Canadian

Patch Testing Herbal Sprays

Sensitivity to a perfume, cream or lotion is usually the first indicator of an allergy to fragrance. Patch testing using fragrance mix and Balsam of Peru detects approximately 75% of fragrance allergy cases. A positive patch to fragrance mix indicates that you are allergic to one or more fragrance chemicals. An estimated 1-2% of the general population is allergic to fragrance. (many of the essential oils used in our sprays are considered to be 'fragrance chemicals'). This is one of the reasons why essential oils are not recommended for pregnant women, as having an allergic reaction during pregnancy is to be avoided.

Self-testing a product for fragrance allergy is possible but should be done after first talking with your doctor. This should be done only with products that are designed to stay on the skin such as our sprays. Apply a small amount (50 cent sized area) of the product to a small tender area of skin such as the bend of your arm or neck for several days in a row. Examine the area each day and if no reaction occurs, it is unlikely you are allergic to it.

If you do experience any irritation, wash the affected area with milk or cream (the milk fat emulsifies the EO's), or soap and water, and discontinue use.

You don't have to be a child to have a first bout of red, itchy skin. Half of new allergies happen in adults, most often in their early 40s.

Seemingly out-of-the-blue allergic reactions could be new flares of old allergies. Childhood allergies sometimes fade and then return years later. Or you may have always had an allergy that wasn't diagnosed before. The symptoms may seem new because:

You're exposed to the allergen more now than you were as a child.

Your immune system became more sensitive to the allergen, so symptoms that were once mild are now strong.