Reincarnate Solid Shampoo

I am the first one to get excited when I see my favourite company trying to be more economically friendly, whether it be less packaging, natural ingredients or products free from preservatives. However, when I first began exploring their hair care range, I was slightly wary of their solid shampoos and conditioners. 

A big part of me wondered how a seemingly dull looking piece of 'shampoo' could possibly be a good thing for my hair. My initial reaction was to assume that these products would leave my hair matted and dry. As I mentioned in my review of Veganese, I have spent many years trying to resurrect my hair from years of over-dying it. So I was a little concerned that using Reincarnate might set my efforts backwards a few months.    

Reincarnate is made with the best Persian red henna. While the amount present in this shampoo isn’t enough to colour your hair in itself, it will help maintain hair that’s already been coloured. I have had little experience with their hair dyes, so far so I cannot comment on how the shampoo supports these products. However, I use a shop-brought dark brown to colour my hair, and after using the shampoo once, my hair definitely looked richer and brighter than it did before.

The smell of Reincarnate is rather interesting; a sweet, earthy scent that reminds me a little of liquorice mixed with rosemary. At the time, it reminded me of a combination of sultanas and dried orange peel, with a slightly dry underlying smell of dirt. This smell is particularly overwhelming, and it doesn't tend to stay around much in the hair afterwards, which is great news for those of us who dislike the strong smell of henna. 

Unlike a lot of reviews I have seen, this bar lathered up really easily for me, although it wasn't particularly generous with its lather. Initially, I found that the shampoo made my hair feel quite brittle and dry. Having said this, upon changing my conditioner to one that complimented the ingredients better (Avocado Cowash), I found my hair was left looking and feeling rich, vibrant and healthy. 

To begin with I had chosen to go 'full out' with the solid hair products so I had used this alongside Lush's Big Solid conditioner. After experimenting for a few months with the aforementioned conditioner, I found that it was not suited to my hair at all, and I think this was the reason why Reincarnate hadn't left a good impression on me to begin with.

I really appreciated the fact that when using this alongside a good conditioner, it helped to tame the thick, frizzy nature of my hair, and I found that I could wear it down with very little straightening. Obviously, this meant that the condition of my hair improved even more because it wasn't exposed to as much heat.

As with all of Lush's solid hair care, this product is great for those travelling due to its portability. As each usage requires very little product, a small 100g bar will last for a long time, and probably no doubt works out better value than the bottled varieties. That said, I would not recommend this shampoo bar for those with very dry hair, unless combined with a strong conditioner, as it is not very moisturising by itself, and would leave your hair rather limp and damaged.

Quantitative Ingredients: Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Stearic Acid, Red Henna, Glyceryl Stearate & PEG-100 Stearate, Rosemary, Fleeceflower Root & Nettle Leaf Infusion, Cocamide DEA, Soya Lecithin, Rhassoul Mud, Labdanum Resinoid, Sedra Powder, Sweet Orange Oil, Irish Moss Powder, *Limonene, Perfume

Vegan?: Yes.

2016 Price: £6.25 for 100g.