When you apply your fragrance, it is very important to do it right. You don’t want to overspray it, but you also don’t want your fragrance to go unnoticed.
Where should you apply your fragrance? You should apply your cologne to the heat point of your body. The heat points of your body are the places where your body temperature is high, like your neck. The temperature of your body will project the scent very well and make it noticeable, so no need to spray way too much.
But there are a lot more things to this than just spraying on the heat points. In this article, we’ll discuss the best possible places to apply your favorite fragrance!
The Best Places To Apply A Fragrance
The best points to spray a cologne are your heat points. Heat points are points on your body that have a high body temperature. There is a really easy trick to know where your heat points are. Basically everywhere where you can feel a heartbeat, like your neck, lower jaw or wrists. Another heat point on your body is actually your shoulder, although I don’t really recommend spraying your cologne on your shoulder, as you’ll most likely be wearing clothes that cover your shoulder.
The reason why we want to spray our cologne on these heat points is that our high body temperature will project the scents of the fragrance. The warmer your body temperature, the better it will project. This makes these heat points the ideal spots to spray your cologne.
Besides the obvious places to spray your cologne, there are a few places I always spray my cologne. These places are behind my ears and, sometimes, in my hair. These might sound weird, but honestly, they work really well.
Spraying you cologne behind your ears has a few advantages. First, it is a spot that is relatively warm, and when the cologne is basically stuck behind your ear and the back of your head, it will linger around for a good while. The other thing it has going for it is that when you walk by people, you’ll leave this amazing trace of the cologne. Because the cologne is applied at almost nose level, it will be easy to detect by others, and that’s the whole magic of wearing a fragrance, leaving a good impression.
Spraying your cologne in your hair might sound a bit weird at first, but it has a great effect, especially if you have a hairstyle with longer hair. When you’ve sprayed your cologne in your hair, it will linger there for a good while. So every time you go through your hair, you’ll basically ‘release’ the fragrance. The scent will also stick to your hand for a while, which is also very nice. Your hair is especially a great place if you have a girlfriend. When you’re cuddling or when she goes through your hair, it will reveal the amazing fragrance you’re wearing.
Different Types Of Fragrances
So before you even start applying your cologne, you need to know what type of cologne you have. There are multiple different types. These are eau fraiche, eau de cologne, eau de toilette, eau de parfum, and perfume. The main difference between all these is the concentration of scented oils. A fragrance is basically a mix of water, alcohol, and scented oils. The more scented oils, the stronger the scent will be.
Eau fraiche usually has between 1% and 3% of scented oils in its mixture. This is the most diluted mixture and won’t last you very long. An eau fraiche is very light and it will probably be gone after an hour or so.
Eau de cologne has a concentration between 2% and 4%. This means it can last you a good few hours. An eau de cologne, or cologne, is usually a very light and fresh fragrance and is often the type of fragrance used for younger guys.
Eau de toilette starts to have a much higher concentration. Between 5% and 15%, an eau de toilette can last you between three and five hours.
Eau de parfum contains between 15% and 20% scented oils. This is quite a lot compared to other types and an eau de parfum can last a long time. You can definitely expect up to eight hours.
Perfume has the highest concentration, between 20% and 30%. This means it can last you a really long time, even up to 24 hours. Because it has the highest concentration, it is also the most expensive type of fragrance.
But why is it important to know which type of fragrance you have, before applying it? Well, when a fragrance has a higher concentration, it does not only last longer, it also projects stronger. Five sprays of a perfume is way more noticeable than five sprays of an eau fraiche.
So look at your fragrances, what type is it? Most of the time you can find it on the bottle. There aren’t really any rules for this, but just keep in mind that the higher the concentration, the less you need.
It is also nice to know what types you have so you can plan things out. If you know you’ll be gone for a few hours, it might be better to use a fragrance with a higher concentration.
How Should You Apply Your Fragrance And What Is The Best Time
When you’re applying your fragrance, is right after a shower. Make sure your skin is dry though. The reason for applying right after your shower is because most of your pores are still open. This way, your pores are likely to catch more of the fragrance. Do make sure your skin is dried, otherwise, the fragrance will mix with the water and dilute it. This will make it last for a shorter amount of time.
You’ve just taken your shower, now it’s time to apply. First, start by locating your heat points. The most common ones are the neck, lower jaw, and the wrists. But there are more than those. You can also spray on your shoulders, chest, inner elbows, or armpits (although that does not feel nice at all!). To know which points work best for you, you probably have to try them. See what works for you and what you’re comfortable with.
Now that you know where to spray, you should get to the actual spraying. Best thing to do is to spray from a short distance, around 3 to 6 inches away. This will make sure the fragrance is evenly distributed. The little thing that sprays the fragrance is called the atomizer, which should give you a nice spray. If you get a squirt of fragrance, you should probably get a new atomizer or have your current one fixed.
Applying your cologne should be done subtly. Don’t spray way more than you need. With most fragrances, one spray per heat point is more than enough. I usually go with a total of four sprays, two behind my ear and two on my lower jaw. This should be more than enough to have you smell great.
