4 easy steps to smelling good all day
Experts agree that the secret to smelling good often comes down to adopting a few simple habits. Many of them you’re probably doing already.
These habits include your daily shower, how you moisturize, and how you apply your deodorant or antiperspirant. As AXE reports, when done together, with long-lasting freshness in mind, they can be a powerful combination.
What causes odor?
You might think that sweat is the culprit when it comes to smelling less than pleasant. But that’s only part of the equation. David Waters, an R&D manager at Unilever, explains that body odor is actually caused by “natural bacteria on your skin” that break down certain components of your sweat. “Sweat itself is mostly water and salt, so it doesn’t have much smell when it first appears.”
This is why your routine plays an important role in smelling good from when you wake up to when you go to bed. The good news? It’s simple to manage.
1. Shower first
You may not feel like you need a shower if you’ve been inactive or the weather has been cool, but showering helps remove perspiration, oil and skin buildup. Washing these away means there’s nothing for the odor-causing bacteria to break down.
When you’re in the shower, wash in circular motions, especially around your underarms, chest, and groin. These areas tend to stay warmer and more humid, encouraging bacterial activity.
If you want to boost your scent routine, go for a body wash with fragrance notes that are similar to your deodorant or antiperspirant. When you layer your fragrances, it helps them last longer.
Once you’re clean, make sure you also dry off properly. Clean skin is the foundation for smelling great.
2. Moisturize after your shower
Here’s something many people don’t realize: Moisturizer helps hydrate your skin, but it can also help your skin hold scent for longer. If your skin struggles with dryness, fragrance molecules from your deodorant or cologne tend to evaporate faster.
Use an unscented body moisturizer if you don’t want it to compete with your fragrance. Or, go for a lightly scented option that complements your fragrance. Think of it as another scent layer that can last throughout the day.
3. Apply deodorant or antiperspirant
If you’re not sure whether deodorant or antiperspirant should be your go-to, start by identifying your needs. They might seem similar, but they serve different functions.
Jaime Regan, an R&D manager at Unilever, explains that deodorants help tackle body odor, while antiperspirants reduce sweat by “forming a temporary barrier in the sweat duct to limit how much perspiration reaches the skin.”
If sweat is your main concern, an antiperspirant may be the better option. If odor is your main issue, deodorant may be enough.
Whichever you choose, apply it to clean, dry (and potentially moisturized) skin for all-day freshness.
4. Add your cologne or fragrance
Depending on your deodorant or antiperspirant (some have great-smelling scents already), you may want to add your cologne or fragrance at this point. It works on different parts of your body than your antiperspirant, which is mainly used on your underarms.
Because heat helps fragrance diffuse, apply it to your pulse points. These are your wrists, neck and chest. These warm the fragrance slightly and allow it to release gradually throughout the day.
Don’t overdo it. A spritz or two is usually enough. You want people to notice how you smell when they’re up close, not from across a room.
Bonus: Choose your signature scent
Find the fragrance that feels uniquely suited to you. Some are drawn to warm, woody scents, while others prefer brighter notes like citrus. This is where you can experiment and discover what makes you feel confident in any setting. Mix and match or layer your body wash, deodorant and fragrance till you find a combination that works for you.
Make your routine an everyday habit
It couldn’t get simpler than these four easy steps: shower, moisturize, spritz and layer. Together, they can help you keep odor under control for the whole day.
This story was produced by AXE and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
