LUSH • Cynthia Sylvia Stout shampoo • Shampoo

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BaronessaGinevra on 3/5/2013 8:57:00 AM more reviews by BaronessaGinevra

Age: 30-35   Skin: Combination, Fair, Cool   Hair: Red, Straight, Fine   Eyes: Blue    

I guess all the complaints about the smell of this shampoo reached LUSH r&d - they have reformulated it, and from my viewpoint, made it worse.

This shampoo used to work so well on my oily, color-treated, almost-to-my-bra-strap-long hair. It cleaned my hair so well I could skip a day of shampooing. The smell didn't bother me; stout doesn't smell like Budweiser and the scent quickly faded anyway. Now it smells overwhelmingly of lemon and leaves my hair feeling rough and dry. I have to condition or use detangler otherwise my hair is a tangled mess. Thanks for nothing, LUSH - If you reformulate a product you should tell customers before they pay almost $30 for a giant bottle of suck.

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StupidUserNames on 2/17/2013 9:47:00 PM more reviews by StupidUserNames

Age: 19-24   Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium   Hair: Black   Eyes: Brown    

I really was hoping to like this product I find that this is very drying to my hair. I'm also not crazy about the scent it smells very yeasty to me which I don't like this doesn't really doesn't do much for my hair either ugh I'm frustrated with lush hair care it's crap .

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Kiabiah on 11/26/2012 3:03:00 AM more reviews by Kiabiah

Age: 25-29   Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium   Hair: Blond   Eyes: Green    

This is my favorite Lush shampoo so far. It doesn't strip my hair like Retreat, but it feels and looks also very clean. My hair (fine, dry, wavy, frizzy, overprocessed) is tamed, less frizz, less volume and doesn't become oily fast. I can recommend it.

Price: as everything Lush; the price is quite steep but it's wel worth it. A little goes a very long way. I think I did 6 months with my 500g bottle (I wash my hair twice a week) and my OH also uses it about one time a week.
Scent: It smells like beer but with something else mixed in. Something fresh (probably the lemon grass). It's not unpleasant, but not mouth watering either. But it doesn't bother me and after I used conditioner, the smell doesn't linger that long.
Consistency: Quite runny, but it lathers really well. But it takes just a tat longer to get it washed out of your hair.
Packaging; a clear, quite thin plastic bottle. Which is good as the shampoo is runny.

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leighannaleask on 11/1/2012 3:24:00 AM more reviews by leighannaleask

Age: 18 & Under   Skin: Normal, Fair-Medium   Hair: Brown   Eyes: Blue    

For years I had been dying my hair bottle black at home, and I recently decided to go back to my natural color (medium brown). The years of overprocessing from dyeing and straightening had really damaged my hair, and bleaching the black out didn't help. I had always been a $2 shampoo kind of girl because I didn't think it really made a difference, but after fighting with my hair I was fed up and ready to spend some real money to help it out. After research I decided on this and the Retread conditioner. A lot of reviews seem to complain about the smell, but I like it, and when I asked my friends they said it didn't smell bad, or particularly 'beery' to them. I even got a compliment on how my hair smelled! Using it in conjunction with the conditioner has been life-saving. My hair was like a bad afro when I blowdryed it before, but now its shiny and not frizzy at all. It has made a MASSIVE difference in the health of my hair. I do have very thick and dry hair though, so I don't think it would be the right thing for people with thin or greasy hair, since it decreases volume and adds moisture. All in all, this shampoo is my new favorite and I will definitely be repurchasing!

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*TOP REVIEWER* JaneWayne on 9/17/2012 6:16:00 PM more reviews by JaneWayne

Age: 36-43   Skin: Sensitive, Fair-Medium   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Green    

Wooo! This smells like a pint of Guinness. I bought it because of the qualities I was told it would give my hair, definitely not for scent. I figured that if I could not use it, my husband could as he is a big fan of beer. Well, after using it a couple times, my scalp became incredibly itchy, I already have scalp issues so many one or more of the ingredients doesn't agree with me. If you have scalp issues, try a sample first. I also noticed more gold in my blond hair? Maybe it was just me? Grrr. On a positive note, it does leave my hair shiny and manageable, even though I swear it looks like I got chicken fat yellow lowlights.

My husband cannot get past the smell, he said he would be "worried about having to take a field sobriety test" at work, so back it goes.

