The magical soap that multi-tasks as a play dough, bubble bath and shampoo.

Image: Supplied.

How’s this for multi-tasking: you can now scrub up, practice mindfulness and also smell pretty damn good with a soap that doubles as play dough.

If you’re the type of fun-loving person who can’t take a bath without a rubber duckie, or who brings play dough with you into the boardroom (ahem, Mia Freedman) then this is the amusing soap-hybrid product you never knew you wanted.

FUN by LUSH claims to be a “four in one multi-purpose” product that can be used as a play dough, bubble bath, soap and shampoo.

I say “claims” because I know that it is actually five in one — with the fifth purpose being to bribe my toddler into good behaviour while shopping. I said that she could play with it later, and luckily, she hasn’t twigged that it’s disappeared into mummy’s evil beauty editor hands forever.

FUN comes in several punchy colours with cannily matched scents. My daughter and I chose the pink FUN, as it’s our favourite colour. It has the invigorating scent of fizzy creaming soda and bubblegum. Other colours and scents are green/lemon-lime, yellow/vanilla, blue/lavender-chamomile, and orange/citrus.

Watch: The Mamamia team experiment with play-doh as a mindfulness tool. (Post continues after video.)

So, is FUN truly the saviour of all soaps? Can one soap be all things to all people? Let’s find out.

Play dough

Adult play dough is the latest wellness trend, where a few minutes of play aims to keep anxiety at bay. Squishing and moulding play dough can also be a mindfulness exercise, as the colours, textures and activity keep the mind on-task and active.

I set aside 15 minutes to play with FUN on my kitchen counter, and looked up 40 minutes later to see that I’d created a fairy castle guarded by a giant mouse, and sprinkled with hearts to boot.

The process of making something with my hands had been enjoyable and engaging. The berry scent was refreshing, and reminded me that I was doing something special. I mean, have you noticed that computers don’t really smell much like anything? It’s because they’re for boring work, and not as much fun as candy-scented, sculptable soap.

I finished my play dough session feeling relaxed and creative, and ready to tackle a day of writing.

Carla may have enjoyed the play dough element of FUN a bit too much. (Image: Supplied.)

Bubble bath

Crumbling about three Maltesers’ worth of FUN under a hot running tap yielded a frothy mass of bubbles, again with the signature raspberry soda scent. The product dissolved nicely in the water, and left no chunks behind. Trust me, a chunk-free bath is a good bath.

The FUN bubbles were soft and plentiful, although they did dissolve fairly quickly. This was a good thing; long-lasting bubbles freak me out because they’re probably made from plastic or something horrible like fish saliva (I assume – I failed science in high school, sorry). After my bath, I was left with smooth, scented skin and an untouchable aura of relaxation.

Bubbles? Check. Duckies? Check. Raspberry soda scent? Check. (Image: Supplied.)

Soap

Using FUN as a soap is certainly an exercise in mindfulness, as it requires a bit more effort to work the product between wet hands to make a decent lather. But that’s what appeals about FUN – it’s a product that practically gives you permission to spend that extra time in the bath or shower, to meditate on the process of getting clean.

The best way to soap up with FUN is to rub the product between wet hands, to create a small amount of suds, then to massage the foam into a shower puff to create a generous, easily distributed lather. I used about one Malteser's worth of FUN for one shower puff.

FUN has a velvety, gentle texture, and cleansed my skin thoroughly without making it feel stripped and dry.

Step 1: Rub FUN between wet palms. Step 2: Massage foam into shower puff. Step 3: Shower! (Image: Supplied.)

Shampoo

The idea of using FUN as a shampoo was daunting, because if you think too hard about it, combining play dough and hair seems like a toddler’s dream and a parent’s nightmare.

But to my surprise, FUN not only did the job as a shampoo, it also gave me voluminous, beachy hair. I lathered up and rinsed twice with FUN, and each time, the product distributed and dissolved nicely. For each wash, I used pinches of FUN the size of 2 Maltesers, and rubbed it between my hands thoroughly before putting it through my hair. FUN washed out easily, and there were no pink blobs left behind in my hair or shower afterwards. The lolly-like smell in my hair was a bonus.

FUN is great to use as a shampoo if you’re after a good, old-fashioned clean. It doesn’t create a glossy effect but that’s part of the charm. I’ve got a dark-brown rinse in my hair at the moment, covering up some balayage, and I did find that FUN stripped a bit of the brown rinse away. Again, that’s fine by me – I love the washed-out look — but proceed with caution if you have a hair colour that you wish to preserve.

Selfies with play dough/shampoo in the shower. It doesn’t get more millennial than this. (Image: Supplied.)

The verdict

FUN is an enjoyable product, which is so darn useful and effective that it surpasses its own novelty appeal. The packaging even suggests that you can use a small chunk of it for hand washing clothes!

This squishy, solid soap is a great product to have stashed away, both for the young and young at heart.

FUN would also be a great addition to your toiletries bag if you’re going on a holiday or even camping, because it replaces soap, shampoo, bubble bath and washing powder. And I’ll do anything to avoid those nasty hotel soaps – unless I’m staying at the Hilton, which happens once in a never.

It’s official: boring old soap will never look the same to me again.

Have you come across another exciting bathroom products?

FUN by LUSH, $9.95, is available at LUSH stores and online at lush.com.au.