Plantational Cake Solid Shampoo Bar

My vast experience with Lush has told me never to judge a product based on its colour or description. Whereas many people might run the other way upon seeing a brown lump that resembles a mud pie, I relish in experimenting with the company's weirdest and most wonderful of creations. Some of my most favourite products have come about through experiences that I've had in which I was expecting things to go horribly wrong at first.

Plantational Cake is equally brand new and retro at the same time. Based on Lush's old-school liquid shampoo of the same name, this limited edition solid looks no different than one of my firm favourite products from the Kitchen - Reincarnate Solid Shampoo. In fact, this product may appear very different ingredients wise, but the two share many good qualities that puts them both in the firm favourites category.

To look at, this solid shampoo bar looks like a cross between a badly-baked brownie and a lump of solid mud. You might be surprised to learn then that this limited edition doesn't smell like either of those two itmes. In fact, the smell of this surprised me quite a lot when it first came into contact with my nose.

Containing Brazilian orange oil combined with a nettle and rosemary leaf infusion, this shampoo bar presents a distinctive sweet smell that reminds me very much of sultanas. The inclusions of both the red henna and the labdanum resinoid add to this subtle fruity element - giving the solid bar a gentle layer of spice and rounds the aroma off with a dry but rather more-ish fragrance. In many ways, Plantational does smell very similar to Reincarnate, so if you've been fortunate enough to have tried the aforementioned shampoo bar, you'll have a good idea about the fragrance of this one.

As with most solid shampoo bars, this one works by wetting it a little under the running water and massaging it straight into your wet hair for a short time. It only takes a few seconds for the product to produce a light but thick lather, so you don't need to use it for more than that to cover your entire scalp. I would then recommend using both hands to ensure the shampoo is equally distributed across your locks. 

Depending on how long you have in the shower, I would suggest that you leave it on for a good few minutes before rinsing it away and applying your conditioner. What I found with this solid shampoo is that the henna taints the lather slightly, so don't worry when you rinse it away and find that the water presents itself as brown.

What I loved about Plantational is that it was effective from the very first wash. Unlike a large percentage of Lush's solid shampoo bars, this one moisturised and detangled my hair while I was in the shower, and I felt at times that I could almost have gotten away with not using conditioner afterwards - it was that effective. 

Upon drying my hair, I noticed that this bar left a slight bit of residue that seemed to coat my hair like a protective blanket. Don't get me wrong, my hair was neither greasy or oily afterwards, but there was something about the feel and touch of my locks that told me that the shampoo bar was still present on my hair. Until you try it out for yourself, it may be difficult to understand what I mean. However, it was almost as if the product had put up a slight barrier around every strand, so it felt as if my hair had more moisture present, without it looking or feeling weighed down. 

My experience with this one was very different to any of Lush's other shampoos, liquid and solid. I really felt as if this one added in that much-needed moisture that my dry hair needed, and within 2-3 uses my hair was looking and feeling much less frizzy and far more manageable. Furthermore, I found that I didn't need to straighten my hair that much, as the shampoo supported and accentuated my waves, without leaving it looking frizzy or untamed.  

Having said that, I will mention that your hair should be completely dry before attempting to straighten it after using Plantational. If your locks are even so much as damp when you use the straightening irons on them, this blanket of moisture that coats your hair will turn greasy, and I found that I had to use dry shampoo afterwards to try and settle the excess moisture. 

Overall, this solid shampoo bar has been an absolute pleasure to use. Not only has it rejuvenated my hair and made it feel far less parched than it did before, but the inclusion of the henna supported my natural hair colour - accentuating the highlights and bringing out the different shades of browns and reds that I don't often get to see.

This is definitely one that I would buy again, and I would go as far as to say that this would be a staple in my house if it was a regular item. Whatever condition your hair might be in, I have heard nothing but glowing reviews about this wonderful Kitchen exclusive, and my experience only serves to support and verify that this shampoo bar is a royal treat.         

Quantitative Ingredients: Sodium Lauryl Sulphate, Stearic Acid, Nettle And Rosemary Leaf Infusion, Red Henna, Glyceryl Stearate & PEG 100 Stearate, Soya Lecthin, Brazilian Orange Oil, Labdanum Resinoid, Irish Moss Powder, Limonene, Citral, Perfume.

Vegan?: Yes.

