How To Apply Men’s Cologne The RIGHT Way (And Smell Great All Day)

Most guys are applying cologne incorrectly.

Here's the deal: if you're spraying a $250 fragrance into the air and walking through the mist, you may as well be pouring it down the drain.

The same goes for you guys who spray it on their wrists and then rub them together.

The fact is, most guys aren't taught the best method of applying fragrance. They fall into bad habits and waste their hard-earned money as a result.

I don't want that for you guys. So, I'm here to set the record straight once and for all. In today's article, we're covering RIGHT way to apply cologne and how you can get the most out of your signature scent:

1. How Do You Apply Cologne So It Lasts?
2. Should You Apply Cologne To Your Clothes Or Skin?
3. What Type Of Colognes Last Longest?
4. Can You Improve The Strength Of Cologne?

#1 How Do You Apply Cologne So It Lasts Longer?

When considering how to apply a men's cologne, it's important to pay close attention to your pulse points.

What are pulse points, you ask? In short, pulse points are the areas of your body where you can feel your heartbeat. Typically, these points are some of the warmest areas of your skin.

We're talking about the neck, inner wrists, and behind the ears. The logic behind this is that the body heat created at these pulse points will project the fragrance more effectively.

For me, the following spraying routine works best:

1. A spray behind each ear
2. A spray on each wrist (DO NOT RUB YOUR WRISTS TOGETHER!)
3. One spray on the chest at the base of the neck

Many guys also suggest that you should spray your hair with cologne. However, I would avoid this, as the high alcohol content in most colognes could damage your hair and dry it out – leading to hair loss.

Like I mentioned earlier, don't bother spraying fragrance in the air and walking through the mist. I'm not sure where this practice originated, but I can tell you it's a useless practice and only stands to waste your cologne.

The same can be said for applying cologne to the wrists and rubbing them together. When you rub your scented wrists together, you damage the top notes of the fragrance and make them less potent. This will warp the scent and make your cologne smell strange as it mixes with the natural oils of your skin.

Instead, apply your cologne conservatively and leave it to dry on your skin.

Pro Tip: Apply fragrances soon after showering. The hot steam of a shower opens up the pores on your skin, allowing your cologne to soak into the skin and last longer.

#2 Should You Apply Cologne To Your Clothes Or Skin?

Simple: on your skin.

Perfumers design and formulate colognes and perfumes for use on human skin. They are not designed to be used on clothing.

But what's the harm, right? What harm is a quick spritz on a shirt collar going to do?

Well, as it turns out – a lot.

For starters, cologne contains alcohol and oils. Both of these agents can permanently stain clothing – especially the white collar of a tailored dress shirt.

Think of it like this. Splashing vodka and cooking oil on your shirt would ruin it – right? So why would you think spraying a mixture of alcohol and fragrance oil on your shirt is a good idea?

Sure, it's not exactly the same – but it isn't far off either. My advice – spray your cologne on your skin and avoid spraying it anywhere near your clothes.

I know, I know – a lot of people say that spraying cologne on clothing can make it last longer. After all, cotton absorbs liquid faster than skin does.

Sure – but that isn't a good thing! Cologne-soaked clothing might retain the scent for days – but do you really want to mix the smell of old cologne with whatever you choose to apply the next day? Who knows what you could end up smelling like.

#3 What Types Of Cologne Last Longer?

Knowledge is power.

When it comes to knowing how to apply men's cologne, it's essential to understand which concentration and scents will have a higher chance of smelling great for longer.

Let's start with fragrance concentration (or strength). In short, there are 5 main categories used to define the concentration of perfume oil contained in a cologne.

The higher the oil concentration; the longer it should last on the skin:

• Eau Fraiche: Only 1%-3% of perfume oil. It only lasts an hour – two if you're lucky.
• Cologne: Consists of 2%-4% concentrations. It lasts for about two hours.
• Eau de Toilette (EDT): 5%-15% concentrations dissolved in alcohol. Many daytime fragrances fall within this category, with 3-4 hours of longevity.
• Eau de Parfum (EDP): The category with the highest concentrations of oil at 15%-20%. This can take up to 8 hours to dissipate.
• Perfume: The longest-lasting category with 20-30% pure essence. This will easily last 24 hours.

It's also important to understand the different types of fragrances when learning how to apply men's cologne. The fact is, some fragrance notes and categories will last longer than others.

Fragrance notes breakdown – Top, Middle and Base notes.

In case you didn't know, fragrance notes are the individual building blocks of scent – think of them as the different layers to a complex smell.

• Top Notes – where we experience the basic, initial scent. Only tend to last 15 minutes – 2 hours.
• Heart Notes – the main elements of a fragrance that showcase how the perfumer intended the scent to be experienced. Can last anywhere between 3-5 hours.
• Base Notes -the final layer to develop within a fragrance. The base note has a potential longevity of 5-10 hours.

Depending on the ingredients within each layer of a fragrance, they can also be subcategorized into either summer and winter scents.

• Summer fragrances are made up of lighter notes such as citrus and floral notes and last on average 5-7 hours.
• Winter fragrances commonly utilize intense base notes such as wood and tobacco and last at least 10 hours.

When it comes to applying these different types of fragrances, I'd say it comes down to a mixture of personal preference and practice.

Typically, you shouldn't apply woody winter scents as intensely as summery floral scents. After all, if a fragrance is made of notes that naturally last longer on the skin, then you can get away with applying less of it at any one time.

#4 Can You Improve The Strength Of Cologne?

I'll be honest – there's very little you can do to increase the longevity and projection of your scent outside of what I've already discussed in this article.

That being said, there are ways you can prevent a fragrance from becoming less potent over time. After all, nothing lasts forever, and a fragrance's strength and projection can become weaker as time passes if not cared for correctly.

You can prolong the life of your fragrance by storing it in the right places. Direct sunlight adversely affects colognes. The heat breaks down the chemical bonds that give fragrances their scent, thus weakening them.

This is where opaque bottles have the advantage because they do not let any light in, meaning you can leave it out of the packaging at your leisure. The darker the bottle, the longer the liquid inside will last.

Storing colognes in the bathroom seems natural, but it can damage the quality of the fragrance as well. Steam from hot showers can destroy the particles inside the bottle.

Always keep your bottles stored at room temperature, preferably in places where light isn't a concern. Cupboards and drawers are ideal.

When it comes to learning how to apply men's cologne, there's always more to learn. Click here to discover more about the importance of fragrance notes when choosing a signature scent.

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