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How to smell good all day (without drowning in cologne)
Smelling good is one of the highest return things you can do, and most guys get it backwards. They skip the boring parts and then try to fix it with four sprays of something strong. Here's the order that actually works.
The order of operations
- Clean body. Shower daily, and after any workout. Use an actual soap or body wash on the places that matter: armpits, groin, feet, behind the ears, back of the neck. Water alone isn't enough there.
- Clean clothes. This is the one guys skip. A shirt worn twice smells like a shirt worn twice, even if you can't tell. Wash workout clothes after every use, and don't let damp towels sit.
- Deodorant or antiperspirant. Deodorant handles smell, antiperspirant handles sweat. If you sweat a lot, use an antiperspirant at night before bed, which is when it works best, and reapply deodorant in the morning.
- Then, and only then, fragrance. Two sprays. This is the finishing touch, not the fix.
Where and how much to spray
- Two sprays, max three. Chest and one side of the neck, or the chest and one wrist.
- Spray on skin after a shower, when your skin is slightly damp and warm. Fragrance lasts longer on moisturized skin, so a plain unscented lotion first helps.
- Don't spray your clothes. It can stain, it smells different, and it doesn't fade naturally.
- Don't rub your wrists together. Just let it dry.
- Rule: she should only smell it when she's close enough to hug you. If someone can smell you from across the room, that's too much.
How to make it last till the evening
- Shower in the morning, not the night before, on days that matter.
- Unscented lotion, then fragrance on the chest. Body heat pushes it out slowly all day.
- Keep a travel atomizer in your bag for one refresh spray at 5pm, on the chest. One. Not a reapplication of the whole morning.
- Carry gum or mints. Breath is half of "smelling good" when she's close.
The parts guys forget
- Breath. Brush your tongue, floss, and don't skip the dentist. Coffee and a long day do things. Mints before a date, always.
- Feet and shoes. Rotate your shoes so they dry out. Odor eater inserts if you need them. Fresh socks after the gym.
- Hair. A product with a clean scent, and wash your hair enough that it doesn't smell like the gym.
- Your car and your room. If you're bringing her to either, they count as part of how you smell.
Picking a fragrance
Go to a department store or a Sephora and spray three on paper strips. Pick one you like, then spray it on your wrist and wear it for a day before buying. Fresh, clean, slightly woody or citrus scents are safe for daytime and dates. Save heavy sweet or smoky ones for nights out. One fragrance you wear well beats five you rotate badly. If you're not sure, ask the woman behind the counter what she'd want to smell on a date. She'll tell you.
Texts you can send
honest question. the cologne i wore last time, yes or no. i can take it
bought one fragrance after smelling 20 of them. the sephora lady and i are close now
see you at 7. i showered, i have mints, i am a changed man
A woman's read
The men who smell best to me aren't wearing a lot of anything. When he hugs me there's clean skin, a clean shirt, and a hint of something warm I can only smell because I'm this close. It makes me want to stay this close. The guy who's wearing enough cologne that I smell him across the room is trying to cover something, and my brain knows it. And please, mints. The best fragrance in the world can't save coffee breath at 8pm.
The move
Tonight, put antiperspirant on before bed. Tomorrow, shower, unscented lotion, two sprays on the chest and neck, and mints in your pocket. If you don't have a fragrance you love, go smell three this weekend.
Keep it going
Make it part of the morning routine from grooming basics for men and you'll never think about it again. If you're heading out tonight, what to wear to a bar to meet women finishes the picture.
Questions guys ask
How can a man smell good all day?
Shower daily and wash the parts that matter, wear genuinely clean clothes, use antiperspirant at night and deodorant in the morning, then two sprays of fragrance on moisturized skin. Carry mints and one refresh spray for the evening.
How many sprays of cologne should I use?
Two, sometimes three. Chest and neck or chest and wrist, on skin not clothes. She should only smell it when she is close enough to hug you.
Why does my cologne wear off so fast?
Dry skin and spraying on clothes. Put on unscented lotion first, spray on warm damp skin after a shower, and keep a small atomizer for one refresh spray later in the day.
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