A 'hair-y'tale!

On to my second review of my recently-favourite'd brand Lush (by-golly does it live up to its name!). Last week I'd had more than enough with the crappy shampoo I had been using (after it decided to turn on me and make my hair all kinds of wrong) so I made the - rather sound - decision to pop into Lush Nottingham and get some advice about what to use. The young lady (making myself sound old there!) I came across has helped me a few times now (next time I go in I must find out her name!) and I have to hand it to her, the girl did good - not only with her choice of products but also in being able to find something in the first place after I put in the odd request for a shampoo that could help with my 'lank, dull, greasy-dryness' (who ever knew that existed?!!) Due to my slightly wacky combo she thought it best to opt for something 'inbetweeny' - that is, one not specifically catered for either dry or greasy hair - and came up with Cynthia Sylvia Stout's 'Beer Shampoo'. I'm sure plenty of us have heard the old wives tale that rinsing your hair in beer is supposed to help make it shine (it even made it onto the packaging under 'TOP TIP'!). I have no idea how this came about (I mean, who on earth decided dunking their hair in beer might be a good idea?!) however I'm certainly not going to query it because my hair has been nice and shiny since using this product, therefore I take this to mean the jolly old wives were right! It was mentioned that it's not the best of the bunch they have on offer fragrance-wise, however since cracking into this bad boy I've decided I actually disagree! Every time I use it I feel like I've been transported to the inside of an old-fashioned sweet shop, surrounded by fizzy cola bottles/pint pots which is freakin' fantastic, apart from the fact it leaves me craving sweets at god knows what time in the morning! And right now, come to think of it. I'm literally salivating. Anyone nice enough to deliver some to me?!

This shampoo has quite a thin consistency and for the first few days I was a little too liberal with the amount I used and found myself with a rapidly depleting bottle as a result. I decided the best way to get around this was to spend a little more time with my head under the water, so as to get my hair nice and wet, in the hope that a smaller amount could go further. This has definitely helped, and the extra-wet hair means the shampoo suds-up rather nicely too! I must mention that the bottles I bought were the smallest sizes available - 100g - and it could be that the larger sizes will hold up a little better. At the time, however, I decided not to spend a tenner in case I wasn't happy with the outcome. As it is, now my hair has got 'used' to the shampoo the effects have lessened a little so I'm thinking of purchasing something different and alternating between the two (I wash my every day). Any tips would be great!

The chosen conditioner was American Cream - fairly (but not too) thick in consistency which means it coats well, although doesn't weigh my hair down at all. Again I found the first few days I was overusing it, most telling by the fact that I could smell my hair almost every time I moved my head! As someone who never wears perfume, it took a little getting used to, but I certainly did (and rather happily!). It's a little heavier than the fruity or floral fragrances I've come across in other products, so may be an acquired 'taste', but I do think it's a definite bonus. Although I can no longer smell it when I move due to my minimising how much I use, if I pick up a handful of the ends of my hair and give them a whiff, its still there (I tested last night before I went to bed, around 15 hours after I'd used it, and I could still smell it!) It also hasn't proven to be too rich for my hair but I would suggest having a go at varying amounts to find the right balance as I know some people have found that to be the case. My ends are definitely less dry then they were (thumbs up) and my hair overall is beautifully soft to the touch, as well as less greasy. I am one happy customer!

After saying I rarely have problems with my skin, this past week I have been struggling with a few breakouts and general bumpy-nastiness. This is not something I blame on my skincare products however, therefore I will be looking to re-visit Lush Nottingham again to pick up replacements when I've run out; I may just have a look to see if there is anything else on offer for me whilst I'm going through this dodgy skin period! To update you further, I'm still a little unsure about the toner (you can read about my skincare review here) but I am enjoying using it (which seems an odd choice of words) as I like how it leaves me feeling 'refreshed' after. I still haven't been able to work the lip scrub into my routine but having reminded myself hopefully I'll use it today. They do need a little seeing to!

Check out 'tori's tale of the day' below. It features a post I've particularly enjoyed, or been touched by, recently. Today's comes courtesy of Awesome Annika!