How to Smell Good: 25 Secrets to Attract Anyone With Your Delicious Scent

If you know how to smell good, you can make a great impression on anyone without even saying a word! Attract your crush with scent alone using our tips.

You can’t deny that smelling good is important when you’re trying to meet someone new. If you walk into a date with body odor, your date won’t like you. That’s why you should always know how to smell good.

Your scent can mean the difference between an amazing date and a horrible one. You’re more likely to get a second date if you smell pleasant than if you smell awful.

A person’s sense of smell is one of the first senses to be activated. When you hug someone or first approach someone, you immediately notice how they smell. Knowing how to smell good is absolutely essential, especially in your dating life, because the way you smell is the first thing they’ll notice about you after your appearance. [Read: Importance of first impressions – secrets to help you make a good one]

Why is knowing how to smell good attractive?

Smelling good is an obvious benefit when meeting someone new. We are wired to be more attracted to those with pheromones that our bodies react to positively. After all, attraction is the entire reason we use perfumes and colognes in the first place.

It indicates cleanliness, and the minute you notice that someone smells good, you’re already experiencing attraction. [Read: 25 subconscious signs of attraction]

Shouldn’t I let my natural pheromones come through?

We’ve all heard about pheromones and their role in dating and mating – but you can’t just avoid a good hygiene routine because you think that your natural scent might produce more attractive pheromones. That’s not how they work.

You can’t consciously smell pheromones. Pheromones are a chemical that you pick up on subconsciously, even if the person is doused in cologne or perfume. It’s something your brain recognizes, even if you don’t.

Regardless, both you and your brain will definitely notice if someone smells like body odor, which will almost entirely shoot down any chance at attraction. Don’t risk it. It’s better to actively try to smell great for someone than to let pheromones do the work. [Read: 17 aspects of attraction that have nothing to do with appearance]

How to smell good and attract someone right from the start

If you’re looking to make sure your first date goes well or to meet someone while out one night, knowing how to smell good will only do you favors. It’ll help you pick up that special someone and increase your chances of them being attracted to you. To help you get started, check out these 25 tips!

1. Stay clean

You’d be surprised at how many people don’t feel like showering, even when they’re going out. Maybe they just don’t think that they need to if they haven’t exerted a ton of energy that day.

But even if you sit in a cubicle all day, your body still excretes small amounts of sweat and odor. That can add up and make you smell pretty undesirable. A quick shower to remove the remnants of the day is the first step to take when you need to know how to smell good.

If you don’t have time for that, you can try rubbing a wet cloth all over your body to reduce the bad odor you develop throughout the day. [Read: Smelling bad and other major turn-offs for girls]

2. Deodorant is a must

Your armpits are warm and often moist environments that are full of sweat glands. That means they’re perfect for trapping bacteria, which gives you a horrible stench. After a shower, load up on deodorant so that you can avoid nasty body odor and know how to smell good and feel refreshed all day. [Read: The rules of spending the first night together]

3. Get a nice cologne or perfume

You don’t have to buy expensive stuff for it to be effective, but you might want to avoid the cheap scents to avoid it wearing off too quickly. Just make sure that you buy quality products and have a few different options to suit different moods.

Perfumes and colognes can be pretty handy, especially when you’re booked with meetings the whole day and need to stay fresh. Having more than one bottle allows you to keep one in your car, purse, or desk at work to use as needed.

4. Make sure the cologne or perfume mixes well with your chemistry

Not all fragrances smell the same on your skin as they do in the bottle, and they likely won’t smell the same on you as it does on someone else. Because of your pheromones and your unique chemistry, the fragrances mix with your natural scent and adjust slightly on their own.

To test what it smells like before using it on a night out, spray it on your wrists and let it sit all day. If you still like the smell at the end of the day, it’ll work well for you. Learning how to smell good also means learning how to choose the right scent for you. [Read: How to pick the perfect perfume and smell great]

5. Take your partner’s preferences into account

If you’re trying to smell good specifically for someone, think about what they like and don’t like. If they hate musky scents or anything too floral, avoid those.

Some people prefer whatever scent you already have. Unless you think you need a bath or shower, maintain that natural scent. [Read: 60 deep & fun get-to-know-you questions to peek into their soul!]

6. Never rub the fragrance into your skin

Either spray your skin and let it dry or dab your scent on your pulse points. Rubbing it in is not how it’s supposed to be done.

Rubbing it into your skin changes really interferes with the top notes and causes the fragrance to mix with your natural oils too aggressively, and that means it’ll smell different.

7. Avoid wild scents

You never know what people are going to like. For that reason, err on the side of caution.

Use simple scents that a large majority of people would love. If you have some crazy fragrance that you like, save it until you know the other person will like it.

You might think they’ll appreciate wild and unique scents, but that isn’t always the case. Some people are highly reactive to strong scents. [Read: Smelly body parts that can ruin great sex]

8. Like the scent yourself

You can’t just go for scents that you know your partner will like but you hate. It’s fine if you know your girl loves a richer, sweeter scent, but don’t wear it if you hate it.

The more you dislike a cologne or perfume, the less likely you are to wear it. You’ll risk either smelling bad or being irritated because you don’t like it.

9. Freshen up throughout the evening

Don’t ever think that one application is good enough. This is especially true if you’re going to be out and about, going from bar to bar or club to club. And if there’s dancing? You’ll need to reapply.

Be aware of how much you’re sweating and how long it’s been since you last applied something that can get rid of the stench. Staying fresh all night means reapplications.

10. Spray your bare skin instead of your clothes

Many people don’t know that they’re supposed to apply cologne and perfume directly to their skin. Realistically, you should hop out of the shower and spritz yourself before putting on clothes. This helps ignite the real fragrances by allowing them to work with your skin.