2017 Price: £6.25 for 100g.

Year Of Original Release: 1999

Copperhead Solid Shampoo Bar

After my less than enjoyable experience with Percup Massage Bar, I wasn't exactly overjoyed to be trying out Copperhead Solid Shampoo Bar. Boasting a double shot of coffee grounds as well as featuring a generous helping of roasted cocoa extract, I was expecting another pungent and rather bitter offering from Lush. 

I was surprised and equally delighted then, when the product turned up and didn't instantly repel me like I was expecting it to. In fact, the shampoo bar ended up doing exactly the opposite and enticing me into the shower, just so I could try it out. 

While it's not mentioned on the site, or indeed in the company's latest magazine, Copperhead actually gives off an aroma that is near on identical to the Dear John range - a sweet, sultry and rather smoky fragrance that takes some getting used to, especially if you're more accustomed to the simpler scents in the Lush range. 

An initial sniff offers you a combination of lemon and ground coffee, with just a hint of the henna in the background. The coffee is slightly more dominant than it is in the body spray, perfume and soap format, and I think the inclusion of the henna gives it that extra woody kick. The more you smell the product, the more you're able to pick up the natural sweetness of the vetivert oil and vanilla absolute - with the powdered rosemary and coriander oil offering subtle layers underneath all of this and bringing it together beautifully. 


While many Lush fans have described this as a masculine fragrance, I happen to think it's neither male or female-orientated. Although it isn't as obviously feminine as some of Lush's other perfumes, it's definitely not solely for men either. I happen to find the scent very pleasing and it spurred me on to trying this out for myself very quickly after receiving it. 

Containing a generous amount of red henna, I knew this solid shampoo bar was going to work wonders for my hair, and it only took an initial wash to see and feel how silky-smooth and replenished my locks felt. As a natural brunette, products that contain henna tend to work well with my hair, and Copperhead is no exception. 

The henna not only offers my hair a deep condition, but supports my natural colour and highlights the different shades of brown that feature in my locks. The cocoa butter locks in the moisture, without making my hair greasy, and helps it to look and feel soft, moisturised and super glossy. The inclusion of ground coffee helps to perk-up dull and lifeless hair and gives an aromatic smell that stays with you for hours after you've exited the shower. 

Copperhead is very generous when it comes to releasing soap suds - lathering up the very instant it comes into contact with water and producing a light, fluffy and very soft foam that can be applied to your hair with ease. These suds immediately make your hair feel smoother and you'll be able to notice a difference after you've left it to develop for a while before rinsing away. 

Much like many of Lush's newer shampoo bars, this shampoo is amazing at leaving your hair feeling and looking silky soft. My hair is quite thin naturally but can often develop a frizzy wave that prevents me from being able to wear my hair down without straightening it first. Copperhead is another solid shampoo that reduced this frizziness without flattening my natural wave - allowing me to wear my hair down without using any other products to control the stray strands.

Furthermore, I usually find that I have to wash my hair most days as some shampoos leave it feeling slightly greasy by the end of the day. With this product, I have been able to reduce this down to every other day, which above everything else, saves me money and time. 

I would wholeheartedly recommend that you check this product out, especially if like me, you have darker hair. I cannot comment on how this would work for lighter shades and I would appreciate if anyone fancied sharing their experience with me. However, this has now worked its way into my top 5 favourite hair care products, and will be one I buy on a regular basis. 

Quantitative Ingredients: Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Agar Red Henna, Cocoa Butter, Perfume, Ground Coffee, Vetivert Oil, Fair Trade Vanilla Absolute, Roasted Cocoa Extract, Coriander Oil, Powdered Rosemary, Fresh Organic Lemon Juice, Caffeine Powder, Coumarin, Limonene, Linalool.

Vegan?: Yes.

2014 Price: £5.75 each.
2015 Price: £5.95 each.
2017 Price: £6.25 each.

Scent Family:
Copperhead Solid Shampoo
Dear John Bubble Bar
Dear John Body Spray
Dear John Liquid Perfume
Dear John Shower Gel
Dear John Solid Perfume
Dear John Soap

Jasmine and Henna Fluff-Ease

I was shopping for Lush products a few months back, and decided to pick myself up a tub of Jasmine and Henna Fluff-Eaze. I didn't read about the product in detail, and didn't base my purchase on any reviews, so when it was delivered, I assumed it was just another shampoo to try. It wasn't until I took it out to use that I realised it was in fact a hair 'treatment'. 

