Mint Condition Hair Marshmallow

First there came the solid disks; next we saw the introduction of cheese-like slabs; and now Lush are trying to get us to use marshmallows as a way of cleaning our hair. While this would probably alienate most consumers of other companies, Lush fans are diving straight in to see where this next adventure will take us - myself included.

When I first set my eyes on the odd-looking, colourful bricks of 'haircare' during the Showcase last weekend, I honestly questioned how I would be able to cart home a piece of each, when they each looked like they weighed a tonne. You can imagine my surprise then when I went to pick one up and found that they were as light as a feather.

While super crumbly at times, and perhaps a little too fragile for mainstream release just yet, Lush's new innovative range of hair marshmallows are just a new and unique way to replace the boring bottle of shampoo a lot of us rely on to clean our hair.

How Lush make these so light is by using an ingredient called aqua faba, which is the water that a bean or legume has been cooked in. Bakers have cottoned on very quickly over the last few years, that the water in a can of chickpeas can imitate and replace that of a beaten egg. After a little whisking, aqua faba creates a light, fluffy foam that Lush have then used to create these super airy blocks of shampoo.

Mint Condition Hair Marshmallow first attracted me because of its claims to stimulate hair growth: a problem I've been struggling with for years. With the levels of stress my body goes through at times, and the bad choices I've made in the past regarding my diet, my hair has lost a lot of weight that just doesn't want to come back. Any product that claims to strengthen, lengthen or help the growth of my locks, and I'm all over it like a rash.

Containing both peppermint oil, which stimulates the scalp, and menthol to refresh your whole head, you would expect this limited edition to offer a strong, slightly cooling minty smell. However, I was surprised to find that the smell of this is very subtle. You can definitely smell the mint about anything else, but it's a gentle and slightly sweet minty smell.

While it was a very simplistic smell, I was much more interested in getting to grips with how these marshmallows worked, and whether or not they would actually be successful in washing my hair. What I found was that the blocks themselves are rather crumbly. For this reason, they wouldn't be a good replacement for the circular discs at all. In fact, carrying these anywhere with me whilst I was travelling seemed more like a nightmare when I saw how easy they were to break. 

Furthermore, they're rather difficult to store. Left out in the open, the marshmallows tend to turn a little sticky, and this means that you're left trying to scrape the product off the paper. Given that Lush haven't offered anything to hold them in between uses means that you'll have to use your imagination, or simply allow the block to leave sticky marks for you to clean away. 

Having said that, Mint Condition was really effective and super impressive. As someone who has medium to long hair, I only needed to use the amount of a small grape each time. To use, I simply crumbled the piece in my hand; added a little water to start the lather off; and then massaged it between my hands, and then across my whole head, to create a generous amount of silky foam.

Unlike a lot of shampoos, Lush and otherwise, I found that this one felt really softening when it was in my hair, so I knew straight away that I was going to be left with silky locks afterwards. As if to prove this, I chose my condition my hair at all for the few days I used this and found that my hair still looked and felt really smooth and shiny.

While I wouldn't claim that it could rival that of an actual conditioner, I was genuinely surprised and impressed to find a shampoo that left my hair in that good condition. Not only did it look far healthier - with a little more life infused into it - but my hair felt as if it had more volume. Obviously, I'm not under the impression that Lush can perform miracles and stimulate hair growth in a few days. But there is something in Mint Condition that does add volume and removes some of that lifelessness that I've been struggling with for a while.

As an estimate, I would probably say that a 100g block of this shampoo would probably last me about three months, which is a little less than that of a regular disc-shaped bar. Given the price tag, it does appear to work out a tad more expensive in the long run. However, I do like the scent of this one, and how much it's changed my hair in such a short space of time, so I would definitely buy this if it became a regular item.        

Quantitative Ingredients: Sodium Coco Sulfate, Aquafaba, Cetearyl Alcohol & Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Propylene Glycol, Fresh Mint (Mentha piperita), Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein, Menthol, Silica, Spearmint Oil (Mentha spicata), Lemon Juice (Citrus limonum), Guar Gum (Guar hydroxypropyltrimonium chloride), Peppermint Oil (Mentha piperita), Caffeine Powder, Gardenia Extract (Gardenia jasminoides), Cetrimonium Chloride, Cocoamidopropyl Betaine, *Limonene, Perfume, Colour 42053, Colour 45350. 

Vegan?: Yes.

2018 Price: £12 for 100g.

Year Of Original Release: 2018.