Geo-Phyzz Bath Bomb

Geo-Phyzz is supposed to represent a luxury spa treatment wrapped up in a ballistic, which sounds promising from the get-go. Lush describe this product as their 'little salt-of-the-earth' bath bomb, and 'salty' it definitely is. Containing both coarse and Hawaiian sea salt, this is a ballistic intent on purifying your pores!

Alongside this mineral-rich condiment, Lush have included a list of exquisite ingredients to make this bath bomb magical; Siberian pine oil, sandalwood and cypress oils have all been combined to moisturise your skin and detoxify the body and mind. Furthermore, seaweed has been thrown in for its anti-inflammatory and soothing properties. It is rich in vitamins and minerals, including vitamin A, C and E, which is great for those with sensitive skin.

This is definitely one of Lush's more natural, earthy scented ballistics. I didn't even have to unwrap this product before I could detect a strong note of pine - it smells exactly like the aroma you get from a Christmas tree - that dry, earthy and very comforting smell that follows you around the room. Alongside this, you can pick out a very distinctive thread of menthol which is due to the addition of cypress oil. This oil is an antiseptic and has a very clean scent - it smells very much like the Vicks Vapour rub you use to clear blocked noses. Both fragrances give Geo-Phyzz that really refreshing quality which, when dissolved in the bath, helps to relax your mind whilst refreshing your senses at the same time. 

When I first experienced this ballistic, I had only managed to acquire a couple of old ones and the bath bombs immediately sunk to the bottom of the tub and turned the water a murky grey colour. I was hoping that a new one might offer me a better experience - fizzing on the surface like you would expect from a fresh product. However, my Geo-Phyzz plummeted to the bottom of the tub and pretty much collapsed into a green mess.

In reflection, this bath bomb is the heaviest one I have ever purchased from Lush, and this is no doubt due to the high percentage of sea salt that is present here. When I supported the product above the water, it fizzed like a normal ballistic and turned the water a relaxing green colour. However, on it's own, it tends to sink immediately and accumulates as a pile of salt at the bottom of the tub. 

As there is so much salt present, some will dissolve on it's own whereas most of it will collect at the bottom of your bath. I only had to run my fingers along the bottom to realise how much salt this ballistic heeds, and it is important to note that you should swish the water around and help the salt to dissolve before climbing in the bath. Getting into the tub before doing so will probably end in you getting an uncomfortable and perhaps rather painful experience of sitting on coarse pieces of salt. 

As Geo-Phyzz is probably made up of 80% salt, it does take a while to fully dissolve in the water. I would suggest waiting until most of it has dispersed into the water before climbing in as again, I'm sure you don't want to accidentally sit on a ball of solid salt. What is impressive about this product is that the strong scent remains with you throughout your entire bathing experience, which really helps to clear your sinuses if like me, you're suffering from a cold.

When I exited the bath, I found that my skin felt cleansed, although there was nothing spectacular about this. I didn't feel anything more than what I would expect from any other Lush bathing product. Furthermore, there was no scent left on my body and I still had to moisturise as usual. In all honesty, I found this bath bomb to be pretty unspectacular, and it would have probably had more of an impact on my skin (and mood), if there had been more of 'it' in the tub.

Geo-Phyzz was created to aid relaxation for those who need relief from achy and overworked muscles. While it did revitalise my senses and make me feel calmer after the experience, it didn't do anything amazing. For this reason, it's not one I have an interest in buying again; I'd much rather have a Big Blue which I feel would do the job better.

Quantitative Ingredients: Coarse Sea Salt, Sodium Bicarbonate, Citric Acid, Hawaiian Sea Salt, Perfume, Cypress Oil, Pine Absolute, Sandalwood Oil, Seaweed Absolute, *Limonene, *Linalool, Gardenia Extract, Colour 42053.

Vegan?: Yes.

WebRep

currentVote

noRating

noWeight

Read More

Big Blue Bath Ballistic

I've been meaning to try the Big Blue Ballistic for quite some time now; partly because I really enjoyed my experience with the Mermaid bath bomb, which shared the same scent, and partly because most hardcore Lush fans rave about how amazing it is, and they tend to know what they're talking about!

