So, we generally do not like Lush’s hair products, with the sole exception of Big shampoo. But honestly, we love Big so much that we feel like there MUST be another good product. We’ve tried almost every conditioner and they don’t do the trick. We, as we have mentioned, have a fussy devil of a scalp. We are embarrassed to even mention that sometimes, well. Let’s be honest. To put it nicely, Head and Shoulders has a place in our bathroom cupboard.
But since that bottle is so damn ugly, and reminds us of our dad (who we love to absolute pieces and we think he’s completely awesome, but we are not men past the age of 50), we wanted something else.
We saw Recon at Lush, and it said something like PROBLEM SCALPS. Well, ok. We read the confusing directions – you are to apply to your scalp with dry hair, then shampoo your dry hair 15 minutes later and then wash it out. Then re-shampoo. Then condition cautiously. No joke. We had to have the woman at Lush explain it to us.
To be blunt, we hate this. We have no idea how you can condition your scalp – and only your scalp – if you have hair longer than 1". Our hair is significantly longer, and we ended up with Recon all over our hair and not on our scalp. We waited the time specified, then shampooed then rinsed then shampooed then conditioned the ends. We went to bed, and when we woke up the next morning, we honestly thought our hair was still wet. It was not. It was misapplied Recon that had missed our scalp and was making us look like we’d dipped our head in a vat of lard.
We’ll try it again because we are willing to admit that maybe it’s hard to figure out, like press-on nails were at first. But at this point, if someone offered us $5 for it, we’d take it. Additionally, if anyone has any idea how to make this stuff work, let us know!
-LB
Darling LB, as a long-time single girl who lives alone, and often dyes her roots–only her roots–by herself, I have two options for you.
1. Put your hair in a ponytail, and then pull the ponytail halfway through the elastic so you have that sort of half-bun, half-ponytail thing that all the lacrosse girls used to have. Then apply the product only to the tips of your fingers. Avoiding the ponytail completely, go right for the scalp. Try not to touch your top hair TOO much. Rub the product into your scalp, wait, and then go shampoo. Keep your hair in that dumb ponytail and just shampoo the top of your head. Only condition if you really think you need to.
2. Have your lover do it for you.
gulp. this all sounds very complicated…have you tried american cream? i too have a tricksy scalp and this conditioner does not irritate and actually (gasp) conditions my scarecrow hair. and smells really good.
can you explain the benefits of the lush big shampoo? i always pass that store and i can’t figure out why anyone would go in there when there’s plethora of fancy shampoos, soaps, etc. everywhere. but i’m always interested in a product that sounds like it can voluminize my dull fine hairs.
American Cream smells amazing and does exactly nothing for my hair.
Big Shampoo is pretty great. It contains a lot of sea salt, which stimulates and purifies the scalp and makes your hangnails hurt like nothing you’ve ever experienced. The scent is fresh and clean, with a touch of sweetness, and it really lingers. Big tends to make my hair very shiny and manageable, with a little extra bounce. That’s no mean feat, as my hair is kind of long and fairly thing.
Have you all tried the H’Suan Wen Hua mask? I flipping love it.
I tried and tried to love Big Shampoo, because it did do amazing things for my very fine hair. But the smell! It was way too perfume-y, made me sneeze for hours afterwards no matter how much I rinsed. I eventually gave up and returned it. I wish they would tone down their fragrances a bit (or, a lot); I’d def be more inclined to buy their stuff.
Okay, but since we now know we don’t really need to CLEAN our hair all that often (unless, I guess, you’re very oily), are there other BIG products at Lush that give volume & bounce, but aren’t shampoo?
Nope. Big is the only one. It’s actually great if you wash your hair every other day or so–using it daily is a bit too harsh.
In fact, most of Lush’s hair products tend to either strip your hair or add grease and lankness. Charming.
I use Lush hair products and I love them! I use Jumping Juniper shampoo bar and Veganese conditioner. They make my hair soft and not get as tangled as with other brands. I also love the smell, esp Veganese.
As for how to use Recon, check out the Lush forums. There will be a link on the Lush website.
Thanks, Lauren, for the info on Big shampoo. I stopped by Lush today. . .it is a little frightening. Their website seems enormous, but the store is tiny with a zillion scents circling around in the air and too much to look at. But I asked for (and was given) a sample of Big shampoo, which will be tried out tomorrow. My hair definitely needs washing, as I was a little heavy handed with the product today.
I too have the problem scalp and I too have the hideous packaging issues (head & shoulders works but the packaging is heinous and is notorious for stripping haircolour. In fact a hairdresser friend recommended using it to strip a far too overenthusiastic home dye job).
There is one Lush product I cannot cope without. It is the only nice smelling thing that sorts out my scalp (and excema when it flares up) plus it seems to not strip my hair or weigh it down with greasy hippiness – it’s their shampoo soap style bar The Blonde solid shampoo. My boyfriend (who is not blonde) uses it too and loves it. The other useful thing is that for travelling all I do is pack a slice of it and it doubles as a regular soap. I cannot recommend this one product enough to anyone who suffers from an icky scalp or excema.
I use Lush hair products every day and I really rate them.
I use Cynthia Stout Shampoo, Veganese Conditioner and I have just started with a new shampoo bar called Squeaky Green. I also swear by the hair styling product called Goth Juice. I am a bloke and I have short hair but I love the smells and the effects on my hair. My wife uses Happy Hippy Hair and Body Gel on her hair and Veganese conditioner and her hair dresser ALWAYS says what good condition her hair is in.
I liked BIG shampoo but for some reason it never made it into my daily routine although I do use it for special occassions. I think you just need to try them all and see what suits you.