This product comes in a single sized, 220g tub and costs just under £12, which is definitely on the steep side for hair care products. What excited me was the host of ingredients that sound like a feast for the hair. The main ingredient is Persian red henna, which is known to help add shine to hair, as well as protect and maintain coloured hair. I have been dyeing my hair since I was 16, so I am always on the look-about for products that can strengthen my hair and protect my colour.

Next Lush have added a concoction of ingredients; jasmine absolute, soya, extra virgin olive oils, wheatgerm and coconut oils, ylang ylang and almond oils, hemp, brazil nut oil and castor. Jasmine has been added for it's beautiful fragrance, whereas the mixture of different oils are used to calm and moisturise sensitive hair.

Designed to reduce frizz and add shine to hair, if this product was to do what it claimed, it would be my saving grace. My coloured, processed hair is often very dry and frizzy and isn’t in the greatest condition, so I was really hoping the treatment wouldn't let me down. The instructions state that you should pile it generously onto dry hair, work it in and leave for 20 minutes before shampooing and conditioning your hair as per normal.

I have to say that I was really impressed with this product. My hair felt noticeably softer after use, and my hair was definitely tamer than it had been before. My hair also had more of a shine after a single use and the scent of jasmine stayed with me throughout the whole day.  

It is for this reason that I feel I must warn potential buyers. The scent of the treatment is very Jasmine-heavy, and I would warn anyone who dislikes this scent, to avoid this product. In fact, this scent remains on your hair even after you've shampooed and conditioned, and I could smell it on my pillow the following day.

My pot of Jasmine and Henna Fluff-Eaze has lasted around four months, using it on average once every other week. It has definitely had a positive effect on hair, and I feel my hair is much more manageable and with less split ends, that it was before I started using it. 

Although the price tag might initially put people off, I think it is very reasonable given that you'll get a minimum of six uses out of it. This has definitely become a staple product in my beauty regime and one that I'll buy again and again.

Quantitative Ingredients: Red Henna Infusion, Water, Cetearyl Alcohol & Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Perfume, Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Ylang Ylang Oil, Jasmine Absolute, Wheatgerm oil, Organic Jojoba Oil, Almond Oil, Brazil Nut Oil, Extra Virgin Coconut Oil, Organic Hemp Oil, Soya Oil, Castor Oil, *Benzyl Salicylate, *Benzyl Benzoate, *Farnesol, Geraniol, Linalool, Hydroxycitronellal, Methyl Lonone, Benzyl Alcohol, Isoeugenol, Methylparaben, Propylparaben.

Vegan?: Yes

2016 Price: £12.95 for 220g, £22.95 for 440g.

Caca Marron

Caca Marron Henna, or as Lush refer to it as, ' the 'no shit hair colour',  is definitely not something for the faint hearted. I don't mind smothering lotions and potions and gels all over my body, or clambering into baths of every colour and smell - after all, the worst I'd most likely get is a rash were my body to reject a product. 

However, I have always harvested fears over losing my hair should one of my hair-dying sessions go wrong. So when I was presented with a heavy block, of what looked like dried mud, and told that I was to put it on my hair, I began to get nervous. 

Being a vegan, it is very difficult to find hair colour that it certified vegan, so I am very limited to the colours I can use. And as I said in one of my first blog entries, I am all for choosing a natural alternative to that of a manufactured product. So I had no choice but to try Lush's natural hair dyes. 

A typical block is priced at £7.50, and the lady in the shop told me that for my hair length (just past my shoulders), I would only need to use half. So if this product were to work, it would actually work out cheaper than the big branded ones in Boots or Superdrug.

The first step is to dissolve the henna in hot water, and unlike chocolate, henna isn't as keen to dissolve quickly, so it took me a good 10 minutes to reduce the block down to a stodgy goo.

Next I was told to smear on some Ultrabalm to stop the henna staining my forehead or ears. As it happened, I didn't have to worry about staining, as the henna takes quite a while to 'work it's magic' so I had plenty of time to remove any stray gunk before it tainted my skin. 

Then for the messy bit! My sister donned the thick gloves that the sales assistant gave me, and began to smear my head with, what looked like, the product of a heavy drinking session and a bad curry (if you get my gist!). 

It took her about 20 minutes to make sure my entire scalp of hair was ladened with the stuff, and a further few minutes to 'lock' my hair inside a carrier bag so the henna could do it's magic. 

Unlike other hair dyes, you have somewhat control over the colour your hair ends up as. I was told that if I left my hair down and uncovered, the henna would go a rich, dark brown; If I covered my hair and kept it warm, my hair would come out with a red streak. I chose the latter.

Then for the not-so-fun bit. 

