A few months ago, I ran out of shampoo and conditioner, and thought it was the perfect time to try out the Lush shampoo and conditioner bars I had been hearing so much about. I had been wanting to lessen my impact on the environment and figured if so many people had been raving about them, it was worth the $20 or so for both of them.
Around the end of August I picked up the Jason and the Argan Oil shampoo bar, and a few weeks later I decided to jump all in and get the Jungle solid conditioner. At the beginning of December, I’m all but out of both of them. Having used them until they are gone, here are my thoughts on the pros and cons of both of them.
Jason and the Argan Oil Shampoo Bar-
Described on Lush’s website as “Moroccan argan oil in a moisturizing glycerin base leaves hair smooth and shiny, and our fresh and sophisticated lemon-rose perfume will linger in your locks all day long. This solid self-preserving bar will last for up to 80 washes (that’s the work of three bottles of liquid shampoo!) and requires no packaging.” The bar is $11.95 for 1.9 oz.
Pros:
-This shampoo smells amazing. Lemon-rose is probably the right description, but it’s not abrasive or harsh. My hair never holds scents of shampoos, and I could smell this on the second day after washing.
-This bar gets super sudsy. I really felt like my hair was getting clean, because I could visibly see the foam coming from the shampoo.
-It really does last for a while—I wash my hair every other day, and it lasted for an entire semester; when with a standard size shampoo bottle, I need to replace it about once (if not twice) a semester.
-A little goes a long way. One or two quick swipes of the bar on my medium-length hair is more than enough.
-This is super travel friendly—though I would recommend getting the metal tin Lush sells to transport these, as the Ziploc baggie I was using wasn’t exactly super protective.
Cons:
-The bright coloring of the shampoo will stain your shower bright pink if you don’t have a hanging shower caddy.
-Even drying it vertically, as Lush recommends, will cause residue to get everywhere. I had to scrub the metal caddy in my shower for about 5 minutes to get it out completely.
-Because the ingredients are all natural, you don’t get a real “clean” feeling like with traditional packaging. While this may not be a problem for some, I like for my hair to feel clean when I get out of the shower.
-Once the bar gets used more and gets thinner, it gets very fragile—and when it breaks, it will break into a million pieces.
Overall, I liked the shampoo bar a lot. It’s not perfect, but I’ll definitely think about repurchasing it—especially for a long trip, as it’s so much easier to use and transport than the mini shampoo bottles hotels give you.
Jungle Solid Conditioner-
Described on Lush’s website as “a fair-trade cocoa butter base with fresh mashed bananas and avocados deep-conditions and smooths curly, dry or frizzy hair. Fresh figs, kumquats and passion fruit juice leave hair shiny, silky smooth and smelling like a tropical dream.” The bar is $11.95 for 1.7 oz.
Pros:
-Not using haircare products with a lot of unnatural ingredients made my curly hair way less frizzy, way less weighted down and helped me feel a lot better about my impact on the environment
-The formula is pretty great. The bar is formulated for curly, frizzy hair and it definitely helped tame the frizz that so often comes with naturally curly hair.
-Just like with the shampoo bar, this is super travel friendly. Again, just make sure you’re using something a little sturdier than a plastic bag.
Cons:
-I don’t know if they have redone the formula since I purchased it, but the one I used had a very…different scent. It wasn’t bad, but it took some getting used to. I didn’t have a problem with it until my boyfriend told me I smelled like trees…so, there’s that. The one I used smelled like cedar wood and a little like patchouli, which I don’t mind, but some people definitely do.
-This bar is pretty difficult to use. Conditioner doesn’t foam, so feeling like you’re getting anything off of it can take some patience and some harsh rubbing onto your hair. Lush advises you melt it in your hands, but it really doesn’t melt. It takes a while to get the most minimal amount of product off.
-Just like with the shampoo bar, once it gets worn and thin it breaks really easily. I actually lost about half of the bar in a hotel because it slipped into the drain before I could catch it, so be careful.
-I didn’t feel like I got any conditioning benefits from it. I noticed my hair was a lot less frizzy when it was dry, but when it was wet it felt no different post-condition than it did pre-condition. I had to buy a hair mask so I felt like my hair was getting some nourishment while I was showering.
Overall, Jungle just didn’t really work for me—which was upsetting, because I really, really wanted it to work. I think with some trial and error on Lush’s end they could get the formula right, but right now it just wasn’t a hit.
For the most part, I really enjoyed using the shampoo bar, not so much the solid conditioner. I think they are a great option for anyone trying to lessen their plastic usage and anyone who is into natural ingredients. I can’t wait to try other Lush products!