Review - Lush Cynthia Sylvia Stout shampoo

Eeesh - it's absolutely blaaaahdy freezing in London today. The sort of sub-zero cold that gets right into your bones and can only be fully banished, I find, by a long soak in a hot tub.

That's my excuse anyway.

My arsenal of luxurious bathing products has had to be shelved recently due to a very annoying attack of dermatitis on my arms - you may have noticed that I haven't brought you my road-test verdict on the Sanctuary Microdermabrasion Body Renewal yet. That's why that is.

But although my skin has to stick to a wholesome diet of oatmeal baths (they do seem to help), I can still try out lots of exciting new things on my hair.

Like Lush's Cynthia Sylvia Stout shampoo. I bought a bottle of this recently at the train station, as I'd left for a few days at my parents' house in a tearing hurry and hadn't packed my beloved dinky miniature shampoos etc. I picked it more or less at random.

It proffers the usual (unusual) set of ingredients and scent that Lush products always seem to have. Sometimes they are genius, but sometimes they're just outré (Coolaulin, which smells like pencil shavings, does absolutely nothing for me for example). In "Cynthia"'s case, the blend of fresh lemon and boozy yeasty beer combine to make a strange but rather compelling cocktail. It's kind of a cosy, wholesome smell.

The shampoo itself is thick, treacly and translucent. It lathers up well, feeling light on the hair but covering the scalp thoroughly. The sensation on wet hair is weightless, clean and conditioned. There's none of the soapy-squeaky tangly "aaargh quick where is the deep conditioner I need it NOW" feeling I sometimes get from other shampoos. Instead, the promise of "weight and shine" advertised on the bottle seems to already be fulfilled before the hair is even out of the shower.

I have been pairing it with Philosophy's Pure Grace conditioner, another lovely-smelling hair gem. Between them they are making me and my hair very happy during my restorative winter-night baths.