Mens Guide To Wearing Cologne

By Instash

Published 09:19 am

Guide To Wearing Cologne

Often regarded as an invisible part of every man’s style, colognes tend to have a powerful effect on people’s perception of you and how they remember you. There are many benefits offered when using a perfect cologne, some of which include increasing your confidence, reducing your stress levels and also increasing your level of attractiveness. Despite these existing benefits, there is still a large percentage of men who don’t make proper use of colognes on a regular basis.

One of the main reasons many men refuse to try colognes is because they are aware of the repercussions associated with the overuse of perfume, and how it can affect their reputation; no one wants to be the one known for on overpowering scent, like ‘Pepe Le Pew’. To help avoid this, our men’s guide to wearing cologne provides you with many tips and tricks that teach you all the basics required when using a cologne.

Understand Exactly What Colognes Are

In the perfume industry, a cologne refers to a complex mixture of raw materials. Most of these fresh resources are extracted from both synthetic raw materials and natural sources. To preserve the pleasant concoction of scents created, perfumed oils are usually dissolved in a solvent such as alcohol. To create a stronger cologne, you will require a higher concentration of fats in your mixture. Also, the lasting effect of any cologne application on your skin is determined by the strength of the cologne. One notable thing is that, on every person, one perfume will smell different, because we’re all not the same. Many men find this level of complexity and uncertainty extremely tiring when searching for the perfect cologne, but it can become an enjoyable journey once you envisage the activity as a process of discovery.

Differentiate The Various Cologne’s On Offer

In many stores, you will find a broad range of scents, most of the designer colognes. Formulated by companies such as Burberry, Armani, Chanel, and Dior, these colognes often cost between $25 and $150 per bottle. Designed for mass consumption, these colognes tend to be mass produced for a wide-reaching audience. This means that producers are sure to say away from strong reactions, making them typically safer for use by all individuals. Another characteristic of such mass consumption colognes is their material composition. They are often made to enable volume production and save costs by using cheaper materials.

There is yet another category of colognes that make use of ingredients with a much higher quality, which causes them to be more expensive. These colognes are referred to as ‘niche’ colognes, and they are manufactured for more selective customers by industry artists, often because these customers are searching for a unique or distinctively bold scent for their style. The difference between niche colognes and the designer colognes is that the former lacks the universal appeal of the latter. Niche colognes are selected and used by individuals who love bold scents and those looking to push boundaries in the world of cologne. Sweet perfumes are generally more expensive than designer colognes, usually costing from $50 to multiple hundreds of dollars.

Know How to Select a Cologne

The best person to select the best solid cologne for you is yourself, and scientific studies have proven. This means you’re the best person to determine which scents perfectly complements your natural body scent. One reason why grooming gift scents often go unused is that others use their preferences and bodies to make a selection for you, which shouldn’t be the case.

Another you have chosen your preferred scent, you can then let your ultimate decision be reinforced or questioned by the opinions of others. You can try another cologne only after multiple people give you negative feedback on your chosen scent. Be sure to try a cologne yourself before making a purchase. Your inability to do this results in a blind buy, which isn’t advised. Test instead, if your chosen perfume complements your natural body odor throughout the day. Even though it’s easy for you to fall on the first note, try as much as possible not to make any purchase until you’re ready.

Concerning the sizes of colognes and the size which will best suit you, there are numerous cologne bottle sizes on the market today. For a lower risk when starting, you can make do with smaller bottles. This is the best choice since your taste may change as you keep experimenting with different scents, or you may not wear the cologne often.

Test it Correctly

One of the best places for testing out scents is the department stores. If you’re a newbie to colognes, we recommend that you try only two scents at a time, one on each arm. Generally, however, you can try up to four different scents at once, not more. If you’re going for four scents, you can try them on each wrist and inner elbow. Make use of only your wrists when trying out two scents. As much as possible, avoid the cards provided by department stores for smelling colognes. These cards don’t help you detect how the cologne smells on you, and they instead enable you to feel the top notes only.

