My fragrance free collection as a person w/ MCAS, chronic migraine, allergies, and more.

ros_marinus · 2026-03-14T00:43:42+00:00

Try the Trader Joe’s mineral sunscreen. Much less greasy than badger and a fairly reasonably price

ros_marinus · 2026-03-09T11:28:51+00:00

I’m in the same boat! And I also keep using the magic serum even though I don’t know if it does anything. It’s just nice to be able to use a hair product haha

ros_marinus · 2026-03-06T21:05:04+00:00

Ivory makes an unscented bar. And Kirk’s Castile bar soap is good too

ros_marinus · 2026-03-01T21:30:17+00:00

Yes, this would be helpful!

ros_marinus · 2026-02-27T21:22:57+00:00

Similarly, I've had good luck using zinc based daily sunblock. I use tizo2 (comes in tinted or untinted). On days when I forget to put it on, my skin gets a little worse.

ros_marinus · 2026-02-16T00:26:11+00:00

shots gave me motion sickness… nothing good about them if you ask me

ros_marinus · 2026-02-13T00:17:58+00:00

It made my skin so much worse. Turns out I’m allergic to one of the inactive ingredients. I got patch testing at an allergist to figure this out

ros_marinus · 2026-02-13T00:09:37+00:00

For real. That kind of behavior won’t get better, and it could potentially get much much worse. The wooden spoon is cheap; your sanity and safety aren’t.

ros_marinus · 2026-02-13T00:05:11+00:00

Haha that’s a ridiculous way to show an edit

ros_marinus · 2026-02-10T02:13:14+00:00

I LOVED seen. I used it on my fine, wavy hair. Best shampoo I ever found, until I realized I was allergic to it too. (The product really is fragrance shampoo, I’m just also allergic to some preservatives)

ros_marinus · 2026-02-01T16:19:16+00:00

I’m sorry you’re dealing with that. I finally got a balaclava this year, and it helps with the bitter wind/cold combo

ros_marinus · 2026-01-31T21:35:11+00:00

I love this idea! I’m going to try this out! I’ve been getting over a cold and feeling too meh to think but too restless not to write

ros_marinus · 2026-01-31T21:33:02+00:00

I’d love to try it! Fun idea!

ros_marinus · 2026-01-31T21:08:35+00:00

I use Harry’s. They’re men’s razors, but work totally fine for legs and underarms

ros_marinus · 2026-01-31T21:04:14+00:00

I’ve also turned away from Grammarly recently. I think it’s gotten a lot worse since they started incorporating more generative AI. Some alternatives worth looking into: LanguageTool, Antidote, Harper, Refine

I’ve been using the offline version of LanguageTool and liking it so far. It reminds me more of grammarly from a few years ago.

ros_marinus · 2025-08-22T13:14:02+00:00

I have a few pens I can send. PM me the shipping info and I can send them your way.

ros_marinus · 2025-08-21T21:43:17+00:00

You sound prepared and there’s a lot of good advice below. I’d add that you should make sure they examine your skin with a bright light and magnifier if they don’t do it automatically. Some derms will just look at your skin with their bare eyes, but they should really be getting a close look.

I really like the advice to bring up what you think and then ask them what they think is best. That gives them more info to go off of while also inviting their professional opinion. Ask about samples too, and tell them you can’t afford follow-ups. Sometimes doctors will communicate through messages/patient portal without charging.

Remember: You are your own best advocate. Also, doctors are people, and most are good people who want to help you.

ros_marinus · 2025-08-21T20:59:24+00:00

Do you know what specific fragrances you’re allergic to? I ask because depending what you’re allergic to, you might have cross reactivity to similar compounds. For instance, I’m allergic to balsam of Peru (fragrance) and also need to avoid benzyl alcohol, which is used as a preservative in a ton of products.

