Aftershave shouldn’t be an afterthought

The name aftershave is a little confusing, the industry has evolved and men’s scents are now available as shower gel, deodorant, body sprays and colognes. What they do all have in common though, is that they work best when applied to the skin. That walk through the mist is a misnomer and the splash it all over is, well, you know that guy, people have been socially distancing from him for years.

A resurgence in male grooming is welcomed and as we socialise more and the planet heats up, we can hark back to the good old days on many things, but the broadened range of products available are not only part of our daily routine but also part of our pop culture references. We furrow our brows now at certain adverts but imagine our fathers had ads like this to contend with.

They did also have the wise words of Marcello Mastroianni who said “A wise man knows cologne is the most powerful weapon in the fight for female attention.” And scent is responsible for the recall of memories, so choose wisely and make your encounters memorable.

So how do you actually use these scents? The first thing to consider is how long you will be wearing it for. If you need to go from your desk to dinner, then layering your scent is best. Start with the shower gel and deodorant and then apply the cologne. The cologne should be dabbed or sprayed onto ‘warm’ parts of the body; the neck, chest, inner elbows as this helps the aroma to develop and diffuse. Four spays maximum though. If there is no spray nozzle, put your finger over the hole and turn the bottle so a minimum amount will be dispersed. Do not rub in as this releases the scent too quickly and the effect will most likely be gone before you leave home. Just dab. On moist skin, it will spread naturally and as your body warms us, will do its magic.

Don’t mix your scents – the trick to the layering is having the same smell and a variety of strengths. It is useful, if heading out for a particularly long time, to carry a sample / travel size with you so you can reapply as required.

Certainly you should not apply colognes to your clothes; this can fade or stain the cloth and the perfume will not have been in contact with your body oils and therefore, will not be ‘audible’.