This section is for all you DIY folk out there who see a consumer product and say, “how can I make this better? How can I trick this sucker out and make it really work for me?” Now don’t get me wrong, Lush is an awesome company and we both think their stuff is second to none. But there are lots of little tricks that we’ve observed ourselves and heard about that will help you make the most out of your Lush products. We’ve organized our tips into several categories, from how to take care of your items to storage, from making your items last to cocktailing your lush for the most delicious scent!
Making Your Lush Last
– Your soap needs to be dry and exposed to air. You know how soap forms a thick, clear, gooey film when it sits in water or moisture for a long time? That’s your soap, and hard earned dollars, melting away into nothingness. Also, since it has been diluted with water, this gooey layer is less effective in cleaning. We recommend that after every use, pat your soap down with a towel to remove excess water and place it in a tin or soap dish, preferably a completely dry one with holes in the bottom to prevent water from pooling and to help air naturally dry your soap. (Note: I [Sally] keep a suction soap dish in the back of my shower, away from the water, and put my soap there after I use it. I don’t dab it dry with a towel, so I get a LITTLE bit of ‘goo’ on the bottom sometimes, but mostly my soap stays dry and lasts a long time)
Storing Your Lush
-We like to use “Its A Wrap!” and baskets to store our products. Personally, I (Sally) hang one in my bathroom and fill it with items that I may want for my shower– a few different soaps slivers, facial cleansers, ocean salt, a few body bars, etc. That way, the products I will want to grab quickly are available to me, and I can store the rest in my bedroom to make it smell yummy! I keep another “Its A Wrap!” hanging on a hook in my room filled with my morning/night facial cleanser routine: tea tree toner, fresh farmacy, imperialis, vanishing cream, coalface, sweet japenese girl, etc.
Emma W writes: “If you store the shampoo pucks sideways in the tin (like a wheel) then only a little bit sticks to the bottom of the tin and it dries a lot quicker.”
Dianna writes: “Put soaps in the freezer or fridge and when you use it in a warm shower the mix of the two temperatures are amazing!”
Adria writes: “I intentionally put my Jungle conditioner, wet into a shampoo tin and is the only lush product I leave in the shower. Not in direct spray of course, but I like it when the bottom sitting in the tin gets a bit gooey and soft, so when i use it i just ‘scrape’ that soft layer off and rub it straight into my hair. Much more efficient than trying to warm and rub it in my hand to get enough to use.”
Christy writes: “I keep everything out of the shower spray, except the shampoo and conditioner bottles (I use I Love Juicy and American Cream. Also I use Flying Fox but I’m not too thrilled with it anymore.) My soaps (Mudflats, Lemslip and Olive Oil) I keep in special little travel soap cases at the side of the sink. I keep my Enchanted Eye Cream in the fridge – it feels SOOOO amazingly good putting it on before bed and in the morning.”
Bouncie writes: “You can freeze (mostly use ziplocks) fresh face masks.”
Trailertrashprincess writes: “A more practical way to use them [shower jellies] is to put the jelly (either whole or half – but a large chunk of it) into a little drawstring gift bag. i’ve got some lace ones (from HAEE) that i use with my shower jellies and it is PERFECT but the sheer organza ones work, too. holds the jelly together, lets you use it almost like a bar of soap, and you can put the whole thing back into the little plastic container (or a tin) when you’re done in the bath/shower.”
Marina writes: “Shampoo bars are a pain as they tend to stick to the tin so I put in a small bit of satin ribbon at the bottom of the shampoo bar tin with two end sticking up, when it gets stuck to the tin I just pull on one end of the ribbon and the shampoo bar pops right up. Also turning the shampoo around during the day allows the shampoo bar to dry on both sides quicker!”
Cocktailing Your Lush
-Use Silky Underwear over/under Potion Lotion.
-Use Candy Fluff over Nutts massage bar to smell like a sugar cookie.
-Use Candy Fluff over Each Peach massage bar to smell like a creamsicle.
-Use Candy Fluff after using the Godmother (they have the same scent!) in your shower.
Illeyad writes: “Silky Underwear with Soft Touch, the sent is so warm and comforting it will put you to sleep and give you the lovliest of dreams. I call it, my lullaby scent.”
