Will I Ever Get My Sense of Smell Back?

If you lost your sense of smell after Covid, you know how frustrating it can be. Research is showing that most people recover their sense of smell within 6 weeks, but about 20% of people still have no sense of smell 6 weeks after initial infection.

Research from the video:

Based on the most commonly cited study by Dr. Thomas Hummel, olfactory training uses four unique scents designed to cover different fragrance categories using:

How to Perform Smell Training:

Step 2: Twice a day, smell each container for about 10 to 15 seconds, taking just take a couple small sniffs of the fragrance. Try to keep the smell at the top of your nasal cavity instead of taking a giant whiff of the jar.

Step 3: Track Your Progress
Keep track of your progress each day by rating how strong you find each smell with each attempt.

Research on Smell Training or Olfactory Training:

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[goldmouth]

Hello everyone...I have a bottle of Peppermint Oil that I used for my hair... it's from the NOW brand on Amazon..I started sniffing it..I took Big Sniffs for like 30 -40 seconds at a time before work and before bed... It helped me to start smelling again... and I only used peppermint oil that's it..I had my smell back in about a week.. thank Goodness because it was horrible without smell....I thought it was crazy at first.. but I tried it and it really worked for me..I REALLY HOPE THIS HELPS SOMEONE..I FEEL YOUR PAIN..I didn't realize how important the sense of smell was until I lost it. I was a bit depressed without it 😢

[NickVarn]

As a fellow hand talker, I appreciate your physical gestures as well as your clear, articulate speech. Good video as always!

[Catherine-]

The loss of one or two of our senses as a result of this Virus really deserves much more publicity. If Covid took other senses such as sight or hearing, people would be rioting in the streets! The loss of smell & taste is only part of it, the effect on mental health is massive too. I’ve been wondering if the vaccines made a difference, as in does it return faster in the vaccinated vs the unvaccinated? I wish all who have had this happen to us a speedy recovery 😔

[tanyavetter]

It’s been 14 months for me. I’ve tried everything from smell therapy, nasal flushes, zinc plus all the other vitamins everyone has talked about, the burnt orange thing. Everything smells exactly the same to the Exception of a very potent rose bush I have in my yard. Otherwise everything smells like it’s spoiled. As far as taste goes I can tell if something is spicy but dairy products, eggs and meat all taste rotten to me. Some fruits are ok but I can only taste a faint flavor. It’s been rough and I honestly don’t know what else to do.

[soulboundxxx]

Don't worry guys it will comeback I steamed my face with lemon and eucalyptus oil it changed to about 35% and it's my third day so great improvement their hope you guys recover.

[marmk]

I found your video when I lost my smell. I used oregano, cloves, coffee and peppermint. I found the first time I tried the coffee it was like a caramel smell and the peppermint tea bags was so slight.
After doing the exercises after about 5 days my smell came back and it's now day 10 my smell is heightened.
Thank you for your video.

[Raydeo]

My smell has been gone for over a year now. Its horrible. You dont notice how many times people say, "hey smell how good this is!" I cant smell fresh cut grass, my favorite smell. And now I've experienced some things taste horrible, which only happened recently, about 2 months ago. Such as peanut butter, coffee, chocolate, certain oils, citrus, and mint. I have also experienced some air fresheners I can smell, some smell good some terible. Any floor cleaner smells so bad. Also some things I can smell for a split second, but then it goes away. I want my smell back man!!!

[mdg]

I understand everything you have just expressed. I have lost my smell for 2 1/2 years so far (started in july 2020). the ENT doctor said that I have phantosmia, where I sometimes smell things that are not really there. I can smell some real things, but very faintly . The doctor said that if we can still smell the baseline of somethings even though it is distorted, we are likely to get it back. However, The doctor said that the virus is too new to understand if the smell will ever come back and/or proper interventions to get it back.

[ToastGod]

My sister lost her taste and smell last march...her smell is coming back slowly. Taste is not great she picks up on smokey flavors and sour flavors...chocolate too. I pray for her everyday and just want to have clarity for her that this isn't permanent for her or anyone else. =/

[RicardoDinizPortugal]

I lost all sense of taste and smell in the last few hours. It's fascinating and so weird. Everything mentioned in this video is exactly me. I realised I can just about detect salt but only on a small area of the tip of my tongue. Food has become instantly boring and so I will inevitably eat even healthier and definitely have more porridge. But I didn't have COVID. Just a bad allergic cold due to a lot of back to back travel and insanely variable temperatures and humidity levels. Air conditioning in planes and hotels didn't help either. So I do wonder what has triggered this condition of mine. Thank you for the video. I found it to be calming and reassuring. All the best.

