Lush: Aiding the Quest for Shiny Hair

My blonde hair just never seems to look as glossy and shiny as dark hair. And I’ve also noticed that it has been starting to look a little frazzled on the ends. So I started a mini quest to achieve shiny blonde hair using cruelty free haircare brands, which lead to me to Lush.

I’ve never actually used any of the Lush haircare products, but I’ve loved all of their skincare products that I’ve tried, and after speaking to the assistant in store I picked out these two products – Rehab shampoo and Retread conditioner.

Rehab shampoo

Rehab shampoo is made from juices from papaya, pineapple, kiwi and mango to “cleanse and clarify” and sea salt and seaweed to “help your locks gleam”. It’s also full of ingredients designed to help improve scalp condition, such as peppermint and rosemary.

I only need to use a small amount of this shampoo to create a nice thick lather on my hair, and because it is designed to go to work on the scalp as well as the hair, I try to leave it on for a few minutes. It has a very refreshing and distinctive scent – mainly from the peppermint I think – and I find it quite a natural and pleasant smell. And after using this shampoo my hair does feel nicely cleansed and generally in healthy condition. I’ve also heard that it’s great for maintaining coloured hair as it doesn’t strip the colour off!

I only bought the smallest bottle to try it out, and it wasn’t cheap at £5.25 for 100g. I don’t use that much on each application though, so I’m hopeful that it will last me quite a while.

Retread conditioner

Described as “a triple-strength conditioner for when your hair needs to get back on track” Retread is full of oils to add moisture, and fresh fruit (including cantaloupe melon) and yoghurt to coat and strengthen the hair, and to add extra shine.

So far I haven’t tried to use this as a deep conditioning treatment, instead using it only in the way I would normally use a conditioner. I scoop quite a bit out and slather my hair in it – focusing on the ends – and leave it to work its magic for a few of minutes before rinsing it off.

And I’m definitely seeing a big improvement after using this conditioner, particularly when using it with Rehab. The frazzled ends are far less of a problem – even whilst my hair is still wet I can see the difference there – and overall I think I’ve succeeding in getting my blonde hair all glossy.

Again it’s not cheap at £10.25 for 245g, but worth the investment I think.

And finally…

One extra step I took to achieve a glossy finish was, after rinsing out all of the conditioner, to do a final rinse of my hair in very cold water. It’s not the most pleasant thing to do after a hot bath or shower, but apparently the cold temperature closes up the cuticle of the hair, which makes each strand super shiny. I think it worked too!

So I’m loving these haircare products from Lush, and will most likely rebuy both of them. It seems to be a winning combination for getting your hair back on track! I might consider an alternative day-to-day conditioner too though, so that I’m not using this extra powerful one for every wash.