Dirty Soap

Two years ago, I was lucky enough to be given a Lush Legends Gift set for Christmas, which gave me a fantastic opportunity to try out a vast range of Lush products that I wouldn't normally have opted to buy by itself. Dirty Soap was one of these items. Initially I wasn't that interested in trying out this soap as I'm normally not that impressed with mint-scented cosmetics. But Lush have taught me that some products can surprise you when you're least expecting them to...

As I spoke about in my review of Dirty Springwash Shower Gel, this soap is one of a line of products that share the same smell - making it the only regular scent family that Lush offer to it's consumers. Lush usually focus on stand alone products, occasionally releasing limited editions that share the same fragrance  but not usually having them all out at the same time. So it is quite rare that they offer a soap, shower gel, hair cream, perfume, massage bar, toothy tabs and deodorant as part of their usual range. 

What first intrigued me with this soap, was the inclusion of both rapeseed and coconut oil at the forefront of the ingredients list - with the first mention of mint not making an appearance until the ninth. This decision from Lush has clearly effected the overall fragrance of the soap as I was immediately intrigued and excited by how gentle and subtle it was before and during use. 

With the inclusion of both spearmint oil and menthol crystals, I was expecting a strong, over-powering minty smell, and was pleasantly surprised when I realised this was not the case. The soap is cool and refreshingly minty - unlike other mint products I've tried, the scent here is both fresh and light, not the acidic, overwhelming fragrance that you get with most other mint-scented cosmetics. It's a little like a mint humbug - that subtle but equally creamy mint aroma.  

I was even more impressed when I found out just how easy this soap is to lather up in the shower - I only had to massage it gently onto my skin for a few seconds before a creamy, blue foam began to form on my body. As I worked it over my arms and legs, I was surprised to feel how soft and hydrated my skin felt; I always worry that the next soap I use will dry out my skin, but this one worked in the same way that I would expect a shower gel to. 

Despite it being very generous when being used, this soap didn't shrink as quickly as I was expecting it to. I found that a 100g bar lasted me a good month, with daily usage and I enjoyed having the refreshing aroma linger in the bathroom while the bar was being stored in there. 

Unfortunately, much like Dirty Springwash, I wasn't really able to pick out the thread of thyme that has been laced throughout the soap to supposedly give it a gentle herbal element. This was the same for the shower gel, which was disappointing as I am a big fan of thyme-scented products and it would have made from a interesting combination. 

Overall, I was really impressed with Dirty Soap and would perhaps even go as far as to say that it is my favourite mint-scented product from Lush. The soap leaves you feeling clean, minty fresh and invigorated; it's a great product to come home to after a long day at work or to use in the morning to help awaken your senses. It's soft on the skin and is delicately scented meaning that you can apply a similar-smelling perfume afterwards and enjoy it's minty goodness for the entire day.

Quantitative Ingredients: Water (Aqua), Propylene Glycol, Rapeseed Oil and Coconut Oil, Sodium Stearate, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Perfume, Glycerine, Spearmint Oil, Thyme Oil, Menthol Crystals, Sodium Chloride, EDTA, Tetrasodium Etidronate, Sodium Hydroxide, Limonene, Linalool, Methyl Ionone, Colour 77499, Colour 61570, Colour 77019, Colour 77891.

Vegan?: Yes.

2015 Price: £4.10 for 100g. 

Scent Family:

Dirty Body Spray

Dirty Hair Cream

Dirty Liquid Perfume

Dirty Massage Bar
Dirty Soap
Dirty Solid Perfume
Dirty Springwash Naked Shower Gel
Dirty Springwash Shower Gel
Dirty Toothy Tabs
Moustachio Soap