Guide to: Lush
Hello there! I still have sometime left for holiday before my semester starts, so I thought I should be productive and update my blog. Today entry will be a short recap on Lush as a brand and Lush products that I owned. I only have a few because they are pretty expensive, but still, I hope this entry will be useful for people who are interested in Lush.
(Photo from Kobe's SOL department store site: Lush Kobe SOL branch)
Lush concept
Lush concept is simple; fresh and natural products for hair and skin. They used organic ingredients, they don’t test their product on animals and they don’t buy ingredients from companies that do so. Their products are made with organic fruits and vegetables, essential oils and safe synthetics. And on top of that, everything is handmade. It’s one of the biggest natural skin care brand out there that promote heavily on their pure love to nature and freshness of ingredients.
(Photo from Kobe's SOL department store site: Lush Kobe SOL branch)
Lush products
They have everything! Bathbombs, massage oil, deodorants, hair treatment, shampoo, soaps and even cosmetics. If you want to change your whole toiletries into Lush product, you definitely could. I do not spend much time showering so I don't buy stuff like bathbombs even though Lush is pretty famous for it. Other popular products from Lush includes the bubblegum lip scrub and many other face masks such as Catastrophe Cosmetic, Mask of Magnaminty and Cosmetic Warrior.
Lush price
Lush is from the UK but you can find globally in so many countries. We don't have Lush in Thailand but I’m lucky enough to find many branches in Japan so I get to try them. This is the list of products I owned and how much they cost in 3 different countries.
The numbers highlighted in blue are the cheapest price for each product. Which means overall the place you could get Lush at the cheapest price is the UK; where it’s originated. However, the difference in price is not as significant as other cosmetic brand, probably because the products have to be handmade so the production is in-house and not imported.
Value for money
Lush is considered expensive in my opinion judging from the amount of product you got and its short life. But you are getting fresh and organic stuffs that are good for your face. Anybody considering buying Lush products has to think about this trade-off as some of their products, for example the fresh face masks, expire in less than a month.
(Photo from Kobe's SOL department store site: Lush Kobe SOL branch)
Packaging
Most of Lush products come in a black plastic pot with a sticker telling you the manufactured date, expiry date and the name of the person who made that product for you. Such a nice way to let consumers know that Lush cares. I think it’s a smart move to make consumers feel closer to the brand and feel like what they are getting is indeed handmade and special.
Reviews
Hair treatment
I owned 3 Lush hair treatment products and from my experiences I would say all of them has these things in common:
1.The whole pot can only be used for once or twice as you are required to use so much in one application.
2.You need to apply them before shower, when your hair is dry.
3.They last for a year so you can buy and keep.
I have both positive and negative comments on these products. The apply on dry hair thingy is totally not my thing and I am not used to it. It’s really hard to apply and I guess that’s why you used up so much products in one application. However, it does help my hair so look nicer instantly so at least it's worth the hardship.
H’suan Wen Hua – The first one I used and my favorite till now. I think it has the most immediate effect. My hair looks a bit shinier and healthier right after use. And the effects do last for a couple of weeks. I have really dry and damaged hair so at least it helped my hair to look like other normal human being hair.
Roots – I have a lot of problems with my scalp being very dry and itchy. I applied this and it didn’t help much because it’s almost impossible to apply it to the scalp. It ended up helping my hair looks well nourished and taken care of but does not help my scalp. I still have half left.
Marilyn – This one suppose to help people who dyed their hair. And I did dye it to the point where it cracked and cannot absorb any colors anymore. And this does not do anything for me at all. Nothing. I know my hair can be too f** up to be saved and probably I didn’t apply enough. Maybe I need to soak my head with the whole bottle. I am still considering if I should give this product another shot.
Scrubs
I only owned one which I cannot finish yet but I definitely will re-buy after it’s done. I really love the freshness and the smell.
Ocean salt – The smell is great! It really smells fresh like ocean and helps me relax after a long day. I use it in the shower 2-3 times a week. There’s no visible change happening to my face but it does feel cleaner and fresher. I bought the self preserving one so it lasts pretty long.
Fresh face masks
I only have one of these and I planned to get more later. Lush has a recycle campaign that if I collected 5 of the empty product pots, I could trade them in for one free fresh face mask. So I’m planning to do that. The cool thing about fresh face masks is that the ingredients are really fresh and you could feel it. The smell and the texture are almost like food. They’re like homemade masks you made but better. And thus, because of the freshness, you have to refrigerate them all the time and they only last for less than a month.
Oatifix – I used it almost everyday because the life is so short and you don’t need that much product for the whole face. It claims to help moisturizing dry skin, so I decided to try it in winter. It did help. I felt like my face is well nourished, soft but not oily. Plus, it smells like oatmeal and a nice breakfast. I really love it.
Overall
I think Lush products are very unique in their own ways. Some of them may not be miraculously effective but I always keep in mind that they are very natural, no dangerous chemicals and could only have mild effects sometime. And since I think we are overloaded with synthetics, it is good to use something freshly made from organic ingredients once in a while. If you don’t have time to mix and make your own mask from yogurt and honey, this might be your choice.
Where to get Lush
You can get Lush at your local Lush flagship store or from your local website. Go to Lush.com and select country.
Unfortunately, there's no Lush store available in South East Asia, the closest stores are in Hong Kong and Taiwan. Or you can order it from other countries Lush site. (I suppose UK is the cheapest.)
Read about international shipping rules and rates of Lush UK site here.
Read about international shipping rules and rates of Lush Hong Kong site here.