For most men, choosing and applying a cologne can often times be an afterthought. Spraying on something bought by friends or family, paying no mind to how it should be sprayed on your body. And with how hectic mornings can be, it makes sense! Having the convenience of quickly spraying something on your clothes and walking out of the house can be a godsend for people with a busy start to their morning.

But what if we told you there is a specific method of choosing and applying cologne that will not only bring out all those hidden scents hiding in that cologne of yours, but also for making it last much longer too!

In today’s article we dive into how you should go about choosing a cologne that compliments your natural body scent, how you can get the most out of your cologne and going over best practices for how you should be applying it!

  • Selecting the Right Cologne
  • How to Properly Apply Cologne

Selecting the Right Cologne

Find a cologne that compliments your own personal scent – Because everyone’s natural scent is slightly different, finding the right cologne can be a journey of trial and error. What smells amazing on one person can smell “off” on another.

Go to the Perfume Department – One of the best ways to find your ideal cologne is by going to the perfume department! Test out the different colognes by spraying up to 3 or 4 different colognes on separate sections of your arms (wrist and forearm for example). Pay special attention to the first notes (We dive into scent notes in our last article) and how it develops over time and gives way to the middle and base notes.

Keep a Record – A great method we find is keeping a record of all the different colognes you try out. Write down the ones that you really like, ask for other people’s opinions… and when you’ve narrowed it down, you’ll know that what you’ve chosen will not only be something you like, but also something people around you will also enjoy!

Common misconceptions when choosing colognes:

Higher Price = Better Quality – Although you would think this makes sense, it’s not always the case! Often times the inflated cost you pay is because of all the marketing and image associated with a brand, as opposed to the quality of materials making up the scent.

Scent Cards – Colognes are designed to react with the natural oils on your skin. So even if it is convenient, never decide on a perfume based on scent cards that are given out.

How to Properly Apply Cologne

Apply on Dry, Clean Skin – Cologne is most effective when sprayed onto dry and clean skin. So right after a shower when you’ve dried off is usually the best time to apply it.

Start Off Small – Start with one spritz, spraying it about 6 inches away from your chest. Next you should apply it to some of your heat areas. These areas consist of your chest, neck, lower jaw, wrist, forearm, inner elbow and shoulder. Always keep in mind that you never want the scent to become overpowering, so start off with one spritz on a heat area and slowly work your way up. Once you get more familiar with your cologne, you’ll get a feel for exactly how much you should be putting on.

Some things you should never do when applying cologne:

Rubbing in the scent – Rubbing it in breaks apart the molecular bonds of your cologne, making the scent weaker and not last as long.

Spraying away then walking into the mist – This technique likely came from the idea that spraying it directly onto you makes the scent too overpowering (which is something we want to avoid of course), but doing this just makes most of your cologne fall onto the ground. The best way to go about it is to apply a small amount then work your way up.

Spraying On Your Clothes – Perfume designers specifically made perfumes/colognes to interact with the natural oils on your skin. By spraying onto your clothes, your cologne will not smell and develop the way it would if it were applied directly to your skin.

Conclusion

With a countless number of ways people say you should be applying your cologne and an even greater number of colognes on the market, we hope this article has helped shed some light on how you should go about colognes so you can squeeze the most benefit out of it!

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