Sleepy Head Massage Bar

It's been quite a while since I was given an opportunity to explore one of Lush's older massage bars - an area of the company that I have developed a particular interest in as of late, and I only hope will rear itself again in the Lush Kitchen in the near future. With my skin being particularly parched at the moment, this release coincided beautifully with what I was looking for, and more than demonstrated its worth upon arrival.

Sleepy Head Massage Bar is a brick built to perfection. Coming in with a diameter of roughly 5cm and a depth of almost 3cm, this is one hefty block of essential butters and oils. While it may not be the most colourful, nor the greatest in terms of design, this limited edition product serves the body and mind in so many amazing ways.

Firstly, this bar 'spoke' to me because of the reason it was originally created - to help calm the body and mind of those having trouble sleeping. The ingredients not only offered a highly sensual and very balancing fragrance to stimulate and induce feelings of tiredness, but these same components also worked at relieving both physical stress and tension - improving the likelihood of the recipient having a decent night's sleep.

As someone who suffers quite severely with insomnia and various other sleep-deprivating issues, I am always looking for something that may ease the struggles a little. While I never used to believe that natural cosmetics could hold the power to manipulate how the body functioned, Lush have since proven me wrong on multiple occasions, and this product is by no means an exception.

Impressively, after using this a few hours before bed, I found that I was able to unwind a lot quicker than I would have done without the massage bar, and while I wasn't lucky enough to get a full night's kip, I did manage to secure 5/6 hours - which for someone who can go days without even a moment's shut-eye, is pretty fantastic in my books.

Not only that, but I found that the massage bar was very generous with its butters and oils compared to other variations. Whereas some of Lush's bars need to be stimulated and heated up between the hands for them to begin working their magic, Sleepy Head began melting immediately upon impact with my skin. 

While some users may see this as a slightly detrimental characteristic, given that it can get a little messy, I really appreciated the fact that this massage bar was so generous with its lather and glided on like silk. Not only did my skin need the abundance of thin but very oily 'lotion' that it left on my body, but it also meant that I only had to smear it across an area a couple of times and then use my hands to massage the oils across the whole expanse. For this reason, despite its generosity, Sleepy Head has the potential to last a very long time, which makes it even more of a bargain.

I found this massage bar to be extremely nourishing. While it took a few hours for the oils to fully absorb into my body, I was left with super soft and very beautiful, supple skin. The product quite simply brought my weathered skin to life and gave it the nutrients it was lacking to be as vibrant and healthy as it should have been.

Comprised of lavender, ylang ylang and fennel oils, it's no surprise then when I discovered that the massage bar had a very gentle, herbaceous floral aroma. The former ingredient gives Sleepy Head a soft lavender aroma, wherein the horsetail herb extract adds a very subtle herbal element. It's definitely not the sweetest or the prettiest lavender aroma, but it's by no means terrible.

Overall, I happen to really love this massage bar and I am so glad that I chose to invest in four more to see me through this year. As a weekly deep condition, it's perfect - not only to revamp and revitalise my skin, but to coincide with my Sunday evening sleep struggles that rear their ugly heads around this time. This is a firm favourite for me and one I would buy again, if the opportunity arose.      

Quantitative Ingredients: Cocoa Butter, Shea Butter, Horsetail Herb Extract in Organic Jojoba Oil, Lavender Oil, Perfume, Ylang Ylang Oil, Fennel Oil.

Vegan?: Yes.

2016 Price: £6.50 each. 

Year Of Original Release: 2004.