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astric on 8/29/2012 6:53:00 AM more reviews by astric

Age: 19-24   Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium, Cool   Hair: Brown, Straight, Fine   Eyes: Brown    

I usually love Lush products, but I was disappointed by this shampoo. I don't mind the smell of beer, but to me the shampoo smelled like something else... I don't know what, but kind of sour? I also found that my hair gets greasy faster after using this shampoo... :( I have long, fine, thin hair so maybe this works better for thicker hair, but not for me.

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*TOP REVIEWER* deadonarrival on 6/22/2012 2:16:00 PM more reviews by deadonarrival

Age: 30-35   Skin: Oily, Olive, Warm   Hair: Brunette, Coarse   Eyes: Brown    

According to Lush: Beer shampoo, really? For volume, softness and shine we proudly serve our tremendously effective pub-inspired shampoo. Cynthia Sylvia Stout is made with organic vegan stout beer from a local brewery, which contains protein to give your hair weight, smoothness and gloss. It's excellent for hair that tends to go frizzy in damp or humid environments.

I'm still on the fence with this shampoo. I'm doing a test on it now and I do like some of the qualities this shampoo provides. For one, I have very thick wavy hair that is long, dry and overprocessed to the max.
INITIAL TEST RUN: I only used this single shampoo and absolutely nothing else no conditioner and not even heat styling tools. I can tell you this, I have never in my life was able to walk out of the house with just using shampoo only and still look presentable. Granted, I do have some frizz but if I just used a regular ol' shampoo on its own, my hair would have looked like a tumble weed.
I'm hoping with continued use, I will be able to cut back on spending on my other hair care products that total $78. It would sure be a miracle if one bottle of shampoo will cure all of my hair concerns.
SCENT: There is the smell of this......I smell like an old Irish drunk man. The smell is extremely strong and stays with you always and forever. The smell reminds me of a mix of ale and aftershave with a touch of that hippie patchouli scent. I'm a bit self-conscious of offending the people around me with the smell.
PRODUCT TEXTURE: The texture of this shampoo is odd. It is in liquid form, not creamy as what is expected of a shampoo. Surprisingly, it lathers very well. I did find it difficult to rinse out. I had to rinse longer than usual because the shampoo has oils in it and made my hair feel a bit oily.
HAIR FINISH: This shampoo did provide a lot of softness to my hair. Usually with regular shampoo, it leaves my hair feeling dry and crunchy. I noticed that it didn't give me volume which is good. This shampoo tamed my hair from roots to ends and prevented me from looking like a mushroom. I do feel that it weighs the poofiness down a bit but it somehow doesn't "feel" like my thick hair is weighed down. As with frizz, I do have some frizz but not bad.
PRICE: On the pricey side but if this will eliminate all other hair care products in my routine, this shampoo will be a great investment. Prices are: 3.3 fl oz $9.95. 8.4 fl oz $19.95. 16.9 fl oz $29.95.
UPDATE: I had to take another lippie off. Although still a good product overall, but it makes me breakout bad. Every time I use this, I get a breakout along the sides of my face and a few spots on my neck.

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Katie486 on 5/3/2012 2:39:00 AM more reviews by Katie486

Age: 25-29   Skin: Sensitive, Fair   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Brown    

A great shampoo if you are looking for shine, de-frizz and strength. Pros: Easy to use liquid shampoo that lathers well and has a deep, rich warming smell, reminds me of an Irish pub! Leaves hair extremely soft and shiny, majorly reduced frizz and made a noticeable difference to the condition of my hair. Seems to have helped my hair during the process of heat styling. A little of this shampoo goes along way I hardly need to use any on my long hair and it I still get a thorough clean.
Cons: May be a little heavy if you have very fine or oily hair.

I have been using this with Lush American Cream conditioner and I find these two products to give me better results than any other professional hair care products I have ever tried.

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*TOP REVIEWER* Dimanta on 4/30/2012 2:36:00 PM more reviews by Dimanta

Age: 30-35   Skin: Dry, Fair-Medium, Warm   Hair: Blond, Straight, Fine   Eyes: Hazel    

I got a sample of this unpleasant smell shampoo and I really liked it (except the smell). My hair felt really clean and healthy, it was easy to brush (I still have to use good conditioner) so I bought 8.4 fl.oz bottle for $19.95. Yeah, the price is horribly expensive, but the mini bottle was $9.95 so decided to try bigger size.
Note**** Many shampoos make me break out around hairline and neck (from ingredients such as Hydrolized Wheat/Soy Protein and sometimes also SLS) but this shampoo never breaks me out. So this is one of the reasons I bought this shampoo.

