Reduce scents as migraine trigger: 4 self-care products

Introduction – to smell or not to smell!

Have you ever run past the perfume counter while pinching your nose shut? I have! Many times. Smells are a known migraine trigger! In my case, there is some serious irony in this. If you asked me as a child what I wanted to be when I grow up, I would have told you without any hesitation that I was going to be a perfumer, making the most sophisticated scents in pretty glass bottles. I used to mix various substances from readily available household items to see if I can derive new and interesting smells. My mother had to periodically throw away some of my experimental potions due to them just going so rancid.

But I didn’t lose the love for beautiful smells and self-care products! However, I had to make some serious adjustments to migraine-proof my self-care product lineup. I love finding subtle, clean, organically derived, and produced products that just make you smile at the first whiff!

One of my biggest passions is to scout the earth for migraine-friendly beauty products that allow women to age gracefully while bringing the simple pleasures of everyday self-care into their life. My blog is about LIVING with migraine and I want to bring the joy of that living to you.

This post will explain why odors can be a migraine trigger and outline common smells that can cause a migraine attack or make an active migraine worse. It will also detail my favorite 5 migraine-friendly self-care products for the body, face, and your home.

Why scents are a migraine trigger?  

According to the American Headache Society, sensitivity to smell, known as osmophobia, is frequently described in 95% of migraine patients and is known to trigger or worsen attacks.

Why are all these scents and chemicals so problematic for migraine sufferers? According to some of the research on this topic, the extra sensitivity to smells is due to increased activation of specific scent and pain receptors in the brain. The areas within the brain that process odors happen to include brain regions that are directly involved in migraine headaches. However, the full mechanism of how smell is linked to migraine is not yet understood.

Other research looked at the olfactory bulb volume measurements of people with and without migraine. The olfactory bulb is where the neurons responsible for smell are located. People with migraine were shown to have, on average, a smaller olfactory bulb than those without migraine. What’s even more interesting is that when they compared people with migraine who had osmophobia with those who didn’t, those with osmophobia had even smaller olfactory bulb volumes.

Specific scents that trigger migraines can vary from person to person, but there are some common culprits that are best to be avoided by everyone. Here is a list of the worst migraine nose offenders:

• Perfumes and colognes
• Fragrances in candles, incense, and air fresheners
• Cleaning products with strong odors
• Fresh paint or paint thinner
• Strongly scented personal care products, such as shampoos, conditioners, and body washes
• Smoke from cigarettes or fires
• Vehicle exhaust fumes
• Chemicals such as solvents, gasoline, and diesel fuel.

While it is certainly impossible to put yourself into a bubble and eliminate all of the bothersome scents and odors, you can greatly minimize their presence in your environment. Here are just a few simple strategies to de-sensitize your home and workplace from heavy smells and chemically heavy odors.

Scents that are a common migraine trigger

Most self-care products sold in stores have a large number of synthetic substances and fragrances that can be a huge migraine trigger. Through the years, I learned to eliminate those from our house and replace them with good quality products that are made from organic, plant-derived ingredients and don’t contain those horrifically smelling synthetic substances.

Here are the most common synthetic substances that are on a migraine trigger list when it comes to self-care products:

• Parabens
• Sulfates
• Mineral oil
• Fragrance, perfume, parfum
• Color

Those substances are problematic for people with migraine because generally speaking they are made to last. Because of that, once they come in contact with our skin and hair, it is hard for our bodies to get rid of them. I remember developing an intense migraine within minutes of me using a new hair spray for a special event. Needless to say, I had to wash my hair ASAP and sadly, I never made it to the event because the synthetic concoction in that product rendered me non-functional. So, it is very important to reduce artificial ingredients as well as fragrances.

I want you to experience the LIVING despise the migraines and will always bring the best solutions forward that I tried on my own skin. Once again, I am not affiliated with any of these brands. Just sharing the tips and wisdom to help anyone who could benefit from a better product.

4 Migraine-friendly face and body care products

I tried to take an inventory of how many self-care and household items with odors we encounter. We encounter between 20 AND 30 PRODUCTS ON THE WEEKLY BASIS.  That is a lot! Between household cleaning items, body and face care, makeup, and laundry detergents, it adds up fast.

Exchanging them may take time, but by changing the 5 products we use the most, you can eliminate nearly 50% of the offenders. And those 5 products can still be fun and pleasurable, even if they are in the migraine-friendly category.