Using essential oils and other natural ingredients, Lush have created a ballistic that'll help you to unwind and relax. Not only that, but the experience you'll get serves as a great reminder of what it's actually like to bathe in the ocean. For someone who used to live mere minutes away from the enticing sea, I do still get occasional yearnings to smell the fresh sea breeze and taste the salt of the air on the my tongue. Big Blue is a great way for me to satisfy these cravings. 

One of the key ingredients used here is seaweed. The type of kelp Lush use is called Arame seaweed, which softens in your hot bath water and helps you to relax. Arame is rich in vitamins and minerals including iodine, which helps to regulate the metabolism and help you to feel calm and collected. This seaweed is packed inside the bath bomb; swirling around the water and sinking to the bottom of the tub when the ballistic is dissolving.

Big Blue also offers a tang of lemon, a hint of lavender and a dash of sea salt, which all help to produce a fresh scented bathing experience. The salt helps to remove dead skin cells, while the lemon oil clears the mind and gives the ballistic a sweet, citrusy scent. In addition, the lavender oil, which works as an cleanser, smoothens out your skin and leaves a slight floral element to the bath.

To top the experience off, Big Blue turns the bath water a vivid blue, which stays this beautiful shade throughout your entire bathing experience. The added minerals help to cleanse and soften your skin leaving you feeling invigorated and renewed.

My skin felt super smooth and soft after using this; it didn't feel tight or in any way dry. The fragrance lingered on my body and lasted until the following day, which was a nice surprise. My only issue is that the fragrance of the bath bomb, whilst dissolving, was definitely weaker than I was expecting. Furthermore, I was unable to pick up it's scent all that much throughout my bathing experience, which was a shame. However, I'm wondering whether this has anything to do with the ballistic's age, as I'd had this one tucked away for almost a year before I decided to use it.

In my opinion, this bath bomb is one of the best ones available at the moment; I will definitely be buying this again in the near future. Despite, having to clean the seaweed out of the bath after you've finished, this doesn't take away from how great this bath bomb is. I highly recommend that you give this one a go, even if you're on to prefer sweeter-smelling cosmetics.

Quantitative Ingredients: Sodium Bicarbonate, Citric Acid, Coarse Sea Salt, Fine Sea Salt, Perfume, Arame Seaweed, Lemon Oil, Lavender Oil, Seaweed Absolute, *Eugenol, *Geraniol, *Limonene, *Linalool, Colour 42090, Colour 19140.

Vegan?: Yes. 

WebRep

currentVote

noRating

noWeight

Read More

Strawberry Twin Tub Shower Jelly

You may think it strange that I'm choosing to review this product, when I've already posted on my blog of Strawberry Santa Shower Jelly - a festive item that is near enough identical aside from it's shape. However, especially with recent Lush releases, I've found that being able to try something fresh often brings out different elements of a product's fragrance, and can sometimes alter the effectiveness of the product altogether. Such is the case with this shower jelly. 

Strawberry Twin Tub was initially released in 2005, and until it was brought out last week in the Lush Kitchen, I didn't realise just how popular a product it was. Marketed as a shower jelly with multiple dimensions of scent, the key ingredients that make up it's fragrance is fresh strawberries combined with a coconut and vanilla pod infusion. To me it sounds like a recipe for a cheesecake, which can never be a bad thing in my eyes.

As I mentioned on my review of the festive edition of this jelly, it's not very often that Lush bring out strawberry smelling cosmetics, which is odd given the popularity of the fragrance. However, whenever they do, I expect the product to offer me something far more fresh than the over-processed toiletries you'd find in your local pharmacist. 

This shower jelly immediately gave me a strong impression upon opening the lid, when I was able to pick up the fresh strawberry aroma right away. It's not as natural smelling as you would expect from Lush, and reminds me a little of the strawberry glycerin sachets that my mother used to use to make the glaze for cheesecakes. However, it does possess a faint tartness reminiscent of slightly underripe berries. 

As with Strawberry Santa, I can definitely detect hints of the vanilla in the fragrance as well, although again it's not as fresh or natural smelling as Vanilla Dee-Lite Body Lotion or Vanillary. As my tub of the shower jelly was as fresh as it could be, there was a very subtle coconutty element in the overall smell and this showcased itself more when heat had been added during the shower. 

