Family is essential to my life, and prepping for Thanksgiving is an integral part of our year. I am taking a moment to rest and be genuinely thankful for our blessings this year. When struggling with any health issue like a flower allergy, taking the time to rest in gratitude and blessings is an imporant step of healing and enjoying life!
As I prepare the house to welcome my oldest home from college, I wanted to share a unique wreath I bought this year. It fits in perfectly with my avoidance lifestyle to help my flower allergy and primarily my fragrance allergies. The symptoms of flower allergy I generally experience is a rash on my neck and face and even an itch up the back of my neck.
I wrote a few months back about my flower allergy and how it can sometimes make decorating my house challenging. Using artificial flowers to keep my fragrance allergies from flaring is an avoidance strategy. Avoidance strategies can significantly help you avoid your contact dermatitis allergens. I have artificial flowers in many rooms in my house.
The Thanksgiving holiday wreath I chose is made from high-end artificial flowers. I think it creates a warm welcome at my front door. This Etsy shop owner offers a service to apply a UV protectant coating to keep the wreath from fading over time. I was happy to let them take care of this step since using these types of sprays is sure to make me react. I’m happy to report the wreath arrived virtually odor free! If you struggle with fragrance allergies, you know how important that can be. Win-Win!
Earlier this fall, I added this double rug from Target and I think it pulled the front door entrance together.
The Chemistry behind aroma and it’s connection to flower allergy
The chemistry behind a flower’s aroma and why it can cause a flower allergy is incredibly complex. The aroma of any one flower is never the result of a single chemical constitutient. It’s this combination that makes it hard to know exactly what is causing your flower allergy. If you’ve been diagnosed with a particular allergic contact dermatitis allergy, using this small graph may give you a glimpse into what flowers you may specifically want to avoid.
Linalool Allergy
Roses and Hyacinths are a problem if you have a Linalool Allergy. Knowing that these flowers contain Linalool as a portion of their chemical constituent structure is helpful. It would be impossible to list the makeup of every flower as each flower has hundreds of chemical constituents. I also advise against using Essential Oils, as they contain hundreds of chemical constituents and can be a recipe for disaster for someone with fragrance allergies.
Wishing you all the best this holiday season!
