Unscented is not the same thing as fragrance free!

Toxic Fumes - Fragrances can be toxic fumes.
@Kythe42 (1412)
United States
June 11, 2007 8:17am CST
I'm pretty allergic to fragrances, both natural and synthetic. I might react with sneezing, runny nose, and congestion. I could also react more badly with severe headaches and asthma depending on the fragrance. The latter seems to be especially true with the fragrances they put in hairspray. I live with my mother and she insists on using hairspray even though she knows how it effects me. She says that hairspray is the only thing that will get her hair to look the way she wants it. I feel really hurt by this. How can the way her hair looks be more important than my health to her? We did try to compromise. She agreed to only put the hairspray on in a bathroom that I never go in and she switched to unscented hairspray. It's still a problem though, I react if she is in the same room with me if she has put the hairspray on within the past couple of hours. I couldn't figure out why I was reacting to the unscented hairspray. Then I read online that most products that are marked as "unscented" are not fragrance free. They usually have what is called a masking fragrance in them. So I checked the ingredients of my mother's "unscented" hairspray and sure enough fragrance was one of the ingredients. I tried to explain this to her, that she would have to read the labels because "unscented" products can still have fragrances in them. She said that a completely fragrance free hairspray doesn't exist. I know that isn't true though. She might not be able to find it at the local supermarket, and it might cost more, but I know such products do exist and I think that she should be willing to spend the extra money and effort to find products that don't make me sick. I'd find the fragrance free hairspray for her I thought she'd be willing to buy it. I just think she isn't going to get it until she ends up putting me in the hospital. Fragrance fumes can be extremely toxic to me. She knows it give me headaches and makes my asthma act up. I just can't understand why she won't stop using the stuff. I'm so tempted just to take the hairspray bottles and pour them down the drain but I know that will only make things between my mother and I worse.
2 people like this
2 responses
@gberlin (3836)
12 Jun 07
Why don't you buy your mom a can of fragrance-free hairspray. It may be that she just doesn't want to take the time to look for it. If you bought it for her then she would know that it is available and you could tell her where you bought it. But buy the first one for her. I think this may take care of the problem.
1 person likes this
@Kythe42 (1412)
• United States
12 Jun 07
Well I can find it for her and let her know where to buy it, but I can't buy it for her, I really don't have much money and that is why I live with her. The problem is, that anything that is truly fragrance free is most likely going to be more expensive than what she is buying now. I mean she buys a lot of stuff at those dollar stores. I don't blame her for not wanting to spend a lot of money because money is really tight, but the truth of the matter is that all of those cheap personal products usually have perfumes in them. If I ever manage to get a job, perhaps I'll buy some fragrance free hairspray for her then. I'm just not having any luck finding a job. I keep sending my resume out and no one ever calls me back. Hopefully in the next few months I'll either find a real job, or be making a lot more money online.
1 person likes this
@gberlin (3836)
14 Jun 07
Well I do hope you find a job soon. I have been in your same situation of not having a job and I now how stressful that can be. Keep sending out those resumes and good luck with the job hunting.
1 person likes this
@Kythe42 (1412)
• United States
14 Jun 07
I did do some research and found some truly fragrance free hairspray which was specifically designed for people with chemical sensitivities. It was a 6 ounce bottle for about 8 dollars. My mother thinks this is way too expensive since she got her "unscented" hairspray that was a 10 ounce bottle for about 3 dollars. The problem is that her "unscented" product isn't really unscented. I just can't believe that she won't spend a little extra on a product that will be safer for me. I'll go look around at a holistic pharmacy near my house to see if they've got anything cheaper there, but I have a feeling anything I find there will be more expensive than the stuff I found online.
• United States
11 Jun 07
That's terrible that your mom is so vain that she puts her hair over your health. I have experienced that attitude, as well, from other people, but not someone as close to me as my mom. For me, though, unscented products usually don't bother me. I'm allergic to the substance that makes the fragrance fragrant. So, it's usually the oils that make the scent that make me wheeze, itch, or sneeze. I try not to use hair spray because it does smell real strong even after it dries. I use hair gels which have a lot less scent, but you have to be careful as some do have a lot of scent, still.
@Kythe42 (1412)
• United States
11 Jun 07
It really does surprise me that she cares so much about her hair. Other than that, I would not call her a vain person. I mean she never even wears makeup or anything.