There are several ways that you can use any of Lush's shower jellies, and I find that everyone has their own preference, which is completely understandable. Firstly, you can break a small piece of (or select a piece that's been segmented prior to your shower) and rub the block directly onto your skin. The amount of lather this creates differentiates vastly depending on the type of jelly, how old the product is and the size of the piece you're using. While some users find this way works for them, I find that this is fairly ineffective as it does not create much of a lather and the jelly becomes too wet, making it slippery and difficult to hold on to. 

Secondly, you can use a shower sponge, puff or exfoliating glove to create a lather before rubbing it all over your body. For me, I found this method far more successful as it helped to break down the jelly properly and create a nice foamy effect to wash your body with. Finally, you can break off slabs of the jelly and use them as you would a bubble bar, placing them underneath a running tap to stimulate bubbles. I tend to use mine for this reason, as I can get 20+ baths out of one 250g tub, which I consider to be great value for money.

In the tub, Strawberry Twin has a slight sparkle to it - which gives a wonderful glimmer and makes it just that little bit more special. It's rather elasticated in texture and would work best if you chopped it up into pieces beforehand. You can tear a piece off whilst you're in the shower, but I found that I always over-estimated how much to use and some was wasted in this way. 

Much like the festive edition I tried many months ago, this shower jelly did make my skin feel lovely and soft. The addition of carrageenan seaweed helps to give this jelly a silky consistency in the tub, and this softness is inherited by your skin whilst it's being massaged across your body. It lathers up wonderfully in the shower and left me feeling clean and summery; a trace of the scent lingering on my skin until the very next day, when I received some rather positive comments. 

Overall, Strawberry Twin Tub is a nice product for anyone who loves strawberry-scented cosmetics. It's a lovely smelling shower jelly, and definitely one that would suit most people's tastebuds. Unfortunately, I think this fragrance is just rather generic and boring for my liking - not the usual quirky and unique concoctions that Lush are known for. As I said for Strawberry Santa, it's a product that would work best with younger children, not adults who are perhaps looking for something a little more complex and mature. 

Lush claim that this shower jelly 'is reminiscent of sweet-shops, picnics and the great British summertime.' While I wouldn't say it's aroma is as natural and fresh as this suggests, it is a lovely treat for when you're craving something sugary and don't have any sweets in the house. 

Quantitative Ingredients: Glycerine, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Spring Water, Coconut and Fair Trade Vanilla Pod Infusion, Fresh Strawberries, Carrageenan Extract, Perfume, Benzoin Resinoid, Geranium Oil, Jasmine Absolute, Cinnamal, Benzyl Benzoate, Citronellol, Linalool, Methyl Ionone, Colour 14700, Colour 17200, Methylparaben, Propylparaben.

Vegan?: Yes.

Read More

Ocean Salt Self-Preserving Scrub

Ask any one of my friends and they will tell you; if I had been asked a few weeks ago to name a Lush product that I wanted the company to veganise, the first words out of my mouth would have been American Cream, very quickly followed up with Ocean Salt! I can't tell you exactly what it is about the scrub that seems so appealing to me, but it's something I've wanted to try every since I first knew of the product's existence. 

Ocean Salt Self-Preserving Scrub is a cleverly developed face and body scrub that Lush have been working on for quite some time. Not happy with releasing highly natural, low-preservative products, the company wanted to take their innovative ideas that one step further, and produce a range that was completely preservative-free. In order to give their products their properties, as well as maintaining a long shelf life, Lush have carefully crafted each item so that the ingredients form a self-preserving formula. 

When it comes to Ocean Salt, the change of formula has not only made it better for your skin but also removed the sole ingredient that made this product non-vegan beforehand. Lanolin is a waxy residue that comes from the skin secretions of sheep, and is often used in cosmetics to help bind ingredients together as well as give them an oily consistency to soothe and heal skin. Lush have removed this animal derivative, and replaced it with far nicer sounding ingredients; silken tofu, Japan wax and mango butter.

One other change that this product has gone through, is that it's no longer marketed as simply a facial cleanser (or facial scrub as it was referred to). Instead, the new, improved product can now be used over the whole body. 

