UPDATE: Lush Shampoo and Conditioner Bars (Six Months On).

How can it be June already? It feels like only yesterday I was writing about the Lush Shampoo and Conditioner Bars my in-laws bought me for Christmas and now here we are, six months down the line.

It was my birthday last Monday and I received another set of bars – and just in the nick of time as the shampoo has almost run out. As this seems to be a popular post, I thought I’d do a little update.

It isn’t sponsored or linked to Lush in any way.

Just to remind you, here’s my original post:

There was a whoop of joy on Christmas Day – and it wasn’t from Freya.

My brilliant in-laws once again came up trumps in the eco present department and, along with a gorgeous bamboo fruit bowl, bought me Lush Shampoo and Conditioner Bars.

I’ve never used any Lush products before – I always thought it was a shop for teenagers – but I’ve been hearing good things about these bars. 

My excitement was not just because they smell amazing but also because I got a glimpse of the future where we no long need plastic shampoo bottles. Just imagine!

What is it?

According to the Lush website:

These highly-concentrated handfuls, packed with powerful natural ingredients and essential oils, do the job of three 250g bottles of liquid shampoo. Each mighty bar gives you 80-100 washes (depending on hair shape, thickness and length) and is a lot lighter and slimmer than a shampoo bottle.

You create a smaller carbon footprint when washing with these compact latherers too; one lorry full of solid shampoo bars holds roughly the same number of washes as fifteen lorries filled with liquid shampoo!

My in-laws got me Jumping Juniper Shampoo which the website says:

Perfect for when hair needs a really deep clean. Juniperberry gets to work regulating sebum production, clearing the scalp. We’ve also used calming lavender and antibacterial rosemary essential oils to soothe and cleanse the scalp. Lemon and lime oils give shine, as they help the cuticles on your hair lie flat, enabling them to reflect more light.

Lush products are said to be “fresh”, “handmade” and 100% vegetarian. They fight against animal testing and, having read quite a bit on their website, are quite open about what goes into each item.

It lists the ones in my shampoo bar as:

• Sodium Lauryl Sulfate
• Lavender and Rosemary Infusion
• Lemon Oil
• Perfume
• Juniperberry Oil
• Lime Oil
• *Citral
• *Limonene
• *Geraniol
• *Linalool
• Colour 60725

On their website the ones in black are said to be ‘safe synthetics’ while the others are ‘natural ingredients’. As you can see, you can click on each thing and find an explanation of what it is, which I found useful.

How to use it.

I had to watch a video of how to use it but it’s simple enough. I lathered it in my hands like I would a bar of normal soap and then ran it through my hair (you can also wet it and then rub the bar directly on your hair, which I found is better for the conditioner).

The more I’ve used it, the easier it lathers.

But is it any good?

As a former environment correspondent, I have always been interested in natural cosmetics. I’ve tried all sorts of alternative shampoos but they often left my hair either really dry or really greasy. There was no happy medium. I was worried these bars might be more of the same but I’ve used them for a couple of weeks now and my hair is soft and shiny (I don’t use any other products).  In fact, one of the mums at school commented on how shiny it was. 

They also smell amazing. I kept all the Christmas presents in my bedroom until the big day and they made the room smell divine. It’s even better when it’s on your hair.

Any down sides?

The only thing to remember is that you have to leave them out to dry. I left them on top of the bathroom cabinet for the first couple of days but it left a residue and when I cleaned it, it pulled some of the paint off. I solved the problem by putting a coaster up there and leaving them on that. You can also get a little round tin (£2.50) to keep a shampoo bar in, which I think would be good if you’re travelling.

Price.

I looked them up and they are £7.50 each. Obviously, I pay far less than that for a bottle of shampoo but, I have to say, I can’t see myself going back to plastic (or unknown chemicals) now.

My whole ‘beauty routine’, if you can call it that, is very minimal but I’m interested to see what other ‘naked’ products they sell (and how many more plastic bottles I can do away with).

Thank you again to my in laws for buying them for me.

~~~

Six months on…

I’m just as impressed as I was at the start. I’ve used the shampoo bar 95% of the time (sometimes I shower at the gym) and it has lasted really well – despite being dropped on a tiled bathroom floor a couple of times.

My (bobbed brown) hair continues to shine and feels soft to touch and both the shampoo and conditioner have kept their wonderful smell. I would have bought myself a new shampoo bar, had it not been my birthday.

This time my mother-in-law opted for Jason And The Argan Oil shampoo, which has a lovely rose smell.

I can’t wait to give it a try. I’m also going to find a tin to put it in so I can take it to the gym with me.

Have you made the switch yet? What did you think?