If you consume cannabis long enough you will likely run into a time where you need to avoid smelling like cannabis smoke. It could be because you need to go to work, are going on a blind date, or have some kind of hygienic concern(s). Some cannabis consumers will say that it should never matter if someone smells like cannabis, and from a stigma standpoint, they are correct. However, there are still some circumstances where it would be better to not smell like cannabis smoke.
Obviously, the best way to reduce the smell of cannabis on your clothes, skin, and hair is to not let it make contact in the first place. We will discuss some strategies for that later in this article. Sometimes smelling like cannabis smoke is unavoidable for one reason or another, and we will discuss what to do in those instances as well.
Smokeless Alternatives
When possible, consider using smokeless alternatives such as cannabis vape pens, edibles, topicals, transdermal patches, drinks, etc. After all, you can’t smell like smoke if there is no smoke involved. We realize that this may not be feasible in all situations, however, we felt the need to offer it up as a suggestion. If you want to learn more about how to find your ideal cannabis edible dosage level, check out a previous article that we wrote on the topic.
How Long Does The Smell From Cannabis Smoke Last?
A popular question for cannabis newbies is how long does the smell from cannabis smoke last? There is no one-size-fits-all answer to that question. It depends on a number of factors, some of which are discussed later in this article. Ultimately, the more contact you have with cannabis smoke, and the longer that contact occurs, the more you will smell like it. Until you wash your clothes, skin, and hair, the smell of cannabis smoke will continue to be present to some degree.
Open Air Smoking
This one should be obvious – if you participate in a hotbox where you are engulfed in smoke in a confined space for long durations of time, you will smell like cannabis smoke (a lot). Conversely, if you smoke outside in an open space and ‘aim’ your exhaled cannabis smoke away from you, downwind, you will smell considerably less. Make sure that when you are exhaling that it isn’t directed at the other people in your session.
Breathe And Hands
Even if you smoke in a completely open space outdoors and the wind is blowing the smoke away from you in the most favorable fashion, your breathe and hand(s) will still smell like it. Both of those are easy things to remedy, however, it’s not something that some consumers are mindful of in a proactive fashion.
Bring the appropriate remedy gear to the smoke session as needed (mints, gum, soap, scented lotion, scented hand sanitizer, etc.). If you are smoking joints or blunts, know that the hand(s) that you hold them in will smell particularly strong. If you need to avoid smelling like cannabis, avoiding doobies and blunts is advised.
Consider The Setting And Audience
If you have to go somewhere and see people after a smoking session and are wondering how much effort you need to put into not smelling like cannabis smoke, consider the setting and audience. Obviously, a big airy warehouse is going to be more favorable from an odor standpoint compared to a sterile, enclosed courtroom. Some people are better at smelling cannabis than others, and we defer to individual readers as to where their particular audience falls on the spectrum of ‘cannot smell anything’ to ‘human cannabis consumption detector.’
What If You Already Smell Like Cannabis?
Sometimes no matter how careful you try to be you still end up smelling like cannabis smoke regardless. It happens to the best of us. As previously mentioned, the duration of the smell depends on a number of factors, however, the best approach to get rid of it is to take a shower, wash your clothes, and brush your teeth (use mouthwash and floss too).
In situations where that is not possible, use cologne/perfume, gum, and anything else you can find. If you are really desperate, you can always find something that has a stronger smell than cannabis smoke, such as rubbing your hand(s) on an old, cold tailpipe. Smelling like exhaust or something else is obviously not desirable either, however, it can be better than smelling like a cannabis doobie in some instances. It helped one of the founders of this website get out of a pinch years ago, so we are speaking from experience 😉