Despite my excitement about Ocean Salt, I'd never actually smelt or researched it in that much detail beforehand, so trying it for the first time was rather interesting. One of the key ingredients here is lime soaked in vodka - an ingredient that gives this scrub both it's crisp, uplifting scent and it's cooling properties once it's applied onto the skin. Then there's an array of different fruits; grapefruit, mango butter and lime oil, all rich in minerals that help to soften and hydrate the skin. Furthermore, the addition of avocado butter, coconut oil and seaweed leave it conditioned and smelling wonderful. 

The most prominent ingredient though is salt, which makes up most of the scrub's body as well as being sprinkled over the top for decoration. Sea salt is rich in minerals and excellent for scrubbing away dead skin as well as being a natural preservative; allowing the ingredients in Ocean Salt to remain as fresh as they can be. The salt adds to the citrus scent of the lime, giving this product an overall lovely refreshing fragrance.

To use in the shower, just scoop as much or as little out of the tub and lather it all over your body, rubbing it in a circular motion to really stimulate those pores and exfoliate tired skin. Although this is probably an obvious point to make, I would recommend that you don't use this on newly shaved areas. I made the mistake of slathering this all over my legs mere minutes after I taken a razor to them, and I was in a lot of pain afterwards.  

One thing I found off-putting when it comes to Ocean Salt was that the texture of the salt was a little harsh on my skin, and it scratched a lot when I was exfoliating myself in the shower. I was expecting it to be similar in consistency to Rub Rub Rub but I found that it was almost as rough as one of Lush's many solid sugar scrubs.

Furthermore, unlike the above body scrub, Ocean Salt was also a little difficult to spread over large areas. I found that each scoop would exfoliate the immediate area it had been applied to, but by the time I had spread it across my entire thigh or my right arm, it was nothing more than white foam and a few stray bits of salt. For this reason, my 250g tub went down very quickly, and if you're planning on using it as a full body scrub, you're likely to only get around 5/6 uses out of it, whereas a same sized pot of Rub Rub Rub will see me through a couple of months. 

Overall, I wasn't as enamoured by this product as I thought I was going to be. Whether it was my high expectations or something else, Ocean Salt is not a product I would rush out to buy again. Although the scent was highly refreshing, it did take some getting used to and the overall condition of my skin after use was not that different from how it was before use. 

Quantitative Ingredients: Fine Sea Salt, Hand Harvested Sea Salt, Fresh Grapefruit Infusion, Silken Tofu, Glycerine, Japan Wax, Sodium Cocoamphoacetate, Fresh Organic Lime Extracted in Vodka, Mango Butter, Extra Virgin Coconut Oil, Avocado Butter, Lime Oil, Seaweed Absolute, Violet Leaf Absolute, Limonene, Linalool, Perfume, Colour 42090.

Vegan?: Yes.

WebRep

currentVote

noRating

noWeight

Read More

Seanik Solid Shampoo

In all honesty, this review has taken me almost three months to write; partly because I like to use my shampoo over a few weeks to see whether my hair condition changes, and partly because, with Seanik in particular, I've had a love/hate relationship with it from the word go. 

Back when I made my first Lush order, I had no knowledge or guidance to help me choose which shampoo bar to choose. For this reason, I ended up picking three of them at random. Seanik just happened to be one of those three. 

For starters, this shampoo bar is like every other solid shampoo that I've tried so far; it's very easy to use. You can either massage it through wet hair, or rub it between your hands and create a lather, which can then be applied to your locks. Either way, you can really tell how much shampoo is compacted into a single bar as it lathers up really easily.

Next up, this bar has plenty of ingredients to soften and revitalise your hair. First up, there's a ton of nori seaweed packed into each bar, which is rich in protein and helps to strengthen hair and make it silky soft in both look and feel; lemon has been added to add to that natural shine, without making it look greasy or oily. Finally, mimosa, jasmine and orange flower are added to supposedly give the shampoo bar a little tropical lift in scent.

Unfortunately, I didn't think this shampoo had much scent at all; at most I could just catch the edge of the lemon when the bar was in use. On the positive side, this shampoo bar would be great for those of you who don't want an overpowering fragrance and would rather leave that job to the conditioner. 

Furthermore, fine sea salt is a key ingredient here, added to uplift and add volume to your hair. However, I found that this shampoo bar did the exact opposite for me. My hair is normally very frizzy and slightly untameable - prone to developing split ends rather quickly and drying out. Seanik actually helped to give my hair shape whilst making it look and feel calmer and healthier. 

