LUSH came out with a new product that is both like and unlike any of their other offerings. The new product is a scalp treatment called “Hair Doctor”. It is similar to Lush’s available hair masks, except that Hair Doctor was designed specifically for itchy, irritated scalps.
Most products at LUSH are novel and a bit unusual, like their solid shampoos and conditioners. If you’ve never used a hair mask or hair conditioner, you may not know what to expect with an all natural extravaganza like Hair Doctor. Thankfully, I’m here to give you a review and a little bit of instruction.
I had the opportunity to try Lush’s Hair Doctor scalp treatment and was very excited, being one with itchy scalp. I am also unfortunate enough to have bad dandruff which sometimes causes even the skin around my hairline to be flaky. I hoped that Hair Doctor would lessen the inflammation on my scalp and give my hair an herbal infusion of health. I was not disappointed!
Hair Doctor has a fresh smell that reminds me of muds mixed with herbs. And no wonder-this scalp treatment is in a base of fuller’s earth with many different herbal infusions including chamomile, almond, jojoba, and peppermint oil. It is a green-brown color. Also this hair treatment has a lot of irish moss ingredients, which is a softening type of seaweed that helps give the hair treatments their particular consistency. But Hair Doctor is missing one key ingredient-preservatives! There are no preservatives in Lush’s fresh scalp treatment, so you have to keep it in the fridge and use it within about a month of bringing it home. (I wouldn’t worry about this too much. I had mine out of the fridge for two weeks and it never grew any mold.)
I began by taking a lump of the concoction and rubbing it into my scalp, and wiping any excess through the strands of my hair. You must apply Hair Doctor, and all LUSH hair masks, to dry hair. For my shoulder-length hair I used about a quarter of the pot. There are directions on the pot for how much to use. Basically, you want to coat your hair until it looks wet with the product. In the case of a scalp treatment like Hair Doctor, make sure you pay extra attention to gently rubbing the product into your scalp and to coating your entire scalp. Rub in with the tips of your fingers. Never use your nails because that can scratch and damage your scalp! Though Hair Doctor is specifically for your scalp, I also put it on my hair because there is nothing in that pot that could hurt your hair and a lot of ingredients that are good for it.
After I had coated my hair adequately with Hair Doctor, I waited. You must wait at least twenty minutes with a hair treatment in your hair. I waited about thirty minutes. It’s okay to wait a little bit longer, but you do not want to sit with the product on your head for a very long time because this can overwork your hair and scalp.
I could feel the effects of Hair Doctor immediately. After I had coated my hair I felt that it somehow already looked healthier. (Of course, this was probably just from seeing such a strong herbal infusion coating my strands.) I could feel Hair Doctor working on my scalp within minutes. I was subjected to a tingling sensation everywhere that it touched. It felt like fresh peppermint was being infused into my scalp!
During my thirty minute wait period there were occasional moments when my scalp felt itchy, but I would just rub my scalp with my finger. (Remember-don’t scratch.) Also, Hair Doctor can burn slightly (in a good way) but because of that, I would not recommend sitting with it on your head for more than twenty or thirty minutes max. You can really feel it working.
Afterwards, I rinsed out the Hair Doctor. Unlike the other LUSH Hair Treatments I have used, Hair Doctor felt thicker and weightier on my strands and was harder to rinse. While I personally do not think you usually need to use conditioner after a hair treatment, I would recommend using one after rinsing out Hair Doctor. It is just not as conditioning on the hair as a product like H’Suan Wen Hua. This is because Hair Doctor is a scalp treatment and the others are specifically for your hair. I didn’t use conditioner because I wanted to see how my hair would react to this product alone.
It really worked wonders for my scalp. My hair was shiny and soft, too! All the softening ingredients made my hair look very healthy. But my scalp saw a definite improvement. It did not completely cure my dandruff (and nothing probably ever will) but I did not have flakes or itching for several days. The grossest part of my dandruff, that around my hairline, did not return for weeks. I believe if I used Hair Doctor every two weeks or so I would be able to keep the problem at bay completely.
If you have an itchy or irritated scalp I highly recommend this product. It has worked better for me than any other scalp treatment/remedy like Neutrogena, Head & Shoulders, etc. Also, Hair Doctor is all natural with absolutely no preservatives for you to worry about. I am consistently happy with LUSH products, and Hair Doctor is one of my new favorites!
