Fern Shui Bath Bomb

It wasn't the ingredients list that first attracted me to this ancient bath bomb, nor the promise of the fresh and citrusy combination of lemongrass and fern that had me interested. It was in fact Lush's curious-sounding description that sold it to me, and made this sound like perhaps the strangest product to come from the Kitchen so far; 

'Have you ever gone to take a bath in a forest but found yourselves hours later stumbling aimlessly without hot water or a dressing gown in sight?'

While I can't imagine many Lush fans would have a story as elaborate as this to tell, the very premise sounded awfully magical - enough that I couldn't help but buy a handful of Fern Shui Bath Bombs to try out for myself. While it was never going to outdo Lord Of Misrule, this mystical ballistic is an experience definitely worth investing in.

Packed full of lemongrass and lemon oil, you would expect this bath bomb to be a highly zesty affair. You'll be surprised then when I say it is far from it. While the inclusion of the different oils as well as the kaffir leaves do give Fern Shui a very pronounced and uplifting aroma - it's a very natural, grassy note that adds a slight subtle tanginess to it without it being overly sweet.

Alongside this fresh fragrance is a distinctive note of fern which gives this ballistic a wonderful rounded woody smell. Both in the packet and when it's being used in the bath, this bath bomb harvests the smell of walking through a field on a warm summer's evening. You can smell each of the ingredients present in the product and you cannot help but marvel at just how well they work together. 

If you're someone who hates baths with excess debris, I would suggest that you run a mile from this one as it is perhaps the messiest baths I have ever experienced from Lush. With actual sticks of lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves and pieces of fern, this bath bomb is like a compressed forest condensed into a spherical formation. 

Upon impact with the water, this bath bomb immediately begins to spew leaves and pieces of fern across the tub - quickly turning the surface into a collage of greenery. As the ballistic dissolves, large pieces of lemongrass escape into the water and let off an even stronger aroma that remains present throughout the entire bath. 

Fern Shui continues to fizz and froth loudly - leaving the bath a lime-coloured shade of green with an impressive amount of debris as decoration. While I wouldn't normally find the inclusion of so much 'excess' enjoyable, there was something rather relaxing and magical about this particular bomb. I would recommend that for those of you who want to enjoy this without the mess, place the bath bomb in a sieve while it's dissolving so that you can collect all of the flotsam and jetsam but still enjoy the product.


What I found particularly pleasant about this bath bomb was that the smell was definitely very pervasive, and remained as much for the entirety of the experience - living on long after the water had been drained from the bath. Elements of both the fern and the lemongrass also lingered on my skin, which made for a really pleasant aroma to go to bed with.

Furthermore, the bath water was really moisturising and my poor weathered feet felt really soft and well-nourished after I had exited the bath. 

For a bath bomb that I wasn't expecting to enjoy all that much, I actually happened to love this one more than I thought I would. It's really refreshing and uplifting and would be perfect for a warm summer evening when you want something light to cool you down while still enjoying a hot bath. I would definitely buy this one again and hope that Lush bring it back out in the Kitchen really soon. 

Quantitative Ingredients: Sodium Bicarbonate, Citric Acid, Lemon Oil, Lemongrass Oil, Litsea Cubeba Oil, Fern, Lemongrass, Kaffir Lime Leaf, Gardenia Extract, Citral, Limonene, Perfume.

Vegan?: Yes. 

2015 Price: £3.75 each.

Year Of Original Release: 1998.

Scent Family: