Saturday 15 September 2018

Hive mind help needed to solve a pigmented pillow puzzle!


Sorry that the blog is still not very perfume-orientated at the moment, despite my having all manner of more or less on-message posts up my sleeve! Am still in the throes of the bathroom-cum-utility renovation, even if this week has been relatively quieter than last. Though today I had new windows fitted! Unfortunately one of the panes had cracked in transit, so the fitters will have to come back to complete the job with the new pane they have now ordered. And on Thursday, following a visit by the electrician, I went to order a light fitting he had confirmed was appropriate for the room, but had my purchase cancelled and money refunded by the supplier, as soon as they realised the item had in fact been discontinued. So I tried another company, only to have the exact same thing happen again!, and another refund land in my account. Then I looked on Amazon, whose listing for the same light included the tantalising words: '3 new available'. I had long since given up trusting information on retailer websites though, so I rang the Amazon supplier and asked him if he did indeed have three of these lights in stock, or whether it was merely another chimera. I may not have said 'chimera' as such, but I did go on to explain that if these items really were in his possession, might I buy one? To which he replied that they probably weren't, but that a lorry was just hoving into view in his yard, allegedly with 19 units of the very light on board, arguably the last remaining examples of that model in the whole of the land. We agreed that he would go out immediately and inspect the delivery, and if the lights were indeed there - and his order not also cancelled! - he would confirm my own purchase via Amazon. Am pleased to say that he did just that, so it appears to have been a case of third time lucky.


Let there be light! This light!


And none of the above is remotely relevant to the subject of this post, but does at least illustrate how time-consuming and distracting even small setbacks can be on a programme of works like this. It will all get done eventually, I keep telling myself, though it seems people's availability keeps unravelling into the distant future every time you blink...

So - changing tack completely - this is a quick post to inquire if anyone knows why I sometimes wake up to yellowy-veering-to-orange stains on my pillow and the top few inches of my duvet cover, which might also come into contact with my face and neck.

One of my theories is leaching hair dye, though if that were so it would happen every night, plus I haven't had even a few highlights put in for many months. Which leaves the possibility that certain night creams may be oozing pigment as I sleep - I do chop and change my night time routine you see, and a few of these products may be longer in the tooth than is advised / I even remember(!). Or there is the final possibility, which I would really rather not contemplate, namely that I am quietly oozing 'agent orange' myself. Where exactly in my body such effluvium would ultimately emanate from doesn't bear thinking about.




The incident pictured - I know it is quite faint in the photo, but trust me, you would notice the discolouration in the flesh, or in the medium thread count cotton, rather - happened after a night of using a Lacura cream from Aldi. I had visions of its oil base separating out in the wee small hours and seeping onto the pillow from my entire face. I promptly threw it away in the morning, not least because I had had it...um...a while. But you can't actually see any yellow or orange pigment in any of these products I put on my face at night, that's the puzzling thing. And texturally they certainly don't look like they are separating - far from it. I can only conclude that it may be an entirely nocturnal phenomenon, like sea turtles laying eggs, raccoons rifling through bins, or Truffle hunter gathering her latest mouse present for me to find on the carpet first thing.

Hmm, I am not having much luck getting these stains out of my cotton bedding either, possibly because I usually use non-bio powder, which is arguably quite the wrong kind to tackle coloured grease marks, if that is what they are.

Suggestions gratefully received - am hoping someone will have a light bulb moment! And that any solutions will ideally not involve an elaborate homemade concoction of baking powder, toothpaste, white vinegar, salt, eye of newt and Tippex.

28 comments:

Robert said...

Do you use a moisturizing cream before bed, for face and neck? -Robert H.

AustralianPerfumeJunkies said...

Hey Vanessa,
It's your pores releasing the last vestiges of your makeup with your night sweat. The stains are almost impossible to remove completely because they have been set into the cotton with the salts you sweat with it all.
Sorry.
Portia xx

Anonymous said...

My husband's pillows seem to suffer from this syndrome - and I promise he does not wear makeup! It is particularly bad after he has been wearing sun protection cream, even though he thoroughly showers before coming to bed (there is an ingredient in certain formulas that is indeed notorious for staining material yellow and it is permanent), but this doesn't explain the year-round occurrence. I have come to the conclusion that as he gently "glows" during the night, the sweat carries natural oils onto the pillowcase, where they embed themselves. And all this despite his ablutions before bedtime. Sorry I can't think how to stop it, and even the most toxic of washing powders can't seem to shift the staining.
Jillie

Vanessa said...