 The items we come in contact with every single day:

1. Body wash
2. Face wash
3. Face moisturizer
4. Hand soap

One of the things that I really wanted to share with my readers is that not all of those products have to be scent-free for them to work for you. Here, I am going to give you some options for scent-free but also for organically-scented products with smells that are specifically beneficial for migraines. I also tried to make sure to give you some budget-conscious options as well as some that are more pampering.

Body wash options

Budget-friendly grocery store option winner is AVEENO SKIN RELIEF UNSCENTED BODY WASH

• It is soft and non-irritating even for the most sensitive skin.
• You can buy it in most grocery stores or pharmacies at around $10-11 dollars.
• Formulated without fragrance, dies, parabens, or soap
• The soothing Prebiotic Tripe Oat Complex is the star ingredient on their list. The oat extract nourishes the skin while the oat oil restores the moisture barrier.

Sometimes your sense of smell is just so overwhelmed and tired from all the odors, too bothered to smell anything. I feel that way especially during and after a multiple-day migraine episode. For those times, I revert to using unscented products to give my nose a sensory break.

This body wash is widely available and will last a long time. Investing in a solid unscented body wash made without harsh chemicals is always a great idea. Taking a shower every day, this small change could eliminate a big chunk of odor exposure quickly.

SWEET SISTERS ALL OVER WASH in forest essence wins the healthy handcrafted self-care category

I was first exposed to this heavenly all-over when we stayed at The Inn at Langley on Whidbey Island, our favorite spot in the Pacific Northwest. As a migraine sufferer, I usually carry all of my self-care products with me in a travel size. After trying their all-over wash as a hand soap, I was sold. It has such a subtle scent and felt completely natural. Not only did it not bother me, but it was also calming and clean at the same time.

That led me to conduct some more research on the Sweet Sisters brand which became one of my favorite brands and is a staple in our household. Even my 9-year-old daughter loves their wash and all of their self-care products.

All the reasons to consider this wash for migraine sufferers:

• All of the products at Sweet Sisters are organic, made from natural sources, and minimally processed. They truly got the craft of creating sensory pleasure with safe and effective hand-stirred ingredients.
• It is a multi-use, 3-in-1 product that can be used as a body wash, shampoo, and hand soap. Just think about how many offensive smells you can eliminate by simply adding this one product
• Since this is a little pricier than your grocery store brand, I buy their larger container of 18.5 oz in a glass bottle and distribute it into smaller pump bottles – 1 for the kitchen hand soap, 1 for the shower, and 1 for the bathroom. It is $52 for 18.5oz and will last our family of 4 about 4-5 months.

On days when you feel particularly drained from migraine symptoms and need to BE in your body, feel the luxurious texture of a lovely self-care product on your skin, use Pelindaba or Sweet Sisters products. They give me a huge break from the battle with pain and nausea.

Face wash

I have super sensitive skin. Any small wrong ingredient and I will have a reaction, migraine or not. On top of that, synthetic smells in most face washes make my migraine symptoms like nausea and pain worse. A product that would actually take off makeup without drying the skin yet not smell like a department store exploded on my face was hard to find. I tried all kinds of brands!

Here were all the issues I encountered:

• Some of them were organic and nicely done, but they would be irritating for the eyes and required a separate makeup remover product.
• Others were effective in removing the makeup, but were harsh and had offensive fragrances added.
• Yet others were gentle like milk cleansers but they would give me raccoon eyes with smeared mascara and leave a residue that made my skin itch. They didn’t have a clean feel after the wash but rather felt like I just tried to wash my face with my facial moisturizing lotion. Yak!

After decades of trying, about two years ago my search was finally over!

The winner of the most gentle, even for eyes makeup category is hands down the SOY FACE WASH from FRESH.

Here is a quick description of this wonderful face wash: “#1 hydrating face wash with soy proteins deeply cleanses pores and removes makeup while maintaining skin’s pH and increasing hydration—even after you rinse. Plus, the non-stripping formula is proven effective on all ages, genders, skin types, and tones.”

I don’t even have a second option here to share with you. Just this one wash.

• So gentle yet it removes all of my makeup, including mascara. No tears! No irritation!
• Very hydrating but without any filmy residue.
• Pricey yet worth every penny at $39 for a full size of 150ml.
• Hardly any smell.  

