The history of perfume goes back 3,200 years to the Mesopotamians, who enjoyed the delightful scents of incense that was used as an offering to the gods. Today, we wear perfume in all its forms to enhance our mood, boost our confidence, and to attract others. However, due to acidic or dry skin, sweat, and poor application, perfumes often don’t last. Here are a few tips to keep your perfume smelling great all day:
1. Don’t rub your wrists together
Friction can cause the perfume’s top notes to wear away, immediately reducing its intensity. Rubbing your wrists together causes this friction, breaking the perfume’s chemical makeup and removing its top notes. Instead of rubbing on your perfume, dabbing it lightly or spritzing it from approximately five to seven inches away is considered the best way to apply perfume to your wrist and other pulse points.
2. Know different types of perfume and they’re staying power
Some forms of perfume last longer than others due to their oil content. As such, perfumes with higher concentrations of essential oils tend to stay on your skin and clothes for a more extended period. For example, Eau de Toilette lasts up to two hours, Eau De Cologne lasts only one hour, and Eau Fraiche is typically gone in less than an hour.
3. Spritz your hair brush and clothing
Perfumes last longer in our hair because of the hair’s oils, and the slightly uplifted cuticles on our hair shafts also help the scent penetrate deeper. However, spraying perfume directly on your hair is not recommended because of the drying effect the alcohol contained in perfume can have on the hair and scalp. Therefore, it’s best to apply perfume to the hair by spraying it on your hairbrush before brushing. Perfume also has greater longevity on your clothes than on your skin, because the alcohol seeps into the fabric fibers and won’t evaporate as quickly. Additionally, the temperature of your skin is higher than your clothes temperature, which increases the scent potency and makes it last a shorter time. Perfume will usually last a minimum of an entire day if you spray it on your clothing.
4. Apply petroleum jelly on your pulse points
A thin layer of petroleum jelly ointment functions as an extra moisturizing lock and air barrier, keeping perfume on the skin where it belongs. Not only does the petroleum jelly lock in the scent, but it’s another way to moisturize your skin to further benefit perfume longevity.
5. Exfoliate and moisturize your skin
There is a distinct relationship between your skincare regime and the length of time fragrances last on you. Dry, cracked skin is deficient in beneficial oils, making it more difficult for the skin to absorb the essential oils in perfume. When these oils aren’t absorbed properly, they dry off more rapidly, making the notes dissipate. To achieve clean, healthy skin, wet a clean washcloth with hot water, gently apply an unscented exfoliating scrub to your skin, and rinse the area with lukewarm water.
