Ingredients: Red Henna Infusion (Lawsonia inermis), Water (Aqua), Cetearyl Alcohol (&)Sodium Lauryl Sulfate , Extra Virgin Olive Oil (Olea europaea), Benzyl Alcohol, Ylang Ylang Oil (Cananga odorata), Jasmine Absolute (Jasminum officinale), Wheatgerm Oil (Triticum vulgare), Organic Jojoba Oil (Simmondsia chinensis), Almond Oil (Prunus dulcis), Brazil Nut Oil (Bertholletia excelsa), Extra Virgin Coconut Oil (Cocos nucifera), Organic Hemp Oil (Cannabis sativa), Soya Oil (Glycine soja), Castor Oil (Ricinus communis), Benzyl Salicylate, Benzyl Benzoate, Farnesol, Geraniol, Linalool, Hydroxycitronellal, Benzyl Alcohol, Isoeugenol, Perfume, Methylparaben, Propylparaben

Well what can I say. I really really want to like Lush. They are a ethical company, their shops are vibrant and fun and they try to be fair trade and earth friendly wherever possible. I loved the concept of this product. Henna, Jojoba, Hemp, Sweet Almond- it all sounds so good- Except there is Sodium Lauryl Sulfate and the parabens it. And the smell! The reviews! Wait – SLS and parabens? What’s going on here…?

Lets talk about SLS for a moment. We’ll save parabens for another time.

What Lush says about SLS :

Sodium lauryl sulfate is a surface active agent or surfactant. All surfactants are partly water-soluble and partly oil-soluble. It is this quality that allows oil and water, which normally don’t mix together, to become dispersed.

Used at above minimum concentration, the surfactant molecules become organised in a structure that can trap oil-based dirt from hair, which allows the dirt to be rinsed away. Foam is not responsible for removing dirt but it allows the hands to work the product through hair or across skin. This helps the mechanical removal of dirt.
urfactants like sodium lauryl sulfate replaced the oldest surfactant, which is soap. They cleanse hair in a modern way that we like – leaving it fresh, clean and with great shine.

Soap will get hair clean, but its alkalinity tends to cause roughening of the cuticles on the hair follicle, leading to a tangled and dull appearance.

Sodium lauryl sulfate gives a thick rich foam and cleanses the hair leaving it feeling very clean. Its thorough action effectively dissolves dirt and grease.

We have used sodium lauryl sulfate in our hair care products and soaps for thirty years. It is available in many forms: as a liquid, paste and as a solid.

Lorraine Massey- the Curly hair guru behind The Curly Girl Method insists that ammonium laureth sulfate, ammonium lauryl sulfate, sodium laureth sulfate, sodium lauryl sulfate, are harsh, drying sulfates that are extremely damaging for curly hair. They make curly hair frizzy and uncooperative. To quote:

“You’d never dream of washing a good sweater with detergent. Yet most shampoos contain harsh detergents (sodium lauryl sulfate or laureth sulfate) that one finds in dish washing liquid. They’re great for pots and pans because they cut grease so effectively. Your hair on the other hand, needs to retain some natural oils, which protect your hair and scalp. Stripping them away deprives the hair of necessary moisture and amino acids and makes it look dry and dull.” (LM)

Personally I have a problem with SLS and many other surfants on my skin- If a face wash has SLS or any other sulfates in it I immediately get an out break of eczema on my face. I has use pure soap for the last year and 1/2 and have found it helps keep it under control.

So you would think I would opt not to use the Jasmin and henna fluff ease- but it cost nearly £10 so I decided to go ahead and try it anyways. The instructions say to use it as a pre-poo for 20 minutes and then shampoo it out then follow with conditioner. (Which, if you follow with a Lush Shampoo that also contains SLS- doesn’t that sort of defeat the purpose of all those oils?)

The Result- I’m surprised. I am surprised that a product can make my hair look greasy and feel dry at the same time. I decided to do a twist out and head to bed. I awoke with not so much as a twist out as a greasy fuzzy mess. I had to resort to twirling the curls with a little gel to get some definition.

This product was definitely not for me. It did smell good though.

2/10 -because of the great smell.