diff --git a/libraries/avatars/src/AvatarData.h b/libraries/avatars/src/AvatarData.h
index e9f1f5f6c3..b010a9f924 100644
--- a/libraries/avatars/src/AvatarData.h
+++ b/libraries/avatars/src/AvatarData.h
@@ -1193,9 +1193,6 @@ public:
     void setReplicaIndex(int replicaIndex) { _replicaIndex = replicaIndex; }
     int getReplicaIndex() { return _replicaIndex; }
 
-    const AvatarTraits::TraitInstanceID getTraitInstanceXORID() const { return _traitInstanceXORID; }
-    void cycleTraitInstanceXORID() { _traitInstanceXORID = QUuid::createUuid(); }
-
 signals:
 
     /**jsdoc
@@ -1502,8 +1499,6 @@ private:
     // privatize the copy constructor and assignment operator so they cannot be called
     AvatarData(const AvatarData&);
     AvatarData& operator= (const AvatarData&);
-
-    AvatarTraits::TraitInstanceID _traitInstanceXORID { QUuid::createUuid() };
 };
 Q_DECLARE_METATYPE(AvatarData*)
 
diff --git a/libraries/avatars/src/AvatarHashMap.cpp b/libraries/avatars/src/AvatarHashMap.cpp
index 6fc53fcc59..d205a915f8 100644
--- a/libraries/avatars/src/AvatarHashMap.cpp
+++ b/libraries/avatars/src/AvatarHashMap.cpp
@@ -343,29 +343,17 @@ void AvatarHashMap::processBulkAvatarTraits(QSharedPointer<ReceivedMessage> mess
                 AvatarTraits::TraitInstanceID traitInstanceID =
                     QUuid::fromRfc4122(message->readWithoutCopy(NUM_BYTES_RFC4122_UUID));
 
-                // XOR the incoming trait instance ID with this avatar object's personal XOR ID
-
-                // this ensures that we have separate entity instances in the local tree
-                // if we briefly end up with two Avatar objects for this node
-
-                // (which can occur if the shared pointer for the
-                // previous instance of an avatar hasn't yet gone out of scope before the
-                // new instance is created)
-
-                auto xoredInstanceID = AvatarTraits::xoredInstanceID(traitInstanceID, avatar->getTraitInstanceXORID());
-
                 message->readPrimitive(&traitBinarySize);
 
                 auto& processedInstanceVersion = lastProcessedVersions.getInstanceValueRef(traitType, traitInstanceID);
                 if (packetTraitVersion > processedInstanceVersion) {
-                    // in order to handle re-connections to the avatar mixer when the other
                     if (traitBinarySize == AvatarTraits::DELETED_TRAIT_SIZE) {
-                        avatar->processDeletedTraitInstance(traitType, xoredInstanceID);
-                        _replicas.processDeletedTraitInstance(avatarID, traitType, xoredInstanceID);
+                        avatar->processDeletedTraitInstance(traitType, traitInstanceID);
+                        _replicas.processDeletedTraitInstance(avatarID, traitType, traitInstanceID);
                     } else {
                         auto traitData = message->read(traitBinarySize);
-                        avatar->processTraitInstance(traitType, xoredInstanceID, traitData);
-                        _replicas.processTraitInstance(avatarID, traitType, xoredInstanceID, traitData);
+                        avatar->processTraitInstance(traitType, traitInstanceID, traitData);
+                        _replicas.processTraitInstance(avatarID, traitType, traitInstanceID, traitData);
                     }
                     processedInstanceVersion = packetTraitVersion;
                 } else {
diff --git a/libraries/avatars/src/AvatarTraits.h b/libraries/avatars/src/AvatarTraits.h
index 47be0d6111..5866caf234 100644
--- a/libraries/avatars/src/AvatarTraits.h
+++ b/libraries/avatars/src/AvatarTraits.h
@@ -41,8 +41,7 @@ namespace AvatarTraits {
     const TraitWireSize DELETED_TRAIT_SIZE = -1;
 
     inline qint64 packInstancedTraitDelete(TraitType traitType, TraitInstanceID instanceID, ExtendedIODevice& destination,
-                                           TraitVersion traitVersion = NULL_TRAIT_VERSION,
-                                           TraitInstanceID xoredInstanceID = TraitInstanceID()) {
+                                           TraitVersion traitVersion = NULL_TRAIT_VERSION) {
         qint64 bytesWritten = 0;
 
         bytesWritten += destination.writePrimitive(traitType);
@@ -51,28 +50,12 @@ namespace AvatarTraits {
             bytesWritten += destination.writePrimitive(traitVersion);
         }
 
