Perfume at work?

[fawnmarie]

Fellow nurses, what are your thoughts on wearing perfume to work, and can you suggest a light, classy fragrance that is appropriate for the work setting? I usually wear one spritz of Victor & Rolf Flowerbomb or Guerlain Herba Fresca. I steer clear of anything from Victoria's Secret and any and all celebrity fragrances. Thanks in advance for your suggestions.

[springchick1, ADN, RN]

All right, fair enough, ladies. The last thing I would ever want is to cause a patient to go into anaphylaxis. I do feel that a little bit of fragrance makes me more polished, more finished, and gives me some confidence. As a mental health nurse, I participate in forensic team meetings with clinicians and psychological examiners, so I always want to appear professional. Also, my facility is run by the state, so I like to feel professional and polished when the Commissioner of the Department of Mental Health makes his rounds. I am never heavy-handed with fragrance and I stick to high-end, classy scents (no vampy Victoria's Secret scents.) But perhaps it's time for me to put down the (perfume) bottle. Thank you for your comments.

You can still be professional and polished without perfume. We had a girl who wore really strong perfume. She was asked repeatedly not to wear it because 1) it was against policy and 2)a lot of people (me included) have a reaction to it. She eventually was written up. Check you company's policy and if nothing else, be considerate of those around you who may have a reaction to the perfume.

[2011RN]

Some people are sensitive to fragrances. They should be avoided or seriously under applied for work. Personally strong fragrances trigger migraines for me. The last thing I want to do is work all night with a migraine because someone else wanted to smell good. Save it for personal time please.

[Girlafraid13]

I use coconut oil with a few drops of essential oils. It smells nice and the scent isn't very strong.

[NanaPoo]

I am a school nurse and have one student in my population that scents trigger severe migraines for her. For that reason, I cannot and will not use perfumes or body lotions to work. Nor can her current teacher.

When she moves into the 4th grade I will have to have serious discussions with faculty as teachers on that wing have serious Glade Plug-In obsessions. I have an excessive amount of headache complaints from that wing already and my guess is they're coming from the absurd perfume smell that hits you when you open the door to that hall.

I personally love scents as long as they're not obnoxious and overpowering but understand they can be hurtful to others. My own hubby gets severe headache from the mildest of scents. It's the worst form of contention in our home. EVERYTHING has to be scent-free in our home...laundry detergent, soap, lotion, dishwashing detergent, shampoo, deodorant, ad nauseaum. This came on suddenly about 15 years into our marriage after I had enjoyed years of bubble baths, body washes, and Estee Lauder perfumes. I love smelling nice and now our home smells like nothingness...

[Pepper The Cat, BSN, RN]

I use coconut oil with a few drops of essential oils. It smells nice and the scent isn't very strong.

It is still a scent. And not everyone likes the smell of coconuts.

[Girlafraid13]

It is still a scent. And not everyone likes the smell of coconuts.

Have you ever tried rubbing coconut oil on yourself? It doesn't smell like coconut at all its more like a neutral smell in my opinion. No one's ever told me I smell like coconut. It's like olive oil if you lather in olive oil it doesn't really smell like olives. The essential oils can be overwhelming depending on how much u use. But coconut oil alone is probably less smelly than shampoos, body wash, etc.

[HolyPeas]

No perfume. I even steer clear of heavily scented lotions, washes, and shampoos before shifts. You have to take into consideration that you may be caring for someone in repertory distress or someone who is otherwise affected by fragrance.

[Fruit Sucker]

I like scents from Nature Republic, but I don't wear them to the hospital. How about a nice scented soap? I'm a huge fan of Yardley's Honeysuckle Citrus- it leaves a scent you can smell if you put your nose to the skin, so I can smell it if I want but patients don't have to. I also have a little scent necklace that my mom bought for me- you put a little essential oil in there and you can open and sniff it when you have a moment to give yourself a little aromatherapy boost. I like to keep orange oil in it.

[caroladybelle, BSN, RN]

All right, fair enough, ladies. The last thing I would ever want is to cause a patient to go into anaphylaxis. I do feel that a little bit of fragrance makes me more polished, more finished, and gives me some confidence. As a mental health nurse, I participate in forensic team meetings with clinicians and psychological examiners, so I always want to appear professional. Also, my facility is run by the state, so I like to feel professional and polished when the Commissioner of the Department of Mental Health makes his rounds. I am never heavy-handed with fragrance and I stick to high-end, classy scents (no vampy Victoria's Secret scents.) But perhaps it's time for me to put down the (perfume) bottle. Thank you for your comments.

Professionals in health care should know not to wear perfume. There is nothing professional or polished about being stuck in a meeting, with someone smelling up the place with a scent that one does not like. And no matter how much the wearer loves the scent, I guarantee there will be others that despise it.

[calivianya, BSN, RN]

When I feel like I have to wear perfume, I wear an oil-based one that has very low throw, i.e. I'm the only one who is going to smell it. Most people are not aware that I wear any perfume at all. I can even be hugging my boyfriend and he won't smell it. If other people can smell it, I don't think it's appropriate to wear to work as a nurse.

[RNKPCE]

In general I only want to smell cologne or perfume if I am very close to or hugging somebody. I can't stand to be 10 feet away from someone and smell their perfume. Just yesterday I was at the park and a jogger ran buy with way too much perfume, why do that? No perfume or perfumed lotions at work for me. Scented deodorant only.

[TexMex22]

I couldn't agree more. And it's not just patients to consider. Family members and co-workers need to be considered too. So nurses please skip the perfume, cologne and crazy scented lotions. As a migraine sufferer, I thank you.