Lush shampoo and conditioner bars have been on my to-try list to try for well over 2 years. What took me so long? I don’t know!
Well, maybe I do know after all. After some reflection, I’ll admit, after having my last child, who’s now 4, I suffered from hair loss. It’s a hard thing to admit when you are a middle-aged woman, but, it’s the truth. After 4 years, trying some shampoo that’s supposed to restore your hairline and seeing a naturopathic doctor, my hair is back or at least making a come back.
I’m now ready to ditch the conventional shampoo from a bottle and give the naked shampoo a try. I decided to give Lush’s shampoo &conditioner bars a go.
Table of Contents
About Lush
I have a little crush on Lush. Lush is a British Company, however, they have production companies here in Canada, as well as stores in Canada and the US.
All of Lush’s products are handmade using real ingredients. The ingredients are not tested on animals, are 100% vegetarian, and are handmade.
Lush is a bath, body, skin and haircare company devoted to creating fresh, ethically-sourced, cruelty-free, vegetarian, handmade, low-waste and effective products.
lush.ca
So, when it comes to my sustainable values, Lush checks all the boxes. How will Lush shampoo & conditioner bars fare? Read on to find out.
Product Review Rating System
Here’s how my reviews work. I will be rating each item on a 5-star system. From AMAZING (5 stars) to not worth buying (1 star).
Amazing★★★★★
Great★★★★☆
Works ★★★☆☆
Meh! ★★☆☆☆
Not worth buying ★☆☆☆☆
Packaging ★★★★★
When I review products I almost always comment on the packaging. To me, sustainable packaging is a huge factor. Lush does an amazing job with eco-friendly packaging! If you look at all the small details, they really think of everything. First of all, the items were shipped in a cardboard box, stuffed with plastic-free peanuts. These packing peanuts are made with potato starch-based material and are biodegradable. They will dissolve quickly in water or soil.
If you look carefully, Lush doesn’t even use plastic packing tape. They even consider the choice of adhesive they use! Amazing.
And finally, their products come “naked” or packaging free within the box, which leads to less waste.
Packaging Rating: Amazing ★★★★★
New Shampoo Bar★★★★☆
I selected the New shampoo bar because the description said that this shampoo bar stimulates your scalp and adds volume with a host of warm, aromatic spices and, it’s listed as a best seller.
Ingredients:
Sodium Lauryl Sulfate , Nettle and Peppermint Infusion (Urtica dioica, Mentha piperita) , Fragrance , *Eugenol , Glycerine , Nettle Absolute (Urtica urens) , Rosemary Absolute (Rosmarinus officinalis) , Clove Bud Oil (Eugenia Caryophyllus) , Cinnamon Leaf Oil (Cinnamomum Zeylanicum) , *Cinnamal , Cinnamyl Alcohol , *Benzyl Benzoate , *Limonene , *Linalool , Red 30 .
Overall Thoughts
I love how easily this shampoo bar lathers. You just need a small amount. My hair felt very clean and shiny after washing with Lush’s New Shampoo bar. It strips away any buildup from your hair. I was able to go about 5 days between hair washes.
The New Shampoo bar left my hair feeling soft, and shiny and did add volume. I followed up with the American Cream pressed conditioner.
One negative thing I have to say about naked shampoo, in general, is that it’s messy. It can leave a pink mess on the tub where you rest the shampoo bar. This has made me to find alternative ways to store shampoo and conditioner bars, but more on that later.
The other reason I docked a star on Lush’s New Shampoo bar is because of its scent. It has a spicy-cinnamon smell that just doesn’t appeal to me for my hair.
One shampoo bar is in the $12-15 range. Honestly, I think it’s on par with any other good-quality shampoo.
Will I buy shampoo bars again? I definitely will. It works great and it’s sustainable, however, I think I’ll try to find one that comes in a different scent so that I like the smell of my freshly washed hair.
Lush Shampoo Bar Product Review Rating: Great ★★★★☆
American Cream Pressed Conditioner★★★★☆
Lush has a selection of conditioner bars too. Since I haven’t experienced their conditioner bars before, I had a difficult time selecting what I wanted. I ended up selecting American Cream Pressed Conditioner based on the fact that it was pink and is strawberry scented.
I have to admit that before trying Lush’s American Cream Pressed Conditioner I was quite skeptical about a conditioner in the form of a bar, and here’s a spoiler alert, I was happy to be proven wrong.
Ingredients
Cetearyl Alcohol , PEG-7 Glyceryl Cocoate , Polyquaternium-81 , Polyquaternium-88 , Guar Gum (Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride) , Fragrance , Water (Aqua) , Behentrimonium Chloride , Cetrimonium Chloride , Ethyl Macadamiate , Propylene Glycol , Vanilla Absolute (Vanilla planifolia) , Clary Sage Oil (Salvia Sclarea) , Lavender Oil (Lavandula Angustifolia) , Benzoin Resinoid (Styrax tonkinensis pierre) , Fresh Strawberry Juice (Fragaria Vesca) (Fragaria Vesca (Strawberry) Fruit Juice) , Fresh Orange Juice (Citrus Aurantium Dulcis) (Citrus Aurantium Dulcis (Orange) Juice) , Organic Agave Syrup (Agave Tequilana) , Titanium Dioxide , Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein , Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone , Coumarin , Red 33 Lake , Red 28 Lake .
How to use lush conditioner bars
Applying the conditioner to your hair is not as easy as shampoo since it doesn’t lather. To use, you have to massage the bar through the hair quite a bit to get good coverage. I have very long hair, so I had to really saturate my hair. Once my hair was saturated with conditioner, I ran a comb through it to detangle it.
Overall Thoughts
The American Cream Pressed Conditioner bar smells amazing. I was pleasantly surprised at how easily I was able to pass a comb through my hair 3 or 4 times I’ve used it. Going forward, I think I’ll give my hair a good brush before I wash it and, I’ll make sure to saturate the ends a bit more than I did. But overall, it worked great as a conditioner. It did leave me with very shiny soft hair.
Just like the shampoo bar, I find that it can be very messy when wet.
Product Review Rating: Great ★★★★☆
Storing your Shampoo or Conditioner Bars
After some research, I found there are a couple of ways to store your shampoo conditioner bars with less mess. You can use wooden soap dishes with grooves to keep your soap out of the water, or you can use a soap saver bag and hang it in the shower when you’re done.
I opted with the soap saver bag, which was lovingly made by hand by my identical twin sister who’s developed a talent for crocheting.
Final Thoughts on Lush Shampoo and Conditioner Bars
Unlike conventional bottled conditioners, Lush’s bar doesn’t contain all the waxes and other substances that coat your hair to protect it from heat styling. I feel I need something extra to protect it from heat from my hairdryer and curling iron. I also followed up with some argon oil to give it a nice shine.
I hope you enjoyed my review of Lush shampoo and conditioner bars. If you like this review, you might also enjoy:
Review of Knix Period Underwear
Review of Norwex Products
Review of Green Beaver Deodorant
Lush New Shampoo Bar
Pros
- sustainable
- small batch
- zero-waste
- cleansk hair well
Cons
- difficult to store
- didn't' like the smell of the shampoo
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