No Snakes Were Harmed In The Making Of This Product....... (Lush Snake Oil Bar Massage Bar)

Member Name: missmaile

Product:	Lush Snake Oil Bar Massage Bar
Date:	05/11/08 (233 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Leave hair sofy, shining and feeling great !

Disadvantages: Hard to apply if you have long hair and will not last long if you have long hair.

Over the past few weeks I have noticed that my scalp has been getting dryer and dryer and it has also started to become itchy and a little bit sore. It has been getting quite uncomfortable, so I decided to try and find a product to help ease my scalp back into normality and of course being the Lush addict that I am, my first port of call was the Lush Handmade Natural Cosmetics store.

Before I went into Lush, I did a little bit of research on the Lush website so that I would have some idea of what I was looking for. The product I had seen on the website was Snake Oil scalp massage bar. I entered the store and located the bar, I then approached an assistant to check I was buying the most suitable product for the problems I was experiencing, and she said it was the right product, so I bought it.

Snake Oil costs £3.95 and my bar was around 50-60g. The bar is a dusty pink colour and has a raised S on the top. As the title of my review says, this product does not actually contain anything from snakes, so no snakes were harmed to make it! The association this bar has with snakes is that it is good for dandruff ie. shedded skin and as we all know, snakes shed their skin. ( I'd love to know who comes up with the names for Lush products !)

The first thing I noticed about snake oil is its fragrance, it is really very unusual. The mix of tea tree oil, lavender and peppermint gives it a very bold aroma. I do not usually buy products containing lavender because the smell gives me a head ache, however I could not pick out the lavender in this product. I do quite like the smell and the most dominant oil scent in my opinion is the tea tree, but all 3 combine together to make quite a lovely fragrance.
When I returned home with my bar I realised I had not asked how to use it. Initially I was unsure if it is used on wet or dry hair and if it worked the same as the solid shampoos. As I held the bar trying to decide how I should use it, it soon became evident what I should be doing. I realised there was no point wetting my hair because the bar was so oily that it would not work well with wet hair. The bar was melting away in my hands and I was left with very greasy thick oil all over my hands, so I untied my hair and began massaging the oil into my head.

I was not sure if I should rub the bar directly onto my head or if I should melt it into my hands then rub it into my scalp. I tried to rub the bar directly onto y scalp but it was difficult to do, so I worked the bar into my hands until I had a good amount of melted product, then I began to work it though my hair and into my scalp.

I have very long curly hair and as the bar began to reduce quickly in size, I realised that there was no way there was enough in the bar to fully cover my hair so that I could then massage it all into my scalp, so I tried to keep as close to my skin as possible, though it was quite difficult.

When I felt my scalp was sufficiently covered with the snake oil I began to rub it in as best I could, however my hair was really getting in the way and it was hard to tell how much of my scalp had actually received the oil, but I carried on and tried to cover as much as I could.

I decided to leave the oil on my head for half an hour to let it work itself into my scalp. I could not really feel anything on my head, sometimes products containing mint will make your skin feel cool or make it tingle, but this product did not. As I was waiting, I packed my bar away again and I realised that the application had used loads of the bar. I think I will have enough for 2 more treatments at a push from this bar.

I think perhaps my long hair was to blame for the amount of oil I had to use, even with the amount I did use, much of my hair was untouched by the oil and remained dry, I do not think even if I had used the whole bat that all my hair could have been covered. I think if all the hair was covered it would have made it much easier to massage the oil into my scalp.

After half an hour I went back into the bathroom to wash the oil out. On the Lush website, they advise you use their soak and float shampoo bar to wash the snake oil out as soak and float is also soak and float, firstly because I do not have any at the moment, but also because I do not really have dandruff, my scalp is just quite dry rather than flaky.

I used the Lush New (that is it's name 'New' rather than meaning it is a new product) to wash out the snake oil. I did think it may be difficult to ash out because my hair was very greasy and bits were sticking tightly together, however to my surprise the oil washed out with no problems. The water was a bit of a funny colour as it drained away, but the entire product came out quickly and easily, I was very impressed.

I usually use conditioner after every wash; however I did not feel I needed to after using snake oil. The oil did not stay in my hair, but it left it feeling extra shiny and smooth, the Lush conditioner I have right now actually can make your hair a little greasy if you use too much, so I decided that I would just dry it and see how it felt.

I always towel dry my hair as it can be quite dry and I worry about the heat from a hair dryer. As I was rubbing the towel over my head I could feel how silky my hair was. Then began to brush my hair and it felt lovely, usually if I do not use conditioner my hair feels course and straw-like but it really felt and looked great, which must be thanks to the snake oil.

The morning after I used the snake oil, my hair still looked really healthy and glowing, I have not seen it look this good for a long time, and best of all my scalp has not been itching. There are still a few little dry patches on my head, but they are no longer irritating me. Previously, the worst dryness I had was about an inch back from my hair line, it was very dry, sore and uncomfortable, but now it feels great, I am really pleased.
I think I need to go to Lush and check exactly how the snake oil should be used, I would like to know if I am meant to just put it onto my scalp or if I should work it into all my hair too.

I will absolutely buy this product again; I keep looking in the mirror at my hair and running my hand over it because it feels so soft and lovely!

For people with shorter hair, this product is perfect, if like me you have longer hair (mine is down to my waist) it can be quite frustrating and time consuming to apply, but the end result really is worth it.

The fragrance from snake oil lingers in your hair for quite a long time after use. Usually my hair smells of the shampoo or conditioner I use and the shampoo I used after the snake oil smells strongly of cinnamon and my hair usually smells of cinnamon for hours after I have used the shampoo, however the snake oil completely overpowered the cinnamon, I used the oil at around 5pm and the next morning I could still lightly smell it, so it is best only to use this is you do like the scent as it does not seem to wash away.

The ingredients in snake oil are to help sooth and calm your head and help clear dandruff, these ingredients (as given on the Lush website) are -

Cocoa Butter (Theobrama cacao)
Shea Butter (Butyrospermum parkii)
Alkanet Extract (Alkanna tinctoria)
Peppermint Oil (Mentha piperita)
Lavender Oil (Lavandula augustifolia)
Tea Tree Oil (Melaleuca alternifolia)
Geraniol
Limonene
Linalool
Perfume

I give snake oil a big thumbs up and the only reason I have deducted a star, is that it is difficult to apply if you have long hair.

Summary: Alovely product which I will definitely buy again.