I got two samples each of the Sol De Janeiro Brazilian Joia shampoo and conditioner and got three uses. I have an oily scalp and thin, dry, wavy hair that I have not colored in 6 months. I wash my hair about every 3 days.

Shampoo:

This shampoo is sulfate-free that creates a creamy lather and claims to repair and smooth the hair while making it twice as strong.

Ingredients: Aqua (Water/Eau), Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Parfum (Fragrance), Sodium C14-16 Olefin Sulfonate, Acrylates Copolymer, Tocopherol, Algin, Coco-Glucoside, Sorbitan Oleate, Carrageenan, Chitosan, Mauritia Flexuosa Fruit Oil, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Euterpe Oleracea (Açaí/Açaï) Fruit Oil, Bertholletia Excelsa Seed Oil, Cocos Nucifera (Coconut/Noix de Coco) Oil, Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract, Theobroma Grandiflorum (Cupuaçu) Seed Butter, Astrocaryum Murumuru Seed Butter, Hibiscus Sabdariffa Flower Extract, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Cocamide MIPA, Coconut Acid, Glycol Stearate, Sodium Isethionate, Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride, Xanthan Gum, Glycerin, Citric Acid, Sodium Chloride, Sodium Hydroxide, Sodium Benzoate, Magnesium Chloride, Magnesium Nitrate, Methylisothiazolinone, Methylchloroisothiazolinone, Benzyl Benzoate, Benzyl Salicylate, Butylphenyl Methylpropional, Coumarin, Limonene, Yellow 5 (CI 19140), Yellow 6 (CI 15985)

This shampoo uses SOL Seal Technology that uses plant-based keratin beads that target hair damage and integrate into the hair’s natural structure to restore, repair, and fuse together split ends. Brazil nut selenium contains omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin E to nurture, strengthen, and provide moisture benefits while protecting against frizz. Buriti oil has healthy fats to deeply condition and smooth dry, damaged hair while providing shine to the hair. Fragrance is the fourth ingredient and the shampoo apparently smells like Sol De Janeiro’s Bum Bum Cream.

The shampoo is thick, so needs extra water to massage around the scalp. It lathers really well to a rich, creamy foam and seems to cleanse well. As I was rinsing the shampoo, my hair felt quite dry and tangled (a bit surprising for a sulfate-free shampoo). The shampoo smelled like burnt butter toffee/vanilla while in my hand, but as I was massaging into the hair had a strong, musky, rather masculine scent that I can still smell when I turn my head or take my hair down from an up-do until my next wash 3 days later. This is perhaps due to the reaction to my body chemistry. I have been tempted to try the Bum Bum lotion, but after this, am worried that it will have the male cologne smell when applying.

Interestingly, after drying and styling my hair and running my fingers through the roots, my hair seemed to feel different (which I did not expect); I would not say stronger, but perhaps this was due to a really good cleanse. My hair had a dry feeling, however.

While the shampoo has a nice lather and cleanses well, my hair feels dry and tangled and I dislike the scent. I would not repurchase.

Conditioner:

This conditioner claims to repair, smooth and strengthen the hair while reducing frizz using a rich, but weightless formula.

Ingredients: Aqua (Water/Eau), Cetearyl Alcohol, Behentrimonium Chloride, Parfum (Fragrance), Cetrimonium Chloride, Glycerin, Tocopherol, Panthenol, Cocos Nucifera (Coconut/Noix de Coco) Oil, Euterpe Oleracea (Açaí/Açaï) Fruit Oil, Bertholletia Excelsa Seed Oil, Mauritia Flexuosa Fruit Oil, Hibiscus Sabdariffa Flower Extract, Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Astrocaryum Murumuru Seed Butter, Theobroma Grandiflorum (Cupuaçu) Seed Butter, Algin, Coco-Glucoside, Sorbitan Oleate, Carrageenan, Chitosan, Xanthan Gum, PEG-8 Dimethicone, Polyquaternium-37, Silicone Quaternium-3, PEG-14, PEG-33, PPG-1 Trideceth-6, Trideceth-12, Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride, Bis-PEG-18 Methyl Ether Dimethyl Silane, Acrylates/Stearyl Methacrylate Copolymer, Propylene Glycol Dicaprylate/Dicaprate, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Isopropyl Palmitate, Caprylyl Glycol, Hexylene Glycol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Isopropyl Alcohol, Citric Acid, Sodium Hydroxide, Sodium Chloride, Pentasodium Pentetate, Phenoxyethanol, Butylphenyl Methylpropional, Benzyl Alcohol, Benzyl Salicylate, Coumarin, Limonene, Yellow 5 (CI 19140), Yellow 6 (CI 15985)

The conditioner contains silicones and similar to the shampoo, contains the SOL Seal Technology, Brazil nut selenium and buriti oil and has the same scent that, for me, reacted similarly with a strong, musky scent on application.

The conditioner is thick and a bit difficult to apply as it does not have great spreadability. It does not have the slip or detangling ability like that of other conditioners (either containing silicone or silicone-free) while applying or while rinsing under water. After towel-drying, finger combing (my hair still had tangles) and smoothing the hair with my hands, my hair felt frizzy, almost like the top layer of my hair had tiny knots in the strands (quite unusual). Despite claiming to smooth and reduce frizz, this conditioner seemed to do the opposite; my hair was frizzy even while damp and when air dried, my hair felt dry and heavy. The ends of my hair were quite dry, almost to the point of having a crispy feeling.

There are not really any redeeming qualities for the conditioner and I would not repurchase.

I have a few split ends that are just starting to form. The shampoo and conditioner claim to repair, restore and fuse split ends together which, I will note, if it works, is a temporary solution that I suppose could temporarily prevent the split ends from getting worse, but the only way to fix split ends is to trim them. I did not notice a difference in my split ends.

Thank you for reading.