Spraying your clothes should be avoided so that you don’t risk staining your shirt. When people rush to work, they apply perfume or cologne all over their clothes and realize that the scent isn’t there anymore after a few hours. Target the skin next time if you want to know how to smell good and let the fragrance linger. [Read: How to make sure you smell good all over]

11. Use scented soaps and lotions

If you’re just not into cologne or perfume and they give you a headache, then opt for some scented soaps and lotions. They’re a lot more subtle and won’t give you such an obvious smell, but they still work.

Even if you are into colognes and perfumes, scent layering with soaps and lotions can enhance and elongate the effectiveness of your scent.

12. Keep it light

You never want to overdo it. Using too much of a fragrance can often be worse than not using it at all. Remember that you’ll get used to the smell quickly and won’t realize how strong it is.

Never reapply before at least three to five hours have passed. Overdoing it is not the proper way to know how to smell good and feel refreshed throughout the day.

If you do accidentally overdo it, counteract it with baby wipes or a dab of rubbing alcohol.

13. Change your diet

Is your fragrance influenced by what you eat? You may not see how it is affecting you, but you should keep an eye on it. Garlic and onion might be nutritionally beneficial, but the odors that come with them are not.

Sometimes, changing your diet can help you naturally smell better and help fragrances smell better on you. Consider increasing your intake of fruits and vegetables if you want to learn how to smell good. [Read: Can’t shed pounds? Here are some reasons why!]

14. Spray your hairbrush

A perfume sprayed straight on your head will damage the roots of your hair, which is bad for your scalp. Spraying your hairbrush is usually a good idea if you want to know how to smell good instantly. Your hair will smell great throughout the day.

15. Apply shoe spray fragrance

Having your feet in a confined place for an extended period of time might cause them to smell differently. Wearing socks can reduce the scent but not eliminate it. What you need is an aromatic shoe spray.

16. Spray your closet

Having a distinctive scent isn’t something that happens by accident. To be effective, it must be intentional. Spraying your closet and dresser drawers may be necessary if you want your clothing to smell good.

It’s beneficial to spritz the closet where you keep your clothes about once a week if you want to learn how to smell good. Doing this will help you have a long-lasting, unique aroma that’s tranquil and pleasant.

17. Spray your pillow and bedsheets

It’s possible to spritz your perfumes on various household items to make them smell better, such as your pillows and bed linens. [Read: A woman’s secret smell that drives men wild with desire]

Spritz your linens with a gentle fragrance to keep your body smelling good. You’ll also find it more pleasant to sleep in them this way.

18. Create an easy DIY perfume lotion

As mentioned, scent layering is an effective way to make your scent last longer, but it can be expensive to buy matching lotion.

Why not make your own? Dispense a lotion of your choice into a mixing bowl and add a few pumps of perfume. Mix and keep adding a little bit at a time until you achieve the strength that you want.

19. Wash with quality soap

If you want to know how to smell good, you need to start with good hygiene. [Read: How to make your vagina smell good and taste even better]

Make sure that you’re using a good quality soap or body wash that cleans your skin without completely stripping yourself of natural oils. Your perfume won’t sit right if your skin isn’t clean, but it also won’t do what you expect it to do if it has no natural oils to work with.

20. Use a body oil

Body oils are another great choice for scent layering. The moisture that they provide nourishes your skin and helps your fragrance to last longer.

Body oils are also a good way to try a more expensive fragrance before you buy it, as they’re usually significantly cheaper than the perfume itself. Because they enhance the strength and longevity of your perfume, you can use even less product and save more money in the long run.

21. Wipe off excess perfume

Having an overpowering scent is not always a good thing.

When learning how to smell good, you have to learn how much is too much. If you wind up using too much perfume, just remove the excess. Dabbing the area with rubbing alcohol easily neutralizes the area where you may have sprayed too heavily.

22. Let the fragrance dry

When you apply the perfume to your body, you should let it dry prior to putting on your clothes. This gives the fragrance time to react to your chemistry and ensures that your clothing won’t rub the scent off,

23. Use cotton balls

You can use cotton balls to smell good in a few different ways.

If you almost soak a couple of cotton balls in your perfume, you can use them for touch-ups throughout the day. Simply place the wet cotton balls in a plastic sandwich bag, squeeze out all the air, and seal.

Another way is to spray a few pumps onto a cotton ball, let it dry, and stick it in your bra. This keeps your fragrance fresh without being overwhelming to others.

24. Wear natural fabrics

Natural fabrics like cotton do a much better job of absorbing your perfume. It diffuses throughout the day, making it so that your scent lasts longer. Synthetic fabrics like polyester, however, have a tendency to dull the notes of the perfume and don’t hold on to the scent as long.

25. Know how to make your breath smell good

If your body smells good, but your breath isn’t fresh, you’re not doing it right.

It’s not as simple as brushing your teeth. You need to make sure that you’re brushing your tongue and flossing to remove extra stench-causing bacteria. Mouthwash also helps to give you an extra burst of freshness by diminishing dry mouth and removing any particles left behind from brushing and flossing.

So, how to smell good?

Bathing yourself in expensive fragrances and taking more than three baths a day is not the best way if you want to know how to smell good. To smell good all day, you must be aware of your body.

To begin, choose a scent, deodorant, and lotion based on your preferences. [Read: Smelling delicious and other non-sexual turn-ons that arouse girls instantly]

When it comes to dating, you have to know how to smell good to increase your chances of landing that special someone. After all, you should never underestimate the power of scent, even in your dating life!