We get asked about smoothing products almost every day at Sølvi, usually by someone who has just spent forty minutes fighting their hair with a round brush and lost. So when the Davines Love Smooth Shampoo Bar started showing up on our shelf and in our own showers, our stylists put it through real wear before recommending it to a single client. Here is our honest, behind-the-chair review after months of using it on our own heads and our guests' hair in our downtown studio at 104 S Capitol Blvd.
What it actually is
The Love Smooth Shampoo Bar is a smoothing wash from Davines built for frizzy, coarse, and rebellious hair. It runs $29.00 for the bar, and the line is designed to pair with the Love Smoothing perfector, a leave-in you work through damp hair before you blow-dry. The promise is simple. Tame frizz, soften the texture, and make the whole drying process faster. That is the part we were most curious about, because faster blow-dries matter just as much to the person doing their hair at home as they do to us standing behind the chair.
How it performs in dry Boise air
Here is where we have to be straight with you. A lot of smoothing products are sold on the idea of fighting humidity, and Boise is not a humid city. Our Idaho air is dry, and most of the frizz we see in the studio is not weather frizz. It is dehydration frizz, the kind that comes from thirsty, parched strands that have nothing left to hold onto. That distinction matters for whether this bar is right for you.
The good news is the Love Smooth Bar reads well in our climate. Because it is built to soften and smooth coarse texture rather than just shellac the cuticle shut, it gives dry, rough hair something back. After washing, the comb glides through easier, and the cuticle lies flatter on the dry-down. We noticed the biggest difference on thick, unruly hair that had been air-drying into a cloud. It came down more controlled and looked finished with less heat.
The blow-dry test
Speed was the real surprise. On a few of our guests with dense, coarse hair, the rough-dry stage went noticeably quicker, and the finish came out sleeker before we even reached for the flat iron. For us behind the chair, shaving even five minutes off a smoothing blow-dry adds up across a full day. For you at home, it means less time with your arms over your head. We always tell people to follow the bar with the Love Smoothing perfector on damp hair, because that combination is where the smoothing payoff really lands.
Who it is not for
This is not a universal pick, and we would rather you know that now. If your hair is fine, soft, or already on the limp side, a dedicated smoothing wash can leave it feeling heavy and flat. Smoothing is about weighing texture down, and fine hair does not have the texture to spare. We also would not steer you here if your main concern is color protection or scalp issues, because this bar is doing one job and doing it well. It is a smoothing product, not a do-everything bottle. And if you are someone who genuinely loves your natural volume, washing with something designed to calm it down is working against you.
Getting used to a bar
One honest note on format. A shampoo bar is a small adjustment if you have only ever used liquid. It lathers differently, you rub it directly on wet hair or work it between your hands first, and it needs to dry out between washes so it lasts. None of that is a dealbreaker, and most of our guests stop noticing within a week, but it is a real change worth mentioning rather than glossing over.
Our verdict
For coarse, thick, frizz-prone hair living in dry Boise air, the Love Smooth Shampoo Bar earns its spot at $29.00. It smooths honestly, speeds up the blow-dry, and pairs cleanly with the Love Smoothing perfector for the full effect. It is not the answer for fine hair or for someone who wants volume, and that is exactly why we like recommending it to the right person rather than everyone. If you are not sure your hair is a match, that is a great thing to ask us about. Browse the rest of what we carry on our services page, or book a smoothing appointment and we will tell you face to face. You can book online here any time. Every product on our shelf is one we actually use, and this one made the cut.