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Olfactory fatigue

post #1 of 18
10/13/12 at 9:31pm
Thread Starter 
Being new to all of this, I had never heard of OF before.

1) How do you know if it's happening to you?
2) Is there a way to prevent it?
3) Do you guys ever take a few days off wearing ANY frags to give your poor nose a break?

I just have a ton of samples in an effort to find what I want/like, and I usually try about two different ones a day (one in the morning before work, one when I get home for the evening). I don't want to blow through a sample and reject it due to poor projection and life-span if the problem is actually with me.
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post #2 of 18
10/13/12 at 10:30pm
I personally don't experience it but I know many others do.
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post #3 of 18
10/13/12 at 10:59pm
Be careful as OF can lead to a full blown sinus infection or respiratory infection. It has happened before to me. Usually after some seasonal weather change and/or when certain notes start to irritate my throat and nose.
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post #4 of 18
10/13/12 at 11:34pm
I do not wear fragrances every day, which may be why I have been able to avoid it.
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post #5 of 18
10/14/12 at 7:37am
1) you know if don't smell a scent you're wearing but other people do. So you should ask other people what they smell.
2) not sure here, it's a normal phenomenon, but it happens less if you do not exaggerate with spraying and spray away from the nose.

Usually it doesn't take long to reset the nose. If I'm in a store and cannot smell after trying 5 or 6 things, 15 minutes of fresh air usually do the trick.

cacio
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post #6 of 18
10/14/12 at 7:48am
Firstly Olfactory Fatigue cannot lead to any sort of infection; bacteria and viruses cause infection.

Now, OF can happen to everyone, and once again, it depends on the type of fragrance as to how severe it can be. There are several aroma chemicals which seem to block the sent receptors very quickly; iso e Super is one, Methyl Ionone another. One sniff and it's gone. So if your fragrance contains a lot of these, your nose will fatigue very quickly. You get used to any fragrance and it seems to disappear, but to others it is still apparent. Even though you cannot smell the fragrance you are wearing, others can.

One way to prolong your sense of smell is to smell very different types of odour. Something Lemon followed by something woody etc. However, whilst this works o a smelling strip, if you are wearing a fragrance there is not much you can do about it.
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post #7 of 18
10/14/12 at 8:35am
It's definitely been known to happen, though I don't purposefully take days of from wearing fragrances unless I am already sick with a cold or something. As long as you can still smell your frag on your shirt or something, I wouldn't really see a cause for concern. Naturally, some frags are more susceptible (so it seems) to OF, like Aventus for example. Until someone mentioned it on here, I just assumed it didn't last long on me. Turns out it's just one of those frags that your nose gets used to but everyone else can smell it.
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post #8 of 18
10/15/12 at 2:24am
1-when you're supposed to smell it but you can't
2- avoid smelling deeply the area
3- no
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post #9 of 18
10/15/12 at 2:57am
I hadn't experienced anything like it until recently when I blind-smelled Le Labo Oud 27. I just didn't get most of it at all. I have avoided frags all weekend because of that. I'm hoping it is a temporary anosmia from dust allergy or a slight cold.

Is OF a syndrome that lasts, or a temporary fleeting matter?
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post #10 of 18
10/15/12 at 4:24am
I've found that my sensitivity rises and falls. To avoid OF you can avoid most of the top notes. As you "get better" you can smell more of the top notes. Spray on an area you can blow on and then blow it dry while trying not to breathe in too much of the top notes. Some have said to use a blow dryer, so that's an idea too. If you want to study the frag, spray it on paper or cloth and leave it in another room. Then go there every once in a while and see how it's developing that way.
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post #11 of 18
10/15/12 at 6:01am
It does happen to me. Keep a bag or can of roasted beans aside. Snife into the bag or can. This should re-set your nose.
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post #12 of 18
10/15/12 at 11:47am
Just do not keep re-applying. Trust me. You will see people passing out around you.
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post #13 of 18
10/15/12 at 12:43pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by cacio View Post

1) you know if don't smell a scent you're wearing but other people do. So you should ask other people what they smell.
2) not sure here, it's a normal phenomenon, but it happens less if you do not exaggerate with spraying and spray away from the nose.

Usually it doesn't take long to reset the nose. If I'm in a store and cannot smell after trying 5 or 6 things, 15 minutes of fresh air usually do the trick.

cacio

Reasonable response.

I don't think that taking days "off" from wearing fragrance is necessary to prevent OF, but if it makes you feel better, do it. Also, when testing and smelling fragrances, it is important to limit yourself to a small few at a time, because your nose will get tired and your judgment won't be what it should be. It's hard to limit yourself when you go out fragrance shopping, but regular breaks for fresh air help. And you don't need coffee beans; you can smell the sleeve of your coat (a great tip I got from a Chanel SA).

But mainly, enjoy trying and wearing the perfumes and don't stress out about these things.
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post #14 of 18
10/15/12 at 1:01pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bigsly View Post

If you want to study the frag, spray it on paper or cloth and leave it in another room. Then go there every once in a while and see how it's developing that way.


I'd never thought about that. Great idea. That would also help me to avoid putting the occasional nasty sample on my skin too!!

- - - Updated - - -

Quote:
Originally Posted by senore01 View Post

It does happen to me. Keep a bag or can of roasted beans aside. Snife into the bag or can. This should re-set your nose.


Someone posted today that that's a myth. Maybe it is and it's all in my head, but I've done this before and it worked for me.

- - - Updated - - -

Quote:
Originally Posted by psychoskip View Post

Just do not keep re-applying. Trust me. You will see people passing out around you.


I never do that unless I'm testing one at home only and my wife says she can't smell it either.
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post #15 of 18
10/15/12 at 1:30pm
I have experienced it a few times and it's usually with a new frag that I have over applied. It's weird when you cannot smell anything while everyone else can smell you from across the room. And the worse thing you can do which a lot of us fall in the trap of doing is keep on spraying.lol
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post #16 of 18
10/15/12 at 1:33pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kagey View Post

But mainly, enjoy trying and wearing the perfumes and don't stress out about these things.

Good job I didn't do what you say there. I wasn't wearing any when I couldn't smell the sample. I only smelled sweet baby bums and powder when it was a flanking stinker (apparently). With OF, you would not be able to smell what you were wearing and that could be very dangerous and/or interesting.
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post #17 of 18
10/15/12 at 2:29pm
1) How do you know if it's happening to you?

When you can no longer smell your applied fragrance, but others can.


2) Is there a way to prevent it?

Do not spray where the projection of your fragrance will inundate your nose.


3) Do you guys ever take a few days off wearing ANY frags to give your poor nose a break?

Not really, unless I am not going out on a particular day.
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post #18 of 18
10/16/12 at 1:55pm
What I used to think was OF was actually crappy longevity in the particular frag. If I can't smell it, I ask others and they always say they can't either. I rarely take a day off from wearing fragrances...unless I have a cold/sinus infection...Then all frags smell "off" to me and I don't bother with them.
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