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22 April 2014

Washday Greens Shampoo


Having been a late collector of Lush, there are hundreds of products I was not around to enjoy or try out - ones that I can only ogle at on the internet and hope that Lush choose to bring back in the near future. Now that Lush have brought out their 'Kitchen initiative', which has seen the re-release of many old favourites from across the years, I'm hopeful that there'll be appearances from many forgotten products from their vaults - a promising but equally expensive wish.  

I was lucky enough to purchase a sample bottle of Washday Greens Shampoo from a forum member a few months ago and was rather keen to test it out. Having not made an appearance since 2009, this was rather an exciting find, although one that I worried was perhaps a little too out-of-date to perform effectively.      

This shampoo is designed to be refreshing, to revitalise your hair and stimulate your scalp; aimed at consumers with normal to oily hair. On first sniff, Washday is a rather unisex smell, which wasn't off-putting, but definitely a different kettle of fish from the Godiva I had been using for the latter three months. 
Consisting of fresh garden mint, spearmint oil and peppermint oil, this shampoo is obviously a very minty product. Normally, I would be rather hesitant to get over-excited about this shampoo as I'm not somebody too enamoured by mint-scented items. However, as soon as I applied this to my hair, my opinions changed immediately.

To me, Washday Greens smells almost identical to the mint jelly that I used to slather all over my meat when I was younger - a naturally sugary but equally refreshing aroma. Aside from the mint, I could detect the beautiful fragrance of the bay leaves, which added a layer of freshness to the shampoo and just gave it that little extra special touch.

When applying this to my hair, I really feel like I am being transported back to when I was a young girl, eating roast dinner outside in the evening sun and lapping up that fresh greenery that my mum grew around her garden. It's a wonderful experience.

The consistency of the shampoo is very similar to that of Cynthia Sylvia Stout but perhaps slightly runnier. It lathers up easily and for most people, you'd probably only need a teaspoon amount each time to cover your entire head. I have semi-thick hair that runs down just past my shoulders and this amount foamed and spread throughout my locks without feeling like I was spreading it too thinly.  

Lush claim that this shampoo helps to revitalise your scalp, which I assumed meant that the mint would leave it tingling like Dirty Springwash or Freeze. However, this was not the case. Instead, this shampoo left my hair feeling as if it had been given a new lease of life. I began using this right after I dyed my hair, and whereas normally I would experience days of dryness, instead my locks looked healthy and glossy right away.    
Washday Greens is really gentle on my hair, and after monitoring it from day one, I found that it didn't strip the colour out of my hair, which is something I rate highly in shampoos as I dye my hair regularly. Furthermore, it left my hair feeling super-soft, without looking frizzy or thin, and this feeling stayed with me throughout the entire day and into the next.

The only negative aspect about this shampoo is that my hair didn't retain the wonderful smell, something I was really hoping it would. However, this could be due to it's age and I'd be interested in hearing from someone who has used it fresh, to tell me as to whether this is a product fault or something to do with it's age. I'm so happy that Lush have brought this out again so I can buy a few bottles to keep my going. Although I'm reverting mostly to solid shampoos, this is one I'm happy to make an exception for. 

Quantitative Ingredients: Fresh Bay Infusion (Laurus Nobilis), Ammonium Lauryl Sulfate, Fresh Garden Mint (Mentha Arvensis), Lauramide DEA, Sea Salt (Sodium Chloride), Spearmint Oil (Mentha Viridis), Peppermint Oil (Mentha Piperita), Menthol, Perfume, Chlorophyll, Methylparben, Propylparaben.

Vegan?: Yes.

2016 Price: £11 for 250g.
2017 Price: £11.25 for 250g.


2 comments

  1. I managed to get a bottle of this from a retro run a couple of years back. I don't find that it keeps its scent much, either. Quite often my mum will remark if a scent lingers on me, which a lot of lush shampoos and conditioners do, but this one doesn't seem to have the same effect. It is my favourite at the moment, however, as it doesn't leave residue like gentil lentil does. I have long, fly-away hair, that can get a bit greasy, depending on how often i wash it.

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  2. Hi Jen! I was needing some help with pairing products and I thought you'd be the best person to ask. I live in the US and recently had the chance to go to Oxford Street to pick up a lot of stuff for my birthday and I happened to pick up Washday Greens from their kitchen section and I was wondering what main line conditioner would go well with the smell and also be good for moisturizing my hair. Thank you so much I love your blog!

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