It’s funny. The one thing of mine that’s been hit the hardest by the recession (aside from my wallet, of course) is my hair. I’m sure you know how it is. DIY hair color, going a little longer between trims, maybe experimenting with scary drugstore shampoos and styling products.
Add some heavy-duty heat styling to this torture regime and you’ve got some seriously strawlike tresses. (If you listen closely, you can even hear them whimper when I bust out the flatiron!)
I needed hair therapy. Stat! So I turned to Canadian company Lush, makers of my beloved Glitterbug.
The friendly salesperson (why are Lush salespeople always so flippin’ perky and nice?) steered me in the direction of the Godiva shampoo bar.
Skeptical as always, I asked if that funny little bar would even lather. Sure enough, she whipped out a basin of water and like the dearly departed icon Billy Mays (may he continue to sell clouds to angels!), she created an astounding lather. I was sold. A week later, I picked up the American Cream conditioner. Best stuff EVER.
Godiva Shampoo Bar:
This unsung hero may not come in a bottle, but I love it more than any chichi salon product I’ve tried in the past 2 years. If you can wrap your head around the unorthodox delivery system, some serious shiny, bouncy, free-free locks await! For those of us who are into lather, this bar foams up like a dream – either work up the bubbles in your hands, or run the bar through your hair. Then, inhale the intoxicating scent of hothouse tropical flowers. Unlike most shampoos, Godiva leaves an amazing amount of fragrance behind on your locks. Perfect, if you love the sexy smell of gardenias and jasmine. (And who doesn’t?) Most importantly, it leaves your hair soft, shiny, bouncy and smooth – no greasy after-feel like a lot of natural shampoo products leave behind. Of course, the one downside to this shampoo bar is that it has a tendency to melt in the shower, even if you put it in a little soap box. Should be interesting to see how long this lasts. One bar costs $9.95.
Rating:
4.5/5 – The melt-factor could be a drawback for many. Aside from that, perfection.
American Cream Conditioner:
This is what the Lush staff recommended for my dry, color-treated hair. Deceptively lightweight and silky, American Cream is one rich, moisturizing conditioner. It’s supposed to smell like a strawberry milkshake, but that’s a bit of a stretch – I’d peg it as vanilla mixed with some familiar earthy-spicy scent from my days of working at the health food store. Maybe a hint of Nag Champa? (Not patchouli, thank goodness!) It’s not an unpleasant scent, but it’s unusual and pretty nice. After conditioning with American Cream last night, I woke up with the most perfect, glossy, silky-smooth hair. We’re talking, fresh from the salon shiny. And the humidity can’t be less than 80% outside! It’s a miracle. The one drawback is that the stuff is expensive ($9 for about a 2-ounce bottle; a bigger size is $20) and I practically eat conditioner, with my thick hair. But I can’t even hold the price against this product – it weighs my fluffy hair down just the right amount, making it look a little less Whitesnake video-ready without flattening it to pancake proportions. And the shine is out of this world. No conditioner has ever done so much for my damaged hair. Give it a try and tell me it’s not the most amazing conditioner!
Rating:
4.75 out of 5: Nice, silky, lightweight product that delivers phenomenal results on dry, color-treated, pouff-prone hair. It’s expensive and you have to use a lot of it. And anyone without a slight hippie personality streak might not appreciate the scent. (But I enjoy it).
You can order these products on LushUSA.com. Connecticut peeps, visit the store at the Danbury Fair Mall! And pick up a Glitterbug bar while you’re at it ;)
I LOVE Lush hair products!! Especially their solid shampoos and conditioner (Jungle) Right now I’m using Trichomania, the coconutty solid shampoo, but I really want to try Godiva next… it smells like heaven, I totally agree. I use Jungle, the green solid conditioner, and I LOVE IT! It takes some getting used to, because you don’t really feel it on your hair when you apply it – but once you rinse it out, oooohh boy! It smells amazing, too.
I henna’ed my hair with Lush henna the other day and it was an experience, let me tell you lol. My hair looks and feels AWESOME.
What I love about Lush is that somebody has finally found a way to make natural beauty products sensual, effective, hip and fun! There are a lot of great natural products out there, but nothing sexy about their scents or textures (or their packaging!)
Godiva’s a fantastic shampoo, I want to try the one with the little glitter flecks next. The salesgirl gave me a small chunk of Jungle – can’t wait to try and review (and go back for more!)
Have you tried the Buffy sugar scrub? That’s next on my list!
I agree. I think Lush is a great way to turn people on to natural beauty products who wouldn’t otherwise be interested in them. I love everything about Lush – the products, the packaging (or lack thereof!), the scents, the cute product names!
Ultimate Shine? I’d like to try that one someday, too. I have an epic shopping list for my next Lush trip, haha – Godiva, another chunk of Jungle, Jasmine and Henna Fluff-ease, and Tramp shower gel (which smells AMAZING! Flying Fox smells incredible too, but Tramp is just so delicious)
I haven’t tried Buffy yet, but would like to someday!