[annalucy]

It's been over a year now since I had covid and I still haven't fully regained my smell and taste and it is the most depressing thing I've ever had happen to me!! I get massive panic attacks just thinking about the fact that I'll never be able to smell again like I used to, I had the nose of a bloodhound before this disgusting virus and now most of what I smell is mixed with that "covid smell" as I call it and I can no longer smell my cosmetics, perfumes, the smell of summer or anything else and it can take you to some dark fucking places! My taste isn't as bad, I can still taste a lot but some foods don't taste the same as they did before and food products I used to enjoy I don't anymore. I am so desperate but I honestly don't think there's anything that can be done here so I just hope and pray every day that I'll get it back, but with every passing week and month I loose more and more hope as I see no improvement in sight 😢 I feel so angry being in the few % of people who haven't gotten it back months later and I definitely often wallow in my sorrows thinking "why me!!". Even though there are people out there who have it way worse in life then me and all that, having any of your senses taken away like this is a massive hit on your whole life and with no hope in sight because this is such an unknown disease makes it even worse!

[graceattard]

Hi my name is Grace and it’s probably over 2 years since I had lost since of smelling my kids are very worried about me not smelling so one of them suggested me to boil orange peel cinnamon sticks and cloves which I will cover with water and simmer for 20 minutes and it will make the house smell nice. Thank you so much for your information. God bless you….

[ThyRodman]

I lost my sense of smell around 4 days into my symptoms, but somehow I still retained my taste which I'm grateful for. It's been over a month since I had covid in December, and my smell is still screwed up at the moment.

[TrevorGray]

The rose and the Clove smell familiar but the lemon and the eucalyptus smell kinda farty. How can I fix that?

[kareem]

Lost my sense of smell and taste-can't smell or taste a thing. It has been 3 days of zero sense of smell and today I ate pineapples to help inflammation and hours later I could smell my lunch but had to be really up close. So there is a glimpse of hope even though the smell was very faint. What I have been doing was smelling anything in the house for the past couple of days. I also drank warm liquids to help loosen decongestion and finally I applied coconut oil in my nostrils 3 times a day. Pineapples were key as well.

[sWavrDude]

Going through COVID for the second time. First time it happened was exactly a year ago. I lost my sense of taste and smell for at least about 2 weeks until it slowly returned after sniffing these essential oils you recommended. I saved all those oils, and after having COVID for the past week and a half, I just noticed about an hour ago after eating some chips and salsa that the sense of taste and smell has become limited. I reached for those oils again and have already started sniffing them periodically, hoping that maybe I can nip it in the bud early. My nose has been running for over a week now. However, after the nose stopped running this evening, the sense of taste and smell dissipated. I had no problems smelling or tasting food when my nose was running. Now it stopped running, but the taste and smell is starting to go. God help me.

[theblueroomm]

I am a perfumer, lost taste and smell for 2 weeks in July. My smell is still off and it's hard for me to work as you can imagine, my sense of smell was so acute before covid. I use coffee beans and just keep smelling different aromas in between. Some faint ingredients that i could always smell I can't even detect. Patchouli used to be my favorite scent, now it smells like burnt tar. I hope this gets better!

[szvqorwnpstahskypfwmp]

Please stay positive and be patient because
it will comeback!!

[Sahkurei]

I'm pregnant and lost my smell and taste completely 3 days ago because covid. It's been really hard. I just want to smell and taste again. Your videos have been super helpful.

[ChristianNaef]

Thank you! Your videos bring HOPE through a very unpleasant and prolonged experience! I got the Rona just before Christmas, it's now August! Non-vaxed (is anyone ever asking that?).
Lost smell completely (not taste) for about 4 months, began to smell flowers (thank God) in the spring. Then toward the end of May, everything started to smell like rotten onions. If there is a scent, that is what I smell. Coffee, onions and garlic are the worst, but evertthing--gasoline to smoke to flowers to fresh baked bread all smells the same sweet, rotten nasty!
I'm here looking to put an end to this, it robs life of so much, I will never take any of my senses for granted again!