There must have been a musk in that curl spray

[cimorene]

Like oud or something. Not patchouli anyway. Because after shampooing it three times the night before last, I could still smell that on it yesterday every time it got in my face (the physically irritating part of the smell did wash out, but I personally dislike musks and think they're gross even when they don't make me sneeze). I can still smell it today too, but my hair is dry, and I don't want to shampoo it again yet.

So I guess this is no longer directly related to allergies, but I don't have a haircare tag or an "I fucking hate perfume flames on the side of my face" tag.

Comments

[lilysea]

Ugh.

I wish perfumed products weren't so common

and that fragrance free products were the norm

[cimorene]

Yeah. I just have so much trouble with hair frizz and there are so few unscented products that I decided to try to find a scented one that would work for me. But in this case, I smelled it first before applying it to my hair and thought it was ok because it didn't make my nose itch... but then after a day it was irritating me anyway. I might have to give up and only buy unscented products apart from the products I already am familiar with.

[lilysea]

I have reached the point that I am washing my hair with fragrance-free bar soap (designed for washing hands/bodies)

because I haven't found a shampoo that doesn't irritate my skin

[cimorene]

Oh man. That sounds like a very uncomfortable and potentially expensive problem.

[lilysea]

I think the bar soap is actually cheaper than shampoo would be?

but I certainly tried out and discarded a lot of expensive fragrance free shampoos along the way before I gave up

[cimorene]

Yeah, it was the testing phase that I was thinking about. With skin irritation there's no way you can find out in the store, even if there's local availability.

[twistedchick]

I have been washing my hair with baking soda (rubbed in, rinsed out with water) and following with a rinse of 1 qt water and 2 tbs rosemary vinegar to reset the scalp's acid balance, for years because of sensitivity to shampoos. I learned this from one of my aunts, who had gone through treatment for breast cancer and had her hair fall out and come back in baby soft. This was the only thing that worked for her. And now as I am older, and my once heavy hair is finer, it works for me.

I suspect the addition to your shampoo may be argan oil. I avoid it also.