Hi Robert,

Yes, I do, an ever changing selection indeed, also serums and occasionally oils!

Vanessa said...

Hey Portia,

There always are last vestiges, aren't there, however thoroughly one thinks one cleans. And you of all people would know! I remember as a kid appearing in Gilbert & Sullivans, and my mum taking my makeup off with Ponds Cold Cream. It was so thick and gloopy, but the cream of choice back in the day for such things.

It is clear that I must learn not to sweat. xx

Vanessa said...

Hi Jillie,

I did feel better for hearing about your husband's 'glowing' issue - how I loved that expression, and will definitely appropriate it for myself. ;) Sun protection cream would be particularly prone to pigmenting, I'd have thought, and as Portia says above, these unguents are the devil to remove completely. In my case it may be a mixture of what I was trying to take off, what I then put on!, and my natural 'exudations' to quote a friend who commented on my post on Facebook.

AustralianPerfumeJunkies said...

That PONDS was genius. Do they still make it? Because my make up is oil based I use oils to remove it. Currently Grape Seed Oil. I love the way my skin feels afterwards too.
My pillows are the worst. They have to be chucked and replaced regularly.
Portia xx

Tara said...

What an annoyance, V. This would really upset me, not least because these days I can't live without stupidly expensive silk pillowcases. Do you double cleanse at night?

Vanessa said...

Hi Tara,

Some nights I use cleanser and toner, but others it might be micellar water and a swish round with ordinary water. What would you recommend? Though I still need a remedy for sweating, hehe!

Vanessa said...

I believe they do - yep, just checked and it is still around. I sometimes remove my make up with oil for the same reason as you - it doubles up as a night cream almost. Sweet almond is my favourite for that, also jojoba. I do feel better for hearing that I am not alone in this 'tinted exudation' lark! xx

Anonymous said...

Wow, I was amazed - and really pleased to read about this as the same problem has been driving me mad. It happens in my family too and there seems to be no connection with make up or creams (I do put on a slick of sunscreen cream in the morning but bath before bed and wear no other makeup) and my sons/husband don't wear anything but stuff is suddenly being ruined by orangish coloration, this happens to some bedlinen that had previously stayed pristine for years. I get what some people are saying about make up and creams and I would suspect this if any of us used or wore any such thing but none of us do and why has it just suddenly started happening? Could it be a change in the formulations of washing gel? (We use non bio unscented) I am fascinated and somehow deeply reassured, like you, until I read this it felt like a personal - and deeply weird - affliction.
Hope you get all sorted out soon with all the construction/renovation work, all the best to you and Truffle. I have been enjoying all your posts but not commenting, take care, all the best, Helen

Tara said...

My reply didn't post!
I was saying that I suggest removing your cleanser with a damp flannel and using something more thorough than a micellar water at night. Worth a try, even it just stops the discolouration, if not the actual "glowing".

Vanessa said...

Oh, sorry about that! Damp flannel sounds good. What would you call 'more thorough' in the cleanser line? And yes, I think I may just have to accept the glowing part! ;)

Vanessa said...

Hi Helen,

Lovely to hear from you and to learn that you are still reading Bonkers. I promise I will get back to perfume soon(!). Am really rushed off my feet at the moment with one thing and another, but have all sorts of fragrant topics I plan to write about when I am in a calmer phase.

I am also glad to hear you are a fellow sufferer of this pigmented pillow problem. I really did think I was the only one - and a rather unsavoury person at that - so it is greatly heartening to hear it is a more widespread issue. Your perspective is all the more interesting and revealing in view of the fact that your family don't wear make up, yet the phenomenon persists in happening. I can also relate to the thing you mentioned about bedlinen suddenly going this way after years of staying pristine, suggesting our heads are suddenly starting to exude stuff!

It is funny when you think about it - we all know about other personal hygiene points, yet no one ever talks about this discolouration problem, or I have never seen anything on the Internet about it, certainly.

parfumista5 said...

hi Vanessa! I totally second Tara's double cleanse method, especially for those wearing sun screen. Cleansing oils or balms come in a variety of price ranges so no need to break the bank.. also, it really does not take all that much longer than a single cleanse. And for the love of the environment: ditch the wipes (in case anyone is using those).. bad for the skin and bad news for the landfills... You may want to check out Caroline Hiron's blog, she just posted about the double cleanse method... https://www.carolinehirons.com/2018/09/back-to-basics-why-we-double-cleanse.html Also, does any of your serums contain vitamin C? that tends to discolour as well... Hope the mystery is soon solved! cheers, Wendy

Anonymous said...

