Silica Vegan Protein Shampoo

Gone are the days when I used to dye my hair on an almost bi-weekly basis. Although I would still love to try out different colours and styles, the truth is that my locks are extremely malnourished and brittle - all due to the lack of regard that I had for looking after them when I was much younger. While my hair is in a much better place these days, I still have to fight to keep it looking and feeling conditioned, so dyeing, styling or adding too many products, is a luxury I no longer have to play with.

Silica is one of four limited edition vegan protein shampoos that Lush released a couple of months ago in their Lush Labs. Containing a large helping of aquafaba, which is the protein-rich liquid that chickpeas reside in, this shampoo not only promises to strengthen and rebuild your hair, but also to work with those who dye their hair to keep in the colour and help it to last far longer than it usually would.

What is unique about these new shampoo bars is that they are incredibly light yet equally compact and easy to use. I found that Silica was incredibly easy to lather up, so I only needed to massage the bar across my head for a matter of seconds, before storing it somewhere safe to dry. This meant that after nearly two months of using this regularly, the bar has barely shrunk at all. I can really see one of these lasting a good 4-5 months, even with daily use, which makes it even longer-lasting than Lush's other regular solid shampoo bars.

Containing many key ingredients, it was definitely the spearmint that had the strongest impact in regards to the fragrance of this bar. To my nose, there was an element of Dirty Springwash going on with the smell of this - with the minty component combining with the gentle herbal touch of the thyme and lavender, and a note of lemon underneath, which adds a refreshing twist. 

The fragrance of this alone really helped to leave my hair (and senses) feeling clean and refreshed after using it, and while I haven't dyed my hair in years, I was definitely able to notice how the natural redness of my hair did appear to have been boosted a little more after using this. 

What was even more impressive about Silica was that when I rinsed the lather away a couple of minutes, I found that the foam was incredibly softening - almost slightly conditioner like - which meant that I didn't always need to use a conditioner afterwards to keep my hair looking and feeling nourished.

Featuring a large dosage of raspberry seed oil, Silica left my hair with a wonderful natural shine, and there was something about the way it looked that appeared far healthier than it has done in the past. The inclusion of both the horsetail herb and linseed oil supposedly helps to strengthen your hair as well, and I was definitely able to see this in the way that my hair felt when I was brushing it out afterwards.

While I cannot comment from experience on whether or not this protein shampoo holds the dye in people's hair for longer, comments and discussions that I have been a part of suggests that there are many happy customers using this now because of how it prolongs the time in between them dyeing their hair.

Ultimately, this is yet another great example of Lush hair care. While I don't think I would use this regularly - mostly due to the fact that it's not designed with my hair type in mind - it has shown me lots of merits that I think would appeal to many consumers across the globe. Those who dye their hair would benefit immensely from using this regularly, and the price and number of uses you can get out of it, makes it good value for money. 

Quantitative Ingredients: Sodium Coco Sulfate, Glyceryl Stearate, Aquafaba, Horsetail Herb Extract, Linseed Extract, Silken Tofu, Propylene Glycol, Perfume, Water (Aqua), Linseed oil, Ethyl Macadamiate, Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein, Arginine HCL Leucine, Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane, Soya Lecithin, Guar Gum, Spearmint Oil, Tarragon Oil, Sandalwood Oil, Lavender Absolute, Neroli Oil, Thyme Absolute, Fresh Organic Lemon Juice, Cold Pressed Raspberry Seed Oil, Titanium Dioxide, Cetrimonium Chloride, Synthetic Fluorphlogopite, Tin Oxide, Alpha-Isomethyl, Ionone Hydroxycitronellal, *Limonene, *Linalool, Colour 17200, Colour 45380:3, Colour 77491, Colour 45430:1.

Vegan?: Yes.

2019 Price: £ each.

Year Of Original Release: 2019.