Marina writes: “My favourite cocktail has to be wash with rockstar soap, moisturise with Coco Lotion and add just a touch of Candy fluff… you smell deliciusly sweet and coconutty and feels like your on holiday everyday!”
Dianne writes: “Scrub with the ocean salt on your face, wash off and then right away after that throw on a face mask and let it dry completely then wash that off, makes my face soooo smooth…”
Marina writes: “I find the Ocean salt facial scrub waaaay to rough for my face so I like to mix a bit in with another cream facial cleanser I am using now and rub the mixture in my hands for a couple of minutes before putting it on my faces, makes for a gentle but effective exfoliator.”
Marina writes: “I have heard that mixing in a 100ml of sylvia stout (the beer 1 ) shampoo into a tub of Big shampoo makes the most luxurious shampoo giving both volume and moisture and great for coloured/damaged hair…”
-Leave a comment with your favorite shower and bath cocktails!
Alternative Lush Uses
Melissa from Canada writes: “I like to use Dream Wash shower smoothie as a face wash when I have painful breakouts. It soothes the irritation and really calms my face down, giving instant relief as well as helping clear up the break out. Just make sure to rinse really well and moisturize afterwards.”
Marina writes: “Store half the fresh face masks you buy in the freezer and then later on in the month thaw and use. Also if you don’t have time for a proper steam with their toner tabs, just spritz on some of their toner onto your face before applying a mask! Dream Cream can be used on the face and helps with those who suffer dry skin but acne as it has tea tree oil in it as well! For a super moisutrising scrub, give yourself (or preferably) have some one give you a generous massage with one of their massage bars then jump in the shower and scrub down with Ocean Salt scrub!”
Liquidtrance000 writes: “I’ve used Lemslip before as a mild face wash– The lemon really helps brighten your face!”
Christy writes: “I find I have a hard time using up my Biofresh masks before the expiration date, since I only use them twice or three times a week, so I apply it to back and shoulders every now and then too.”
Hannah writes: “I used to use a little bit of American Cream Conditioner as a leave-in when I used it.. It helped my hair keep the delicious smell. 
I don’t use it anymore though because I stopped using hair products containing SLS. I’m also looking forward to trying therapy massage bar for stretch marks. One great tip- get your SO to help pick out stuff for baths for both of you, it makes them get involved and supportive. My bf loves bathbombs because they fizz.”
Bouncie writes: “Sometimes I use Fair Trade Footlotion on my face at night ^_^ i love it!I put a little bit of Snow Fairy Showergel on my hair when I wash it. Makes my hair smell so nice. Lemslip is very nice to shave with “
Leave a comment with any other tips you have!
Our Lush Collection
We have a pretty massive collection of Lush that we have tried and not yet reviewed. Below is our personal “collection”– feel free to request reviews of any items from this list, and also to request samples of the items below to be used for promotions. The italicized items have been reviewed.
Body Wash/Shower:
Happy Hippy shower gel
Flying Fox shower gel
Snow Fairy shower gel
Rub Rub Rub shower gel
Yummy Yummy Yummy shower gel
Whoosh Shower Jelly
Joy of Jelly Shower Jelly
Strawberry Santa Jelly
Ocean Salt
Buffy
Massage Bars:
Therapy Massage Bar
PYCR massage bar
Wiccy Massage Bar
Nutts Massaage Bar
Each Peach Massage Bar
Lotions:
Skin Sin lotion
Lemony Flutter
Dream Cream
Potion Lotion
Imperialis Moisturizer
Vanishing Cream Moisturizer
Misc:
Silky Underwear Dusting Powder
Snow on Snow Dusting Powder
Candy Fluff Dusting Powder
Coconut Deoderant
Bath Bombs:
Supernova
Happy Pill
Golden Slumbers
Avobath
Big Blue
Blackberry
Rainbow Worrier
Fizzy O’ Therapy
Psychodelic
World Piece
Green Party
Jingle Spells
Bon Bomb
White Wedding
English Countryside
Vanilla Fountain
Sex Bomb
Emotibombs:
Up the Wooden Hill Emotibomb
(3) Sex in the Shower Emotibomb
Up You Gets Emotibomb
Bath Melts:
Blue Elixer
Creamy Candy
Bubble Bars:
The Comforter
Sunny Side
Ickle Baby Baffs (Angel)
Bathos
Candy Cane
The Comforter
French Kiss
Happy
Pop in the Bath
Soaps:
Karma Soap
Porridge Soap
Ice Blue Soap
Sexy Peel Soap
Spice Mountain Soap
Cocktail soap
Shark Fin Soap
Lily Savon Soap
B Electro Soap
