Meet Marilyn... (Lush Marilyn Hair Moisturiser)

Member Name: angeelu

Product:	Lush Marilyn Hair Moisturiser
Date:	28/09/05 (1712 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Natural ingredients, no chemicals, easy to use, works !

Disadvantages: Small tub, fairly pricy (£5 .80 for 225g)

I'd only gone in Lush to buy a few bubble bar slices, but while I was in there Marilyn was introduced to me. The Lush shop in my hometown is very new... as such, the staff all seem ultra-enthusiastic... perhaps this is why as I was browsing the shelves before making my purchases a member of staff decided to take up conversation with me and tell me all about everything that was on the shelf in front of me. I wasn't particularly paying attention to her to be fair, but one product she picked up and mentioned caught my eye... Marilyn.

Marilyn is a hair moisturiser rather than a conditioner. It has similar properties to a conditioner, but you don't use it after shampooing... you use it before. Although it's not specified on the tub, Marilyn is intended for people with mid to light brown or blonde hair (as advised by Lush assistant). The idea is that you cover your dry hair in the product and then wash your hair as normal. As to how long you leave the product on your hair there seems to be differing opinions - the tub doesn't specifiy, it says simply to apply to your dry hair then wash as normal, though other reviews and info I've read on the web suggest it's worthwhile leaving in for a while. As such, I conducted my own experiment to find out whether leaving it in makes much difference. Incidentally the Lush shop assistant didn't mention anything about how long to leave it on, so perhaps you can also use it just by putting it on then rinsing out almost immediately?)

To Look At:
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Marilyn comes in a simple black tub, like a small plastic flower pot with a screw top lid (I blame the blonde in me for spending a good few minutes trying to prise the top off before realising it was screw top). All that adorns the tub is very simple labelling with the Lush logo, product name, description and details for Lush.
The label states:
"Hair Moisturiser. Want to be a natural 'blonde'? Give yourself chamomile highlights and hair that's soft like silk. How to use: soak your hair with Marilyn (use plenty) before washing, shampoo, condition normally."
There's also the usual Lush sticker advising who made the product as all their products are hand made (thanks Justin for this one), though these labels now show a cartoonish picture of the creator too - Justin has blonde highlights, maybe he uses this?!

On opening the 225g pot my first thought was custard. That's just what it resembled. It's kind of gloopy and fairly runny though not watery, and it's a pale yellow colour. I'm not overly sure I like the smell, but it's not overpowering and it's not nasty, it's just nothing special. The main smell is (I think) the chamomile with a hint of lemon, though I'm not sure what linseed smells of so maybe it does smell like that too?

The Application:
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This was slightly more difficult that I imagined it would be. It's harder than I thought to cover dry hair in custard! It's a case of scooping up a handful of the moisturiser, plonking it on your head and rubbing it in to your hair - I have fairly long hair, but I found about 1/3 of the tub was sufficient to cover my hair. The sensation made me think of what it must be like to be gunged (you know, like you see on kids programs), kind of cool and slimy.

After I'd coated my hair I waited. On my first go with the product I left it on about 20 minutes, on my second go I left it just over an hour.

It didn't state on the tub how long to leave it on for, so before my third go I decided to email Lush to ask what the recommended time was for leaving this on. Apparantly about 20 - 30 minutes is usually long enough with regards to leaving it on before rinsing it off, though a little longer may have a little more effect. Apparantly leaving it on much longer though won't necessarily have any additional effect as once it's done its job its done, so I guess there's no real point in leaving it on hours or overnight.

Washing it Off:
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This was easy enough - a case of jumping in the shower and rinsing it out, then shampoo and condition as usual. I didn't use Lush shampoo and conditioner, just the stuff I had in my bathroom.

The Results:
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1st time (20 minutes) - maybe it was because I wanted to see a result, but I was certain I could see a result even when my hair was still wet from the shower. My hair is highlighted already, though always looks quite brown when wet, though I could distinctly see lighter highlights. After I had dried my hair it felt really smooth and soft and I'm certain it looked fresher, more like I'd just had it highlighted maybe?

2nd time (just over one hour) - I left it on longer before washing it off this time just to see how much difference this made. Again there was a noticeable difference to my hair - nothing outrageous - I wasn't bleached blonde or anything, but the highlights in my hair appeared more prominent and fresh, my hair looked healthy and shiny and brighter.

The Conclusion:
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At £5.80 a tub for about 3 applications it's fairly expensive, but this isn't a product you'd use every time you wash your hair. More of an occasional treat / treatment. The results are noticeable and it does leave your hair in better condition, and this lasts a good few days. For naturally blond hair I would imagine this would last even longer - mine is highlighted and tends to get dryer quicker unless I regularly give it a good condition. If your hair is looking a bit dull, or in need of a bit of TLC this product is ideal!

The product is intended for people with blonde/light brown hair so there would be little use in darker haired people using it as it wouldn't have much effect. Lush do offer similar products for other hair types (H'Suan Wen Hua - for all hair types / Arabian Bright - for softer, brighter, redder hair / The Strokes - helps give weight and body to fluffy hair).

I will definitely be buying this again, and will probably end up using it every other week or slightly more often if my hair feels dry. I would definitely recommend it.

Five stars
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Summary: Custardy gunge from Lush which conditions your hair and improves your highlights!