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Lush Shampoo Bar Review: Kinda Weird but Actually Awesome

March 17, 2015 By Michelle 10 Comments

Affiliate Disclosure: I receive a small commission for purchases made via affiliate links.

My latest test drive products have been Lush’s newly released Shampoo Bars. I can safely say that shampoo bars are completely new to me, which is incredibly rare in the world of beauty! (I seriously think I’ve tried every type of product out there…except tanner.)

For the uninitiated, shampoo bars are soap-looking blocks which you rub onto your wet hair, then lather up as usual. Lush’s shampoo bars are sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) based, which is bad news if you have a sensitive scalp, but good news for me because my scalp is greasy and needs hardcore surfactant (yes, SLS is safe in small doses!). All of them have a distinctive pellety look (kind of like if you got those long cupcake sprinkles and smooshed them together) which means you won’t mistake them for soap. Each bar is $13.95 each and are touted to last up to 80 washes (though I expect, given the nature of the product, it’s hard to use them perfectly), which makes them reasonably priced. Since they’re meant to dry out between uses, these shampoo bars don’t contain any conventional preservatives, and they come unpackaged, which is good for the environment. Additionally, since they’re dry, they’re good for carrying on international flights.

Lush already had 9 shampoo bars in their range, and the new 5 take that up to 14. Let’s go from my favourite to my least favourite…

lush-shampoo-bars
Brazilliant (bright orange bar) contains andiroba oil to strengthen and condition hair, and orange oil for scent. I was initially a bit sceptical of putting more oil on my already oily scalp, but this shampoo bar ended up being my favourite. My hair was left smooth, and my scalp was clean – no complaints!

Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Fresh Organic Oranges (Citrus aurantium dulcis), Andiroba Oil, Sweet Orange Oil (Citrus sinensis), Ylang Ylang Oil (Cananga odorata), Benzyl Benzoate, Benzyl Salicylate, Farnesol, Limonene, Linalool, Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone, Amyl Cinnamal, Geraniol, Hydroxycitronellal, Perfume, Colour 15510

 

Jason and The Argan Oil (deep pink bar) contains argan oil (duh!) and smells like Rose Jam, which I love. Plus, it has a fantastic classics nerd name. It’s very similar to Braziliant in texture, cleansing but not too stripping – the only difference I can really pick out is the scent, and the bar is a bit less oily-feeling when it’s dry.

Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Agar Agar Gel (Gelidium cartilagineum), Water (Aqua), Argan Oil (Argania spinosa), Glycerine, Perfume, Organic Rose Absolute (Rosa damascena), Geranium Oil (Pelargonium graveolens), Rose Oil (Rosa damascena), Sicilian Lemon Oil (Citrus limonum), Limonene, Coumarin, Citronellol, Geraniol, Colour 17200

 

Honey I Washed My Hair (pale beige bar) is toffee-scented like Honey I Washed the Kids soap (my number one knee-weakeningly delicious Lush soap scent), and contains 5% hydrating honey. I found it a little too gentle for my needs, and makes my hair feel more tangly when it’s wet, though it’s fine once dry.

Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Fairly Traded Honey, Perfume, Water (Aqua), Sweet Wild Orange Oil (Citrus sinensis), Bergamot Oil (Citrus aurantium bergamia), Limonene, Linalool, Amyl Cinnamal, Lilial

Montalbano (yellow bar with bits) contains Silician lemon oil, green olives and rosemary. There’s also popping candy for some reason, though disappointingly, I didn’t notice any noises when I was using it. It’s designed for squeaky clean cleansing, which made me think that it would be the one that would suit me most, but I didn’t find it that much more effective than the other options. It actually made my scalp feel a bit itchy, possibly from overcleansing.

Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Green Olives, Sicilian Lemon Oil (Citrus limonum), Fresh Lemon Juice, Fresh Lemon Peel, Popping Candy, Lemon Peel Powder (Citrus limonum), Rosemary Absolute (Rosmarinus officinalis), Organic Lemon Myrtle Oil (Backhousia citriodora), Citral, Geraniol, Limonene, Perfume, Gardenia Extract (Gardenia jasminoides)

 

Copperhead (brown bar) was my least favourite, probably because of the scent. It’s recommended for dark dyed hair and contains coffee and henna to maintain and enhance the colour, which I couldn’t really test. It smells herby and has little gritty bits (coffee I assume).

Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Agar Agar Gel (Gelidium cartilagineum), Water (Aqua), Red Henna (Lawsonia inermis), Cocoa Butter (Theobroma cacao), Perfume, Ground Coffee (Coffea arabica), Vetivert Oil (Vetiveria zizanoides), Fair Trade Vanilla Absolute (Vanilla planifolia), Cocoa Roasted Extract (Theobroma cacao), Coriander Oil (Coriandrum sativum), Powdered Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis), Fresh Organic Lemon Juice (Citrus limonum), Caffeine Powder, Coumarin, Limonene, Linalool

lush-shampoo-bars

Verdict

Wow. Most shampoos don’t agree with me if I use them daily without a break* – they either don’t cleanse enough (most upmarket brands), cleanse too much and leave my scalp sore and itchy (most supermarket brands), or leave gross residue on my scalp (Nivea, Pantene, Herbal Essences). But Braziliant, Jason and the Argan Oil and Honey I Washed My Hair all passed with flying colours, although I do get end-of-the-day itchiness – I think there’s only been about one or two shampoos I’ve tried which have been better, but they were probably also pricier (Matrix Biolage ScalpTherapie Normalizing Shampoo and Paul Mitchell Shampoo Two Clarifying, if you’re wondering). I’m extremely impressed, and would definitely repurchase these.

* Don’t try to convert me to no-poo. Been there, tried that, my scalp never adjusted and I looked like I’d walked through a shower of cooking spray then lightly dusted with dessicated coconut… for a month.

These products were provided for review, which did not affect my opinion. For more information, see Disclosure Policy.


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Filed Under: Hair, Review Tagged With: hair, Lush, review

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Comments

  1. Kait says

    March 17, 2015 at 10:11 am

    Oooooh, I’ve been super curious about these shampoo bars!

    I have ultra-fine hair and have a difficult time finding a good shampoo; I’m always looking. The cheapie ones leave a thick build-up no matter how much I rinse, and most of the nicer ones I’ve tried only keep me clean for a few washes, but i’ll stick it out.

    Your no-poo comment made me laugh. It was pretty bleh for me too. My hair was like straw.

    Thanks for the thorough review! I may be convinced to try one next time I pass a Lush. Love the idea of being able to travel easily with them.

    Reply
    • Michelle says

      March 19, 2015 at 6:32 pm

      Ask for samples of a few different bars – I’m sure they’ll crumble a bit into a sample tub for you 🙂

      Reply
  2. Lyn Cheapasf says

    March 17, 2015 at 12:09 pm

    I love these for traveling. I’ll have to look out for the new one. I’m a particular fan of the green Karma bar, because I like the scent. I also really like the fact that you barely need to use any to get your hair clean – lightly brush it across your scalp, and you’re set.
    Lyn Cheapasf recently posted…Birchbox updateMy Profile

    Reply
    • Michelle says

      March 17, 2015 at 10:43 pm

      I haven’t tried the Karma bar yet, but it’s one of my fave scents so I’ll have to keep an eye out for it! 🙂

      Reply
  3. LittleMonsterx14 says

    March 18, 2015 at 7:56 am

    These look so cool, I have never heard of them before either!

    Reply
    • Michelle says

      March 19, 2015 at 6:23 pm

      Dry shampoo already blew my mind, and now solid shampoo? Whaaaaat.

      Reply
  4. Cate says

    March 20, 2015 at 7:36 am

    These are great. I started using them a couple of years ago (I’m in the UK) when I was trying to travel light as you don’t have to carry round a bottle of shampoo and they double up well as body wash, and even clothes wash if you’re stuck. I now use them all the time and I’ve just bought one that is purple and has juniper, lemon and lime which smells great!

    Reply
    • Michelle says

      March 20, 2015 at 10:37 pm

      I wish I knew about these back when I was travelling! I’m saving one up for when I go camping in Europe later in the year 🙂

      Reply
  5. Maddie says

    April 2, 2015 at 8:25 am

    I have been debating as to whether or not I wanted to try a Lush shampoo bar, and now I think I’ll give it a go. Hopefully my experience is as pleasant as yours was! By the way, here is one of my favorite hair blogs! You should really check them out; they’re amazing: http://www.aroundthehair.com

    Reply
  6. Janet Lawrence says

    March 21, 2018 at 7:36 am

    I thoroughly believe in the Lush shampoo bars and have been using the red one. However, it’s meant for oily hair and my hair is dry. Can you recommend me the right one? I have thick, bushy dry hair.

    Referring to the face creams – Celestial is my favourite.

    Reply

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Michelle
Hi! I'm Michelle, chemistry PhD and science educator, and I'm here to help you figure out which beauty products are worth buying, and which ones aren't using science!

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