Have you experienced walking past to someone and their scent lingers in the air? But in a good way? You know that person– even they sweat, they still smell amazing and look fresh all the time? You can be that girl.
It’s underrated how much the simple concept of smelling better can boost just about everything in your life. You’ll immediately have more confidence and love the way others compliment you.
The biggest mistake people make it that they think you can slap on an expensive perfume and call it a day. That’s not it. Even if it contributes to your body scent, the reason why people smell amazing is because they have a multistep routine that doesn’t miss — and I’m gonna share every step of it.
If you are curious how to smell good and fresh all the time, I’m sharing here my 10 tips and methods on how I get a “Wow! You smell good!” compliment every single time.
How to Smell Good Naturally and + Without a Perfume
If you are skin sensitive or don’t prefer to wear perfumes or colognes, sticking to these routines can make you smell good naturally and effortlessly.
1. Daily time in the tub
Taking a shower is the simplest step to smell better. Sixty seconds in the shower will clear your body of sweat, bacteria, and dirt buildup that cause bad odors.
Don’t want to wash your hair? I get it, me too. I only wash my hair once or twice a week and rely on this shower cap to do “body only” showers that take less than 3 minutes in and out.
I treat showers as a self-care routine, so I also use the best products that help my body look brighter, smoother, and smell better. Even if it’s a three minute shower or a thirty minute “everything” shower, here are my favorite products that keep me smelling good all day.
In Shower Products
- Josie Moran Scrub– I absolutely love how it feels. I use this for gentle body exfoliation.
- Philosophy Amazing Grace Shower Gel – After I exfoliate, I add this body wash. It has a feminine scent and I am obsessed with its smell.
- L’Occitane Almond Oil or Hanni Body Oil – If you hate putting products to moisturize after the shower, you can just finish it with either of these . They’re both good options to make your skin smoother.
Post shower moisturizing & smell good products
- Josie Moran Skin Dope Body Cream – I apply it right after I shower. It’s a moisturizer with Argon Oil that hydrates the skin.
- Sol De Janeiro Bum Bum Body Oil – It is the best combo to body cream. It is a body oil that locks moisture in the skin and smells incredible.
Related: My “Everything” Shower Routine
2. Prioritize hydration
We are aware that maintaining good hydration levels to our body can help us achieve glowing skin, boost our energy, and good for our digestive health— but it also reduce our bad odor.
Water flushes out toxins through sweat and urine. So if you’re dehydrated, these toxins will stay to your body which cause odor-forming bacteria. We don’t want that!
Rule of thumb, you need to aim at least eight glasses or 2 liters of water a day to reduce body odor. But I know it’s easier to said than done! Even I find myself struggling with this. So, I use these tricks to remind me to stay hydrated.
If you always forget to drink water, you can set a timer on your phone every hour. Or, it’s better if you always have a water bottle buddy that gently nudge you take a sip.
You can also use reminder app. I downloaded this app called Plant Nanny and it is a game changer. It literally gamify drinking water. You have this animated plant that you have to “water” by tracking your own water intake.
If you neglect your responsibilities, you will plant will suffer – it like actually withers and dies. Super morbid. This app gives you accountability to drink water and keep your plant alive. Win-win situation!
3. Maintain Oral Health
Let’s be real, there’s something undeniably confidence-boosting about knowing your breath is as fresh as a morning breeze. It completes the package of smelling good, especially if you love to physically socialize with other people.
Having an oral hygiene routine doesn’t need to be complicated. It can be as simple as flossing and brushing your teeth twice a day. Then finish it with your favorite mouthwash.
I use this electronic toothbrush and fluoride toothpaste. It makes brushing your teeth super convenient. It’s gentle and has built-in timer to ensure you hit that 2-minute mark.
Oral tips, brush your teeth right after you’re done with dinner. It stop you from snacking and you’ll do it before you’re ready for bed and super tired. And for situations where brushing your teeth isn’t an option, it’s also handy to have a pack of gum to prevent bad breath.
4. Improve Hair Wellness
Just like washing your body, keeping your hair refreshed and clean is a great way to smell good. It acts as a natural fragrance diffuser from the scents of your shampoos, conditioners, and styling products.
Washing your hair daily doesn’t mean you have a healthy hair. Actually hair experts don’t recommend it. It strips aways your natural oils and damage your hair cuticles over time.
While we’re here, let’s also discuss ‘how often should you wash your hair?’
There are so many factors that come into play here. Depending on your hair texture, your lifestyle, and hair type, but a general rule of thumb:
- For fine or thin hair – you should try to shampoo your hair every other day.
- For normal or oily hair – every other day or every third day.
- For curly dry hair – I would shampoo once a week, but I would condition every other day.
I only do hair wash once or twice a week but I maintain its freshness and cleanliness by sticking to this hair routine. It took me 3 years to master it, but it’s worth it! You can use this as a guide but it’s okay to adjust it based on your hair type. You know your hair best!
For my hair wash routine, here are my secrets in keeping my hair fresh:
- Two to three hours before I shower, I do hair oiling. You can pick your preferred hair oil, but I use this oil from Fable and Mane.
