How To Make Fragrances Last Longer
19 Comments 
Here are a few quick tips to help perfumes and colognes last longer when you wear them:
- First rub in a dab of vaseline to the areas that you will be applying scent to, then spray or dab on the perfume. The vaseline will moisturize the skin which helps hold the fragrance longer than dry skin will.
- Create layers of scent to hold the fragrance longer: Use perfumed soaps, shower gels, lotions or even scented dusting powders as a first layer, then apply your perfume. Either choose products that are from the same brand or a scent that will compliment the perfume that you will be wearing.
- Make sure to apply fragrances to your pulse points (wrists, behind ears, neck, behind knees, etc.).
- Lightly spray your hair, hair holds the scent longer than skin.
The longer your perfume lasts when you wear it, the less you have to use (and that saves cash!).
My tip: Don’t wear it. Don’t use scented candles, no potpourri, no scented lotions, no scented deodorants, no room fresheners. Everyone will be much happier that way. Too many of us have developed increasing environmental allergies. Please help us.
kiz,
Just because a product has a scent, that does not mean it is responsible for environmental allergies.
Allergic reactions are attributed to any element that triggers your body’s production of histamines.
There a HUGE difference between “fragrance free” and “non-fragranced” products. The former contains chemicals that create a masking scent that neutralizes noticable odor. So you smell nothing, but there is a chemical “scent” present to facilitate that. “Non-fragranced” products contain no masking scent and generally smell like what they are made of. If they happen to include plant or floral extracts, then that’s what you will smell.
Are you an advocate of chemical additives to prevent these scents?
Unfortunately, the allergen (scent), although masked, will still be present so you’ll have a reaction without knowing why.
I don’t see any reason to terminate the inclusion of natural plant and flower extracts in our daily environment?
Face it, we’ve become a society of hypochondriacs…so wake up and smell the roses (and hopefully you won’t sneeze).
I think I am not the one who needs to wake up. I never said the smell of flowers makes me sneeze. I said that I found the products named in my comment a problem – those are products that ADD chemical scent – a non-natural scent. I get sick, I get a migraine.
If you actually cared about others, you might find out that many people find the products that have artificially added scents poisonous.
Read the list of comments on the lifehacker page that led me to your page. There are many people who feel they need to bathe in cologne, they are the problem. I will retreat to my better world now and leave you to pollute your environment. Sorry I disturbed you.
Woah, excuse me. How can you blame other humans for a problem that is purely to do with your own body. Would you tell somebody with depression that they shouldn’t be able to take medication because the artificial additives cause other people to have allergic reactions or someome with diabetes, meningitis etc. No, you probably wouldn’t. It’s not our fault that your body doesn’t like these chemicals, take some benydryl.
Wow. While I agree that this conversation has gotten a bit rude on several people’s parts, I suffer from Multiple Chemical Sensitivity myself.
It’s not pleasant. J’B, your example of depression medication doesn’t jive because the medication goes internally and scents go externally. My symptoms from different chemical exposures (artificial fragrances and things marked fragrance free) range from a slight headache, to rashes, to depression, to a heated feeling, to my eyes and nose and throat burning, to my eyes or throat actually swelling shut. In those situations, yes, I do blame other people for wearing scents or promoting scents that cause harm to me — not so much when I’m passing a stranger on a street, but definitely when people who know me choose to blatantly disrespect my life like that.
And the thing is that while I have acute reactions, artificial fragrances can often cause harm to everyone — the unseen type that leads to bodily issues later on that may even seem disconnected.
I do use natural fragrances — not often, but I do use essential oils in small doses successfully. Unfortunately, when many people think of fragrance, it is an automatic assumption that they are not using small doses of natural extracts, but instead factory derived ones.
And Benadryl, while often helpful for some people, does not work on many sufferers.
Just so it’s clear klz, the commenter is sharing his/her views and opinions, they’re not from Tipnut (this blog).
I’m aware that some have allergies to perfumes and scents but I don’t have full knowledge of what the triggers are. I understand it to be certain chemicals that can be present in some fragrances. In my workplace (large), scents are banned and I don’t have a problem with not wearing fragrances to work (hand lotions, perfumes, colognes, some hairsprays and hair care products are included–it’s surprising actually how many products we use daily have scent).
But I can still live my life choosing moments where wearing perfume is appropriate and I won’t be in a closed area with allergy sufferers.
I’m a natural perfumer, and I have to partially agree with the recommendation away from wearing it: do NOT wear perfumes to work, in airplanes, or when you know you’re going to wind up in an enclosed space with people you are not intimate with.
I’m cringing a tiny bit at the idea of the vaseline – petroleum jelly is a petroleum product, and while cheaply and widely available, it’s made from a source that’s not really replaceable within our collective lifetimes. I might suggest something else – perhaps a very small amount of olive oil as the base, or even an unscented shea butter moisturizer would do nicely.
Personally i think you need to calm down a bit. It’s vaseline. Not toxic waste.
Nice suggestions Di, I agree olive oil or shea butter would work well too.
Tip,
1. Spray the stuff in the air and walk into it.
2. If you have the non-spray kind. Put it on where you take your pulse and your wrists (std i know).
3. THE BEST ADVICE is to either spray it in your hair or apply it there how ever you can. It does not wipe/sweat off as easy as applications on to your skin and its still in the area where a person might smell ya. Also kills how strong the scent is. For the sensitive ones out there.
Layering is definitely a good way, but it does require some more work than just spraying the perfume. Then again…if you want the most out of your perfume, it;s worth a try.
klz,
what would you suggest to people who have “unappealing” body odor? you mention a plethora of products used to tame bad smells. i have yet to see a non-scented deodorant.
You can also spray a cotton ball with perfume and then tuck it in the center of your bra. The scent lasts a very long time on the cotton, and if someone comes long who has a problem with scented products, removing the cotton ball is easy.
As for unscented deodorant, the crystal deodorants are available unscented.
you can also out body butter on which last longer than perfume aand has more moisture
Klz wrote:
>>”many people find the products that have artificially added scents poisonous.”
Um…so don’t eat them. That’s not what they’re for.
Look, I sometimes get migraines, which put me in bed in pain for a day or more, from perfume, so I know what it’s like, but I don’t expect other people to stop using it because I’m especially sensitive when the reality is most people are not. Not wearing strong scents in an enclosed space like an airplane is just a matter of common courtesy. If someone you’re stuck sitting near is wearing an overpowering scent, you should be assertive enough to either move or explain the problem and ask them to wash it off. People need to take responsibility for their own health.
I was wondering if you can guide me as I always spray perfumes on cloths rather than apply on body like wrists, behind ears, neck, behind knees, etc. and I have found how costly and nice perfume use it does not last or nobody notices I am wearing a perfume after an hour or so. So according to this blog it seems that we should use on body only. Is that correct?
Thanks,
I’m only using a cologne because I can’t stand any perfume. I have an allergy, and hard time on breathing everytime i smell a very strong perfume.
Love, love, love this article.
I’m sorry a couple of the readers have allergies to scents as many people do. I have a good friend of mine who has such allergies. I just sent her a copy of this article, beings most of these perfumes are made with natural plant and floral extracts.
Thank you so much for sharing
I do have one question though. You mention the perfumed lockets. I looked and could not find a link as to where to purchase empty lockets. If anyone has any idea, I would certainly appreciate the information.
Thanks again