Review: LUSH Fair Traded Honey Shampoo

I recently went into one of my favorite stores, LUSH Handmade Cosmetics, and asked around for shampoos that would help my super dry hair.  Pregnancy has NOT been kind and my hair has turned frizzy and unmanageable. 

I was directed to a number of solid and liquid shampoos before the salesperson came to the Fairly Traded Honey Shampoo (or just "Fair Trade Honey" depending on the country you live in).  This product is advertised to give luster to hair, as well as volume and moisture.  It's also preservative-free, which is a huge win in my book.   

Ingredient Breakdown

Looking at the information for this product online, you'll see that, as far as ingredients go, "50% is honey, 20% is linseed mucilage, which has a lovely texture and is moisturizing and conditioning."  That sounds great!  The standout ingredients that make this an awesome product are Fairly Traded Honey, Linseed Mucilage, Sunflower Lecithin, Geranium Oil, Beeswax Absolute, Neroli Oil, and more.  These are plant-based and can do wonders to add shine, moisture, and remove impurities from your hair.

However, this isn't a 100% natural product - I think a lot of people go into LUSH and assume that their products are chemical free - but that's not the case.  Sodium Laureth Sulfate is in this product and it's among the "Dirty Dozen" of chemicals to avoid in cosmetic and beauty products.  This chemical is a surfactant, which is a agent used to help oil-based and non-oils to mix together and also serves as a foaming agent... However, is ingredient is a TOXIN.  It is a known irritant to the skin and eyes, and has potential concerns relating to contamination of products like Ethylene Oxide, which is a truly nasty chemical compound.  This product also has added Fragrance - another "Dirty Dozen" - fragrances can be harmful to those with allergies, or can assist in the development of allergies later in life.

Overall, though, this is a great product - mostly plant based ingredients and the chemicals used are, comparatively speaking, not that bad.  Many of the popular shampoos that the vast majority of use purchased are much, much more chemically derived.

Value

I bought a small bottle to try out for my first use and this stuff is NOT cheap.  I paid $9.95 for a 3.3fl oz. bottle... which is smaller than any other bottle in my shower.  I normally would not purchase something so expensive, but I like that this product is, for the most part, a natural shampoo.  The one reality that most of us need to accept is that if we are opting to go to a store for a natural beauty product, it will NOT be cheap.

Does It Work?

I shampoo and condition (my conditioner is coconut milk based) my hair every other day, while also using argan oil to treat the ends of my hair daily.  My prior shampoo was a keratin formula, and since beginning the use of the Fairly Traded Honey Shampoo, I will say that my hair does feel much more moisturized.

The smell of the product isn't that great when you're in the shower applying it, but while heat-styling my hair, the honey scent turns very sweet and is actually quite nice compared to the smell of my hair with the keratin shampoo.  The shampoo does feel a bit heavy on my "Day One" hair, but I get a lot of bounce back on "Day Two."

As far as shine, I haven't seen a lot of difference on the ends of my hair, but along the crown of my head, my hair does have a more silky appearance.

Would I Repurchase?

Overall, I'd say that this is a fun product to try, but too expensive for the average mom to use long term.  I think that I would rather keep shopping around for other shampoos that cost less and that still have natural ingredients.

There are a few coconut and argan oil formulas that I will be trying over the next few months - keep an eye out for those reviews!