departments where people handle trash, cook, landscape, fix cars, pump gas, work around smokers. I'd much rather smell them and their occupations, personally.
I agree, within reason. There is "I've been killing it at the gym just now" BO, and there is "I haven't showered in three weeks" BO. The first is totally acceptable, IMO>
There's also the "I haven't washed my workout clothes all week" smell. It's not technically BO, but it'll make me gag and run away!4 -
WendyLeigh1119 wrote: »So, this is going to make me seem like an idiot, but here's something I did to the entire weight room in an attempt to be helpful... without using my brain first.
I soak paper towels in straight Peppermint Oil at home for cleaning and to freshen the house, so I thought "Oh, I'll just take these to the gym to save them the cleaner/paper towels while having my convenient baggie of towels on me."
After I wiped about 4 weight machines, it finally sunk in that not only had I created an eye-burning, sinus-clearing situation.... but that it could rub off on people's workout clothes. An then the realization of allergic people kicked in, too. I totally panicked, put my baggie away in shame, and proceeded to try to go re-clean every Peppermint Laden machine with the appropriate cleaner. Omg it was horrifying.
I swear I'm not a stupid person, but this was truly an act of intended-helpfulness gone horribly, horribly wrong. I still have no idea if anyone knows what I did. I nearly died of embarrassment and am still embarrassed typing it now.
I love peppermint oil and this makes my skin burn just thinking about it. Did you tell staff?2 -
WendyLeigh1119 wrote: »So, this is going to make me seem like an idiot, but here's something I did to the entire weight room in an attempt to be helpful... without using my brain first.
I soak paper towels in straight Peppermint Oil at home for cleaning and to freshen the house, so I thought "Oh, I'll just take these to the gym to save them the cleaner/paper towels while having my convenient baggie of towels on me."
After I wiped about 4 weight machines, it finally sunk in that not only had I created an eye-burning, sinus-clearing situation.... but that it could rub off on people's workout clothes. An then the realization of allergic people kicked in, too. I totally panicked, put my baggie away in shame, and proceeded to try to go re-clean every Peppermint Laden machine with the appropriate cleaner. Omg it was horrifying.
I swear I'm not a stupid person, but this was truly an act of intended-helpfulness gone horribly, horribly wrong. I still have no idea if anyone knows what I did. I nearly died of embarrassment and am still embarrassed typing it now.
Yeah, you've really got to be careful with essential oils. Not only are allergies and contact dermatitis an issue for many people (and even individuals with non-allergic sensitive skin because essential oils degrade over time causing toxic and irritating compounds) it can make people photosensitive or kill their pets. Cats especially are sensitive to almost all essential oils.
All in all I am super weary about essential oils in general. Im allergic to lavender and had a couple host my boyfriend and I for the weekend. They did the room up real fancy with bottles of water, candles, linens, and unfortunately... sprayed all the bedding and pillows with a boutique lavender "sleep spray".0 -
WendyLeigh1119 wrote: »I've never encountered this at the gym, but if it was some odor controlling body spray and I had to choose between that and BO, I'd definitely choose the body spray (or whatever).
BO doesn't make me nauseated or give me headaches and brain fog. Perfume can.7 -
I think moderation is ok but also need deodorant1
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Deodorant can be pretty bad. An ex coworker and I made a third coworker change brands. We could smell him from across the room and it made us dizzy.
For years, I've asked my OH to use my brand if we're going to be doing anything in close proximity right after he showers. Finally, last time he was at Whole Foods I asked him to pick out some deodorant. It still has artificial fragrance, but doesn't make me dizzy like his original brand.
Tip - take off the cap. If you can smell it from the next room, it's TOO STRONG.2 -
I personally thought everyone looooovvvved when I sprayed myself 40 times right before walking in the door.4
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In a locker room setting, I would very much prefer that everyone just use stick deodorant and no spray deodorants or perfume/cologne. I'm pretty sensitive to a lot of scents and they give me an instant headache and congestion.