Face moisturizer

For exact same reasons outlined above, I was also on the search for a product that would hydrate my skin and provide some anti-aging properties but without the synthetic substances and much smell.

HydroPeptide Daily Drench Hydration Booster is my absolute all-time favorite product:

Taking the description straight from the company website: “A one-of-a-kind treatment carefully formulated to deliver a thirst-quenching hit of triple-weight hyaluronic acid for maximum hydration. Our exclusive patented peptide, CellRenew-16, signals your skin to make key elements for a healthy skin barrier. Hydrating peptides boost the skin’s own renewal of hyaluronic acid, resulting in a visible reduction of fine lines and wrinkles.”

Here are my tips for using this product to achieve anti-aging results and give yourself some great self-care during migraine days as well.

• This product has hardly any scent at all and is formulated without parabens, phthalates, or sulfates. Vegan and cruelty-free.
• Because it is so light, you can use this moisturizer even when you have a migraine in progress.
• Store it in the fridge and using it cold will feel amazing when your face is throbbing from migraine pain. It feels light like a soothing gel, gets absorbed quickly by the skin, and has nearly no smell. Migraine-friendly indeed!
• At $79 dollars per tube, the product lasts about 6 months. A pea-sized amount will be enough for the whole face. The company has frequent discount promotions and free shipping.

My skin tone is much more event since I started using it. Some of my lighter wrinkles got smoothed out completely. Not bad for a self-care product that produces results sans all the synthetic stuff.

Hand soap

If you have been to the Bath&Body store, you would know that even passing by the store is an attack on your sensitive senses. My mom loves their pump hand soaps. While they offer a scent for every taste, their synthetic fragrance lingers on hands for hours, after just one hand wash.  

My dear mom reserves a special soap bar that I use when I am at her house. The one she knows won’t trigger a migraine episode in me. That is the beauty of a supporting family. My husband fully embraced the need to eliminate some smells as well. Here are our two go-to hand soaps that won’t break your bank, are migraine-friendly and will work for the whole family.

Dr. Bronner’s Pure Castile Unscented Liquid Baby Soap for a budget-friendly option.

This amazing soap is as versatile as it is good. Made from organic ingredients, it is also multi-purpose.

• No added fragrance. Just look at the simple list of the ingredients: Water, Organic Coconut Oil, Potassium Hydroxide, Organic Palm Kernel Oil, Organic Olive Oil, Organic Hemp Seed Oil, Organic Jojoba Oil, Citric Acid, Tocopherol
• Good for sensitive skin, even for babies (although not tear-free)
• It is concentrated, so a little bit gets the job done
• It is super versatile. You can wash your hands, body, face, hair, and even dishes with it.
• Since it is so versatile, it is also budget-friendly. 32oz bottle costs only $14.44. Can’t get much better than this price-wise.

I used this soap on my daughter when she was little as well as on my face when I ran out of my usual face cleanser. It does not dry the skin.

Pelindaba Lavender Liquid Hand Soap for a more luxurious, migraine-relieving option

Our family discovered this company when visiting some quant shops in Edmonds, WA on a lazy Saturday morning. After we tried just one product which was lavender body oil, we were completely sold. The Pelindaba Lavender Farm is a special place that cares about quality!

This soap is a true gift for anyone who has migraines:

• Pelindaba team does everything “in-house” — from farming to essential oil distillation to product handcrafting and distribution.
• Lavender essential oil is one of the top essential oils used in natural migraine and stress relieving products.
• They use only their own organic lavender raw materials from their own fields on San Juan Island, Washington.
• All products are handcrafted on the farm without the use of any harsh chemical preservatives

Enjoy this soap at home or give it as a gift to your migraine friends! They will love you for it. It is regularly on my Holiday Gift List. There are other products to consider like their tension relief product line featuring a lavender neck pillow and foot soak.

Conclusion

While smells can be a huge issue for migraine sufferers, learning about the most problematic substances and odors will help you to migraine-proof your household and your self-care routine. With implementing correct migraine-friendly products you can enjoy your everyday life and relaxing self-care rituals. I encourage you to try these self-care products and you will eliminate nearly 50% of migraine-triggering substances every week.

I will continue to bring migraine-friendly household cleaning items, makeup, and beauty products as well as migraine-relieving natural self-care solutions in my future posts. Please, share in the comments what great natural products you use! I would love to hear from you!