On Lush's site, they claim that the henna needs to be left on for between 1-4 hours, which is a long time to sit with a head full of dirt. What makes it worse is that the henna starts to dry, which means it gets heavier, the longer you leave it on. In the end, I managed to withstand just under 3 hours, before I sought solace under a shower nozzle. 

It took quite a while to remove the henna from my head, and I had to use a lot of shampoo and conditioner to make my hair feel somewhat normal again. 

Once my hair had dried, I could definitely see a much deeper brown throughout, and the redness looked beautiful in the light. Three weeks on, and my hair has retained it's colour and still looks as vibrant as it did straight after I dyed it.

The downside to using henna is that I suspect it's rather difficult to dye your own hair without making a mess. I also found that my hair was really rough for about a week after, and I had to use a large surplus of conditioner to bring it back to it's normal state.

Overall, it was definitely a fun experiment, and one that has clear advantages to shop-brought alternatives. I will definitely use the other half of my block in a couple of weeks time and see if it's any easier to use. However, I don't know if it's something that I'll use regularly to dye my hair. 

Quantitative Ingredients: Red Henna, Cocoa Butter, Indigo Herb, Ground Coffee, Fresh Organic Lemon Juice, Irish Moss Powder, Clove Bud Oil, Citral, Eugenol, Geraniol, Citronellol, Limonene, Linalool, Perfume.

Vegan?: Yes.

Price: £9.25 for 325g.

Reincarnate Solid Shampoo

I am the first one to get excited when I see my favourite company trying to be more economically friendly, whether it be less packaging, natural ingredients or products free from preservatives. However, when I first began exploring their hair care range, I was slightly wary of their solid shampoos and conditioners. 

A big part of me wondered how a seemingly dull looking piece of 'shampoo' could possibly be a good thing for my hair. My initial reaction was to assume that these products would leave my hair matted and dry. As I mentioned in my review of Veganese, I have spent many years trying to resurrect my hair from years of over-dying it. So I was a little concerned that using Reincarnate might set my efforts backwards a few months.    

Reincarnate is made with the best Persian red henna. While the amount present in this shampoo isn’t enough to colour your hair in itself, it will help maintain hair that’s already been coloured. I have had little experience with their hair dyes, so far so I cannot comment on how the shampoo supports these products. However, I use a shop-brought dark brown to colour my hair, and after using the shampoo once, my hair definitely looked richer and brighter than it did before.

The smell of Reincarnate is rather interesting; a sweet, earthy scent that reminds me a little of liquorice mixed with rosemary. At the time, it reminded me of a combination of sultanas and dried orange peel, with a slightly dry underlying smell of dirt. This smell is particularly overwhelming, and it doesn't tend to stay around much in the hair afterwards, which is great news for those of us who dislike the strong smell of henna. 

Unlike a lot of reviews I have seen, this bar lathered up really easily for me, although it wasn't particularly generous with its lather. Initially, I found that the shampoo made my hair feel quite brittle and dry. Having said this, upon changing my conditioner to one that complimented the ingredients better (Avocado Cowash), I found my hair was left looking and feeling rich, vibrant and healthy. 

To begin with I had chosen to go 'full out' with the solid hair products so I had used this alongside Lush's Big Solid conditioner. After experimenting for a few months with the aforementioned conditioner, I found that it was not suited to my hair at all, and I think this was the reason why Reincarnate hadn't left a good impression on me to begin with.

I really appreciated the fact that when using this alongside a good conditioner, it helped to tame the thick, frizzy nature of my hair, and I found that I could wear it down with very little straightening. Obviously, this meant that the condition of my hair improved even more because it wasn't exposed to as much heat.

As with all of Lush's solid hair care, this product is great for those travelling due to its portability. As each usage requires very little product, a small 100g bar will last for a long time, and probably no doubt works out better value than the bottled varieties. That said, I would not recommend this shampoo bar for those with very dry hair, unless combined with a strong conditioner, as it is not very moisturising by itself, and would leave your hair rather limp and damaged.

Quantitative Ingredients: Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Stearic Acid, Red Henna, Glyceryl Stearate & PEG-100 Stearate, Rosemary, Fleeceflower Root & Nettle Leaf Infusion, Cocamide DEA, Soya Lecithin, Rhassoul Mud, Labdanum Resinoid, Sedra Powder, Sweet Orange Oil, Irish Moss Powder, *Limonene, Perfume

Vegan?: Yes.

2016 Price: £6.25 for 100g.