- Then I use two shampoos. One is K18 Peptide Prep. This is an incredible detox shampoo that is perfect after you oil your hair. Then after that, I use Oribe Beautiful Color. I know this is expensive, but it’s worth it, especially if you color your hair. If you don’t color your hair, you can use this from Kerastase.
- For in-shower conditioner, I like to use the Olaplex Bond. But sometimes, I skip conditioner and straight ahead with K18 hair mask. I swear this is my holy grail hair product. It’s my favorite leave-in mask which is proven to repair damage from color treated and damaged hair.
- Then before I comb my hair, I spray it with Unite Detangling Spray. I can vouch this product, I’ve been using it for years already.
For the days I don’t wash my hair, I only use these:
- Dry Shampoo – I’m a fan of dry shampoos. It’s great for making your hair look fresh and smell amazing. My ride or die is Aveda and it’s really do it’s job to revive and fix oily hair. You can also check out Kristen Ess and K18. They are also great options.
- Hair Perfumes – I actually don’t use hair perfumes, but a friend of mine been trying this hair mist and recommended it to me. You can use this as a final step for long-lasting fragrance of your hair.
Related: Why Dry Shampoo Doesn’t Work For You?
5. Use Incense or Air Freshener at Home
Many overlook this, but your incense and air freshener at home contributes to your personal scent. Its fragrance not only lingers to your home, but also to your clothes, hair, and even to your skin.
So, it’s also important to choose the fragrance of your incense and air freshener according to your preferred scent for your body.
If you want some recommendation, this my favorite home fragrance. The brand sent it to me as candle and I become obsessed with this. It smells like the luxury hotel named The One. I bought the home diffuser with the same scent and it’s worth every penny!
6. Find Suitable Deodorant
Deodorant is a personal care product designed to combat body odor from sweating. But a lot of people skip it due to the common myth that it has aluminum ingredient that can cause cancer.
I know that many scientific research rebuke this but if you’re still contemplating, there are many deodorants in the market that are aluminum-free. Mine is from Megababe. I use this especially on high-sweat workout days and being out in the summer.
There are also body spray and natural deodorant options. You just need to find what works best for you.
7. Wear the Clothes Once
I know some of us experience wearing the same clothes without washing them. We have this mindset that it’s impractical to put the clothes in the laundry when you only use for a short period of time.
But even the clothes don’t smell, it already absorbed some sweat, oil, and bacteria that sticks on your skin when you wear it again.
If you work from home like me, I know you have loungewear that you wear most of the time. I feel you. Let’s put it on like a 2-day maximum and push out some new comfy wfh wardrobes to avoid ‘wearing them without washing’ situation.
This may be a subtle change, but it can help you to smell fresh and clean. It’s also good to buy detergent that is based to your preferred scent. I use this detergent that super clean my clothes and have a signature smell that I love!
How to Make your Perfume Last Longer?
Another tip for achieving a good smell is by using perfumes and colognes. They give you a signature scent that mostly captivates people’s attention.
Making your perfume last longer need techniques and strategic placement. It’s not just spraying it over your body and expect it to last for a whole day. Here’s how you should do it.
8. Know the Perfume Placement
To maximize the scent of your perfume, apply it to your pulse point: your wrists, the nape of your neck, insides of your elbows, and the back of your knees.
First, smear a small amount of Vaseline to your pulse before you spray your favorite perfume. Vaseline will lock the scent to your skin, making the perfume last longer.
Then, if you apply your perfume into your inner wrist, do not rub it together, It can break down the fragrance and fade it faster. Just gently press them for five seconds and you’re good to go.
You can also add perfume to your earlobes, it’s the best spot when people hug you.
Related: Do this trick to make your scent last all night long!
9. Layer your scents
If you try the perfume placement, but the smell still fades faster, you should do layering scent. It is a technique used to make your perfume last all day and create a personalized fragrance.
To start layering, you should pick body wash, lotion, or body oil that is similar to your chosen perfume. This allows the scents to complement each other and last longer on your skin.
Now, layer this to your pulse points to ensure a long-lasting scent. For my layer combination, I use Philosophy Lotion and MFK Perfume. Keep in mind that as you layer more products, you should keep the application light. This make sure that the scent won’t be overwhelming.
10. Invest to Expensive Perfumes
This last step is optional, but if you want to invest on expensive perfumes, go for these. I don’t recommend luxury-products if they’re not worth it, but perfumes from MFK Bacarrat 540 and YSL Libre are my favorites.
The MFK Baccarat 540 has sweeter smelling. If you don’t like sweeter scent, you can choose the YSL Libre.
Final Thoughts How to Smell Good and Fresh
I know reading this routine may feel like complicated and tiring, but trust me, give it time and you can master this effortlessly.
I think it’s also good to build a mindset that, it’s not just about what you have to do. It’s about what you get to do. It’s about truly investing in all of these steps and finding joy in doing them, rather than seeing them as multistep tasks you oblige to finish.
For example, when you light that expensive home diffuser, it’s because you love the way it smells and you value your space, and not just because Sabrina told you to do so.
Smell is an underrated sense. It’s one of the five senses that has a significant impact, but it’s something so easy to change. You can do this girl!
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