We have a Lush store here in Edinburgh, but I'd never gone in because of the strong smell emanating from it, and the garish window displays. But then I read
this review by the lovely Rachel, and it really got me interested. She talked about solid shampoo and conditioner bars from Lush and how good they are. My first thought was how useful they'd be for traveling. Yes, as she mentions, it's a great way to get round the stupid no liquids in hand baggage rule, but even if you are traveling with hold luggage, shampoo, conditioner and moisturiser bottles contribute so much to the weight, and spillages are annoying too. So I went into Lush, and was quite surprised. It's really not garish and hideous once you're inside. It's actually quite nice and Earth-mothery, and the staff are an absolute delight. Seriously, every time I've been in they have, without exception, been lovely. Really friendly and helpful, and they obviously really like their job. So, I got myself some solid shampoo and conditioner. The first solid shampoo bar I got was this one:
Squeaky green.
It had a nice subtle smell, unlike some of the others, and lathered up really well. I couldn't believe how well it worked! I've used this bar on and off for almost a year now. It's lasted and lasted and there's still loads left! I really like it.
To go with it, I bought Jungle solid conditioner. I love the smell! As Rachel said, it is a bit trickier to use. You're supposed to rub it between your hands and work what comes off the bar into your hair. I tend to get impatient and rub the whole bar over my head, which works fine, bit does mean that it doesn't last as long as it should. It does work well though. My hair feels really healthy.
I tried their other solid conditioner too, Big Solid Conditioner. It was good too. It was softer, which made it slightly easier to use, and left more product in my hair. The price tag is pretty hefty though, so I might just stick to Jungle in future.
Deciding I didn't really fancy taking ages with the solid conditioner in camp showers, I decided to try Godiva, which is shampoo and conditioner in one. The smell is a little stronger than I'd like, to be honest. It's jasmine and a little overpowering. At first I was doubtful as to how well it would work as a shampoo, seeing as it had big lumps of cocoa butter in it, but I really couldn't tell the difference between its efficiency Squeaky Green's. The conditioning part of it seems to work well too. Unfortunately, travel did take its toll on the bar, and it turned to mush, seeing as I didn't dry it out properly. It still works fine in a mush state though.
The solid moisturiser bar I bought is great too. I tried Each Peach, which smells of lemon (obviously). When you rub the bar over your skin your body heat turns it into oil, which moisturises your skin. It is a little oily, but I think it's worth it for the convenience.
The last product I want to talk about is a face mask. I discovered it at Spa in the City. It's a day where different retailers have stalls and give out free treatments and freebies. I went to the Lush tent and had a free facial. I absolutely loved the face mask they used on me! It was Catastrophe Cosmetic and it made my face so nice and soft! The effect lasted for days as well, and I've been a regular user ever since. It's a miracle worker! It's silky smooth with lots of lovely blueberries in it. I always have a shower straight after I use it to make sure I get all the stray bits of blueberry out of my hair though!
So there you go. With all this great stuff, I am now definitely a Lush fan, and I'm sure they've still got plenty of great products for me to discover.
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