Nikhil S
Resident Reviewer
Death by Oud, And resetting the Oudometer
Sometimes my obssession for Oud takes a harmful turn. I get overexcited at times and tend to go on oud sniffing marathon pushing the very limits of my sniffing capabilities. It usually happens when its slightly humid and the nasal fatigue sets in fast. Also some oils cause fatigue faster like Hindis and some dont cause at all. The nearer you apply to your nose more chances of getting fatigued faster. All these factors combined and a rainbow of region profiles on my skin each causing additional individual fatigues finally leads to a stage which I call "Death by Oud" LOL. I dont know how many of you have gone through this weird phenomenon. Even the moat pleasant Oud after that stage causes a stingy ammoniacal/acidic odour which starts burning the mucosa of the sinuses ;and if wrist is brought closer burning of eyes. It happens most when I am wearning the greenish oils esp wallapatta/gyrinops/kinam oils. So, from a stage of oud ecstasy things turn into a complete aversion of Oud :-( within hours/days.
But luckily this is not as intense as one which happens with perfumes. The "Death by cologne" can cause dry cough, dizziness, fever and allergic reactions. It happened to me once where I had to take intravenous steroids to save myself.
However, with Ouds I have found 2 solutions that work for me in such a disheartening scenario. Hindi Oud...lol...yes swiping a heavily funky hindi causes immediate relaxation of the nasal mucosa. Next, is complete abandon of any scented body product for a day or two. Even light airy citrus saprays help to recover.
For avoiding such headaches in the longer run one can perform nasal saline wash or the traditional ayurvedic "jal neyati". Where u mix some baking soda and mountain salt in lukewarm water and use the neti pot specifically designed for irrigation (Amazon etc should help). It helps so much.
Post-recovery I use very tiny amounts of oil to lower my sniffing threshold. Even with tiny amounts only applied to above-wrists you get nice non-fatiguing whiffs of your favorite Oud. This downgrading of the sensory receptors is one tiny secret to enjoy even the tiniest samples of your non-replenishing Oud legends for a lomg long time . I would love to know if someone else has experienced such self induced olfactory trauma before ?
Sometimes my obssession for Oud takes a harmful turn. I get overexcited at times and tend to go on oud sniffing marathon pushing the very limits of my sniffing capabilities. It usually happens when its slightly humid and the nasal fatigue sets in fast. Also some oils cause fatigue faster like Hindis and some dont cause at all. The nearer you apply to your nose more chances of getting fatigued faster. All these factors combined and a rainbow of region profiles on my skin each causing additional individual fatigues finally leads to a stage which I call "Death by Oud" LOL. I dont know how many of you have gone through this weird phenomenon. Even the moat pleasant Oud after that stage causes a stingy ammoniacal/acidic odour which starts burning the mucosa of the sinuses ;and if wrist is brought closer burning of eyes. It happens most when I am wearning the greenish oils esp wallapatta/gyrinops/kinam oils. So, from a stage of oud ecstasy things turn into a complete aversion of Oud :-( within hours/days.
But luckily this is not as intense as one which happens with perfumes. The "Death by cologne" can cause dry cough, dizziness, fever and allergic reactions. It happened to me once where I had to take intravenous steroids to save myself.
However, with Ouds I have found 2 solutions that work for me in such a disheartening scenario. Hindi Oud...lol...yes swiping a heavily funky hindi causes immediate relaxation of the nasal mucosa. Next, is complete abandon of any scented body product for a day or two. Even light airy citrus saprays help to recover.
For avoiding such headaches in the longer run one can perform nasal saline wash or the traditional ayurvedic "jal neyati". Where u mix some baking soda and mountain salt in lukewarm water and use the neti pot specifically designed for irrigation (Amazon etc should help). It helps so much.
Post-recovery I use very tiny amounts of oil to lower my sniffing threshold. Even with tiny amounts only applied to above-wrists you get nice non-fatiguing whiffs of your favorite Oud. This downgrading of the sensory receptors is one tiny secret to enjoy even the tiniest samples of your non-replenishing Oud legends for a lomg long time . I would love to know if someone else has experienced such self induced olfactory trauma before ?
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