How to Use Oi Oil in August Heat (And Why We Keep It on Every Station)

By Autumn Schiess, Owner & Lead Stylist at Sølvi Salon

There is a small bottle that sits on almost every station at Sølvi. It is golden, it smells like something between a warm vanilla and a clean cotton sheet, and most of our clients leave the chair asking what it is. The answer is Davines Oi Oil, and at this point we have stopped pretending we are neutral about it.

We try a lot of products behind the chair in our loft on Capitol Boulevard. Most of them get a polite trial and then quietly disappear. Oi Oil did the opposite. It earned a permanent spot on our shelf, in our kits, and in the after-care conversation we have with almost every client who sits down. Here is why.

What Oi Oil Actually Does (And What It Does Not Do)

Oi Oil is a leave-in finishing oil. That is the simple version. The longer version is that it conditions, softens, adds shine, cuts frizz, helps with detangling, and gives the hair a finished, polished feel without a heavy coat. It does a lot of jobs with one bottle, which is part of why we like it.

What it does not do is repair structural damage. It is not a bond builder. It is not a deep treatment. If your hair is mid-color-correction or coming off a heavy lift, Oi Oil is a beautiful finisher, but it is not the workhorse. For the structural work we point clients toward our color correction process and the in-salon treatments we layer in alongside it.

We also want to be clear that it is not a styler. It will not give you hold. It will not give you texture. It is a finish, not a foundation.

Why It Works on Almost Every Hair Type

This is the part that surprised us when we first started using it. Most multi-use oils favor one kind of hair. They are great on coarse, dense hair and too heavy on fine. Or they are perfect on fine hair and disappear on thick. Oi Oil somehow sits in the middle in a way we have not seen often.

On fine hair, two drops worked through damp mid-lengths and ends give shine and slip without flattening the root. On medium density, three to four drops smooth the cuticle and give the quiet, polished finish clients keep asking about. On thick or coarse hair, five or six drops cut frizz, calm flyaways, and make detangling at the back of the head feel less like a battle.

For curly clients we treat it as a finishing layer over the styler, not a replacement for one. If you are curly and want a wash-and-go routine, you want our notes on the Love Curl shampoo routine more than this oil on its own. Oi Oil is the polish at the end, not the curl definer.

Why It Matters in a Boise August

By August the dry heat has been running for months. The sun is at its peak strength. Afternoon air near downtown is often single-digit humidity, and by the time clients walk in from Capitol Boulevard the hair has been exposed to UV, wind, and heat for hours at a time.

What that looks like in the chair: ends that feel rougher by mid-month, blonde that goes from cool to warm faster than it did in June, color-treated hair that drinks up moisture and still feels thirsty by the time clients sit back down for a root touch-up. Sun exposure on the Greenbelt, chlorine from a pool day in the foothills, dry indoor air from the AC running all afternoon. None of it dramatic on its own. All of it adds up.

Oi Oil is part of how we help clients hold their color and their condition through a Boise August. It seals the cuticle a little, which slows fade. It conditions the ends, which buys time between cuts. Davines does not market Oi as a heat protectant, so for any hot tool above 350 degrees we still layer a dedicated heat protectant underneath. We do not promise it solves every August hair problem. We promise it pulls more weight than almost anything else of its size.

How We Use It in the Salon

I keep a bottle on my station and reach for it at two specific moments. The first is right after the rinse, on damp hair, before any styling product. A small amount distributed through mid-lengths and ends gives the comb a clean path and prepares the hair for the blow-dry. The second is at the very end, on dry hair, as a finish. One or two drops emulsified in the palms and pressed into the ends and the surface of the hair. That is what gives the Sølvi blowout the quiet finish that clients keep asking about.

We use it on extensions too. Our hand-tied weft clients and K-tip clients get a specific routine for caring for the hair at home, and a finishing oil is part of it. Extension hair is real hair, but it does not get the same nourishment from the scalp that native hair does, so a little daily conditioning at the ends is the difference between extensions that look new for months and extensions that look tired by week six.

How to Use It at Home Without Wasting It

The most common mistake we see is people using too much. It is a small bottle and it does not feel expensive in the hand, so the instinct is to be generous. Do not be generous. Be precise.

Start with one to two drops in the palm. Rub the hands together to warm and emulsify. Work through the mid-lengths and ends first, then a light pass over the surface and through the lengths if needed. Never start at the scalp. If you need more, add a single drop at a time. Most clients overshoot on the first try, then dial in by the second week.

On damp hair use slightly more than on dry hair. On dry hair use less than you think. If the hair looks oily or stringy at the ends, you used too much, and the fix for tomorrow is not to wash again. The fix is to use half as much next time.

For a deeper read on the product itself, we wrote a full stylist review of Oi Oil that covers the ingredient story, the scent, and how it compares to the other Davines lines we carry. We retail Davines at Sølvi, and Oi Oil is one of the bottles we restock most often because clients keep coming back for it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use Oi Oil on wet hair? Yes. We use it on damp hair right after the rinse, before blow-drying. Start with two to three drops worked through mid-lengths and ends. It smooths the cuticle and makes the comb glide through without snagging.

Is Oi Oil a heat protectant? No. Davines does not market Oi Oil as a heat protectant. It conditions and adds shine, but for hot tools above 350 degrees we layer a dedicated heat protectant underneath. Oi Oil can be used on top as a finishing step after styling.

How much Oi Oil should I use? Less than you think. Start with one to two drops on dry hair, two to three on damp hair. Rub it between your palms to warm it, then work through mid-lengths and ends first. Add a single drop at a time if needed. Most people use too much on the first try.

Will Oi Oil make my fine hair greasy? Not if you use the right amount. Two drops max on fine hair, worked through ends first and kept away from the root. If it looks oily, you used too much. Use half as much next time.

Does Oi Oil work on curly hair? Yes, but it is a finisher, not a curl definer. If you are curly, apply your styler first, then smooth a small amount of Oi Oil over the surface to cut frizz and add shine. It works well as the last step in a wash-and-go routine.

Come See Us

If you want to try Oi Oil with the right amount and the right technique for your hair, the best way to start is to pick up a bottle at your next appointment and let one of us walk you through it. We will show you exactly how much to use, where to place it, and how to layer it with the rest of your routine.

If you have not been in yet, we would love to meet you. Book your appointment for a Sølvi blowout or any of our color services and we will fold the home-care conversation into your visit. No upsell, no pressure. Just the product that has earned its spot on our shelf, and the small details that make it work.