How Can You Make Your Fragrance Last Longer
The length of a fragrance is unique to every different one out there. It really depends on a lot of factors, like the notes used, the concentration and the quality of the fragrance.
The notes in a fragrance can actually determine the length of it as well. Fresh notes tend to last shorter than sweeter notes. Some often used base notes, like musk, can also linger around for a very, very long time, even after the fragrance itself is long gone. Basically, the deeper and more intensive the fragrance note is, the longer it will linger around.
Of course, the concentration of scented oils explains why some fragrances last longer than others. Above, I explained the different types of fragrances and how long they last, but the takeaway from that is: the higher the concentration, the longer it will last.
Lastly, the quality of the ingredients plays a role as well. If the ingredients used in a fragrance are cheap and low quality, the scent will somewhat reflect that. If, however, the ingredients used are of high quality, the scent and performance will reflect that as well.
The length of a certain fragrance is mostly determined by these factors, but there are a few things you can do to make it last just a little longer.
- The first thing you should do is to make sure you store your fragrance in the right place. Make sure it is not exposed to extreme temperatures, as they will cause the fragrance to break down much faster. You should store your fragrances in a cool and dark place, like a closet. Storing it in such a place will help to preserve the fragrance and stop it from breaking down faster.
- When you’re applying your fragrance, the best time to do so is right after a shower, on dry skin. After a shower, most of your pores are still open. The more pores that are open, the more of the fragrance you will catch. Also make sure your skin is dry, otherwise the fragrance will mix with the water and dilute it, making it weaker.
- Also, make sure to apply to your heat points. These points will project your fragrance the best and the longest.
- After applying, make sure to not kill the notes. For example, this is often done when people are rubbing their wrists together. The traction will break the molecules that are working together to create the scent.
- Apply your fragrance the right way. This means spraying your fragrance on your skin, not spraying it in the air and walking through it.
One thing you can always do is reapply your fragrance throughout the day. I wrote a post about reapplying your fragrance the right way, which you can find here.
Making your fragrance last a bit longer can be very beneficial. Please, just don’t over apply, drowning yourself and others in the fragrance. This won’t even make your fragrance last longer and you’ll be a big nuisance to others.
What Not To Do When Applying A Fragrance
There are a few things that people do when applying their fragrance that is really just a waste. And what’s even worse, is that these things are really common.
The first thing I want to address is rubbing your wrists together to apply your fragrance on both wrists. This is really bad. What you’re basically doing is destroying the molecular bond, which makes your fragrance a lot weaker.
A fragrance is made up of a bunch of different notes, crafted in such a way that they work together the way they do. When you’re rubbing it on another part of your body, your basically breaking down these molecules, which makes the fragrance a lot weaker. Try to avoid this and just use a spray on both wrists. Or don’t even spray on your wrists, as the traction with your clothes might do the same. I usually don’t spray on my wrists, I usually go with four sprays, two behind the ear and two on my neck.
Another thing some people do is spray their fragrance in the air and walk through it. This does not work as most of the fragrance will drop straight to the floor. When you do this, you’re basically wasting like 80% of your spray. Just spray it directly on your preferred spots, this works way better.
This brings me in the next don’t, which is applying way too much. A fragrance is meant to be discovered, not pushed in someone’s face. So be careful when applying. Be subtle. Make sure you know the fragrance and you know how strong it is. Then adjust to what you know and make sure it is the right amount.
Lastly, you should try to avoid spraying your fragrance on your clothes. When you spray the fragrance on your clothes, the fragrance does not get a chance to mix with your oils. Because of this, it can’t really go through all it’s stages, presenting all its different notes.
Spraying your fragrance on your clothes can also leave stains, which are really difficult to get rid of.
Some Rules To Follow
There are some basic fragrance rules out there. Some are helpful for yourself, and others will help you to not drown the people around you.
- Apply your fragrance to your heat points.
- Don’t rub your wrists together.
- Don’t over-apply or reapply when not needed.
- Do not go all out with a new fragrance, test it’s performance first.
- Avoid spraying your fragrance on your clothes.
- Spray your fragrance on dry skin.
- Do not spray your fragrance in the air and walk through it, this is just a waste.
- A fragrance should be a little surprise to the people around you, so don’t drown yourself in it.
Conclusion
Wearing a fragrance has many benefits to it. It can help to make a great first impression and others can actually perceive you better. But this is only when you apply your fragrance the right way. Use too much and you’ll get the complete opposite of what you’re trying to achieve.
You should first know what type of fragrance you have, and what the occasion will be. Then you have to judge how much fragrance you should use. Don’t go overboard, less is more. You should then go ahead and apply the fragrance on your heat points, to make it work with your body temperature. Make sure your skin is dry when you’re applying it. Also, make sure to actually spray the fragrance on your skin. Don’t spray it in the air and walk through it, this just doesn’t work and you’ll only waste your fragrance.
Now go out there and smell amazing!