My little brain has been pondering on this .... obviously it's an issue with more people than I ever expected which is strangely reassuring. I think it is probably a combination of factors, like the chemical reaction of face cleansers, and - not least - modern detergents whose poor performance is only apparent after a while.

I've given up on micellar waters. I really don't believe they cleanse that well and most leave an oily residue which itself needs cleaning off, and in spite of using "simple" variants, my skin objects to them. The only product I use now is Emma Hardie's balm, which really suits me and smells divine (like a gorgeous eau de cologne). It's expensive but you only need to use a tiny amount and you wipe off with Tara's flannel method. It cleans thoroughly and leaves my face almost soft enough not to need moisturiser every time.

If only there was a cure for "glowing"!
Jillie

Vanessa said...

Hi parfumista5,

I do have cleansing oil though I think I would like balms too. There is that Clinique Take the Day Off for example. I ditched the wipes from the day I first developed contact dermatitis - partly due to that, I do believe.

Thanks for the link to Caroline Hirons' blog, will take a look. Have checked my night products and one cream has Vit C in, though it hasn't been one of the orange offenders. Mostly they are peptide-based.

Vanessa said...

Hi Jillie,

It is reassuring that there are so many of us with this issue, isn't it? Shame that we can't know definitively what factors are mostly at work.

I find micellar waters leave a residue as you say, and make my skin feel a bit tight. Have a Garnier one on the go and was going to give a Superdrug 'B' range product a whirl before giving up the category altogether - Sali Huges speaks very highly of that one.

I love the sound of that balm, which if I understand you rightly is a one-step thing - that would appeal greatly. Will check it out.

Anonymous said...

Talking about it more here we still suspect it is related to changes in washing liquid formulations, perhaps the brighteners they add and it seems reasonable to assume there will be variations from individual to individual because of factors like skin pH, use of creams and cleansers as well as factors like how much you perspire...

crikey said...

seconding/thirding the double cleanse method if you're wearing make up or any SPF products. That Clinique balm is pretty fabulous for melting away almost anything if you smoosh it around long enough, and, if you prefer an oil, then the Bobbi Brown Soothing Oil Cleanser is also up there. Both will get rid of waterproof mascara and eyeliner too. And you can get some entertaining panda-eyes effects during the smooshing stage. I use them without a flannel, though, and just emulsify and then rinse--rubbing with a cloth makes my rosacea go batshit.

crikey said...

oh... and I've got a 5ml sample pot of the Emma Hardie balm if you'd like to try that (I can't use it because of allergy nonsense.)

Vanessa said...

Hi Crikey,

I am sold on the double cleanse method now! I can relate to the panda eye effect during the smooshing stage even from using my La Roche Posay Toleriane cleanser. :)

I would love to try the Emma Hardie balm, and would be more than happy to buy it off you, as I know it is expensive gear, and you have been generous with perfume gifts already.

Sorry you can't use it for allergy reasons. Do you know the exact trigger in the formulation?

Vanessa said...

Hmm, there do seem to be lots of possible explanations. I guess no individual could ever get to the bottom of their own causes without scientists conducting tests on them and the stains. ;)

crikey said...

Yep, it's the Caprylic/Capric Triglycerides that make it unusable for me. And, please don't be daft about buying--it was a freebie that I can't use, and you are more than welcome to it :)

Vanessa said...

Well, thank you very much, crikey, and will PM you.

Undina said...

I know that I’m even more late than usual but I want to add that those strange spots on a pillowcase is a much better result than the same on a pillow itsel, which happened more than once with A. I always thought that it was bacause of his skin being more oily but since we started using Tempurpedic pillows with additional cover that can be taken off and washed, I realized that it was something else than just skin oil since it didn’t wash away. So it was interesting to read everybody’s comments and ideas - thanks for the great topic! :)

Vanessa said...

Hi Undina,

Ah, I also have orange pillow syndrome here and there, but quite forgot to mention it. ;) In your case, is it penetrating the extra slip cover of your Tempurpedic pillow through to the pillow itself? That is impressive if so. You can't wash pillows though, I don't think, or can you?, which made me wonder if you left the pillow a bit orange, and tried in vain to get the stain out of the various covers.

Undina said...

I don't think you can wash those pillows. So I usually was just the cover and pillow cases. Even though it doesn't look good, I know that those are clean, so I just tolerate it for a while - and then buy the next one.