If the scent has a high alcohol content, it's best to apply it on the skin. If the fragrance has a low alcohol content, it can be sprayed on clothes for a more subtle and long-lasting effect. Remember, a fragrance is an extension of your personality, so wear it wherever you feel most comfortable."
Spray it onto your pulse points.
It's places like the inside of your wrists, inner elbows, below your belly button, behind your ear lobes, and the back of your knees. These warm spots on your body emit extra body heat, which helps to naturally diffuse a scent.
Don't Spray on Clothes
If you're in a hurry, don't be tempted to spray perfume onto your clothes. Even a quick spritz may damage clothing, leaving stains. And the scent won't last. Let perfume dry before putting on your clothes if they will cover the pulse points where you wear your fragrance.
When applying perfume correctly, you want to hit all the right spots. "It's important to select the areas of the body that are naturally warm and moist, like the insides of the elbows, back of the knees, chest, and the sides of the neck," says Milèo. "These areas allow the perfume to be truly enjoyed.
How can perfume negatively affect your skin? "Sprayed directly onto skin, perfume is so aggressive that it undermines skin's ability to protect itself against UV damage. That means that perfume-covered skin becomes more vulnerable to sun damage and ageing pigmentation."
Spraying perfume onto your armpits poses as another potential cause of irritation. The interaction between your perfume and your armpits' sweat glands could result in itching and burning.
For even longer staying power, spritz your fragrance onto pulse points. These areas include your wrists, the nape of your neck, behind your knees, behind your ear, and inside your elbows.
"Your ankles are always in motion, so it helps project the fragrance wherever you go," says Claisse. "It continues the scent from head to toe." Claisse recommends applying your scent on your body before putting on your clothes, so that the fragrance can absorb into your skin.
Synthetic materials could also change the way a perfume smells, so it's best to only spray it on natural fabrics. A perfume will smell different on your clothes than on your skin.
Most EDT fragrances will usually last on your skin for 3-6 hours. The most popular type of fragrances, Eau de Parfum (EDP), contain 15-20% perfume oil and 75-80% alcohol, water, and other ingredients. They will last for 6-9 hours based on their ingredients, their formulation, and how oily your skin.
Applying Fragrance Incorrectly
The worst and the most common fragrance mistake people make is rubbing or pressing their wrists together after applying a spritz of their signature scent. The friction created by rubbing will heat up the skin and alter the course of the scent.
When spraying the perfume make sure to distance the sprayer 4-6 inches or 10-15 centimeters from the skin. The reason for this is because that way you will cover the bigger surface on the skin and perfume will work much better as it's not oversaturated on a single spot.
How Many Sprays Of Cologne Should You Use. The best way to enjoy your fragrance is to focus application on your pulse points, and two sprays are all you need. These pulsating points warm up on the skin, allowing the scent to diffuse in air.
Lasting up to 4 hours, the longevity of a body mist is shorter than that of perfume, so you'll need to top up your body mist throughout the day to keep the beautiful scent lasting longer. But, it's well worth it for a subtle boost of fragrance throughout the day.
Olfactory adaptation
The fact that we no longer smell our perfume is part of a physiological process of olfaction. With our own scent, the stimulation of our olfactory sensors is permanent. This is also the case with the smell of our home, or a perfume that we wear very often.
Why doesn't fragrance last on me? Unfortunately for some people, your body chemistry causes perfumes to evaporate more quickly from your skin. Perfumers would say that your skin throws off fragrance. Instead of lasting for some 3 to 4 hours, it disappears within an hour, sometimes shorter.
The general advised amount is four sprays. However, the more you use cologne, the more you'll understand what works for you and that fragrance. Be wary of over-applying as it can actually weaken the fragrance, making it wear off quicker than it should.
You Aren't Moisturizing Enough
There's a direct correlation between your skin regimen and how long your fragrance lasts because the scent doesn't mesh well with dry skin. (Ensure your moisturizer is unscented so it doesn't compete with your perfume of choice.)
Reapply your perfume once throughout the day if you're wearing eau de parfum or every four hours if you're wearing eau de toilette. The most potent perfumes don't require a second spritz and can work their magic for a full 24 hours. When you reapply, spritz your perfume only three or four times.
Spray on clothes.
"It will hold longer on the fabric than it will on your skin," she notes, as your sweat and natural oils can accumulate throughout the day and make the scent wear off.
In short, the answer is no – you shouldn't spray perfume (such as an Eau de Toilette or Eau de Parfum) directly into your lovely locks. If you do, you could be doing more damage to your hair than good!
The answer has to do with hormones—specifically, pheromones. “Pheromones are chemicals that animals and humans produce, which change and influence the behavior of another animal or human of the same species,” says Erica Spiegelman, wellness specialist, recovery counselor, and author of The Rewired Life.