How to Make Perfumes Last Longer: An In-depth Guide 2024]

It’s pretty obvious when you wear perfumes that you need it to take you through the day with the knowing assurance that you def smell like angel’s tears and make sure everyone else can inhale your heavenly fragrance when you walk into a room.

But sometimes, no matter how much you spend to smell like luxury, it tends to fade into thin air and makes the quotes on vanity, a painfully relived experience

Like, where did all my money go to?

Never the less, if you are one who goes big on them bottles,dousing yourself in perfume does not offer the consolation that you will get a better result. It will instead make you that guy who introduces himself from a.distance away with his obscenely heavy perfume and makes everyone around him uncomfortable, nauseous and laden with headache.

And because we all know that guy and the stigma that comes with being him, it is quite unlikely you want to be in those shoes.

Except of course you enjoy junking on different products, there is no need to purchase a new bottle of perfume just yet till, you have gone through these tips which might just be what you need to switch up and get the best out of all those bottles on your dresser table.

If you are in a hurry, here are some quick tips.

Important Notes on Perfume

No two people can smell the same way even if they both use the same perfume combination. This is because of reasons which include your:

Body chemistry which like every other individiual traits like our thumb prints, isnunique So, to get the perfect solution from your purchase you can do the following:

Train your olfactory to know what smell absorbs better and lasts longer.

Don’t use a perfume solely because your best bud does same and expect to get the same scent-result.

Using too much fragrance at once really doesn’t cut it.and doesn’t also guarantee longevity, so please stop it with the dousing.

Did you know?

Gendered perfume scents, it was only during the beginning of the 50’s in Europe where marketing strategy picked on the idea of a few buyer’s choice and pushed the advertising into the market to segment different fragrances between both sexes. But modern times has seen a drastic change in perfume consumer behaviour and a new understanding of the fragrances.

Colognes are not made to last on men or specially made to suit their body chemistry. Floral scents connote notes of playfulness and when worn by men brings out the feminine in them which can improve the secretion of pheromones and create a romantic attraction. While women can wear woody scents to show a kind of mute, less loud fragrance mixed other lighter fragrance for balance.

These tips should guide you to a longer fragrance life

1.Have a clean shower before wearing perfumes

Every day, your body accumulates different smells and products that build-up and produce dirty which cannot be penetrated by the smell of perfumes. Which is mostly why it is advisable to wear one immediately you walk out of the bathtub, after your body must have soaked in the moisture. Dab perfume on the most place where you feel your body warms up easily while using a moisture-retention lotion to keep your body properly hydrated so that the perfume can be easily absorbed in with your body oil and diffuse properly.

2. Use Petroleum jelly or Body oil

Petroleum jelly has unique benefits for your perfume’s long lasting fragrance as it contains just the right amount of oil to keep the fragrance on you for a long time.

You can also try using baby oil which is totally unscented and friendly to all skin types, or body oils including coconut oil, almond or virtually any oil that does not make you itch or sweat unnecessarily. And remember, just a dab of it does the trick.

Feed your hair scents that doesn’t dry it

While perfumes last long on the hair, it is on replace that is famous for trapping dirt and from its secretion of oil and sweats from braids and weaves all of which contribute to the build-up ofndirts, it is not advised that you wear perfumes there. Especially when left unwashed, dirty hair secrets little sebum a.the follicles are clogged and only work to accentuate their dirty smell.

So use Perfumes around the edges of the hair, clse to the top of the earlobe where you would like to be kissed and sniffed in a doting way.

Use shampoos that hold fine scents and retain mositure in hair longer and wash from time to time.

Set your hair free once in a while and dab a few Perfumes on the end of your tresses to keep the fragrances popping as frequently as the wind gets in your hair.

3. Times and seasons determine the intensity of a fragrance

Scents and fragrance rely heavily on weather conditions which is why your nose could feel like it has been dulled to a few smells during the cold weather, with a heightened sharpness in detecting fragrance during the hot weather as it tends to bring out the sharpness in different fragrance.

And this has a lot to do with the ingredient used in your perfumes.

The cold seasons is relatively heavy with temperature that masks the fragrance scents, muting them to the background which is selecting fragrance for include ingredients with heavier scenes such as tobacco, cedarwoodhot and mostly ingredient that embody a comfortable warm feeling with a rich and spicy combo.

