Bjds's strong smell?

I sympathize with your sister! I have the worst time with odors of all kinds (can't deal with perfumes, colognes, deodorants, etc.). I was VERY worried about resin odors before I received my first doll, but fortunately, all of the resin I've experienced so far has had either a mild odor or has off-gassed within a reasonable amount of time (I just set the box aside immediately after opening and wait for a few days).

I still smell resin when I open the drawers I keep my dolls in, but it is not overpowering. However, in order to help them continue to off-gas well, I keep charcoal satchels in the drawers. You can find them on Amazon and so forth - they are filled with a charcoal compound that sucks up odors in a way similar to baking soda. They are easier to handle than baking soda, however, and can be "recharged" by putting them in the sun for a few hours. I have found them quite successful in removing the odor of perfume or fabric softener from secondhand purchases and supplies.

Whatever you do, I hope it helps quickly!

 

I let mine air out for a couple days and it made a huge difference. It was probably about 2 weeks since opening them and it was barely noticeable, only smelled anything up close. I do keep them out on a shelf (out of sunlight) and I don't notice any smell at all anymore, even up close (they're about 6 months old now, and I noticed no smell at all probably 3 months ago or so)

 

The worst and strongest smell, and probably the only one that bothered me, was from a full Luts doll I bought a few years ago. Like your sister I would get a headache and also dry throat just from handling.
I left the doll out in the open in a dark corner of a guest room I almost never use and would just leave the window open whenever I could. It took about 2 months I think for it to change to tolerable.

I really love the soda and charcoal suggestions though! I never tried or even thought of them but it may come in handy in the future!

 

I am an old-timer (within this genre of dolls and age-wise!), I have six full dolls now one that is a Volks DD hybrid. I have always suffered from strong migraines and allergies, but none o my previous full-resin BJD gave me any grief as far as them being pungent or unbearably-chemically smelling. However, my last BJD purchase that arrived to me spring of last year, gave me a terrible migraine, for the first time ever, for an ancient doll-collector like myself. I had to leave him airing out for more than two weeks, and I honestly thought I was going to have to wear a mask every time I handled him.

I never had this issue before, he is from a "newer," more affordable company. However, I feel like most (if not all) the resin dolls I own are/were considered "affordable" at the time I purchased them, and I never experienced that nightmare inducing stench before.

I was quite surprised just airing him did work for me, I can still smell some if the degassing fumes when I handle him, because I keep all my resin dolls inside my closet inside their boxes. But now it is a lot more subtle and I don't feel like vomiting or crying in pain when I take him out, to customize him, or attempt making clothes for him. I am also glad that I didn't have to sell him for being a stinky dude that gave me headaches. Lol! My first BJD purchase in over ten years, I probably would have sworn off purchasing more dolls of this kind then, had I not already decided that a long time before I got him. (:[\font]

 

I have noticed even older dolls when place in say a plastic container over a few months when opened the resin smell is strong!

 

I have to wonder if it varies from company to company because I have a DFH doll that still has the smell 2 months after arrival and a head that arrived more recently but has no smell whatsoever. Maybe it's also because a single head is a smaller piece of resin than a full doll...

 

I only notice the resin smell for a few minutes after I unbox a doll. I've never gotten a doll with a really strong smell. Just lucky I guess.

 

I've only had one arrive with a strong odor, my DF-H 65cm boys body. Funnily enough his DF-H head never smelled at all even after being kept in a box for roughly a year and a half. But the smell wasn't too bad and after about a week or so it either faded or I just stopped noticing it. I keep my dolls out in the open where I can see them all the time, "Janus's head probably being the one and only exception. I'm not sure why he was never displayed I mean my OT Obitsue Marie was proudly displayed for a few years while she was just a body while I took my sweet time finding her a head.

 

My Universe doll had such a strong odour when I opened the box. The smell was absolutely nauseating. I took him out and admired him briefly but had to quickly return him to his box because the smell was really getting to me.

 

Yes, my first doll (a boy) smellled very bad. I know I'm very sensible to any kind of scent, but his was so stong that even my family was bothered by it. It dissipated for about a month, after airing him as much as possible.

 

I have found this to be very true as well. The only time I have noticed a strong resin smell was on a doll that was several years old and purchased second hand. The smell did not bother me or anything, it was just an interesting observation as I had never noticed it on my new dolls before.

