This is the second shampoo bar I have tried and I must say that I am much more convinced by this one than I was with the first. Apart from being solid, Soak & Float does behave like a shampoo. It lathers beautifully and I feel like I am cleaning rather than just plastering some random stuff on my head.

What it does, according to the brand: “A no-nonsense shampoo bar. Cade oil is derived from juniper and has long been used to treat psoriasis, dandruff, and eczema. Rose and marigold petals calm things down and soothe redness. All good things to help soothe scalps.”

My experience: I tried both lathering in my hands to apply to my hair and stroking the bar gently directly on my hair. Both worked. This was an unexpected advantage compared to liquid shampoos: I sometimes have difficulties getting the liquid through the thickness of the hair to reach the scalp, especially after swimming. With this shampoo bar I can lift some sections of hair and reach these underlayers more easily.

The smell is subtle for Lush and it doesn’t seem to contain an insane amount of artificial colouring either, which is why I picked it as my first Lush shampoo bar to try. It still contains Sodium Lauryl Sulfate which is why it lathers and cleans so well. So if you wish to avoid SLSs, this one is not for you. Other ingredients include cedarwood, rose, cade oil (juniper), tonka and the ubiquitous Geraniol, Limonene and Linalool for fragrance. A few petals of rose and marigold are thrown into the mix, which makes the bar look pretty and interesting, but can be a pain to rinse off. Because of the SLS, you’ll need a serious rinse off anyway, so the petals will probably go too… My bar looked like it had a dead moth in it but I am very much hoping it is just a flower. I’ll found out soon enough.

After use my hair felt clean and soft. I still needed conditioner but I can’t complain about that, I always need conditioner.

The bar is a little too big for the Lush round tin, which is not very clever. It fits in the square one but it rattles. I bought the cork pot, which is gorgeous, and I managed to push it in. It is convenient for the gym and for holidays.

I have many more shampoo bars to try, but this one definitely goes on the “I would buy again” list. I even bought one for my 87 year-old dad, who is trying to cut down on plastic and was quite fascinated when he saw mine. I don’t have his verdict yet though, as I gave the shampoo bar to him on the Saturday afternoon and he washes his hair on Saturday mornings… I will have to wait a week to find out what he thinks of it 😀

Good sides:

• Plastic-free
• Not irritating
• Leaves hair clean and soft
• Lathers well
• Very pleasant to use

Bad sides:

• Contains added and artificial fragrances
• Contains SLSs

Would I repurchase? Yes

List of ingredients: Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Water, Perfume, Cedarwood Absolute, Rose oil, Tonka Absolute, Cade oil, Marigold and Rose petals, Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone, Citronellol, Coumarin, Geraniol, Limonene, Linalool

Please click here for a link to the product on the Lush website.