With summer days fast becoming just a memory, I long for ways to keep a bit of the season with me year-round. Just about all of my favorite hallmarks of summer aren’t really as enjoyable when the weather turns: popsicles, bikinis, flip-flops… they’re just not the same without the hot summer sun working its magic. But LUSH has heard my plea and created a new product that is scented like coconut suntan lotion! It won’t get a chance to prove the full extent of its powers during fall, but their Coconut Deodorant Powder will still keep me dry and smelling like a day at the beach even in sweater weather. LUSH has been selling their line of deodorant bars for some time, but this is their first line of deodorant powders. Also available are Mr. T, Powder Puff, and Powdry (all vegan-friendly).

For those of you still using antiperspirant, let’s summarize why LUSH makes alternatives, and why so many people are making the switch. Aluminum (the key ingredient in all antiperspirants) is believed to cause cancer and Alzheimer’s, and it is the ingredient that prohibits your body from sweating. It clogs your pores and causes the skin to become dry since the glands can’t sweat. While this does reduce sweating, it also makes your underarm skin dry and aggravated. Aluminum is also notorious for yellowing clothing. Deodorants (opposed to antiperspirants), like LUSH’s powders, use yummy scented essential oils to fight odor-causing bacteria, microfine powders to absorb wetness and odors, and plant-based oils to moisturize your delicate underarm skin. When I learned these facts several years ago I ditched antiperspirants for good and am very pleased with deodorants from natural brands like LUSH. I’ve discussed this topic a lot online and the consensus (which I agree with) is that deodorants work and smell great, but if you tend to sweat heavily then you may not be pleased with the results. (During California heat waves I sometimes miss my old antiperspirant!) Deodorants do take some getting used to, but after a brief transition period you will see and feel your underarms becoming softer and less irritated and many people even say they seem to sweat less. Not a bad deal, especially when you get to smell like coconut suntan lotion in the process.

2008 Update: I finally tried the Coconut scented deodorant powder! It smells like an absolute dream: just like tropical suntan lotion out of the container, and then like toasted coconut when it comes in contact with skin. The delicious scent is the best part though, as the sweat-absorbing leaves a bit to be desired. Great for cooler months, but definitely won’t cut it in the summer.

As anyone who has tried their products knows, LUSH Cosmetics is a brand that borders on being magical. Their firm commitment to “making effective products out of fresh organic fruit and vegetables” has established them as a worldwide leader for natural bath products, and they have countless devotees as a result. As I’ve written on Mable’s before, I’m a total LUSH lover. It’s essential to me that I understand every ingredient that I put on (and in) my body, and LUSH makes that a snap. Their ingredients are mostly organic, and they never use animal testing, and the absolute best part is that they work! It’s also pretty cool that everything is handcrafted, so if you’re hankering for amazing handmade natural soap you don’t have to make it yourself.

As a smaller, adventurous company, LUSH is always adding new products to their catalog and tweaking them with the input of their customers. I’d like to make it a regular feature to spotlight their newest and yummiest looking items, so here’s the first installment. First up is a bubble bar slice (aka: solid bubble bath) called Pop in the Bath, which users have described as “Floral, yes. But not overly. Definitely sweet but earthy enough to not be cloying. A real charmer.” It comes in 4 different colors (randomly selected for you) with a sweet little flower on top.

The Green Day bubble bar slice is for those of us who enjoy more earthy scents, and this one has been described as “grassy yet exotic” and “fresh and clean” smelling. It comes in an electric green shade (made from natural ingredients, NO dyes) that colors your bath water a soothing shade of lighter green.

If you’re part of the sweet tooth crew (I’m the founding member so I’ll vouch for this one), The Comforter is the bubble bar for you. It’s “incredibly sweet… very strawberry scented” and is a beautiful swirl of pink and white. It’s so named because it’s supposed to “wrap you up in a cozy pink blanket of bubbles”, and like all LUSH bubble bars, the bubbles do go a loooong way. Like Pop in the Bath and Green Day, The Comforter is made without unnecessary animal ingredients and is vegan-friendly.

There are also some other new (non bubble bar) items available, including the 100% organic and natural Happy Talk lip balm and Hard Shampoo Bar for places with hard water. LUSH, you creative bunch!