A few times a season, a product earns a permanent spot on our shelf because we keep reaching for it ourselves. Davines Su Hair and Body Wash is one of those. We started keeping it at the front desk last summer, and these are the working notes our stylists at Sølvi keep coming back to behind the chair. No marketing gloss, just what we have actually seen on real heads of hair in downtown Boise.
What it actually is
Su is Davines' sun-care line, built to protect hair and skin before and after UV exposure. It is not a treatment masque or a year-round shampoo. It is a summer product. The formula uses UV filters to help guard hair color and skin from sun damage, and the after-sun side of the line leans into hydration to calm redness and replenish moisture once you are back indoors. The finish stays light, so it layers over whatever routine you already run without weighing hair down.
Why it makes sense in Boise
This is the part that matters for us locally. Boise sits in high desert. Our summers are bright, dry, and the UV index climbs fast, especially out on the river or up at Bogus. That combination is rough on color. We see it every July at our studio on 104 S Capitol Blvd: vibrant brunettes going brassy, blondes pulling warm, fresh tones fading weeks ahead of schedule. A sun product that puts a UV filter between your color and the Idaho sky is not a luxury here. It is maintenance. The dry air also pulls moisture out of skin and hair, so the hydrating after-sun step does real work once you come back down to elevation.
How we tell clients to use it
Keep it simple. Apply before sun exposure, then reapply after swimming or sweating. That is the whole rhythm. If you are spending a Saturday on Lucky Peak or floating the Boise River, treat it like sunscreen for your hair and reapply on the same schedule you would reapply SPF for your skin. The travel size lives well in a pool bag or a glove box, and the standard size stays home for the regular weekend routine.
Sizes and price
Two options. The Travel size is 2.5 fl oz at $15.00, which is the one we point first-timers toward because it lets you test it before committing. The Standard size is 8.45 fl oz at $34.00 for anyone who already knows they spend their summers outside. You can see both on the Su Hair and Body Wash product page. Everything we stock is something our stylists genuinely use, and this one passed that test for our whole team last season.
The honest drawback
Here is where the stylist notes get real. This is a seasonal, situational product, not a daily essential. If your summer is mostly spent indoors, in the car, or out of direct sun, you do not need it, and we will tell you so rather than ring it up. It earns its keep for people who are actually outside: river days, patio shifts, golf, hiking, the lake. Outside of that use case, your money is better spent on the daily shampoo and conditioner that fit your hair type. Buying it and leaving it in a drawer helps no one.
Who it is for
Color clients who spend real time outdoors in our Idaho summers, anyone protecting an investment they made in the chair, and people who hate the brassy, dried-out look that August usually brings. If that is you, grab the travel size and put it to work for a few weekends. If you are not sure whether your routine needs it, ask us at your next visit. We talk through products at the bowl all the time, and you can read about the color and care work we do on our services page. When you are ready, book an appointment with us and bring it up. We would rather get you the right product than the most expensive one.
That is the file we keep on Su. Honest, short, and built from what we see on real Boise hair through a long, bright summer.