It makes "scents" to me.

This is a repost from my Notes on Facebook.  

Every so often I get invitations to spend time with friends - much-needed time, I might add - and cannot do it.
I WISH I could spend time in friends' homes, but I can't.
I wish I could borrow that cute jacket/dress/skirt/shirt you offered me, but I can't.  
Sometimes I can't even bear to spend time in your presence...or your cars.

Why?, you ask.

Because your layers of scents emanating from your car, your home, your very person....you give me migraines.  I will probably try...once, twice, maybe even three times...but you will probably notice that I am in pain...my head, my joints...and that I'm having a hard time putting words together into coherent sentences.

I love good smells as well as the next person, but in their naturally-occurring form.
I LOVE the smell of fresh-baked cake, cookies, cinnamon rolls, etc., but put that same scent in a candle, and I will regret smelling it for the next 2 or 3 days.
I enjoy perfumes, colognes, body sprays, lotions, etc., but do NOT spray them when I'm in the room with you, please.
If you use fabric softeners, please know that they make me ILL...very, very ill.  Dryer sheets, liquid softeners...all of them.
If you use air-fresheners - either the spray kinds, or the PlugIns...I cannot come into your home.  I'm sorry.   

So, now you know how these things affect ME.  Do you know how they affect you?

Candles:  From a study on candles (http://www.lead.org.au/lanv7n4/L74-9.html)

"Scented candle usage indoors may cause high levels of respirable soot, with risks to occupants for both acute and chronic health effects, including an increased risk of cancer. Similarities between candle and diesel soot, suggest the potential for similar toxicological effects on exposed occupants."

Air Fresheners:  (http://healthinmotion.wordpress.com/2007/10/21/air-fresheners-create-toxic-air-soup/)

Did you know that by using an air freshener in your living room, you are probably breathing in more toxic substances than you would in the middle of a traffic jam in Los Angeles?

and

But in spite of what manufacturers would have us believe, air fresheners do not “purify” the surrounding air, nor do they add natural fragrances. In fact, they coat the nasal passages with an oil film (such as methoxychlor – a pesticide that accumulates in fat cells) or by releasing a nerve deadening agent (www.consumerlawpage.com), to drown out whatever smells may be deemed offensive.

Fabric Softeners (http://www.ourlittleplace.com/notice.html)

People are discovering that fabric softeners are some of the most toxic products made for daily household use. They contain chemicals (like chloroform, benzyl acetate and pentane) that are known to cause cancer and/or damage to lungs, brain, and nerves. These chemicals are even more dangerous when heated in clothes dryers. The toxic fumes then go into neighborhood air and everyone for blocks around is forced to breathe them in.

Fabric softener chemicals are made to stay in clothes fibers and slowly release for a very long time. That slow release of chemicals into the air affects the health of those wearing the clothes and of people around them.

Some symptoms caused by fabric softener fumes are: tiredness that is not cured by resting, difficulty breathing, nervousness for no known reason, difficulty concentrating and remembering, dizziness, headaches, sick stomach, feeling faint, rashes and/or difficulty controlling body movements.

Babies, children, older people, and people who are already sick are especially hurt by these chemicals. Damage can be permanent, causing lifelong illness. Babies often react with rashes, frequent crying and/or diarrhea. Disinfectants can have the same effects. Experts suggest a possible connection between Sudden Infant Death ("crib death") and the use of these products for washing baby clothes and crib sheets and blankets.

Most fabric softeners have fragrance added to them, which makes them even more toxic.

and from The Environmental Health Association of Ontario (http://www.ehaontario.ca/help-with.htm):

It is the most toxic product produced for daily household use. It has been found to be associated with numerous illnesses and chronic conditions.

1. It is widely advertised, widely used.
2. The effects of its toxicity are insidious; a user becomes "chronically maladapted" to it. The exposure is so constant that it can be difficult to connect the product with the signs of reactivity it causes. Neurostimulant/irritants and central nervous system toxins used in these products are known to produce an addictive-type response that may cause the user to experience a feeling of pleasure when the product is directly inhaled. Regular users of fabric softeners (and perfumes) also often claim they "can hardly smell it". This too is an effect of chemical ingredients on neural receptors.
3. The product is designed to impregnate fibres and slowly re-release for an extended period of time. That re-releasing affects the health not only of users, but those around them.  

I don't know about you, but to me there is a LOT *NOT* to like about the scientifically proven risks of air fresheners, the over-use of scented candles, and any use of fabric softeners.