Lush – Blousey (Musa Paradisiaca)

After describing the virtues of a sweet massage oil, it's time to review something completely different. This treat is called “Blousey” \“Musa Paradisiaca” in Italian. To be honest, I can't fully grasp the meaning of the pun in the English name, maybe because I've never worn a blouse, but I can feel a connection with a sensation of looseness and fluency. In Italian, the meaning is much easier to explain, the words on the label just do that: “Musa Paradisiaca” is an ancient scientific name for what we nowadays call... banana, which is the main ingredient of this shampoo.

At first glance, after opening the small black plastic jar, the sight isn't very pleasant. As I might have said before, being used to cheap industrial cosmetics, I wonder how this sort of brownish whipped cream with dark dots can classify as shampoo (“oxidated banana shake” would be an appropriate definition). 

The fragrance is nice, though: slightly sweet, spicy and somehow natural –  it doesn't smell like a packet of bubble gum. 

The first thing that pops up in my mind is: how much of this stuff shall I pick up? Not a stupid question, because – sorry Jessica, I didn't mean to be rude by checking this, but it's part of my job – it's not as cheap as a ham sandwich. One jar (240 g) costs 30,95 €. You can imagine how shocking that – for an habitué of special offers like me – can be. However, after several rounds of thorough testing, the answer is: dip generously your fingers. You won't get quickly a big, rich foam (fair sign, this means good quality): in order to obtain that, add a little water and work everything for a while. If you have long hair, which is my case, be prepared to use a fair amount of cream to reach every portion of your mop.

After rubbing my head as usual, I leave the shampoo in place a few minutes (less than five to be honest, I'm not that patient). In the meantime, I enjoy the pleasant fragrancy that Blousey/Musa Paradisiaca gives off. Then, I rinse accurately my hair – twice, since I've discovered that if all the shampoo isn't washed away properly, you may find, after you're dried and ready to go – some sticky remainings.

The sensations in the aftermath are, however, excellent: apart from the attractive, sunny banana fragrancy that the hair emanate, there is a persistent, genuine feeling of fluffiness and lightness, with the addition of a delicate glossy effect that, if you don't do anything particularly stressful to your head, can last up to two days, much longer than the evanescent one given by conventional industrial stuff. I wonder where the guys from Lush get their fruits – they do their job very well.

Summing everything up, I cannot do anything but praise this brownish banana batter, except for one detail: the price. To be honest, a standard jar is quite long-lasting: assuming a regular use (a reasonable amount 2-3 times\week), you won't see the bottom before a few months. Even so... there is something in the back of my mind that is still reluctant about spending € 30 for a jar of shampoo. But it's just a thing of mine. If that is not a problem, I'd say: go for it!