Davines Essential shampoo and conditioner

I am so tired of anti-wrinkle-de-puffing-turn-you-upside-down-and-spit-you-out beauty products which are just confusing. I want something that tells me what it will do, and then does it – Davines gets my way of thinking. When it comes to taking care of your locks, if you’re looking for simplicity, Davines Essential Haircare does exactly what it says on the tin – albeit in pretty pastel colours.

The feelgood story behind the brand, though a little sickly, is truly admirable. Davines started in 1983 and has gradually developed a range of products which are centred on sustainability, harmony and individuality and prioritise quality of life for staff, partners and consumers.

It is very interesting, and about time, that organisations started to think about sustainability in the truest sense of the term, as in, sustainable. Never before have I seen any company even slightly beauty related making reference to the well-being of their staff on the homepage of their website. I like.

And as for the products, they’re adorable: packaging is clean, clear and totally biodegradable. I should say at this point that although I love a beauty treat, in reality my haircare extends to whichever shampoos are half price in the supermarket; except in the weeks directly following Christmas and my birthday, when my sister-in-law (who is a hairdresser) treats me to some hair goodies. Using Davines at home comes in somewhere between posh shampoo and salon blowdry…

Davines’ products are some of the most delectable I have had the chance to try – each of the three items I used made my hair smell incredible. I had comments from everyone I saw, and this includes my boyfriend who probably wouldn’t notice if I shaved my head. The haircare treats have a ‘just out of the spa’ feeling, encouraging you to relax and enjoy.

Having fairly ‘normal’ hair and not being qualified to carry out a perm, I tried the Davines Essentials range and avoided some of the very interesting-sounding salon-styling products. The Essential Hair Nourishing Shampoo was quite honestly the nicest thing I have ever put in my hair. It washes hair clean without a rinse and repeat, feels light, doesn’t tangle and leaves hair feeling fresh. Oh and did I mention that it smells like heaven?

The Essential Nourishing Conditioner is also wonderful and after being left in for three minutes, left the hair feeling healthy, clean, full and light. However, using the conditioner did mean that I had to wash my hair every day as it became greasy quite quickly. (But the smell kept on going!)

My least favourite of the three, but only because of the less immediate effects, was the Essentials Hair Care Leave-in Cream which was applied to dry hair. I say least favourite because my ignorance allows me to. The cream acted largely as a preventative product and I would need to use it for some time before I noticed the effects. In reality I used the cream after drying and when I wanted to freshen up. The cream was light and non-sticky and dried immediately without altering any shape or style. Although my hair was protected from the pollution and sun, I didn’t notice the added shine it promised.

Using Davines means being nice to your hair and nice to the environment. I shan’t be shaving my head any time soon!

For stockists, call +44 (0) 203 3015449 or +39 3482624838. More information is available on the Davines website.