This shampoo is actually amazing, although it took me a good few months to reach that conclusion. At first, it took my hair a few washes to get used to Seanik, but once it had, it made my hair look and feel beautiful - I was actually amazed at how quickly my hair went from dry and lifeless, to soft and shiny (without ever stepping into the 'greasy' bracket).

Although other reviewers have expressed their love of the smell, I can't say that I was able to pick up enough to comment on it. My bar was probably about six months old when I began using it, so perhaps the scent had faded before I had a chance to appreciate it. However, I don't think the lack of fragrance takes away from the bar at all - it just meant I was able to use different conditioners alongside this, and not worry that the different scents would clash.

Seanik solid shampoo is great value for money - one £5.50 bar lasts me between 4-6 months, and this is with me washing my hair on average five times a week. This probably works out a mere few pence per wash, which just makes me love it even more. A definite favourite Lush product for me!

Quantitative Ingredients: Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Irish Moss Gel, Perfume, Nori Seaweed, Fine Sea Salt, Lemon Oil, Mimosa Absolute, Orange Flower Absolute, Jasmine Absolute, Cocamide DEA, *Limonene, Colour 42090.

Vegan?: Yes.

Read More

Atomic Toothy Tabs

The Aquatic Toothy Tabs are described as a 'gloriously romantic' confection. They contain Earl Grey tea, lime oil and jasmine which acts as an aphrodisiac, although I don't really know why you'd want to get heated whilst brushing your teeth! A beautiful combination of Organic Earl Grey and Sencha tea combined with jasmine absolute and fine sea salt, leaves your mouth feeling fresh and clean and with a delicate perfume on the breath.

Aquatic, like all of Lush's toothy tabs, works in the same way. You place one tab between your front teeth and gently nibble until it becomes a powder. Then you wet your toothbrush and proceed to brush your teeth as normal. The addition of water from the brush helps the power to foam up and it works in exactly the same way as normal toothpaste.

These tabs didn't foam up as much as other ones I have tried, and they did dissolve very quickly when placed between my teeth. Although, they still did a good job of making my mouth feel sanitised, clean and fresh.

One box (which contains roughly 40 tabs) will last you around three weeks, although at £3.50 a box, this is definitely more expensive than a normal tube of toothpaste. However, the results speak for themselves; my teeth felt clean throughout the entire day without the overpowering minty aftertaste that I disliked about using normal toothpaste. 

Although I was a little skeptical about these tabs tasting of Earl Grey tea, I soon discovered that the flavour is very mild, so you don't have to be a fan of the English delicacy to enjoy and use this product. In fact, I would go as far as saying that the lime was the more prominent taste here, which made them sweeter than I expected.

Overall, these are the second flavour of toothy tab that I have been more than satisfied with and I will definitely be buying these again in the future. However, these will only be bought every few months to change up my morning routine as I preferred Breath of God toothy tabs and these are £1 cheaper!

Quantitative Ingredients: Dicalcium Phosphate Anhydrous, Sodium Bicarbonate, Cream of Tartar, Sorbitol, Lauroyl Sarcosine, Kaolin, Organic Sencha Tea Powder, Jasmine Absolute, Lime Oil, Wakame Seaweed Powder, Fair Trade Organic Earl Grey Leaves, Fine Sea Salt, Sodium Saccharin, Flavour, *Citral, *Limonene, *Linalool.

Vegan?: Yes

ratingTextUndefined

Read More

Mermaid Bath Ballistic

'Imagine a walk along a coastal footpath on a sunny day, with flowers blooming all around and the fresh scent of the sea on the breeze.'

Lush's limited edition bath ballistic is a feast for the senses. And if the allure of the lemon and lavender fragrance or the beautiful ocean blue coloured decoration wasn't enough to tempt you, perhaps the reason why Lush have released this will be. 

Lush's limited edition Mermaid Bath Ballistic was released to coincide with The Mermaid Song - a melody written as part of the Coldwater Project by musician and composer Ysanne. All proceeds from the ballistic (minus the VAT) will go to Sea Shepherd - a global non-profit marine conservation charity. 

