Frizzy Hair? How to Smooth It with Davines Love Smoothing

It is so frustrating when you spend all morning taming your frizz, finally walk out the door and the wind brings all the frizz right back. We hear about it frizzy hair everyday in the salon. Frizzy hair is thirsty hair, and once you understand what is driving it and give it the right things, it calms down a lot more easily than you would think. The Davines Love Smoothing range is for you if you experience the above.

Here is the full picture: what frizz actually is, what makes it worse, and the exact routine we use to settle it down.

What frizz actually is

Every strand of hair has an outer layer called the cuticle, made of tiny overlapping scales a bit like roof tiles. When hair is healthy and hydrated, those scales lie flat and smooth, so light bounces off and moisture stays in. When hair is dry, damaged or roughed up, the scales lift. That does two things: it lets moisture escape, and it lets moisture from the air push in. The strand swells, the lifted cuticle catches the light unevenly, and you get that halo of fluff and flyaways we call frizz.

So frizz is really a moisture problem wearing a disguise. The hair is either too dry to begin with, or too damaged to hold moisture where it belongs.

Why some hair frizzes more

Coarse and curly hair frizzes first, simply because it has more surface area and more bends for the cuticle to lift along. Fine hair is not exempt though, it just shows it differently, as a soft fuzz rather than big kinks.

Humidity is the obvious trigger, which is why a damp Wellington day undoes a smooth blow-dry. Damage is the quieter one. Colour, heat tools, hard water and time all roughen the cuticle, and roughed-up hair frizzes far more readily than healthy hair. And everyday habits matter more than people expect, which brings us to the mistakes.

The frizz mistakes we see most

Rough towel-drying is the big one. Scrubbing your hair with a towel lifts the cuticle every single time. Squeeze and blot instead, or use a microfibre towel.

Over-washing strips the natural oils that keep hair smooth, so hair compensates by drying out further. Most frizzy hair does better washed less often, not more.

Brushing dry, especially curls and waves, snaps the pattern apart into frizz. Detangle in the shower with conditioner in, then leave it alone.

Skipping heat protection, or running tools too hot, roughens the cuticle over time. And reaching for products loaded with drying alcohols undoes the very thing you are trying to fix.

The Davines Love Smoothing routine

Once the habits are sorted, the right products do the rest. The Davines Love Smoothing range is the one we reach for, because it works on the cuticle: smoothing it down and topping up moisture so the air has less to grab onto.

Start in the shower with the Davines Love Smoothing Shampoo and the Conditioner. Between them they soften coarse, unruly hair and get it behaving before you have even picked up the dryer.

When hair is feeling rough, swap your conditioner once or twice a week for the Love Smoothing Instant Mask. It is a fast treatment that adds softness and immediate anti-frizz, taming unwanted volume so the hair sits sleeker.

The step most people skip, and the one that makes the real difference, is the Love Smoothing Serum. It is a lightweight anti-frizz serum that also protects against heat up to 230°C and leaves no greasy residue, so it earns its spot whether you are going dead straight or just out the door.

Your step-by-step routine

On wash day, shampoo once, then condition through the mid-lengths and ends, never the scalp. Detangle gently with your fingers or a wide-tooth comb while the conditioner is in, then rinse. Blot, do not scrub, with your towel.

On damp hair, smooth a ten-cent-piece of the Love Smoothing Serum through the mid-lengths to ends. Less than you think, you can always add more. Then blow-dry with the nozzle pointing down the hair shaft, which lays the cuticle flat, or let it air-dry if you would rather skip the heat.

Once or twice a week, use the Instant Mask in place of your conditioner for an extra hit of smoothing. And between washes, a tiny touch of serum on dry hair tames flyaways through the day.

How long until you see a difference

You will feel a difference the first time, hair that is softer and easier to manage straight out of the shower. The lasting change, where hair holds its smoothness because it is genuinely healthier and better hydrated, builds over a few weeks of consistent use. Frizz driven by real damage takes longer, because you are partly growing out the damaged hair while you nurse the rest back to health.

Frizz by hair type

Fine hair needs a light hand. Keep conditioner and serum off the roots, use small amounts, and lean on the serum more than the mask so you do not flatten your volume.

Coarse and curly hair can take more. The Instant Mask is your friend here, and you can be more generous with the serum on the ends.

Coloured hair is often frizzy because colour has roughed up the cuticle, so it benefits from the moisture in this range, and the heat protection matters even more.

Frizzy hair FAQs

Is frizz just dryness? Mostly, yes. It is dryness or damage letting the cuticle lift. Occasionally it is humidity acting on otherwise healthy hair, which is where a good serum earns its keep.

Can I get rid of frizz without straightening it? Absolutely. Smoothing is not the same as straightening. The goal is hair that holds its natural shape without the fluff, not poker-straight hair, unless that is what you are after.

How often should I use the mask? Once or twice a week is plenty. Daily is unnecessary and can leave finer hair limp.

Will smoothing products weigh fine hair down? Not if you use them lightly and keep them off the roots. The Love Smoothing range is designed to be light, so a small amount through the ends does the job.

Still fighting it?

If you have tried the routine and frizz is still winning, it is worth getting eyes on your hair. Persistent frizz can be a sign of underlying damage or a colour that needs addressing, and that is a conversation worth having in person. Email Aurea at hello@sable.co.nz and she will point you to the right products, or book you in so we can take a proper look.

For more on the damage that often drives frizz, see our guide to repairing brittle, damaged hair, and if shine is your other goal, Davines Oi Oil is a lovely finishing touch.

Ready to smooth things over? Shop the Davines range at Sable Boutique, with Afterpay and Zip.