Lush Godiva Solid Shampoo and Conditioner Bar

RRP: £5.50/55 grams

--What does the promo say?--
"Sexy, jasmine-scented, two-in-one Shampoo (and conditioner) Bar. Shea and cocoa butters moisturise dehydrated hair. Smoothing, shine-inducing camellia oil makes hair manageable."

--Packaging--
Comes wrapped in paper, but you can buy a tin to transport it in for when you start to use it. I understand that the bar shapes and sizes vary marginally, but mine didn't fit in the solid shampoo tin, so I used an old Lush tin that was bigger and squarer. You may be luckier though.

--Application and usage--
Rub the bar in wet hands until a lather builds up and then spread this lather onto your wet hair. Massage into hair and then rinse out.

--Appearance--
While the bar is a honey yellow colour, the lather itself is white and no visible residue is left on the hair after use. There are also a few jasmine flowers in there, and sometimes there are a few yellow lumps visible as well.

--Scent--
Not sure if I could really smell the jasmine - a few times, though, my fiancé has commented that my hair smells like petrol after I've used it (!)...not a good sign...

--Texture and consistency--
Disregarding the jasmine flowers and occasional yellow crystals/lumps that are present in the bar (which sort of fall away anyway rather than getting stuck in your hair), the lather is smooth and easy to rinse and the bar is easy to lather and manipulate. The bar holds its shape quite well before beginning to go a bit mushy. However, when this happens, the paste that is left behind is easy to massage through hair and to create a lather with, and for any especially stubborn lumps that are left in the tin, a dash of water turns it into said paste and makes it usable again (in fact, quite a few Lush products can be rescued in this way).

--Effects on hair--
The scent, as noted, is perhaps not always positive; I also can't say I saw any increase in shine. However, hair was made smoother and more manageable (albeit not 100%; it lacked the wow-factor I was looking for). Ultimately, though, hair is clean and easy to style after use.

--Value for money--
Excellent - I bought this for use on holidays to try to weasel out of the baggage restrictions on liquids that are imposed by airlines, and it's got me through about a year's worth of holidays (I holiday for about 12 weeks a year). The fact that it's a shampoo and conditioner in one means that this is also a favourable aspect of the product, helping you to cut down on your packing. Unfortunately, it's the only hard 2-in-1 shampoo/conditioner available, meaning that if you don't like Godiva, you have to either have a hard shampoo + an extra liquid conditioner, a hard shampoo + the only hard conditioner available (Jungle), or ditch the conditioner altogether. If you do like Godiva, however, then life's pretty sweet - it's perfect for travel.

perfect partner
Solid Shampoo Tin, £2.50 (or free with 2 shampoo bars)