 

This is so funny as someone who's only had vinyl dolls and is interested in getting a resin or two in the future, because people complain about the new vinyl smell. Now I want statistics on what the number one stinkiest new doll smell is. Haha!

 

I keep the majority of my dolls confined to one bedroom for display. My husband says the whole room smells like resin. It kind of does, and I really like it. It's a sort of comforting, familiar scent for me.

Now...the secondhand ones who come in smelling like cigarettes, cats or other questionable things....that's where I have my problems. I've had a doll arrive before who smelled so bad, she gave me a migraine within minutes of opening her, then I had to leave her in the garage for a week, and then completely take her apart, scrub her and get her all new string. Those are the ones that really bother me.

 

I don't remember what doll it was, but one of them was extremely strong smelling. I love the new resin smell, but it was overpowering to the point of being unpleasant, I was getting a headache from it.

I took the doll and stuff out of the box then closed it back tightly, I took the doll to the sink and washed it down thoroughly. I remember I could still smell it for a couple days after scrubbing the doll, because the scent had worked it's way through the house, mostly in my room where I had originally opened the box. Washing it did take most of the smell off the doll.

 

Have done some resin casting before. Resin does put off fumes while it is being cast and they can continue being produced for some time after. This is part of the chemical process of casting resin. The fumes can make you sick for real, it's not just a smell sensitivity. It doesn't have much to do with the quality of the resin either. The stronger smelling dolls or at least their bodies were probably packaged up fairly soon after finishing. The fumes can be absorbed by the porous plastic packaging material and all those vapors takes longer to escape from a closed box and/or bubble mummy than if it were left out in a ventilated space. If you get a smelly doll, keep it in a space with good ventilation, if possible away from people and pets. And throw out any of the replaceable packaging like bubble wraps and bags (I know many of us keep packaging around for moving and the possibility of reselling if we don't bond, whatever packaging you keep, air it out too!). The smell will go away with some time but don't keep it in a room with closed air circulation like a bedroom. If it has to be in a bedroom at least open your windows and blow fans to circulate air better, you don't want to continue inhaling these fumes while you sleep. And definitely don't go in for a whiff or tell your friends/family to sniff it. Besides just headaches, they can give you nausea and stomach issues. With a few days in good ventilation the fumes should be gone.

 

The smell has always made me sick and I had to give up on the hobby when I started years ago because my throat was swelling up around my dolls even after leaving them outside for a few weeks. Now my allergies are better and the dolls are quite a bit older and the smell isn’t all that noticeable unless you lean in to sniff them. I’m getting a new doll and I wonder how it will go. Now I’m a bit nervous…

 

I associate resin smell with new dolls and excitement, so it doesn't bother me as much, but I have noticed that their boxes sometimes smell like new resin long after the doll has been removed. It could be resin smell combined with the smell of the bubble wraps and foam too that make an intoxicating scent.

 

@aetherbanana
Vinyl smells quite lovely and sweet compared to resin. A bit powdery.
At least to me.

I have my vinyl dolls in a case and always smile when I open it because the scent wafts out.

In contrast...when I oepn the section with my floating resin heads...well...it's quite a chemical smell...


Ah, but to get to the point of the thread.
Yes, some dolls just smell quite strong.

It does dissapate over time, but as others have said, if you leave a doll enclosed somewhere for some time you'll catch that resin scent again.

Do you have a safe, but out of the house space to set the new resin? Perhaps a garage?
Time will do the work.

 

Hi guys!
I’m looking into the matter of BJD resin and the odor they have (new or not), and I hope to receive your share on your personal experience on this matter.
Not to go to the ins and outs, just a lil background story, but I find this subject interesting after working on a Shoushou Doll’s head (face-up), and the scent from the resin is so strong, almost fragrance like that got me irritated/ having a mild migraine.
Other than that, I’ve never experience any odor that strong, and most of my dolls from Doll Chateau don’t have a scent/ very faint.
What is your experience on BJD resin odor and has it ever given you reaction like migraine/ headache/ irritation?
Looking forward to hear your shares, thank you so much

 

I can't say I've ever had a doll give off odor outside of when I first unbox them... usually, I do have to put the doll and box in another room after opening them, because the "new resin smell" gives me a headache too But after about a day or two of "airing out," none of my dolls have any residual stink.
I just hope it's not some kind of chemical degrading or that you're smelling sealant that hasn't fully dried? I've never handled a Shoushou doll, unfortunately