A client asked us last week if the Davines This Is A Dry Wax Finishing Spray was just another bottle the brand made to fill a shelf. Fair question. The name throws people, and at $41 it is not a casual add-on to your cart. So we put it through the honest test we run on everything behind the chair at Sølvi, and here is where we landed after months of using it on real heads of hair in our downtown Boise studio.
First, clear up the name
Here is the part that confuses people. It is called a "dry wax finishing spray," and that is exactly what it is. The This Is A Dry Wax Finishing Spray is a texturizing, satin-matte finisher you spray onto dry, finished hair to build grip, separation, and that undone, lived-in shape. It is not a leave-in, it is not a softener, and you do not work it through wet hair. If you understand it as the last step in your style rather than the first, it makes total sense. Think of it as the wax you always wanted without the gummy, fingers-in-a-tub mess.
What it does well
This is where it earns its spot. It gives you instant texture and a satin-matte finish without any stiffness or oily residue, which is genuinely hard to pull off. Most texture sprays either go crunchy or leave a greasy film. This one stays soft and reworkable, so you can run your fingers through, shake it out, and rebuild the shape later in the day. It adds real volume at the root and clean separation through the lengths, and it carries that light Davines signature scent that hangs around all day without being loud.
For Boise hair, this matters more than you might think. Our high desert climate runs dry most of the year, and a lot of texture products turn that dry air into a frizzy, fly-apart mess by lunch. Because this one is matte and weightless, the texture it builds actually holds in our dry climate instead of falling flat or going greasy. One honest caution: it is an alcohol-based aerosol, so on already-parched ends it can read a little dry. We keep it mostly at the roots and mid-lengths and go light on the very ends.
Who it is for
This is for the client who wants undone, matte, lived-in texture and real separation without the stiffness of an old-school wax or paste. Fine-haired clients love the root volume and grip it gives them with zero weight. Coarse and curly clients get definition and shape that stays reworkable all day. If you like that piece-y, just-back-from-the-beach look and you are tired of products that flatten you out or turn crunchy, this earns its place on your shelf.
Who should skip it
Honesty first. If what you actually want is shine and sleekness, this is not it, full stop. It is a matte finish by design, so a glossy serum or smoothing cream will serve you better. If you are looking for a true softening leave-in to tame frizz on wet hair, this is the wrong tool too. And if $41 stretches your budget, that is a real number for a finishing spray, and there are cheaper texture products that get you partway there even if they do not feel as refined. We would rather tell you that than sell you a bottle you will not finish.
How we use it at the chair
Autumn Schiess, our owner and lead stylist, reaches for this one constantly with her short-hair clients, and her method is simple. Shake the can well first. On dry, finished hair, hold it about four inches from the head and spray right at the root area for texture and volume, then hit the lengths and ends to add definition and movement. Build in light passes rather than one heavy blast, because you can always add more. If you overdo it, just shake your hair out and rework it, since the matte finish stays flexible. Not sure how much your hair needs? Ask your stylist at your next visit and we will dial it in for you.
Our honest verdict
Worth it if you want undone, matte, textured hair with grip and separation that holds up in our dry Boise climate, which describes a lot of the clients in our chairs. Skip it if you wanted shine and sleekness, if you need a softening leave-in for wet hair, or if $41 stretches your budget. It is a quietly excellent texture product with a name that scares people off, and once you spray it the right way it does exactly what it promises.
You can pick one up at the studio at 104 S Capitol Blvd in downtown Boise, or ask us about it when you come in. Browse what else we offer on our services page, and when you are ready, book your appointment and we will help you figure out if this belongs in your routine.