We all know how much of a pain it is to travel with liquids. Filling bottles with shampoo and conditioner gets old very fast. It was with this in mind that LUSH began to create their organic and animal friendly products.
Heather found their Godiva shampoo bar to leave her hair too dry, but I needed to test it out on a different hair type. Lush sent me their Seanik shampoo bar, Orange Blossom solid perfume, all purpose balm and toothy tabs to test out on my recent trip to Europe.
While I still packed a few liquids, such as contact solution and Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soaps, it was good not to have to worry about the 100 milliliters rule. Here’s what I thought about each product.
Solid Shampoo
There’s a bit of a learning curve to this shampoo, but once you have figured it out, you should be fine. Simply take the soap-like bar, lather in hands and massage into hair. I combined the bar with traditional conditioner, so I didn’t experience the same dryness Heather did. I did, however, find my hair to be greasier, which also could have been attributed to poor water pressure in the shower or the Portuguese humidity. After a few weeks of continuous use, the bar fell apart and turned gloopy, making it difficult to use.
The Verdict: It depends on your hair type, but it can be handy. It does take the bar a while to dry. I recommend using with conditioner.
Toothy Tabs
Lush has these tabs as a green alternative to toothpaste. The tabs come in a small cardboard box that you can recycle when you’re done. You crush them up with your front teeth, wait for them to foam and start brushing. They cleaned my teeth fine, but it made my tongue feel fuzzy. And they’re odd to explain to your fellow hostel mates. I received the Dirty, Sparkle and Ultrablast flavors, but I liked Dirty the best because the taste most resembled real toothpaste. The others had a gritty quality to them.
The Verdict: The taste in your mouth is a bit off-putting and yet again, there’s a learning curve. I’m not sure they save enough room in your bag to make them worth it.
Solid Perfume
The little tube almost looks like Chapstick, but smells like orange blossom. You can dab it on your wrist or neck to avoid the dirty backpacker smell. It’s the product I would use most often, even in everyday life. They have a lot of scents to choose from, depending on what your preference is. They cost around $10, much cheaper than most perfumes.
The Verdict: It’s a nice product, but I like to spray perfume on my clothes, which you can’t really do with solid perfume. However, it’s great for travel since you know it won’t spill in your bag.
>> Check out the new Aroamas travel perfume sticks for your perfume solid needs.
All-Purpose Balm
This big tub of petroleum free balm can coat dry lips or cracked cuticles. It’s not as prone to messy melting as traditional lip balm is. You can also rub some on your dry skin.
The Verdict: This is a must have for long haul flights and cold, dry temperatures.
Overall, LUSH makes great products if you’re carrying your bags on and are worried about liquid restrictions. You can use them at home as well as on the road.
I love the solid shampoo and solid moisturizer, but the conditioner is not for me. I have curly hair so I need pretty serious conditioner and the bar just doesn’t cut it
I make my own shampoo bars, and they take up to a week for your hair to get used to. Until then your hair could feel clumpy and greasy, so use vinegar diluted with water to rinse. It’ll fix the PH of your scalp and acts as a conditioner plus its super cleansing for the oily build up. After that initial period your hair feels amazing and soft!
I love LUSH products…I use the T’eo deodorant and the The Greeench powder (great for if you have to change to go out right after a sports group). The powder’s great for travelling as well since body spray/perfume can be layered over it.