I just had to ask a 12 year old boy not to wear cologne to piano lessons. Seriously? Why is a 12 year old wearing cologne in the first place??

I once had a Grandma bring my students and I almost asked her to wait outside due to the odor. I didn't say anything because I knew it was not usually her that brings the kids.

I never thought I would have to mention that in my policy, but do any of you mention cologne/perfume?

Some people are sensitive to odors and should let others know of these sensitivities rather than make them feel like they just bathed in pure perfume or cologne. Its not that uncommon these days to see signs up in hospitals and such asking people not to come in doused in aromas so a policy would not be out of line. I have a sensitivity to ambergris which is common in several top end woman's perfumes, (ambergris is whale vomit by the way). I will uncontrollably sneeze and continue to do so while I'm exposed to it.

That's nice. Bluck! I react badly too, I have canceled magazine subscriptions just because of the samples. Pew.

BTW, how in the world did you ever find out that's what was bothering you?

Because he's just discovered girls.

Hehehe a 12 year old doused in cologne. That's cute. (When you're not sitting next to him for half any hour )

When my brother first wanted to start wearing deodorant he was too embarrassed to ask my mum so he borrowed my girly Impulse stuff and came out of the bathroom smelling like vanilla. It was hilarious.

I'm sensitive to purfumes too. Always have to make sure i have a tissue in my pocket when I got to musicals or other events where women shower themselves in the stuff!

I can think of a couple that I would like to introduce to deodorant!!

Most perfume/cologne makes it really difficult for me to breathe (asthma). Feels like a truck parked on my chest. It can actually be quite painful at times. My wife uses a body spray that is very, very mild. I love the scent of it(don't know the name), but even that will choke the living daylights out of me if she uses too much. I never use cologne or aftershave lotion. I've got bottles of the stuff all over the place that people have given as gifts over the years. None have ever been opened.

I found out through process of elimination. Several perfumes will list ambergris in their contents I think because it is organic. One # of Channel will have it and another # doesn't for instance. On another note, I had a piano teacher in the 60's who had halitosis so bad he could knock a buzzard off a manure truck with it. I dreaded every lesson and used to put out mints in a jar on top of the piano for him.

I'm in the same boat. For some students, I must keep the windows open and turn on the fan.

Why don't you say something? I'm assuming they are kids...
There is no way I would put myself in an ongoing situation that uncomfortable if I could do something about it.

I did have to tell a mom once that her 9 year old smelled bad, and she said "you know, her teacher said that too, maybe it's time for her to start wearing deodorant". Made me wonder if there was something wrong with her olfactory senses that she herself couldn't tell that DD stank! I certainly know when my teens do! Urgh!

Well it's kind of cute I guess. Personally, I would open the window and keep my mouth shut unless you're having a really bad reaction to it. It's tough being 12 and some things are better left unsaid. Trust me, if it's really obnoxious his fellow obnoxious 12-year old friends will let him know

The reason people have trouble with perfumes/colognes/deoderants/or things scented is because they all, I repeat all are made with chemicals. And those who say they aren't bothered actually usually cannot smell very well because the chemicals in the scents have dulled their olfactory senses. Ask for an MSDS on any product and look at the health affects section and see what they do to you. It is not simply the ambergris added. I have a no perfume/scent policy and when I first get the students I explain it to the entire family, so that I am not made sick. They are most understanding and sensitive to being careful to not wear anything, even to not using the fabric softener which is worse than some of the perfumes. The chemicals in the scents do everything from make you hormonally imbalanced, to having asthma, allergies, cancer, headaches, etc. The list is endless. Far better to be safe and simply have a no scent policy. You would be surprised how many people are affected by it and I have the students say when I mention it, "oh, no problem, we don't wear anything because it bothers us too." More and more people are becoming sensitive to the scents in scented things. There has only been one student in the many years that I have been teaching that insisted she could not go without her perfume and I had to let her go, but it was a small price to pay for not feeling sick. If it is presented right most people accept it with no problems.

I will never, ever look at "organic" the same way again... yikes!

(sorry for all the snipping, but those two comments just JUMPED out at me! yikes again! )

I figured as much. When my son was that age, my husband wondered why his best cologne was disappearing so fast. Surely it wasn't evaporating! Nope -- our son had just discovered girls.

In all seriousness, my mother had severe food and fragrance allergies, and I grew up watching her leave social situations (oftentimes taking me with her, if she was my ride) and going home to be sick because someone was either smoking or wearing perfume she couldn't tolerate. So, no piano teacher would be out of line in asking students to wash off the perfume before entering his or her home/studio.

Oh what I would love to do to whoever invented those new Axe or Hot Bod or any one of a number of those "body wash" products and decided to market them as making hordes of hot girls rub all over any guy wearing it. The high point was the commercial where girls were using the drain pipe from the guy taking a shower in the apartment above them, as a stripper pole. Yeah, that'll happen.

Oh yeah they're "hormone based"...and so is cat pee, to which they bear a remarkable resemblance!! I can't even stand to be near someone outdoors who's wearing that stuff.

High schools, middle schools and even grade schools in some areas are having to ban them. Can you imagine being stuck in a room full of pubescent males all wearing different products? Oh the horror....

Just wanted to add that some of us do not have the option of opening windows and turning on fans. It's well over 90 degrees outside at this time of year!

Add me to the list of people who HATES strong perfumes and such. I have asked students in the past not to come with the same scent. Some people just pour it on, and it is absolutely suffocating.

I have a notice posted on my studio door in rather large type. People are generally considerate.