17 Cherry Tree Lane Soap
Honey, I Washed the Kids Soap
Snowcake Soap
Almond Buttercream
Rose Buttercream
Lemslip Buttercream
Hair Products:
Big
I Love Juicy
Veganese Conditioner
Goth Juice
Daddy- O
American Cream
Seanik Solid Shampoo
Squeaky Green Solid Shampoo
Perfume:
Go Green Solid Perfume
Karma Solid Perfume
Silky Underwear Solid Perfume
Potion Solid Perfume
Lips:
Lip Squeak Lip Balm
Face:
Herbalism Facial Cleanser
Cupcake Face Mask
Fresh Farmacy Cleanser
Coalface Cleanser
Cosmetic Warrior Face Mask
Sweet Japanese Girl Cleanser
Tea Tree Toner
Tea Tree Toner Tabs
Mask of Magnaminty
Tins:
(4) Massage Bar Tins
(3) Body Butter Tin
(1) Shampoo Tin
Samples:
Aroma Crème Deodorant
Aromarant Deodorant
Sea Vegetable Body Soap
Imperialis
Enzymion
Mask of Magnamity
Coal Face Cleanser
Banana Moon sample
Gratuitious Violets sample
Sandstone sample
Sea Vegetable sample
Snowcake sample
The Blonde
Freeze SG sample
Snowcake SG sample
Lily Savon Sample
Porridge sample
The Godmother Sample
Lush Life: Honest Reviews by a Modest Couple 
I like to use Dream Wash shower smoothie as a face wash when I have painful breakouts. It soothes the irritation and really calms my face down, giving instant relief as well as helping clear up the break out. Just make sure to rinse really well and moisturize afterwards.
I’ve used Lemslip before as a mild face wash– The lemon really helps brighten your face!
If you store the shampoo pucks sideways in the tin (like a wheel) then only a little bit sticks to the bottom of the tin and it dries a lot quicker.
I intentionally put my Jungle conditioner, wet into a shampoo tin and is the only lush product I leave in the shower. Not in direct spray of course, but I like it when the bottom sitting in the tin gets a bit gooey and soft, so when i use it i just ‘scrape’ that soft layer off and rub it straight into my hair. Much more efficient than trying to warm and rub it in my hand to get enough to use.
I keep everything out of the shower spray, except the shampoo and conditioner bottles (I use I Love Juicy and American Cream. Also I use Flying Fox but I’m not too thrilled with it anymore.) My soaps (Mudflats, Lemslip and Olive Oil) I keep in special little travel soap cases at the side of the sink. I keep my Enchanted Eye Cream in the fridge – it feels SOOOO amazingly good putting it on before bed and in the morning. I find I have a hard time using up my Biofresh masks before the expiration date, since I only use them twice or three times a week, so I apply it to back and shoulders every now and then too.
I used to use a little bit of American Cream Conditioner as a leave-in when I used it.. It helped my hair keep the delicious smell. 🙂 I don’t use it anymore though because I stopped using hair products containing SLS. I’m also looking forward to trying therapy massage bar for stretch marks. One great tip- get your SO to help pick out stuff for baths for both of you, it makes them get involved and supportive. 🙂 My bf loves bathbombs because they fizz. lol
Sometimes I use Fair Trade Footlotion on my face at night ^_^ i love it!
I put a little bit of Snow Fairy Showergel on my hair when I wash it. Makes my hair smell so nice.
You can freeze (mostly use ziplocks) fresh face masks.
Lemslip is very nice to shave with 🙂
Massage bars can be used as badmelts (not sure it works the other way around as well ^_^ )
Well that are my tips for now 🙂
shower jellies are neat but sortof useless on their own… and of course they can be whipped up with sugar to make them into scrubs – which more than doubles the amount you have (great for stretching LE/seasonal scents) BUT for those of us who don’t like scrubs, a more practical way to use them is to put the jelly (either whole or half – but a large chunk of it) into a little drawstring gift bag. i’ve got some lace ones (from HAEE) that i use with my shower jellies and it is PERFECT but the sheer organza ones work, too. holds the jelly together, lets you use it almost like a bar of soap, and you can put the whole thing back into the little plastic container (or a tin) when you’re done in the bath/shower.
no more chasing bits of jelly down the drain!
body butter tins work much better for shampoo pucks than the round tins do.
all those little slivers of soap that are too small to really use, or have gotten dried out or lost their scent… or if you find that you somehow have gotten loads of little samples of HIWTK and you want to make a usable size bar….
