Every few weeks someone sits in our chair at Sølvi, runs a hand through their hair, and asks the same thing. "Is the conditioner you keep using actually worth buying, or can I grab something at the drugstore?" Fair question. Boise hair takes a beating, and nobody wants to spend $36 on a bottle that does what a $9 one already does. So here is our honest take on Davines Love Smoothing Conditioner, the one we reach for behind the chair more than almost anything else.
What it actually is
Love Smoothing Conditioner is a smoothing conditioner built for frizzy, coarse, and humidity-prone hair. It is part of the Davines Love Smooth family, and it is meant to soften rebellious texture and make blow-drying easier. At Sølvi we keep three sizes on the shelf: a travel size at $17, the standard 8.45 fl oz bottle at $36, and a salon liter at $101 for the people who go through it fast. You can see the full lineup on the Love Smoothing Conditioner page.
Who it is genuinely great for
If your hair is thick, coarse, or fights you every time the weather shifts, this is where it earns its keep. Boise has that high desert dryness most of the year, then summer rolls in and the air gets weirdly humid for a few weeks. That swing is exactly what makes frizz flare up. We have watched this conditioner take a client from puffy and rough to smooth and manageable in one wash, and the bigger payoff shows up at the blow-dryer. Hair detangles faster, the brush glides, and the finish lands sleeker with less heat and less time. For anyone who blows their hair out at home, that alone is the selling point.
The honest drawbacks
Here is the part we will not skip. This is not the conditioner for everyone. If you have fine, flat, or naturally straight hair, a smoothing conditioner like this can weigh you down and leave your roots looking limp by the afternoon. People with oily scalps tell us the same thing. The smoothing agents that tame coarse hair are too much for hair that already lies flat on its own. It is also a real spend. Thirty-six dollars for the standard bottle is not nothing, and if you are not someone who battles frizz, you will not see the difference that justifies the price. We would rather tell you that now than have you buy it and feel let down.
How we use it at Sølvi
In the studio at 104 S Capitol Blvd we shampoo and condition the same way you would at home, then leave the conditioner in for a minute or two while we work on the next section. The trick most people miss is pairing it. Follow with the Love Smoothing perfector on damp hair before you blow-dry, and the smoothing effect roughly doubles. The conditioner alone is good. The conditioner plus the leave-in is what gets you that glassy, behind-the-chair finish. We walk clients through this pairing during a smoothing service, and you can read more about those on our services page.
So, is it worth it?
For frizzy, coarse, or humidity-prone hair in Idaho, yes. It is one of the few products we recommend without hedging, because we use it on real heads of hair all day and watch it deliver. For fine or straight hair, we would steer you somewhere lighter and save you the money. If you are not sure which camp you fall into, that is genuinely what we are here for. Start with the travel size at $17 to test it before you commit to the big bottle, and if you want a stylist to look at your hair in person, you can book an appointment with us and we will tell you straight.