If you want to spray yourself down, it would be appreciated if you wait until you get to your car to avoid causing allergic reactions. Everyone likes to smell nice, but you need to be thoughtful about others when you're in a public enclosed space.2 -
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Please please I'm begging no more perfume !!!! I never like the scent and the men seem like they spilled the entire bottle of cologne on their clothes so that the scent wafts behind them for miles. I don't want to workout next to that it makes it hard to breathe.1
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kshama2001 wrote: »WendyLeigh1119 wrote: »I've never encountered this at the gym, but if it was some odor controlling body spray and I had to choose between that and BO, I'd definitely choose the body spray (or whatever).
BO doesn't make me nauseated or give me headaches and brain fog. Perfume can.
try being on the london underground in the summer with a BO armpit near your nose.0 -
Noooo!0
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Therealobi1 wrote: »kshama2001 wrote: »BO doesn't make me nauseated or give me headaches and brain fog. Perfume can.
try being on the london underground in the summer with a BO armpit near your nose.
I have. I can still breathe.
It may be really unpleaant to do so, but nobody's gonna have to call me an ambulance and my life isn't going to flash before my eyes as I'm bent over trying to drag oxygen through almost-closed airways.
The asthmatic's life-threatening trumps your merely unpleasant.6 -
Therealobi1 wrote: »kshama2001 wrote: »WendyLeigh1119 wrote: »I've never encountered this at the gym, but if it was some odor controlling body spray and I had to choose between that and BO, I'd definitely choose the body spray (or whatever).
BO doesn't make me nauseated or give me headaches and brain fog. Perfume can.
try being on the london underground in the summer with a BO armpit near your nose.
Personally, I don't want any of that stuff near me. I don't want strong perfume up my nostrils, I don't want a BO armpit near my nose, and I certainly don't want a combination of BO layered with perfume in there, either. Perfume is a crappy way to cover up BO. It doesn't help matters. It only adds an extra dimension to the funk. It would be nice if people could just utilize a nice, neutral deodorant/antiperspirant sort of product and shower once in a while. That would be so much nicer for everyone.3 -
cheriej2042 wrote: »Please please I'm begging no more perfume !!!! I never like the scent and the men seem like they spilled the entire bottle of cologne on their clothes so that the scent wafts behind them for miles. I don't want to workout next to that it makes it hard to breathe.
Yes, man perfume is mostly terrible. Huge turnoff.1 -
Tough thing for me is to work with elderly females who don't really dress up to come to the gym. And for some reason, it seems like the same perfume with all of them.
I cough a lot when I work with them and if they ask if I'm okay I just say "I believe it's your perfume. I likely have an allergy to it." Lol, many times that line doesn't work.
Have you been tested for asthma? I have a type of asthma that results in horrific coughing attacks rather than the classical wheezing, and it took years to get diagnosed even though the problem was obvious in elementary school (by years I mean I was in my mid-twenties and graduate school).
Your "line" may be quite accurate, if the perfumes are an asthma trigger.
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Therealobi1 wrote: »kshama2001 wrote: »WendyLeigh1119 wrote: »I've never encountered this at the gym, but if it was some odor controlling body spray and I had to choose between that and BO, I'd definitely choose the body spray (or whatever).
BO doesn't make me nauseated or give me headaches and brain fog. Perfume can.
try being on the london underground in the summer with a BO armpit near your nose.
I agree that BO can be pretty disgusting, but not liking a scent or finding it revolting is quite different than having an allergic reaction to it. I have a scent allergy, just like a person can have a peanut allergy. It is not like I don't like the scent and it is making me gag. I get an allergic reaction that can put me in the hospital. I personally do not want to smell someones BO, but it is better than the alternative.
Scent Allergy symptoms:
mild to severe headache
skin irritation, itching, and rashes
sneezing, coughing and runny nose, also called allergic rhinitis
breathing difficulties, dizziness, and fatigue
muscle aches
watery, red, and itchy eyes
wheezing
inability to concentrate
swelling – or angioedema
nausea and vomiting1
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