Strange, but I was super excited yet sheepish that I actually received this product duo from the Davines‘ local PR team. I mean, hello man, it’s DAVINES which is one of if not the TOP haircare system brand in Italy founded by the Bollati family in 1983. The products are usually only available to buy online or in salons. To think that out of curiosity I merely asked if the Love Conditioner (Allure Best of Beauty 2011 Winner) was available locally and the PR team sent me BOTH the Shampoo and Conditioner together. For Valentine’s I guess, two is ultimately better than one…sniff*.
The shampoo is a warm, sunny peach color and the conditioner is a lovely marshmallow pink. The Davines Love hair cleansing system comes in different variants. I received the Award-Winning Lovely Smoothing variant which suitable to all hair types and particularly targets dryness, damage, and/or frizz. Read more to jump to the full post and review!
The simple, pretty pastel colors of both products encased in clear containers are very calming to behold visually. They’d suit a minimalist’s dream bathroom in a heartbeat.
KEY INGREDIENTS:
SHAMPOO – Rice Proteins (create a protective film around hair shaft); Indian Fig Extract (intensively moisturises hair); Olive Oil Peg-7 Ester (an emollient, sebum protecting agent derived from Olive Oil that helps hair recover its natural hydro-lipidic balance, essential for curly hair that tends to be dry).
CONDITIONER – Vitamin E and borage oil (emollients); rice bran (moisturizer); dimethicone (softener); glycerin and vitamin E (frizz reducers)
The Davines group originally began as a research lab in Italy and later on developed into a haircare and skincare company. I’m not surprised that today the Davines group has harnessed advanced methods to develop natural botanical formulas for products that aim to nurture us with nature.
The Davines LOVE shampoo is commonly creamy, not runny and it lathers up nicely. There was something about the scent which reminded me of a floral embraced guava, but nothing in the ingredients confirms that it contains any guava. It’s a very pretty, but subtle scent that doesn’t overwhelm and the product rinses out clean, but not squeaky. The Davines LOVE conditioner has a similarly attractive scent and this is the product that really stood out for me. Its award-winning points are well earned. The conditioner is not slippy like local conditioners or a garden variety imported conditioner would be. It’s more dense, smooth, thickly creamy, and there’s more cling and stick when you slap it onto your hair. As soon as I worked it in, running through my hair sections with my fingers I could feel my dry, slightly damaged hair smoothing out and really reaping the benefits. I kept the conditioner on for about 5 mins letting the steam in the shower do some work while I soaped myself, leaving it on longer helps it give my hair a more obvious boost in moisture. Then I rinsed my hair with cold water to get the most out of it.
Contrary to what most people think it isn’t when my hair is completely dry that I’m able to tell if a shampoo or conditioner was good. It’s in the damp in-between stage when my hair’s natural waves start to take shape. As you can see, my natural waves begin twirling or curling and that’s how I know I’ve just used a really great haircare product that doesn’t fight with my hair’s natural tendency. This Davines LOVE Smoothing duo does tame dry flyaway strands and diminishes the roughness of my hair, but if I were to purchase again I’d rather own just the conditioner. Honestly, Davines is quite expensive locally. Between taxes and rent from being sold in-salon I understand why it costs more. Love shampoo is Php1020.00 and PhpLove conditioner is 1085.00. You can purchase both at the ff salons: Azta, Basement, and David’s Trinoma, in limited supply.