Refresh your palate between smelling each cologne with something sharp such as tea or coffee. You can expect the solid cologne scent to change over the next few hours; thus, it is vital that you smell all the notes if you can. You can do this by taking a stroll around the department store, taking in the cologne at various intervals. Keep records in your journal or on your phone, listing the colognes you like and how they make you feel.

Once you have a winner, you can now make a purchase. After your purchase, you can start wearing your cologne. There’s nothing wrong with loving and using dozens of scents, as wearing perfume is not a destination but a gradual process. You’re not obliged to get it right or perfect with your first buy, mind you.

Store it Safely

Just like other products we purchase, men’s cologne can expire. They don’t last forever mainly due to rapid heat fluctuations at home, especially in the bathroom. These fluctuations and other factors such as sunlight can cause cologne molecules to break apart. To extend the shelf life of your cologne, you must avoid sill storage, and keep your bottle in cold, dark and dry areas — one example of such a space in your bedroom closet.

Wear it Like a Pro

Being around people who use too much aftershave can be off-putting, thanks to the overwhelming scent it exposes us to. The best solution to this is to learn the proper mode of cologne application

The best time to spray perfume on your skin is right after your shower. This is the time where your pores are still open, allowing the scent of your perfume to last longer. When spraying, hold the nozzle up to 6 inches away from your skin. Also, don’t spray the cologne in the air, in a bid to walk through it (a bit different then you do with body spray or deodorant). This is a worthless venture as most of the scent hits the floor before you take your first step.
Start small and light. Begin with a single spray on your chest, if you’re new to colognes. With time, you will get more knowledgeable and comfortable with the proper way to wear cologne. At this point, you can try spraying different areas on your body.
Since your body is bound to push the scent throughout the day, apply your cologne or perfume to heat areas. This will create a sweet scent trail often referred to as sillage. As much as possible, use your cologne to areas such as your neck, chest, wrist, lower jaw, inner elbow, forearm, and shoulder. Start with one area and work up to two or three others as you get comfortable with cologne application.
A re-spray should be done only when it’s required. Depending on how long your cologne lasts, it is advisable that you spray your wrists when respraying.
Avoid spraying your clothes with your men’s cologne or perfume. Some of the oils used to formulate your favorite scent may stain your clothing. Also, you may not receive the full effect of your cologne since it isn’t able to mix with your natural oils.
Even though it seems sensible to rub your perfume into your skin, this activity kills the note of your cologne by breaking its molecular bond. The result is a weaker scent with a short lifespan.
As much as possible, ensure that your application doesn’t overwhelm people. Instead, your cologne should be discovered and smelled.

Know the Importance of Wearing Colognes

With a pleasant cologne, the overall impression of any man is that of a sharp and well put-together individual. Whenever you dress well, you boost your confidence immensely, and you generally feel better. With an added touch of cologne, this will enhance your confidence as you won’t only look like a mini-god, you will smell like it too! Here are a few benefits that come with wearing a cologne.

Connect with people; As smell is the most powerful sense we all possess, the use of the perfect cologne can also help foster deep connections and communication between you and others. Being up to 150,000 times more sensitive than our vision, the smell is one sense that can detect over a trillion distinct scents. Also, our limbic system is often referred to as our emotional brain because of odors. Some of our memories are triggered by smell, better than any other sense. This occurs because our limbic system and the olfactory bulb in our bodies are directly connected. It is safe to say that a deep and emotional connection is created when we come into contact with powerful and unique scents.

Boost confidence; With our most robust sense being our sense of smell, we are encouraged to find a cologne that makes us feel comfortable and more confident in our skin. Your overall confidence and attractiveness are significantly increased when you wear colognes.

Attractiveness: Women tend to find men who wear colognes as more attractive. This is because, even though visual cues are critical for men when they are choosing a woman, the scent is one of the essential factors women look out for when searching for a mate. While a woman unknowingly uses her nose first and foremost, men make use of their eyes, even if they don’t know it. This usually happens because women are naturally gifted with a better and more finely-tuned sense of smell according to research.

Professional advancement; Scents are not only essential in dating and sexual encounters. The importance your scent carries in the world far exceeds these two categories and seeps into your professional life as well. Believe it or not, even a dimwit can strike gold in his professional life simply armed with the scent and charisma of a God.