Review: Underarm Whitening Skin Care from Wakilala

There are thousands of skin care options out there for the face, hundreds for the body, and a handful for the vah-jay-jay. How often do you come across skin care for the underarms?

A common problem that many Asian women face is underarm darkening and there’s not much we can do about it. I only became hopeful again that I can lighten my underarms after using LUSH Porridge Soap. And then I got greedy.

When I was introduced to the Wakilala Clear Wash and Bright Up Essence for underarm whitening, I caved.
Read on...

Although you can purchase the Wakilala Clear Wash and Wakilala Bright Up Essence separately, they complement each other and since they were on sale, I got them both.

The citrus-smelling cleanser is a thick foaming cream with exfoliating micro beads. Following the on-pack instructions, the cleanser is applied on dry underarms and then massaged with wet hands. You’ll get heaps of lather so only a pea size is needed for both underarms.

The micro beads are not very abrasive compared to the Porridge Soap. After cleansing, my underarms feel fresh, smoother and visibly brighter. Since using this cleanser, I’ve experienced less ingrown hair bumps, which I often get from shaving.

Think of the Wakilala Bright Up Essence as a toner for your underarms but it really does much more than that. I was advised by the SaSa salesperson to alternate the cleanser and essence because using the essence directly after the cleanser may cause some stinging.

This essence is also supposed to double as a deodorant and antiperspirant. Swipe a cotton pad soaked with the essence on the underarm area and you’ll be able to see some gunk on the cotton pad. It’s gross and surprising at the same time just as you thought that you’ve cleaned yourself well enough, you still get gunk on the cotton. There’s a cooling sensation that lasts for about an hour.

At the end of the day my underarms don’t feel *coughs* moist or stinky so I guess it does work as a deodorant and antiperspirant. Not too bad right?

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I’m quite impressed with both products overall. The whitening effect is only to a certain extent as it is a result of the effective cleansing rather than making the skin fairer than it originally is. Nonetheless, having cleaner and brighter underarms, I feel more comfortable wearing sleeveless clothes. Flashing my underarms with enthusiastic waves (think whitening deodorant commercials) would require further whitening so I’ll not be doing that anytime soon.

Wakilala Clear Wash (RM40.90/90g) and Wakilala Bright Up Essence (RM43.90/120ml) can be purchased from SaSa outlets and Aeon Wellness outlets.
Also available from Bobodave for USD$20.90 each.