Warm and hot seasons on the other hand are great at unveiling fragrance from every corner so you would need to wear something with a more floral-oriental note to keep you from becoming an object for the bees and butterfly to chase after for nectar (if you get what I mean) Consider notes like lavender, citrus, patchouli which is also a great base, green apples too make a great fragrant accord and provide a fresh scent that blends well with your body’s chemistry to last for a really long time, to be retouched occasionally.

A few tips for wearing perfumes during spring/summer

• Freshness is key to this season and to attune yourself with more suave to the sweet fragrance of everything around you, wearing a frag with more zest like citrus or floral like Lavender would go a long way in keeping up with the self-expressiveness of the season.

• Less is more makes more sense as everything and everyone is on a heightened sense of smell. So you want to rein in on the calming smell of sweet breeze, silky sand dust, blooming flowers under the warmth of the sun, not stand out as an obstacle to the olfactory mindfulness of other people.
• Try out fragrances with top notes like Bergamot, tangerine, and pine fruit to get the best out of your morning routine. Caffeine also works best to keep the summer juices running on speed dial too. While base notes like Blond wood and amber from the Byredo collection works great too.

Other seasons like Spring and Autumn also make a great weather for balancing different notes that transition appropriately throughout the rest of the day. Scents vary from lighter notes like lemon and Citrus to more intense ones like Amber but not too much to avoid clouding the air with your scent which might still smell good to, but with a more pungent odour to the next person.

4. Nose blindness could lead you to believing that your scent is less pronounced on your body. To help with this, you can check out and master the different levels of notes and perhaps with a few practices, get acquainted to the one your body feels most comfortable with. Here a few notes that are popularised and commercialised in the perfume world:

• Citrus mostly used as a top note comes accompanied with a zesty fragrance that is both crisp and clean and includes variants like lemon, grapefruit, orange, and bergamot.

• Floral scent also a brilliant and heart notes that gives off the wonderful nasal ardour of a lily garden in full bloom. It holds an unapologetic playfulness and femininity on its wearer in accordance with a flirty and hopelessly romantic feeling when blended with base notes like the wood fragrance and musk.

• Fruity smells represent the warm season with the bursting fragrance of ripe fruits scents made from notes including watermelon, pear, cherry, Green apples and when combined perfectly with a comfortable floral fragrance, settles into something sweet but without the saccharine edge. Perfect for the carefree glee of Summer.

• Spicy scents make the best fragrance for individuals who enjoy mystery and adventure that is there but with a layered sophistication. It includes fragrances like peppercorn, Orientals, Cinnamon, Incense, Tobacco and Cardamom which form the heart notes; in transient of temperature or the time of the day. Perfect for a modernist and minimalist scent to keep the mystery on a seductive tone.
• Woody scents including popular scents such as Sandalwood, cedar wood, redwood leaves merged with a few floral scents are reminiscent of camp outs and adventures.
• Aquatic scents hold the breezy freshness of ocean breeze, the salty coolness of sea

waves. It holds the image of a cool, leisurely day at the beach, the soothing relaxation of the waves, a drink and a book in hand to booth. It is the perfect composition for a calming effect.

• Gourmand scents feels more like a gourmet but with Perfumes. It comprises of a blend of notes that can differ according to your sense of smell and level of preference. It entails a sophistication that comprises of hearty notes including burnt dark chocolate, caramel, perfume sugar and vanilla.

5. Try out perfume oils

While they are usually regarded as something of a lower standard to perfume spray, the perfume oil is a really great option to go for if you want to get a lasting result from the money you have spent. They are perhaps the best option in my opinion mostly because they contain less alcohol which dries out the skin and oil which can be applied at the nape of your neck, and on your earlobes, at the tip of your hair and around your collars for a long staying experience.

You can also apply at pulse points in the nook of your elbow and your knees as they are regions with more warmth and the tendency to make the fragrance circulate for a longer period of times. They are also great points because of the un-proximity of them to touch and other perfume-ruining substances like water.

N.B: If your preferred brand doesn’t come in a perfume oil, and you’re unsure about choosing the right kind I’d say trust your guts and try out a few fragrant notes to decide which one would work best for you.

Fun fact: Ancient Egyptians were big on perfumery and used perfumes at every ceremonial function. Perfume oil was one of their biggest experiments used to embalm and preserve the bodies of Pharaohs to keep them fresh and away from decay. This custom was adopted across the Mediterranean culture and led through for a long time.

6. Building layers of fragrance could do the trick

You can build your own fragrance through layering, using products on a step by step basis to give your perfume something to absorb into and diffuse throughout the rest of the day.

