I put this picture up on Instagram and someone commented that I was the first Nigerian she knew that used deodorant and I was scratching my head like
"Say what now, come again???"

It has never occurred to me that deodorant or perfume was something that wasn't compulsory until I watched that episode on Keeping up with the Kardashians where Kourtney refused to use a deodorant.

I never thought it'll turn out to be a Nigerian thing o!

I started using deodorants as soon as I hit puberty. It was like a passage to adulthood.
I quickly moved from roll ons to deodorant sticks because I started getting some weird painful bumps under my armpits which subsided after the switch. The bumps occurred because the roll ons were blocking my sweat glands instead of simply being antibacterial. Unless you sweat a lot, there's really no need for your deodorant to block the sweat glands. Unpleasant odor is due to bacterial activity not due to sweat. Sweat is odorless. However when bacteria breaks down the sweat, its waste product produces that unpleasant odor.

Back to the gist sha......

I slowly (in my impatient teenage opinion) moved from body mists to proper grown up perfumes.

I discovered that I preferred fruity, citrus and vanilla scents to the flowery scents of rose, lavender et al. I only recently began to tolerate jasmine and wild orchid scents. I'm not a fan of musk. I like clean airy scents ...if that makes any sense....(I rhymed, I rhymed!!!! )

I still don't have a signature perfume (like my mum and several classy aunts) though I love the F by Ferragamo and Caribbean by Elizabeth Arden. I tend to favor perfumes that have scents similar to these two which is why I also liked the Voyager by Oriflame and Tomorrow by Avon for daily use. Unfortunately, the Oriflame lasts long enough to turn the door knob (or perhaps I'm getting used to it).

I don't think I will ever have a signature perfume because I like trying out new things but at least I'm sure that 'If it smells like vanilla cupcakes, smells like an orchid full of orange blossoms or has a hint of jasmine', there's a 99% chance I'm buying it.


But abeg my Nigerian people....is it true we don't typically use deodorants? If you do, what's your favorite deodorant and/or perfume? If you don't why not?