Rethink Your Tampon

Let’s be honest, walking past a Lush store without wandering inside for a sniff is practically impossible.

There is something about those towering piles of colourful bath bombs, wobbly shower jellies and sweet-smelling massage bars that makes an ordinary Tuesday feel as though it deserves a full spa treatment. The only problem is that one innocent bath bomb can quickly turn into a basket full of treats and a receipt you would rather not examine too closely.

That is where homemade Lush dupe recipes come in.

These DIY bath and body recipes recreate the fun, fragrance and pampering feel of popular Lush products using ingredients you can source yourself. They will not be exact factory formulas, but they are a lovely way to experiment with bath bombs, bubble bars, soaps, body butters and solid hair products at home.

They also make beautiful handmade gifts. Add a glass jar, a handwritten label and perhaps a slightly wonky ribbon, and suddenly you have a very respectable birthday or Christmas present.

Copycat Lush Scrubee Sugar Scrub Bars

The little Scrubee body butter is one of those products people become unusually attached to, and I completely understand why. It exfoliates and moisturises in one step, which is exactly the sort of efficiency I appreciate in a bathroom product.

These Copycat Lush Scrubee Sugar Scrub Bars combine nourishing butters and oils with brown sugar for exfoliation. The bars melt slightly against warm, damp skin, leaving behind a moisturising layer while the sugar gently buffs away dry patches.

This is a good first solid body product because the bars are relatively simple to shape and do not require traditional soapmaking.

Lush-Inspired Wiccy Magic Muscles Massage Bar

This Lush-Inspired Massage Bar Recipe takes its inspiration from the Wiccy Magic Muscles bar.

It combines cocoa butter, shea butter, peppermint essential oil and cinnamon leaf essential oil, with adzuki beans added for a gentle massaging texture. The result is a solid bar that begins melting as it is rubbed across warm skin.

These would make a thoughtful gift for a gardener, gym lover or anyone who spends too much time hunched over a sewing machine. Keep them somewhere cool, though. A massage bar left in a hot bathroom can turn into a very fragrant puddle.

Homemade Lush-Style Bubble Bars

Bath bombs receive most of the attention, but bubble bars are often better value because one bar can sometimes be divided between several baths.

These Homemade Lush-Style Bubble Bars are crumbled beneath running water to create a generous bath full of bubbles. They can be coloured, scented and moulded to suit different seasons, making them especially useful for handmade gift baskets.

The mixture has a soft dough-like consistency while you are shaping it. This makes bubble bars a fun project for anyone who enjoys the decorating side of bath and body making.

Extra-Bubbly Copycat Bubble Bars

This Bubble Bar Recipe is designed to produce plenty of fluffy bubbles and makes approximately ten bars.

The tutorial walks through mixing, colouring and shaping the dough before allowing the finished bars to dry. One of the nicest things about this project is how easily the recipe can be customised. Try pastels for spring, orange and purple for Halloween, or peppermint-scented red and white bars for Christmas.

Just remember that cosmetic colourants are a safer choice than loading the mixture with ordinary food colouring, which may stain pale bath surfaces.

DIY Lush Shower Jellies

There is something delightfully silly about shower jelly. It wobbles, slips out of your hand and somehow makes an ordinary shower much more entertaining.

These DIY Lush Shower Jellies recreate the jelly-like texture using a simple homemade mixture that can be poured into containers or shaped in silicone moulds.

This is a particularly fun recipe for teenagers, although younger children should always use slippery shower products with adult supervision. Store the jellies according to the recipe’s instructions and make small batches so they are used while fresh.

Vegan Lush-Style Jelly Soap

For a plant-based alternative, try these DIY Calming Vegan Organic Jelly Soaps.

They have the same playful wobble as a traditional shower jelly without relying on animal-derived gelatin. These are lovely poured into small novelty moulds, especially stars, shells or simple geometric shapes that will release cleanly.

This is also a handy project for using those silicone moulds hiding at the back of the craft cupboard. We all have at least one mould purchased for a very specific project that never actually happened.

Copycat Lush Shower Bombs

Not everyone has time for a long bath, which is why these DIY Lush Shower Bombs are such a practical alternative.

Place one away from the direct stream of water and allow it to dissolve gradually as you shower. The recipe creates fizzing, lightly foaming shower bombs and includes several scent variations.

Be cautious with strong essential oils in enclosed showers. Use the recommended quantities, ensure the bathroom is ventilated and avoid blends that may irritate children, pets or anyone with asthma or fragrance sensitivities.

Turmeric Latte Bath Bombs

These Copycat Lush Turmeric Bath Bombs take their inspiration from the warm, spicy Turmeric Latte scent.

The recipe combines traditional bath bomb ingredients with turmeric and coconut milk powder. Although the tutorial uses Halloween moulds, the mixture could just as easily be pressed into round bath bomb moulds or small silicone shapes for year-round gifting.

Turmeric is a very determined colourant. Use it sparingly, protect your work surface and consider testing one bath bomb before giving the entire batch away.

Giant Lush-Style Bath Bombs

Sometimes a tiny bath bomb simply will not do.

