Perfume or Her Fumes - How much is too much?

You wake up early, ready to start your day. You take a shower and pick out something nice to wear. Then you go for that little something extra, just a spritz. Oh just one more… there, that will do it. You stop on the way to work for some coffee, wow everyone in line must have come down with something. I really hope I don’t get sick. They’re almost gagging.

This story is all too real for some. The sad thing is, it’s easily preventable. Wearing to much perfume or cologne is a common mistake, but one that harms everyone in its path. The smell can linger in the elevator well past lunch. The bathroom can smell like a barber shop. The toxic fumes can cause headaches, nausea, coughing, watery eyes, sneezing fits, and in extreme cases, diarrhea.

How much is too much? How do you know if you are wearing too much? According to ehow, less should be used on warm days, and more on the colder ones. This really doesn’t tell us a precise amount. Perhaps there isn't a certain amount for everyone. How about gauging people’s reactions? If you walk into a room and everyone is gagging and coughing, chances are that you over did it.

And men are just as guilty as women, sometimes more so. Whether it be the older men with their aftershave or the younger ones armed with half a can of Axe, the results can be quite pungent. So I came up with some easy ways to tell if perhaps you're wearing too much of your go to sniff.

Here are a few more basic ways to tell you are using too much cologne or perfume:

• You find yourself constantly alone in the elevator.
• You set off a smoke detector.
• You hop into a cab and the driver flat out refuses to take you anywhere.
• Your dog or cat will not come near you.
• If the way someone asks “Are you wearing cologne?” is more of a threat than a question.
• If you cause a chemical reaction in a swimming pool.
• If people are afraid to smoke near you.
• Your car smells like your fragrance, at the end of the day.
• If your coworker asks if you ran out of gas this morning.
• You walk into the bathroom and the occupants start coughing and sneezing uncontrollably.
• If people can smell you in a sports stadium.
• If you set off a metal detector.
• If you set of a detector, period, due to your smell.
• If you come across more than two people with nose bleeds on the same day.
• Your clothes still smell of perfume or cologne after washing.
• You have a rash on your neck.
• People have to squint while talking to you.
• You have to hold your breath while applying
• You are prohibited from boarding a plane
• Small plants wilt and die in your presence.
• You are quarantined
• You fail a breathalyzer, completely sober.
• You have been questioned by the EPA

These are some sure fire ways to tell if you are wearing too much cologne or perfume. If one or more of these has happened to you, you may want to tone it down on the fragrance. Don't feel bad, chances are you became immune to the high levels of perfume long ago and had no idea you smelled like a walking department store.

Just remember, soap and water can work wonders. We all want to smell pleasant, but we shouldn't have to harm others by doing so. Less is more and none is great. If you are going to use a fragrance, one small spray should get you, and others, through the day.