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*TOP REVIEWER* muse97 on 3/6/2012 6:44:00 PM more reviews by muse97

Age: 30-35   Skin: Combination, Fair, Warm   Hair: Brunette, Wavy, Medium   Eyes: Green    

I liked this at first, but it definitely is not good for color-treated hair. It initially calmed and smoothed my hair so much that people commented on how nice it looked. BUT, after using it a few times, all of my hair color washed out. Boo.

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darkfeathers on 1/2/2012 5:28:00 AM more reviews by darkfeathers

Age: 19-24   Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium   Hair: Black   Eyes: Brown    

I like the irish moss smell. I bought this as a replacement for Rehab and I like it far better. It doesnt seem to tangle my hair as much either and i think the lathering power is stronger too. Since the 100ml Rehab lasted 1.5 months, I think its worth spending the money (I had previously bought elvive and fructis).

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Kylee2007 on 12/22/2011 11:55:00 AM more reviews by Kylee2007

Age: 19-24   Skin: Sensitive, Fair-Medium   Hair: Brown   Eyes: Brown    

I bought this product after reading many positive reviews both on the LUSH website and here on MAU. At first I really liked it! My hair felt very clean and looked shiny. But it didn't do a good job of keeping down the little flyaways on top of my head, and since I typically let my naturally wavy hair do it's own thing without heat styling it, this is a serious problem. Also, after weeks of use my scalp is incredibly itchy and dry with visible flakes. I love how well it cleans my hair and the resultant shine, but I just can't handle the flyaways and scalp issues! Another problem I have is with the LUSH brand in general, not just this product. The company goes to great lengths to market their products as "natural", from the personalized employee and expiration stickers on their products (anyone else who has looked at LUSH stuff knows what I'm talking about) to the atmosphere of their stores. But once I got home and started looking at the ingredient label I saw sulfates and parabens listed. What the heck?! They get away with charging so much because they make it seem as though their products are natural, but their products are just as laden with chemicals as any cheap products you might come across in the drug store.

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welcometothefamily on 11/21/2011 12:26:00 AM more reviews by welcometothefamily

Age: 18 & Under   Skin: Combination, Tan, Warm   Hair: Red, Straight, Medium   Eyes: Brown    

I walked into lush one day with every intention of buying this shampoo (I'd been reading reviews online) then I smelt it. It smelt odd. Not unpleasant, just odd. Quite a malty smell, with a hint of lemon. I asked for a sample. I've only used it twice, but WOW. The first time, I used it without using conditioner afterwards, and this did not dry out my hair at all (Ref - my hair is on the dry side) which is a miracle in itself. I didn't find the scent to linger (it wouldn't matter now because it's grown on me big time). I also asked my mother whether my hair looked any shinier, and she replied in the affirmative. It's $14.90 NZD for a 100g bottle. My hair is very short now and I only wash my hair 2-3 times a week so this amount would last me ages. Will definitely have to get myself a bottle of this. :)

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mjc174 on 11/19/2011 2:53:00 AM more reviews by mjc174

Age: 18 & Under   Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium   Hair: Black   Eyes: Brown    

I like how this shampoo has helped me with my frizziness and fluffiness - the stout beer proteins helped by adding weight to my hair so it's not as fluffy. I also found that it added shine to my hair. I don't really enjoy the scent of the shampoo, but for some reason, it smells like tomatoes and lemon grass to me... It lost one point for being a bit pricey and also for the scent of it. I would buy this again, because it helped me with the frizz and fluffiness. Like all LUSH products, a little goes a long way. I have a big bottle of this and for about 6 months, I have only used about 35-40% of it.

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*TOP REVIEWER* moorkitty on 10/30/2011 10:59:00 AM more reviews by moorkitty

Age: 44-55   Skin: Normal, Fair   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Other    

There was a beer shampoo I used as a teenager (very very long ago) which made my hair so soft and fluffy that I couldn't stop running my fingers through it. Unfortunately, it wasn't on the market very long. Fast forward to today and this particular shampoo. I actually like the smell, need very little to make a good lather and the best part is that this replicates the effects of the much-loved shampoo of my youth. Added benefits for me is that my hair shedding is much less and scalp itch is way improved. Bravo LUSH! Don't ever discontinue this one!