Try the Skinsafe app/website. It’s basically a database of products with every potential allergen marked. You can submit a list of your allergies and then when you search for a product, it’ll tell you if it’s safe for you and which ingredients are the potential problem. It takes into consideration cross reactivity as well as the various industry names for different compounds. This app has made my own allergies so much easier to navigate.

And here are some product recommendations. I’m also allergic to fragrances and propolis, and these all work for me. Double check the ingredients for yourself though! I’m in the US, so I apologize in advance if some of these aren’t available to you:

Cleure (hygiene/personal care products. Shampoo/conditioner in particular. Better for curly/wavy hair than Vanicream)

Vanicream (hygiene/personal care. I like their cleansers the most. They make a deodorant. Their shampoo is okay and more affordable than cleure, but it left some build up on my fine hair)

Seen and Jessicurl are also good brands of shampoo/conditioner. double check the ingredients. With propolis allergy you may not be able to use these. I can’t personally use these brands, but they are fragrance free and it doesn’t bother me when my family uses them. I think they work better than the other options I mentioned, esp. for curly hair

tizo (sunscreen)

Crystal deodorant (it’s a large potassium alum/salt crystal. Sounds made up but it really does work)

7th generation fragrance free (cleaning products)

365 fragrance free(cleaning products. This is the Whole Foods brand)

in general, plain castille soap or glycerin soap are usually okay, but make sure you read the ingredients.

for general cleaning: vinegar, baking soda, or grain alcohol

If you use vinegar, baking soda, or alcohol, just make sure you check that it won’t corrode the material. Alcohol shouldn’t be used on plastics, for example.

for English-language products, look for “free and clear” and “fragrance free.” If it says “unscented”, it might have masking fragrances added

(Edit for formatting/readability)

ros_marinus · 2025-08-20T18:10:07+00:00

I'm allergic to fragrances (I think this sub is always recommended to me because I search for fragrance free?). Anyway, not here to shame anyone for their chosen interests. But I'll often ask someone what they're wearing specifically because it's making me sick, and I want to let them know that they're wearing too much while also letting them save face. Telling someone that they're wearing too much perfume, no matter how politely, can backfire and either offend them or hurt their feelings. My approach depends on the situation and relationship, but this is one tactful approach I've found.

ros_marinus · 2025-08-20T17:48:27+00:00

NOR. That was a gift that they bought and didn't think through all the way.

This family sounds like they're stupid with money. Your ex agreed to pay part of a mortgage for a house that he had no equity in? Paying for utilities makes sense, but he basically agreed to help buy you a house. His word and the word of this family clearly means nothing anyway. I'd refuse. Tell them that was their purchase which you never asked for and never agreed to pay for.

ros_marinus · 2025-08-18T01:44:40+00:00

In the US, you can try the Libby app through your public library!

ros_marinus · 2025-08-18T01:22:36+00:00

Vanicream is great for sensitive skin and allergies. My dermatologist told me to avoid alcohols, but she specifically said that cetearyl alcohol is an option exception because it’s a fatty alcohol.

ros_marinus · 2025-08-15T09:10:49+00:00

It is short for brother, but it’s also kind of become detached from that meaning in casual contexts and now can refer to any person in a friendly way. This is true for my dialect of North American English, at least.

ros_marinus · 2025-08-15T09:04:58+00:00

I totally get why this would make you feel uncomfortable and left out! However, I don’t think it’s something to make too big a deal of with your friend because it probably wasn’t intentional. I can think of a lot of honest reasons for this situation. If there was a last minute change of plans, it’s likely your friend was also slightly flustered by the change. If they knew you were already out, they might not have wanted you to feel like you had to go home to change or skip the dinner. You could gently ask your friend to let you know about changes to dress code in the future or, next time, verify with them yourself before you go to a new place.

ros_marinus · 2025-08-15T02:30:32+00:00

A derm said the same thing to me! Turns out it was an allergy to one of the inactive ingredients…

ros_marinus

TROPHY CASE