Rehab Shampoo

Alongside Veganese, this was one of the first hair care products from Lush that I bought, simply because the name suggested exactly what my hair craved; Rehab.

I have been dying my hair since I was 16, initially starting out as a fashion statement (and I use the term 'fashion' very lightly as if you were to see pictures of me at that age, I was far from fashionable). What started out as black, quickly became red, blonde, blonder, even blonder, and now finally a more natural chestnut brown. 

As well as destroying my hair with excess ammonia, I was also very careless with all other aspects of my hair care. When I was young, I was often quite aggressive when brushing my hair, leaving my brush with a disturbing amount of broken ends. Then when I began bleaching my hair blonde, I would style it with gels and sprays that would sit in my hair all day, drying out my scalp and weakening my hair. 

When I first purchased this shampoo two years ago, my hair was screaming out for some TLC. And I knew if I didn't start protecting and looking after my maine, I was going to end up with a very parched, brittle head of hair for the rest of my life.

What first attracted me to Rehab, was it's smell and ingredients list; fresh papaya juice, pineapple juice, kiwi juice and mango juice, alongside essential oils such as Jojoba, olive oil, Peppermint, Rosemary, Juniper berry and Lavender. It sounds almost good enough to drink!

But as per usual, Lush haven't thrown these ingredients together to make a product that merely smells good. Each of these ingredients possess qualities that improve the consistency and health of your hair; seaweed to soften, olive oil to strengthen, jojoba oil and rosemary to add shine without making it look greasy, juniper and mint to soothe the scalp and encourage hair growth. 

As well as the gorgeous smell, the tropical fruit also plays a part in improving the well-being of your locks. The kiwi and mango have been included for their endless number of nutritious minerals and vitamins, and papaya and pineapple contain papain, a natural enzyme, which breaks down dead skin cells and helps to clean.

This shampoo needs a little shake before being used, as it tends to separate rather easily if left. However, one great aspect about Rehab is how little you need to use each time. My hair is rather long, sitting roughly 15cm (6in) below my shoulder line, and I tend to use no more than a small marble's worth of shampoo each time. 

It lathers up really well and washes out just as easily. Unfortunately, Lush recommend that you use this product alongside Retread, to get the best results. However, Retread contains yoghurt, which alienates us vegans from being able to use it!

When using it with Veganese, I noticed the following; 

Firstly, it strengthened my hair - It definitely lost some of it's 'wispy' split ends and looked noticeably thicker. Secondly, it did help my hair to feel moisturised and gave it a healthy shine. Thirdly, it left my hair smelling delicious; I received many compliments from strangers about the 'perfume' I was wearing. Lastly, the product is long lasting. As you only need a small amount each time, a 500g bottle could last you upwards of 6-12 months. Result!

However, I did find that when used regularly, it stripped my hair of it's dyed colour, which left it looking rather dull and boring. 

Overall, it's not a bad product and it does have a lot of redeeming qualities. However, in order for it to work it's magic, I feel that you'd probably need to use it alongside Retread, and as I've already found a dream pairing in Veganese and Cynthia Sylvia Stout, I'll be sticking to what I know produces amazing results.

Quantitative Ingredients; Sodium Alkyl Sulfate, Carrageenan Extract, Water, Ammonium Laureth Sulphate, Cocamide MEA, Perfume, Freshly Juiced Papaya, Propylene Glycol, Fresh Pineapple Juice, Fine Sea Salt, Fresh Kiwi Juice, Fresh Mango Juice, Organic Cold Pressed Jojoba Oil, Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Almond Oil, Lavender Oil, Peppermint Oil, Rosemary Oil, Juniperberry Oil, *Limonene, *Linalool, Benzyl Alcohol, Methylparaben, Propylparaben.

Vegan?: Yes