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shruti899 on 7/21/2011 5:49:00 PM more reviews by shruti899

Age: 25-29   Skin: Other   Hair: Other   Eyes: Other    

After having lived a quarter century with dirty artificial shampoos and conditioners, I found this gem by accident. Well, not quite by accident. I did my product research and decided to give it a try after all the good reviews. I have to say, that Im totally hooked. I dont think Im ever gonna use anything else unless my hair changes drastically or Ms. Cynthia decides to change her shampoo recipe. :D
I have slightly dry but overall normal hair. This shampoo gives me a lovely lovely shine and I use so little. I have had it for 3 months and the bottle is only like 1/5th empty. It doesnt lather up too much, which I think is nice coz they dont use a lot of bad stuff to give all that lather in there. I dont get bothered by the smell at all and I dont think it lingers that much long either. Plus I use the American Cream shampoo by LUSH and it smells lovely. May be too strong, coz a lot of people have asked me where that good smell was from (my perfume/lotion/shampoo?) :D
I take this with me if I have to leave home and cannot trust any other shampoo ever.
Def. a winner for me. Im going to suggest this to my mom :).

ONLY REGRET: wish it did something for my dry ends. Hmmm..may be I need a better conditioner for that?

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cassandrajoan on 7/14/2011 11:55:00 PM more reviews by cassandrajoan

Age: 44-55   Skin: Combination, Medium   Hair: Brown   Eyes: Brown    

My hair is very fine, wavy with curls in front, and thin. I've worn it straight since I was a teenager and recently decided to let it curl and see what would happen. I live in a high-humidity area and used this for quite some time.

I bought this when I was able to buy non-drugstore brands. Now that my hair is colored, I don't buy it because of the lemon juice, which I'm afraid would alter my hair color. Otherwise, I'd use it every time I shampoo.

I'm considering making my own beer shampoo. The only other one available that I'm aware of, a drugstore shampoo from the 1980s, also left my hair smooth and frizz-free but is only available from a retailer that I've had problems getting shipments from in a timely manner, and it's almost as expensive as the LUSH shampoo. I really think that beer shampoos are good for frizzy/wavy/curly hair, but there aren't very many choices on the market.

I did not have the problem that others have mentioned of smelling like stout or cognac, but I leave my conditioner on for at least 5 minutes usually and that would have altered the smell of my hair.

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Veee07 on 5/25/2011 2:38:00 PM more reviews by Veee07

Age: 19-24   Skin: Normal, Fair-Medium   Hair: Brown   Eyes: Brown    

I'm a lush fanatic, however, i didn't like this product. I couldn't get over the smell. It did leave my hair squeaky clean and shiny, and a little bit does go a long way. I was impressed that the little bottle lasted me about a month. But no, I will not re-purchase it. I'll probably try a different shampoo.

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lizzychu on 5/25/2011 2:28:00 PM more reviews by lizzychu

Age: 25-29   Skin: Oily, Fair-Medium   Hair: Blond   Eyes: Blue    

This was only an ok shampoo for me, not too bad but nothing great. I have wavy, frizzy hair with dry lengths and oily roots. I did notice that it seemed to help the oil at my roots, but that's about it. I didn't notice any extra shine in my hair, and I've used it several times (got a nice sample from the SA at Lush). It didn't seem to help my frizzies either. It actually seemed a bit drying to me, which like I said helps my roots, but I generally avoid since the rest of my hair is so dry. I will never ever buy this shampoo again however, because I just can't get past the smell. It smells bad in the bottle, you kind of get a fruity smell when you are massaging it on to your scalp, but alas when your hair dries it smells stinky. It really does smell like beer, actually a bit worse if you ask me lol. Love Lush, but this product was a fail for me.

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jsATC on 4/2/2011 8:49:00 AM more reviews by jsATC

Age: 30-35   Skin: Acne-prone, Fair-Medium, Neutral   Hair: Brunette, Wavy, Fine   Eyes: Brown    

This is my new favorite shampoo. It's pricey, so I started with the little bottle so I wouldn't be stuck with it. I will definitely repurchase the large bottle. And a little bit goes a long way. This shampoo looks thin and runny when it comes out of the bottle, but it lathers up nicely.

My hair isn't really frizzy or unmanageable, but Stout really defines my waves, makes them spring up a little more than most products, and my hair has never been shinier. The shine was instantly like "wow!" I get nice volume without the frizz that many other volumizing products leave.

By reading the other reviews, it seems like people either love or absolutely hate the scent of this shampoo. I love it! It smells sexy and masculine to me...slight pachouli-musk with a hint of citrus and the stout beer undertones.

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