To get the best out of your perfumes especially during the cold season, layering fragrance works to give the perfect outcome. All you need do is purchase products along the line of your perfume scent; from bath wash to a moisturiser that works along familiar scent-lines with notes that can be easily detected, work well in providing the ardour you are seeking from your perfume.

You can also make use of the different vials of perfume on your dresser table, from the lightest to the heaviest to give you that colourful combo of popping fragrances.

But muted scents does not always mean that the next person to you cannot perceive your scent,so try not to go overboard with it.

There are also the different fragrances that your perfume brand may come with, that are helpful in providing a nice laying build on each one for a long lasting effect.

7. A little touch won’t hurt your fabric

Depending on the colour and texture of your fabric, it is usually advised that you leave off applying perfumes on your fabric to avoid staining it. But that doesn’t also leave out the option that you can still touch a little perfume there once in a while. In fact, it has been found out that fabric tends to absorb perfume scent long after it might have been applied.

But to do this, consider dabbing a little on darker clothes and other clothing materials like undergarments too can help keep your perfume lasting for much longer.

Also, most alcohol based products are the ones that stain clothes more. So you could dab a little perfume oil to your chest after which you wear your clothes, so that it would keep you reminded of its fine smell all through the day.

If you use clothing accessories like a tie, touch the perfume at the back of the tie or turn it inside out and dab a drop or two of the perfume oil to keep the stain at bay.

They can also be tested on scarves especially with natural fabrics like silk, linen and wool for longevity.

Handbags are also a great place to apply a few drops of oil. Check out the alcohol content of your perfume

Alcohol is mainly used in perfumes to dilute the soluble ingredients and as an easy-dry solution. Depending on what kind of perfume you use, the content of alcohol can be responsible for the quick disappearance of the fragrance on your skin. Which means that the more the alcohol content, the quicker the fading out.

So if you’re asking about the kind of perfume that lasts longer, experts say it’s the Parfum concentration becasue it contains more oil and less alcohol. Colognes are the least lasting with more alcohol and high volume concentration.

Fun facts: Marketing strategies during the 1800s in Europe popularised colognes as the male scent because of their intensity and just like it has been with advertising, a lot of people held the preconceived notion that it was a gendered fragrance.

Parfums contain the lowest amount of alcohol with up to 20-30% of perfume oil as a part of its ingredients putting it perhaps as the best perfume with a longer stay. They are usually very concentrated in their solution which is why they are usually kept in small bottles and need to be applied in little quantities.

Quizzer: Guess which ancient royalty had a signature scent that make a memorable intro appearance before their real self on an official visit?

Eau de Parfum: A lightly diluted mix from the enveloping concentration of Parfum, the Eau de Parfum contains about 15-20% perfume oil and a little more alcohol than the Parfum. It has its high shine moment within 6 hours after first spray and then mutes to a subtle tone towards the end of the day. A great work wear and mostly present in expensive and popular-branded products.

Eau de toilette: Coined from the French ‘Faire se toilette’ translated as getting ready. Lighter in concentration with the alcohol content in higher quantity to dilute the molecular contents of the perfume. It contains about 5-15% percent perfume oil and a larger alcohol content to keep it dry and lasts for about 3-5 hours to know how well

Eau de Cologne: More diluted in alcohol and less concentrated, the Eau de Cologne dissipates faster with only a 2-4% longevity on your skin after first spray. It works early on as a great stimulant for morning events but dissipates quickly as the sun gets hotter and has its top and heart notes fading within 2-4 hours after first spray.

Eau Fraiche: Think deodorants, think this eau fragrance which makes a momentary presence on your sinuses while settling after an hour or so, to keep you smelling not like pungent sweat. It is made to rest in moist, with muted yet active ingredient component that would help your perfume take centre stage.

8. Make a nice perfume abode in your clothe shelf/wardrobe

All you have to do is take a few pieces of tissue papers and spray on them. After which, you fold them into equal square pieces and line each one o them along the corners of your wardrobe or kept in pocket spaces to extract the perfume into your clothes.

Use perfume applicators for better results

• No, they don’t have to exist outside the perfume bottle itself they could come in it. A rollerball fragrance perfume oil is usually a really great idea to try out.

• Atomisers also exist to help you spritz your perfume the right way.

• And if you were probably wondering about retouching your perfume but have considered the annoyance of carrying a large bottle of your favourite scent across town, get a travel-sized operfume container or on a low-budget plan, a little spritz container from the second-hand store. Either ways, both of them are equally good and stress-free optims for when you want a touch-up.

