Mud Flats Soap

Despite it's unappealing design, I have wanted to try this soap ever since I read about it early last year. Made from mostly mud and herbs, it sounds like the sort of concoction children would make if they were given a bucket and free reign of the garden. When Lush brought it out as part of one of their retro ranges last year, I eagerly snapped up a piece. Unfortunately, it is only now that I have been able to test it out for the first time.

Mud Flats sounds exactly as it is - a soap made from rhassoul mud and a few other ingredients packed together to form a soft, exfoliating soap. Described as a 'purifying herbal' soap, Lush have gone all-out to bring together the best ingredients to allow this product to be just that.

As most people know, mud is great at absorbing excess liquid, so the fact that this soap is comprised mostly of this, means that it's great for those with oily skin. Mud Flats also contains a combination of sunflower, rapeseed and and coconut oil - which helps to soften the texture of the soap as well as making this a wonderfully moisturising companion in the shower. 

Tea tea oil is a natural antiseptic and sage a natural cleanser, so combined, these both work on balancing out the skin whilst giving it a deep but gentle cleanse. Alongside lavender, which helps to balance out the skin, this soap works on improving the condition of your skin and exfoliating away the blemishes, spots and uneven patches on your body. 

Firstly, I find it quite difficult to describe the scent that this soap gives off. It is definitely dominated by the mud, although it also offers a slightly sweet, citrusy aroma. Underneath this, you can just make out a slightly herby note, which I recognise as being rosemary. It reminded me a little of Narcotic Shower Gel, and although I cannot imagine this being a smell that anyone would rave about, it's certainly not a bad smell. 

In the shower, this soap is a little difficult to lather up. I found that it produces more of a oily foam, which isn't as easy to clean with. Given it's consistency, I also discovered that it tends to break up rather easily and I ended up losing quite a bit down the plughole. 

However, the inclusion of salt in the ingredients list, as well as the natural texture of the mud, means that this soap acts as a really effective exfoliator. After rubbing it over my body in a circular motion, this soap worked wonders at smoothing out my skin's consistency and leaving my body soft and cleansed. Despite this, I wouldn't recommend that you use this daily as I can imagine it would be quite drying on the skin. 

Due to it's strange consistency, it's very resistant to water and so lasts a lot longer than your average piece of soap. A 100g block lasted me almost two months, and this was using it between 3-4 times a week. For this reason, I would say it is very good value for money. 

Overall, I was rather impressed with how my skin felt after using this product and I would definitely invest in another block if Lush chose to bring this back. For those unfortunate enough to suffer from puck marks, spots or general blemishes on the skin, this is a great soap to eradicate these complaints and give you skin you want to show off.

Quantitative Ingredients: Rhassoul Mud, Propylene Glycol, Water (Aqua), Rapeseed oil; Sunflower oil; Coconut oil (Brassica napus; Helianthus annuus; Cocos nucifera),  Rose Petal (Rosa centifolia) and Lavender (Lavandula augustifolia) Infusion, Sodium Hydroxide, Fine Sea Salt, Sodium Stearate, Sodium Coco-Sulfate, Rosemary Oil (Rosmarinus officinalis), Tea Tree Oil (Melaleuca alternifolia), Sage Oil (Salvia officinalis), Perfume, Citral, Limonene, Linalool.

Vegan?: Yes.

2017 Price: £5.25 for 100g.