Products

• Natural and artificial fragrances are added to dozens of commonly used household and personal care items. These include: laundry detergent, dryer sheets, air fresheners, body wash, shampoo, lotion, underarm deodorants, shaving gels, aftershave, feminine hygiene products, hair spray and cosmetics.
  
  These different smells compete with each other and can blend in unpleasant ways. One way to increase your appreciation of fragrances is to reduce your daily exposure to them. Use fragrance-free products for every day purposes when possible. Then, you can concentrate on adding the particular scents you really like in the form of perfume or cologne.
  
  

Selection

• Humans tend to associate smells with specific experiences. This can make a big difference in which fragrances you prefer. For example, if you love the beach you may appreciate scents in the "oceanic" perfume family. If the smell of flowers makes you think of funerals, you may dislike floral scents instinctively.
  
  Besides your personal preferences, your specific body chemistry playd a role in perfume selection. The natural oils and sweat already present on your skin mixes with the ingredients in a fragrance. This means a scent smells different on your body than it does in the bottle or on someone else.
  
  A perfume should compliment your body's smell rather than competing with it, masking it or making it stronger. If you have a strong natural scent, avoid fragrances that contain high levels of musk.
  
  Most fragrances are blended so they have several different "notes" that become evident over time. Wear a new perfume for a full 24 hours to experience all the scents it has to offer. What starts out pleasant smelling may end up smelling unpleasant by the end of the day.
  
  

Use

• A fragrance can be worn in several different ways. You can put it at the base of your throat in the where your collar bones meet. You can spray it or dab it directly onto your inner wrists just below the palm if you don't want to smell the scent quite as strongly.
  
  At the jaw line behind the ear and on the décolletage (the upper chest above the cleavage) are other popular locations for perfume. Any place on the body that has a higher than average surface temperature gives a scent more "throw" making it carry further.
  
  Spraying perfume on your clothing or a scarf is an option if you have sensitive skin. However, the ingredients in perfume can cause delicate fabrics such as silk to deteriorate or become discolored.
  
  

Storage & Sharing

• Your scents should last for many years if they are stored correctly. Keep them in air tight containers away from light and heat. If you have purchased expensive, highly concentrated perfume oil, you can dilute it in an unscented base or "carrier" such as pure vegetable oil. Fill a clean bottle or vial with the carrier oil and use a pipette or eye dropper to add a drop of the essential fragrance.
  
  Diluting a scent in this way also gives you a chance to share it. You can become part of an online "scent swapping" group and trade your fragrances with other perfume fans through the mail or with friends. Unlike other cosmetics, perfumes are usually safe to share if they are dispensed properly. Spray bottles ensure that the contents of the bottle aren't contaminated by contact with your skin.