The summer months can be tough on perfumes, especially with the hot weather playing havoc with the way fragrances work. There’s also the rather unpleasant issue of perspiration to think about, which never mixes well with perfume. The truth is that perfume is more important than ever during the summer, but it has to work exceptionally hard to be effective.

However, don’t stress out about your favorite fragrances this summer. Here are a few tips that can keep you smelling sweet and fresh when the mercury rises.

Too many people use perfume just before heading out, but this can be a mistake during spells of hot weather. Perfume can evaporate quickly in high temperatures, which means you won’t smell as good as you could. Instead, use your perfume roughly 15 minutes before leaving home. This will give the alcohol time to evaporate — leaving just the sweet, intoxicating smell of your favorite fragrance behind.

You know that clothes can start to smell during long periods spent in hot sunshine. A constant cycle of sweating and drying out can leave clothes smelling musty, and this outcome has the potential to overpower the perfume you spent so much money on. Give your clothes a quick spray with perfume before you leave home, which should help to mask any unwanted odors throughout the day.

Many of us sweat profusely from our heads during periods of hot weather, which can cause unwanted, lingering odors in your hair. This is can be a significant problem if you’re constantly going in and out of air conditioned buildings — all it does is create a situation where your hair is continually wet with sweat before drying out quickly. To maintain the overall effectiveness of your perfume, spray a little on your hair before leaving home. Just make sure you cover your eyes before you start spraying.

Lighter scents tend to be more effective in hot weather; they also tend to last longer. The heat and humidity outside can change the way a perfume smells as the day progresses. With lighter, floral scents, the effects of this breakdown aren’t as noticeable as they are with bolder scents. The more the composition of a perfume breaks down, the more its fragrance will change. Stick to floral and citrus perfumes during the summer, and you should smell better for longer.

To continue smelling your very best throughout a hot summer’s day, you should ensure your perfume is distributed evenly across your body. You’ll be perspiring all over your body in such intense heat, which can lead to odors that might overpower your favorite scents. It’s not enough to simply spray your wrists and neck — hot and humid calls for an all-over perfume.

Simply spray your perfume just above head height two or three times, and slowly walk through the descending particles. If you want to get a little cute, you can pirouette as you move forward — ensuring your perfume reaches every area of your body.