Hair Review: Lush Marilyn Hair Moisturizer

Marilyn Hair Moisturizer

hair lightening treatment

As the summer winds down, and the bronzer, sunscreen, and gradual tanners find their homes in the back of bathroom cabinets, I have hit the bottom of my Marilyn hair treatment by Lush. Lush has the most amazing organic, healthy and fun cosmetics and it is just an amazing experience walking into their awesome stores. So naturally, when I went looking for a hair lightening treatment at the beginning of the summer I went to Lush first hoping to find something that would help keep my hair moisturized in the hot New York summer, but also lighten my hair naturally without dyes or heavy chemicals. And boy did Lush deliver.

The Deal: 

Marilyn is packaged in Lush's black pots (if you have 5 empties you can take them back to the store and get a free face mask), and is a 20 minute conditioner that you wash out. Taking advise from reviews on the Lush website, I left the product in for much longer, sometimes up to four or five hours, before washing out because I have medium brown hair, and although the product is marketed for blondes (Marilyn is named after one of the most famous blondes in the world, the great Marilyn Monroe), it works for almost all hair colors (I doubt it would do much for black hair? But it will lighten reds, too).

Marilyn is made with chamomile, which if you have ever used chamomile infused shampoos you know it is a light and natural dye. Marilyn also contains lemon (ever sat in the sun with lemon juice in your hair?) saffron and olive oil. Olive oil will keep your hair soft and moisturized through whatever, and the website says that the saffron is for shine, but either way it is a luxurious ingredient and it makes Marilyn all the more glamorous! And all those great ingredients give it a citrus tea smell which is awesome for the summer months, granted you wash it out with just water or a lightly scented shampoo.

 

Marilyn by Lush, 7.9 oz container

Gripes: 

• The formulation starts thick like a conditioner, and by the last quarter of the container the formula became a liquid. It is extremely difficult to use that way, and you have to be careful to not spill it everywhere. 
• For the cost ($21.95 per 7.9 oz) you will use it up very,very quickly. This product will not last longer than two months if your hair is darker than an ash blonde, and if you use it everyday it will go even faster. To apply it to your entire head of hair (if you have a pixie cut I guess you're fine?) takes about one and a half handfuls, and yes I have long hair, but it is very fine, so I didn't expect to need as much. If you have thicker hair, good luck, this product is going to be gone after a few uses.

Okay, But Does It Work?!   

YES! This product absolutely works, you will see results, and you will get compliments on how fresh and shiny your hair becomes. It will lighten your hair, but one container won't take you from brown to blonde, just a warning, only harsh dyes can do that. It did lighten my hair at least a solid shade lighter, enough to get questions about whether I dyed it. The wonders Marilyn worked on my highlights (blonde and red) are really what have me head over heels for this product! It smells amazing, it is easy to use, and it really works. I highly recommend using this product for longer than the recommended 20 minutes, and using it on a beach day (the sun will enhance its lightening abilities) is also a great idea. I started using the product with John Freida's Sheer Blonde shampoo and conditioner for darker blondes, and that enhanced the lightening as well, so if you want it to work faster I recommend a shampoo and conditioner with chamomile or lemon as well. Marilyn is well worth the purchase!

Ciao for Now, M