Smells good but you pay through the nose. (Lush Honey I Washed the Kids Soap)

Member Name: Smyles

Product:	Lush Honey I Washed the Kids Soap
Date:	04/10/07 (200 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Fantastic smell, all natural ingredients, no packaging.

Disadvantages: Price.

Honey I Washed the Kids is probably one of the most popular soaps produced by natural cosmetics company, Lush. It is described as having the scent of toffee and honeycomb - which it does, in spades.

It's true what Lush say about the product on their website, that people who were fully intending to walk out of the store without buying anything just can't resist the smell of this product and grab a big chunk and take it to the till. In fact, I had heard so many fantastic stories about this soap that eventually I decided I had to try it for myself.

I made my purchase at my local Lush store, which as anyone who has ever been into a Lush store knows, is an absolute cacophony of different and somewhat overpowering scents (yes I know that adjective is usually used to describe sounds, not other sensory experiences, but believe me, the smell is so strong it's noisy!). Inside the store I could smell the sweetness of the soap but it wasn't until I took it home that I could really appreciate it.

The smell of this soap, in all honesty, is divine. Having it sitting on it's holder next to the basin in the bathroom leaves the whole room smelling faintly honey-ish. Every time I use it I can smell it on my hands afterwards, and it is such a lovely, sweet, but subtle smell that it is really pleasant to carry around with you.

I must say though, that at the price it would want to be this delicious! At 2 pounds 50 per 100g, Honey I Washed the Kids is one of the more expensive Lush soaps. I'm not sure whether this is because the ingredients are particularly expensive or whether they have just decided that people love it so much they will buy it no matter what the price. Now, I understand that all the Lush products are handmade from natural ingredients and all of that, but I am still not convinced that this product should be so expensive.

Or, if it was to priced so high, I would expect it to do more than just smell nice. After using the soap for a week or so now I feel it does an adequate job, but I don't feel like it is any more gentle on my hands than other soaps. Plus it seems to dissolve fairly easily, even though I use a soap dish that allows all the extra water to drip away, leaving the soap dry. I think this is a shame since it means that the soap will probably be used up faster, and at that price I don't think that leads to good value for money. Perhaps one of the less creamy Lush soaps would have better staying power?

One excellent thing about Lush soaps though, and Lush in general, is that they take a firm stance against unnecessary product packaging. In fact I used to use liquid soap in the bathroom for washing my hands until I was browsing the Lush website and read the description about their range of soaps. It basically made the point that why should we bother with plastic bottles for liquid soap when solid soap works just as well and doesn't require packaging. Even though I used to buy the refill packs, it is still a waste to have that plastic bottle when I really don't need it. Good on you Lush!

Honey I Washed the Kids contains: Honey Water (Mel, Aqua) , Propylene Glycol , Sodium Palm Kernelate , Sodium Stearate , Sodium Lauryl Sulfate , Perfume , Beeswax (Cera alba) , Sweet Orange Oil (Citrus dulcis) , Bergamot Oil (Citrus bergamia) , Aloe Vera Extract (Aloe barbadensis) , Sodium Chloride , Glycerine , EDTA , Tetrasodium Editronate , Gardenia Extract (Gardenia jasminoides) , Titanium Dioxide , *Limonene , *Linalool , Benzyl Benzoate.

I am giving this product four stars for being a natural product, having a wonderful smell, and doing an acceptable job as a soap, but it loses one star for being basically too expensive for me to use it regularly. I recommend this as a little pick-me-up treat or as a present for someone else, not really as a weekly purchase.

Thanks

Summary: Good as a little pick-me-up treat or as a gift, not really as a weekly purchase.