This collection of Copycat Lush Bath Bomb Recipes includes oversized bombs, Epsom salt versions, avocado-inspired bath bombs and several colourful variations. It is a useful starting point when you want to understand the basic baking soda and citric acid formula before experimenting with your own fragrance combinations.

The trick is adding just enough liquid for the mixture to hold its shape without activating the fizz too early. Learned that one the hard way.

Copycat Lush Cocoa Butter Bath Melts

Bath melts are ideal for anyone more interested in soft skin than theatrical fizz.

These Copycat Lush Cocoa Butter Bath Melts are butter-based treats designed to dissolve in warm bathwater and release moisturising oils.

Because they contain rich butters and oils, bath melts can make the tub slippery. Use a smaller melt first, step out carefully and give the bath a quick clean afterwards.

They look beautiful packaged in a small box lined with baking paper, particularly when made in floral or chocolate-style moulds.

Fresh Farmacy-Inspired Calamine Soap

This Healing Calamine Soap is inspired by Lush’s pale pink Fresh Farmacy cleansing bar.

It uses a melt-and-pour soap base with calamine lotion, coconut oil and a blend of chamomile, lavender and tea tree essential oils. Because it begins with a prepared soap base, there is no need to handle lye, making it far more approachable for a casual weekend project.

Anyone with sensitive skin should still patch-test the finished soap. “Natural” ingredients can cause irritation too, particularly essential oils.

Snow Fairy-Inspired Pink Peppermint Soap

The famously sweet Snow Fairy fragrance has inspired many homemade variations, and this Pink Peppermint Soap captures the bright, playful appearance beautifully.

The recipe uses shea butter and glycerin melt-and-pour soap bases, which are coloured and layered to create cheerful pink bars. It is a good choice for Christmas gift baskets, teenage spa hampers or anyone who believes bath products should resemble confectionery.

Clearly label the finished soaps. Anything this pink and pretty risks being mistaken for food.

Sleepy-Inspired Lavender Soap

For something a little less sugary, try this Homemade Lavender Sleepy Soap.

Inspired by the calming feel of Lush’s Sleepy range, these soaps use lavender tones and a relaxing fragrance profile suited to an evening bath or shower.

Pair a bar with a handmade eye mask, lavender sachet or small face washer for an easy bedtime-themed gift.

Honey Trap-Inspired Lip Balm

This Homemade Honey Lip Balm is inspired by Lush’s Honey Trap balm.

It combines moisturising ingredients including shea butter, honey, almond oil, olive oil and beeswax. There is even white chocolate in the formula, which makes it sound more like something I would hide in the pantry than keep beside the bed.

Use clean, cosmetic-grade containers and avoid introducing water into lip balm mixtures. Anhydrous products generally keep better than homemade recipes containing water, but they should still be made in small batches and discarded if the smell, texture or appearance changes.

Tea Tree Water-Inspired Facial Toner

This Copycat Lush Tea Tree Toner uses tea tree oil with grapefruit and juniper berry hydrosol to create a light facial mist.

Because this is a water-based skincare product, hygiene and storage matter. Follow the recipe’s preservation and refrigeration advice rather than making a large bottle and leaving it in a warm bathroom for months.

Tea tree oil should never be applied to the face undiluted. Patch-test the finished toner and discontinue use if it causes stinging, redness or dryness.

Argan Oil And Rose Shampoo Bars

These Argan Oil And Rose Shampoo Bars were inspired by Lush’s Jason and the Argan Oil shampoo bar.

This is a more advanced formulation than a simple melt-and-pour project. It uses powdered surfactants, argan oil, glycerin, water, citric acid and fragrance to create a firm syndet shampoo bar. The updated recipe also explains how the particle size of the surfactant can affect the amount of liquid required.

Wear the recommended dust mask and gloves when working with powdered surfactants. Fine surfactant dust is not something you want floating around your kitchen or craft room.

A Few Sensible Bath And Body Making Tips

Homemade bath products may look like craft projects, but they are still products intended for skin contact. Work with clean equipment, measure accurately and use skin-safe fragrance oils, essential oils and colourants at their recommended usage rates.

Water-based lotions, sprays and gels require especially careful preservation. A product can look and smell perfectly normal while still growing bacteria or mould, so do not casually omit a preservative from a professionally formulated recipe.

Patch-test unfamiliar ingredients before covering yourself in the finished product. Take extra care when making products for children, pregnant people or anyone with allergies, asthma, eczema or very sensitive skin.

Bath bombs, oils and melts can also make tubs slippery. A gorgeous soak is less relaxing when it ends with an undignified grab for the shower curtain.

Are Homemade Lush Dupes Worth Making?

For me, the best part is not necessarily producing an exact copy. It is being able to customise the scent, colour and shape while learning how different bath and body ingredients behave.

You can make the bars smaller, leave out the glitter, tone down the fragrance or choose colours that match a gift basket. They are also a wonderful excuse to use all those tiny silicone moulds and little glass jars we craft people seem to collect.

Start with a straightforward melt-and-pour soap, massage bar or bath melt. Once you have survived that without coating the entire kitchen in cocoa butter, move on to bubble bars, bath bombs and shampoo formulations.

And should one batch turn out slightly crooked? Pop it into a pretty bag, add a handmade label and call it artisan.