9. Spritz from a distance

• There should be at least a 5-7 metre space between your hands and your skin, to help the molecules settle faster on your skin.

• Get to know the notes and fragrance composition

• Just so you know, perfumes are hardly made with natural fragrance and most of what you perceive to be lavendar,floral, sandalwood or Oriental fragrances are really just synthetic compositions made with fragrance resembling those scents.

With that said, perfumes are made of molecules which make up the scent and their ability to stay or disappear quickly. According to scentbound.co, the size of a molecule and its smell are correlated.

Scents that dissipate faster including the Citrus, lemon and most floral fragrances that are popular as top notes for their lightness are made of smaller molecules are oxidize easily and not to get too deep into the Chemistry terms, but this provides a more explanatory understanding of what happens mostly to our perfumes.

While base notes including Sandalwood, tobbaco and Musk scents contain larger notes and last for much longer.

10. Friction is great but not with the perfumes

• Rubbing your wrists together after dabbing perfumes on them don’t do well to keep the fragrance intact as you are crushing the notes scent in intensity leaving you with fading scents that don’t even live up to their daily life expectancy anymore.

11. Deodorant and perfume combination

Using perfumes on under arm areas to ward off the smell of sweat only makes the smell invisible and does nothing to mask the smell. As bad odour can very easily override the smell of your perfume, using the deo first before dabbing perfume is very important.

Leave masking body odour to deodorants preferably an unscented one to get the best result from your perfume.

12. Keep away from steaming bathrooms or humid areas

You shildn’t go close to saunas and hot ovens if you do not have a refresher bottle for your perfume or with your clothes on as they are very likely to evaporate the fragrance with their heat.

Answer: Cleopatra, the queen of Egypt. She left Rome to meet with Mark the…and it is reported that her entrance was initiated first with the smell of her perfume which she loved so much and even used as an Aphrodisiac.

Storage Techniques for a longer lasting perfume life Don’t leave perfume bottles open

Since they are made with alcohol as a major ingredient component, leaving your perfume bottle without being properly covered runs the risk of leaving the contents to evaporate into thin air.

Store in a cool, dry and dark place

Away from Air conditioning vents or heating units. This applies especially for the perfumes stored in bathrooms sinks and close to hot places.

Keeping perfumes in the bathroom brings it in contact with humidity which reduces the life expectancy of your perfume in bottle. Which is why it is best to store it in a wardrobe or on your dresser table in an airy location or on a heightened position like a cake stand to keep it lasting for as long as you would need it.

Utilize final drops

Like a finishing touch, add little drops of what is left in your perfume bottle into a can of lotion or oil of your choice. Use afterwards on skin to get the perfect fragrance from your perfume.

Don’t shake your bottle of perfume

They are not like soluble solutions and need to be kept still to prevent vaporisation of molecules. So to prevent your perfume from wasting away without being used, take care not to shake it at all.

Keep fragrance away from Jewellry

Most perfumes contain alcohol and other synthetic materials as its fragrant scent, not ideal for the metal composition of your jewelry collection. So if you spritz around your collar bones or along your throat line, give it time to dry after which you can go on to wear your jewellery

• Wearing perfumes with your jewellry on, puts it at the mercies of or fade and/or a discoloration and the skin around your neck at the risk of a reaction from the jewellry.

Keep perfumes bottles away from light

These bottles don’t fare well when light passes through their content have a higher chance of deterioration particularly when kept in front of the dresser in their naked form across a window with streaming sunlight, or a mirror reflection.

Perfume Jackets should be kept on after every use.

To reduce the risk of light and to get a lasting fragrance from your Perfumes, keep them stored in their original jacket form after every use.

Check the expiry date

The reason behind your perfume’s refusal to bloom at the right time might boil down to the expiry date labelled on their body. This means that the molecular content of the perfume has reached their active life period and would be much lre slower in action anymore.

ALSO READ: How To Choose A Good Perfume – A Detailed Guide

Aside: If you have OD’d on fragrance and feel uncomfortable about the permutation of perfume on your skin, use a baby wipe or dab a drop or two of Purrel on your skin to clear out the scent. This procedure can also be used in a case where you might not be chanced to have a bath and would need to wear fresh perfume on your skin. Wiping around all the areas where body moisture is prone to result in an odour with alcohol can also do the trick of keeping you well-scented.

Conclusion

Finally, while taking all of these steps are poised to help, do understand that your perception matters to how much these perfumes can serve you and most of all, acceptance and introspection takes a while but will go a long way to serving you in the long term.