Lush soaps are made from a melt-and-pour type soap base, so it is relatively simple to make MultiSoap bars with all the little leftover bits. especially if some of them are still squishy-soft and fresh, or if you’re willing to sacrifice part of a soft bar of soap to help it all along. (think of it like nuts in a chocolate bar… melt the chocolate to hold the nuts in place)
waxed paper drinking cups from fast food & coffee places make perfect molds for this!
use a pyrex measuring cup if you have one, or a smooth-sided microwave safe bowl/mug and add in all the random soap bits and a splash (tablespoon or so) of water. put in the microwave for 30 seconds to two minutes, depending on your nuker, until the water gets hot, almost boiling, and the soap starts to melt. add in the soft, sacrificial soap (or buttercream), give it a good stir and pop back in the microwave for a little bit longer – it doesn’t all have to melt, but it needs to be melty enough that it’ll all hold together.
when it’s Soap Stew, pour it out into your paper cup or soap mold if you’ve got one (silicone cupcake cups work, too) and either let it sit out to cool or pop it in the freezer.
if you don’t have a micronuker, you can use a double boiler to melt it all.
when cool, peel the paper cup off and toss in the recycle bin – and enjoy your MultiSoap
use your showerhead to help churn up the water when using a bbs to make more bubbles, if your tub doesn’t have the greatest water pressure.
maybe more later – i’m up past my bedtime 😛
I have extremely dry/sensitive skin. When it is flared up the only moisturizer I can use is tiny touches of Ultra bare cleanser!
I just found this site and love it! It’s nice to find fellow Lush addicts 😀
I would like to submit an option for your Lush Cocktails- try out Silky Underwear with Soft Touch, the sent is so warm and comforting it will put you to sleep and give you the lovliest of dreams. I call it, my lullaby scent.
To be fair, Silky Underwear smells great with just about any product from Lush, but this particular one is so warm and serene.
Can’t wait for future updates, take care!
scrub with the ocean salt on your face, wash off and then right away after that throw on a face mask and let it dry completely then wash that off, makes my face soooo smooth…..
Also put soaps in the freezer or fridge and when you use it in a warm shower the mix of the two temperatures are amazing!
My favourite cocktail has to be wash with rockstar soap, moisturise with Coco Lotion and add just a touch of Candy fluff… you smell deliciusly sweet and coconutty and feels like your on holiday everyday!
Some tips I’v been told and picked up alng the way are as follows>>
store half the fresh face masks you buy in the freezer and then later on in the month thaw and use. Also if you don’t have time for a proper steam with their toner tabs, just spritz on some of their toner onto your face before applying a mask!
Dream Cream can be used on the face and helps with those who suffer dry skin but acne as it has tea tree oil in it as well!
for a super moisutrising scrub, give yourself (or preferably) have some one give you a generous massage with one of their massage bars then jump in the shower and scrub down with Ocean Salt scrub! Omg I love this my skin is left feeling sooo silky soft and smooth afterwards
shampoo bars are a pain as they tend to stick to the tin so I put in a small bit of satin ribbon at the bottom of the shampoo bar tin with two end sticking up, when it gets stuck to the tin I just pull on one end of the ribbon and the shampoo bar pops right up. Also turning the shampoo around during the day allows the shampoo bar to dry on both sides quicker!
I find the Ocean salt facial scrub waaaay to rough for my face so I like to mix a bit in with another cream facial cleanser I am using now and rub the mixture in my hands for a couple of minutes before putting it on my faces, makes for a gentle but effective exfoliator
finally although I haven’t tried this myself I have heard that mixing in a 100ml of sylvia stout (the beer 1 ) shampoo into a tub of Big shampoo makes the most luxurious shampoo giving both volume and moisture and great for coloured/damaged hair.. I will be trying this over the xmas hols 🙂
Would it be possible to get Lip Squeak? 🙂