A first of anything is often considered special, first bike, first kiss, first phone and many other firsts some of which we can’t mention here (at least not in this article). For me, Fa Speedster Deodorant was my first deodorant and I have been using it ever since. It’s special because my sister-in-law bought it for me while we were on a ‘shopping expedition’ (which is my fancy way of describing a walk to the supermarket down the street).
Until today, I have never thought about why it appealed to me and why we chose it over all of the other deodorants on the supermarket aisle. I just remember spraying different body sprays on our palms and sniffing till our noses fell off. Then we found Fa Speedster, the deodorant that brought both our no-longer-functioning sense of smell to a consensus, and I threw it into the shopping cart. Here is a review of the Fa Men Speedster Deodorant Body Spray.
Manufacturer’s Claims
The Fa Speedster is made by German company Schwarzkopf & Henkel (creator of Persil detergent) and the manufacturers claim is that it keeps you fresh for up to 48 hours, does not stain clothes (no white marks), is skin-friendly and is energizing.
Aesthetics
The body spray comes packaged in a cylindrical container, slightly over half a foot long, the colour is suited for the male persona, a deep black with luminous green graphics that paint the impression of speed and energy. The can can’t fit in my pocket like a roll-on would, but it still fits well in my bag in case I want to carry it around.
Smell
The deodorant is citrus-flavoured, which is a safe scent to have on you with little risk of smelling feminine; which was a concern I had when buying it. The scent is sharp but mild and easily dissipates in the air after spray, this is important, especially for those of us with roommates, bedsitter ninjas, or people living in tiny 3m by 3m campus hostels.
The bottle instructions are to spray 15 cm away from the skin in short bursts, however, even after doing that, I have found that by evening the citrus scent still lingers on my clothes: which I feel is a good thing. On the other hand, I have not felt fresh for up to 48 hours as the brand claims, especially on days when I have been actively running around. Even when I have been seated throughout the day, the 48-hour freshness bug has never bitten me.
I asked a scientist friend about it and he suggested that different people have different levels of smelly sweat, depending on how much water they drink and their metabolism, food, type of bacteria on their skin and hormones. I reckon I must be in the master or pro smelly sweat level cause that 48-hour freshness can’t touch me.
Stain
I have been using the Fa Speedster body spray for over a year and it has never stained my clothes, even in those moments when I forget and sprayed it onto a white or black t-shirt that is prone to show stains, it never does.
Energizing
The manufacturer’s claim that Fa Speedster energises is true and I attribute it to be mainly psychological. Especially, in the current millennial/campus free hugging culture (yeah it’s a thing), it gives you an extra oomph to go distribute hugs like campaign posters. For 6-footers like me, the faces of a majority of the people we hug fall within our armpit region, and so meeting an acquaintance when I know I’m not fresh is akin to intentionally subjecting them to a few seconds in a torturous gas chamber (conversations rarely go well after that). Thus, I conclude that Fa Speedster energises me and makes me livelier around other people.
Pros
- I like that the deodorant lasts long, I use mine for about 2-4 months depending on how generous I am when spraying or how often my friends decide they want to smell good at my expense.
- I enjoy the fact that the smell is not overbearing and I can sit in the same room with someone with allergies without chocking them to death.
- The usage instructions on the bottle are clear with images for easier illustration.
- It leaves clothes stain-free.
Cons
- It does not keep me fresh for up to 48 hour
Speaking of smelling good, here is How to find your scent personality
