I Used Sol De Janeiro’s Cult Leave-in Conditioner Daily on Holiday – But Is It Any Good?
Image – Courtesy of writer
When on holiday in a sunnier climate than my usual leafy Surrey in the UK, I tend to avoid getting my hair wet in the pool or sea too often so as not to completely ruin my hair colour or its condition. Too much chlorine, sea salt, not to mention UV can often dry out my ends and also turn my usual blonde hue slightly green.
But when you’re away with two young children who just want to have fun in the water, and it’s 35 degrees outside, it would be rude not to dunk your head underwater to both cool off and be ‘fun mum’.
So, having just returned from beautiful Spain on a family holiday, I dunked and washed my hair daily. And to avoid wincing every time the thought of my ends turning into *actual* hay popped into my head, I packed the Sol De Janeiro Brazilian Joia Milky Leave-In Conditioner (£28 on the Boots UK website/$28 on the Sephora US website) to be on the safe side.
Here’s how I got on.
The product details
This 210ml bottle has a pull-back spray dispenser and a lock button to avoid spillages. The formula itself is just what it says on the tin – milky – and promises to hydrate, detangle, fight frizz, repair split ends and protect against heat damage.
The ingredients include babacu oil, cupuacu butter and Brazil nut oil – all hydrators – and you can use it on damp hair before drying with no need to rinse.
First impressions
Once the spray had come up to the pump (these things always take a while) it sprayed evenly and generously. I decided to use it for the first time after my first shower, post-pool day, and did about four or five spritzes on the mid-lengths and ends of my hair. I have short hair so if it was longer, I would have gone for more.
The smell is pleasant, although not my favourite of all the Sol De Janeiro fragrances – this one’s a little bit too sweet for me. I combed my hair through and instantly noticed the lack of tangles in my hair which was encouraging. In fact, my comb sailed through, and I blow-dried and straightened my hair as usual.
The results were pleasing. The ends of my hair were super-smooth, and I could feel they’d been nicely hydrated. But this was only day one of the holiday. How would it look after a week of sun, sea and chlorine?
Image – Courtesy of writer
My results – not the worst, not the best
Because I was pleased with the way my hair looked and felt after the first use, I decided to take the spray with me down to the beach the next day, along with a comb, and I used both every time I came out of the water. This was a good idea as I didn’t feel like I was trading fun in the sun for dead hair.
A few days of this little system was working, and I noticed my hair was certainly lapping up the extra moisture and protection instead of my usual ‘douse it in UV, chemicals and salt and deal with it’ technique.
I did notice however that the more I used it, the flatter my hair would get when I blow-dried it. I know my hair, and this means one thing – too much moisture. I would normally disallow this at home but on holiday it felt different. Who cares if I have slightly flat hair? At least it is being saved from the downsides of the usual holiday activities.
But it did make me realise that I would need to reduce my applications when home – which of course I would anyway because I wouldn’t be swimming every day. But even so, I knew that using it once or twice a week at home and not with every single hair wash would do.
I have even started using it on my daughter’s hair. She has very rebellious, frizzy, curly, tangled hair. It’s beautiful and I wouldn’t have it any other way but my goodness it’s hard to brush. However, this detangling spritz really helps both her hair and our relationship…
What it boils down to though is, whether it’s better than any other leave-in conditioners I’ve used. And whilst I do really like it, and my hair looks and feels healthier than usual post-holiday, I don’t think it’s a game-changer. It served a purpose, that’s all.
Other leave-in conditioners I’ve used have done the exact same job – detangled, hydrated, softened and protected from UV (although how can we really tell?). ‘Repairs split ends’ is always a funny one for me too as it’s a hard claim – I’m not sure mine have been ‘repaired’ exactly but, put it this way, I haven’t noticed my ends being anymore split than usual.
Overall value for money
This costs just under £30/$30 – that’s a lot to spend on something that hasn’t blown me away or that doesn’t stand out from the rest.
It’s good and it did the job it was meant to do. But I’m just not sure I’d spend £28/$28 on it as there are plenty of other products I would invest the same money in that really do have the wow factor. Including a few other Sol De Janeiro products that I like much better.
Image – Sol de Janeiro
What other users are saying
It’s a popular one online. Amanda B (soldejaneiro.com) says, “works so great for my daughter. She’s on the swim team and the chlorine was so damaging to her curly locks. This works amazing; her hair is so much healthier.”
Jared D adds, “smells really good and leaves the hair feeling super soft, plus tangle free.” And Hannah H writes, “my only complaint is that the sprayer get clogged so it comes out in drips, not a mist. I spray in my hand and work it in.”
This is a great tip and yes, I experienced this drip effect a couple of times too but I learned to forcefully twist a cotton pad or tissue around where the mist comes out after each use – this cleans it and stops it from clogging.
The takeaway
I’m pleased I treated my hair to this spritz on holiday. Would I use it again? Absolutely. I’m just not sure it does anything different from other detangling, leave-in conditioners. It hasn’t blown me away, but I do like it.
If you’re a fan of Sol De Janeiro or you’re not picky with your leave-in conditioners, then I say go for it. There is absolutely nothing wrong with it. There’s just not anything game-changing about it either.
Get Glowing!