-        if (xoredInstanceID.isNull()) {
-            bytesWritten += destination.write(instanceID.toRfc4122());
-        } else {
-            bytesWritten += destination.write(xoredInstanceID.toRfc4122());
-        }
+        bytesWritten += destination.write(instanceID.toRfc4122());
 
         bytesWritten += destination.writePrimitive(DELETED_TRAIT_SIZE);
 
         return bytesWritten;
     }
-
-    inline TraitInstanceID xoredInstanceID(TraitInstanceID localInstanceID, TraitInstanceID xorKeyID) {
-        QByteArray xoredInstanceID { NUM_BYTES_RFC4122_UUID, 0 };
-        auto xorKeyIDBytes = xorKeyID.toRfc4122();
-        auto localInstanceIDBytes = localInstanceID.toRfc4122();
-
-        for (auto i = 0; i < localInstanceIDBytes.size(); ++i) {
-            xoredInstanceID[i] = localInstanceIDBytes[i] ^ xorKeyIDBytes[i];
-        }
-
-        return QUuid::fromRfc4122(xoredInstanceID);
-    }
 };
 
 #endif // hifi_AvatarTraits_h
diff --git a/libraries/avatars/src/ClientTraitsHandler.cpp b/libraries/avatars/src/ClientTraitsHandler.cpp
index 479852cf9a..94823610dc 100644
--- a/libraries/avatars/src/ClientTraitsHandler.cpp
+++ b/libraries/avatars/src/ClientTraitsHandler.cpp
@@ -45,7 +45,7 @@ void ClientTraitsHandler::resetForNewMixer() {
     _owningAvatar->prepareResetTraitInstances();
 
     // reset the trait XOR ID since we're resetting for a new avatar mixer
-    _owningAvatar->cycleTraitInstanceXORID();
+    _sessionXORID = QUuid::createUuid().toRfc4122();
 }
 
 void ClientTraitsHandler::sendChangedTraitsToMixer() {
@@ -100,15 +100,11 @@ void ClientTraitsHandler::sendChangedTraitsToMixer() {
                     // since this is going to the mixer, use the XORed instance ID (to anonymize trait instance IDs
                     // that would typically persist across sessions)
                     _owningAvatar->packTraitInstance(instancedIt->traitType, instanceIDValuePair.id, *traitsPacketList,
-                                                     AvatarTraits::NULL_TRAIT_VERSION,
-                                                     AvatarTraits::xoredInstanceID(instanceIDValuePair.id,
-                                                                                   _owningAvatar->getTraitInstanceXORID()));
+                                                     AvatarTraits::NULL_TRAIT_VERSION, xorInstanceID(instanceIDValuePair.id));
                 } else if (!_shouldPerformInitialSend && instanceIDValuePair.value == Deleted) {
                     // pack delete for this trait instance
                     AvatarTraits::packInstancedTraitDelete(instancedIt->traitType, instanceIDValuePair.id,
-                                                           *traitsPacketList, AvatarTraits::NULL_TRAIT_VERSION,
-                                                           AvatarTraits::xoredInstanceID(instanceIDValuePair.id,
-                                                                                         _owningAvatar->getTraitInstanceXORID()));
+                                                           *traitsPacketList);
                 }
             }
 
@@ -122,6 +118,17 @@ void ClientTraitsHandler::sendChangedTraitsToMixer() {
     }
 }
 
+AvatarTraits::TraitInstanceID ClientTraitsHandler::xorInstanceID(AvatarTraits::TraitInstanceID localInstanceID) {
+    QByteArray xorInstanceID { NUM_BYTES_RFC4122_UUID, 0 };
+    auto localInstanceIDBytes = localInstanceID.toRfc4122();
+
+    for (auto i = 0; i < localInstanceIDBytes.size(); ++i) {
+        xorInstanceID[i] = localInstanceIDBytes[i] ^ _sessionXORID[i];
+    }
+
+    return QUuid::fromRfc4122(xorInstanceID);
+}
+
 void ClientTraitsHandler::processTraitOverride(QSharedPointer<ReceivedMessage> message, SharedNodePointer sendingNode) {
     if (sendingNode->getType() == NodeType::AvatarMixer) {
         while (message->getBytesLeftToRead()) {
diff --git a/libraries/avatars/src/ClientTraitsHandler.h b/libraries/avatars/src/ClientTraitsHandler.h
index 6d1592ba74..2319061502 100644
--- a/libraries/avatars/src/ClientTraitsHandler.h
+++ b/libraries/avatars/src/ClientTraitsHandler.h
@@ -37,6 +37,8 @@ public:
 
     void resetForNewMixer();
 
+    AvatarTraits::TraitInstanceID xorInstanceID(AvatarTraits::TraitInstanceID localInstanceID);
+
 public slots:
     void processTraitOverride(QSharedPointer<ReceivedMessage> message, SharedNodePointer sendingNode);
 
@@ -53,6 +55,8 @@ private:
     AvatarTraits::TraitVersion _currentTraitVersion { AvatarTraits::DEFAULT_TRAIT_VERSION };
 
     AvatarTraits::TraitVersion _currentSkeletonVersion { AvatarTraits::NULL_TRAIT_VERSION };
+
+    QByteArray _sessionXORID { NUM_BYTES_RFC4122_UUID, 0};
     
     bool _shouldPerformInitialSend { false };
     bool _hasChangedTraits { false };