Positives

• Gradual return of faint citrus and coffee notes showed up after just two weeks of twice-daily essential-oil sniffing; the Reddit poster said each new whiff was “a dopamine hit that kept me going.”

• Aggressive 12-oil sessions calmed “garbage planet” parosmia and let normal whisky and white-wine aromas come back within days.

• A six-month-anosmic long-hauler cried when a Lagavulin bottle finally registered again, calling smell training “nothing short of a miracle.”

• One user ditched commercial kits and used cupboard spices (cinnamon, curry, garlic, coffee) three times a day, reporting full smell recovery.

• Community threads echo a physio’s X post: “practicing smell training twice a day should be enough,” with many replies claiming week-4-to-8 progress.

Negatives

• Mayo Clinic Connect member said a purchased kit “didn’t work…just gave me a headache” after nearly two years without smell.

• Guardian essayist still anosmic a year in despite daily smell-basket drills, dubbing the process “mind-numbingly slow.”

• An L.A. patient’s training phase turned onions and coffee into a “burned tire” stench, causing nausea and tears.

• Eight-months-post-COVID Redditor admitted “I still can’t smell or taste” despite persistent training, questioning whether it helps at all.

• Some quit after migraines or dizziness from strong oils or over-sniffing marathons.

Hurdles & Side Effects

• Standard advice is four scents for 10–20 s twice daily over 3–6 months; patients liken the discipline to “rehab for your nose.”

• No fixed recipe: BDA guidance says any familiar smells work, leaving newcomers tinkering with kits and unsure they’re “doing it right.”

• Kits plus oils can cost $30–60 up front and refills add up, with no insurance coverage in most regions.

• Early sessions often spike headaches, nausea, or temporarily worsen parosmia, driving drop-outs.

• Emotional toll is heavy: Allure profiles describe tears over tiny gains and the daily routine as “exhausting but my only hope.” allure.com