For the bargain price of £2.50, you will get a relaxing and sensual bath as well as the knowledge that you've helped and supported a great company and even better project. How brilliant is that?

And it's not like Lush to skimp on the details, so don't think the ballistic is any less amazing than their usual range. 

Using essential oils and other natural ingredients, Lush have created a ballistic that'll help you to unwind and relax. Not only that, but the experience you'll get  serves as a great reminder of what it's actually like to bathe in the ocean. A tang of lemon, a hint of lavender and a dash of seaweed, all help to produce a fresh scented bathing experience. The ballistic is also crammed full of fine sea salt and pieces of Arame seaweed, the latter of which swirls around you in the water before resting at the bottom of your tub.

To top the experience off, the Mermaid turns the bath water a vivid blue, which stays this beautiful shade throughout your entire bathing experience. The added minerals help to cleanse and soften your skin leaving you feeling invigorated and renewed. 

This is very similar to the Big Blue Bath Ballistic, so if you're a fan of that, then I'd definitely give it a whirl. I love the fact that the scent of sea salt and lavender stayed with me throughout the whole experience, and unlike the actual ocean, the salt didn't dry out my hair or skin. 

The only aspect that seemed a little silly was the strands of seaweed that sunk to the bottom of my tub and accumulated by the drain when the plug was pulled. They gave a nice touch to the ballistic, and definitely helped to create that sea-themed experience. However, they didn't really help to soften my skin or do anything other than add to the visual display of the ballistic.

Overall, I'm glad I invested in this as it was definitely different to most other bathing experiences that I've had so far. And I cannot complain about it being linked to a charitable event  - after all, it's no different than paying £2 a month towards a particular charity. Except of course that you're supporting one of the smaller charities that don't often get as much attention as the bigger named enterprises, and you're getting a bathing experience for your generosity.

Quantitative Ingredients: Sodium Bicarbonate, Citric Acid, Coarse Sea Salt, Fine Sea Salt, Perfume, Arame Seaweed, Lemon Oil, Lavender Oil, Seaweed Absolute, *Eugenol, *Geraniol, *Limonene, *Linalool, Colour 42090, Colour 19140.

Vegan?: Yes

 

Read More

Big Shampoo

I initially got a tub of this from my dad and his wife last Christmas. I gave him a list of Lush items I wanted to try but couldn't afford, and this is one of the items he chose to purchase. As I had recently discovered Cynthia Sylvia Stout, I was hesitant to try anything else and popped it on my shelf of things to 'try at a later date'. 

After multiple disastrous experiences with solid shampoos and conditioners, I remembered that I had a tub of Big waiting to be used and thought it was time I gave it a shot. After losing my Big virginity, the only thoughts I could muster were; 'Oh my goodness, where have you been all of my life?'. To say I was bowled over, is an understatement. 

Lush have created a rich shampoo base, then crammed in as much sea salt as they could. But they have carefully partnered it with seaweed and coconut to give softness to the hair and fresh lemons and limes to give shine. Lush have also added a lovely bright and uplifting fragrance of neroli, mandarin, orange flower absolute and vanilla. It smells out of this world.

Big Shampoo is like no other shampoo I have ever tried. Initially I was concerned by it's salt content, as I remember how damaged my hair gets after being exposed to the sea. However, in this instance, the salt works as more of an exfoliator. Although I don't suffer from dandruff, my flatmate, who sometimes gets a small build up of dry skin on the crown of her head, said this shampoo works wonders at removing dead skin without being too harsh on her scalp.

Not only this, but you only need to use a minimal amount to create an amazing, thick, creamy lather that coats your head like a silk jacket. It leaves your hair feeling squeaky clean and smelling gorgeous. 

The shampoo is named Big as it's supposed to give volume to naturally thin, lifeless hair. I cannot comment on whether or not it does this job, as I tend to use Veganese afterwards, which by it's nature, flattens my hair. However, what I can say is that this shampoo works complete miracles on my locks.  My hair is silky-soft and beautifully nourished, with a shine that brings out the natural colours in my hair. I have not had hair this good since before I started dying it nearly 12 years ago.

This has cemented itself as one of my all time favourite Lush products, and I cannot recommend it more highly enough. Get yourself a tub of this wonder shampoo and have hair as good as the women in TV adverts, without all of the synthetic nasties and preservatives.

Quantitative Ingredients: Coarse Sea Salt, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Fresh Organic Lemon Infusion, Fresh Sea Water, Toothed Wrack Seaweed Infusion, Cocamide DEA, Lauryl Betaine, Fresh Organic Lime Juice, Extra Virgin Coconut Oil, Neroli Oil, Mandarin Oil, Vanilla Absolute, Orange Flower Absolute, Limonene, Methyl Lonone, Perfume.

Vegan?: Yes

Read More

Rehab Shampoo

Alongside Veganese, this was one of the first hair care products from Lush that I bought, simply because the name suggested exactly what my hair craved; Rehab.

I have been dying my hair since I was 16, initially starting out as a fashion statement (and I use the term 'fashion' very lightly as if you were to see pictures of me at that age, I was far from fashionable). What started out as black, quickly became red, blonde, blonder, even blonder, and now finally a more natural chestnut brown. 

As well as destroying my hair with excess ammonia, I was also very careless with all other aspects of my hair care. When I was young, I was often quite aggressive when brushing my hair, leaving my brush with a disturbing amount of broken ends. Then when I began bleaching my hair blonde, I would style it with gels and sprays that would sit in my hair all day, drying out my scalp and weakening my hair. 

When I first purchased this shampoo two years ago, my hair was screaming out for some TLC. And I knew if I didn't start protecting and looking after my maine, I was going to end up with a very parched, brittle head of hair for the rest of my life.

What first attracted me to Rehab, was it's smell and ingredients list; fresh papaya juice, pineapple juice, kiwi juice and mango juice, alongside essential oils such as Jojoba, olive oil, Peppermint, Rosemary, Juniper berry and Lavender. It sounds almost good enough to drink!

But as per usual, Lush haven't thrown these ingredients together to make a product that merely smells good. Each of these ingredients possess qualities that improve the consistency and health of your hair; seaweed to soften, olive oil to strengthen, jojoba oil and rosemary to add shine without making it look greasy, juniper and mint to soothe the scalp and encourage hair growth. 

As well as the gorgeous smell, the tropical fruit also plays a part in improving the well-being of your locks. The kiwi and mango have been included for their endless number of nutritious minerals and vitamins, and papaya and pineapple contain papain, a natural enzyme, which breaks down dead skin cells and helps to clean.

This shampoo needs a little shake before being used, as it tends to separate rather easily if left. However, one great aspect about Rehab is how little you need to use each time. My hair is rather long, sitting roughly 15cm (6in) below my shoulder line, and I tend to use no more than a small marble's worth of shampoo each time. 

It lathers up really well and washes out just as easily. Unfortunately, Lush recommend that you use this product alongside Retread, to get the best results. However, Retread contains yoghurt, which alienates us vegans from being able to use it!

When using it with Veganese, I noticed the following; 

Firstly, it strengthened my hair - It definitely lost some of it's 'wispy' split ends and looked noticeably thicker. Secondly, it did help my hair to feel moisturised and gave it a healthy shine. Thirdly, it left my hair smelling delicious; I received many compliments from strangers about the 'perfume' I was wearing. Lastly, the product is long lasting. As you only need a small amount each time, a 500g bottle could last you upwards of 6-12 months. Result!

However, I did find that when used regularly, it stripped my hair of it's dyed colour, which left it looking rather dull and boring. 

Overall, it's not a bad product and it does have a lot of redeeming qualities. However, in order for it to work it's magic, I feel that you'd probably need to use it alongside Retread, and as I've already found a dream pairing in Veganese and Cynthia Sylvia Stout, I'll be sticking to what I know produces amazing results.

Quantitative Ingredients; Sodium Alkyl Sulfate, Carrageenan Extract, Water, Ammonium Laureth Sulphate, Cocamide MEA, Perfume, Freshly Juiced Papaya, Propylene Glycol, Fresh Pineapple Juice, Fine Sea Salt, Fresh Kiwi Juice, Fresh Mango Juice, Organic Cold Pressed Jojoba Oil, Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Almond Oil, Lavender Oil, Peppermint Oil, Rosemary Oil, Juniperberry Oil, *Limonene, *Linalool, Benzyl Alcohol, Methylparaben, Propylparaben.

Vegan?: Yes

Read More