Beauty Davines Oi Oil vs Oi All In One Milk: Which One Wins Best
Oi Oil and Oi All In One Milk are the two heroes of the Oi line, but they do different jobs. Oi Oil is a shine-enhancing finishing oil. Oi Milk is a multitasking leave-in treatment. Here is how to choose.
| Factor | Davines OI Oil - 4.56 oz | Davines OI Oil - 1.69 oz (Travel Size) |
|---|---|---|
| Product type | Finishing hair oil | Leave-in milk spray |
| Main benefit | Shine and frizz control | Detangling and protection |
| Texture | Silky oil, concentrated | Light milky spray |
| Best step | Finishing on dry hair | Prep on damp hair |
| Best hair types | Medium to thick, dry | Fine to medium, all |
| Heat protection | Yes, moderate | Yes, excellent |
| Price | Around 45 to 55 dollars | Around 30 to 40 dollars |
Our Verdict
Choose Oi Oil if shine and frizz control are your goals. Its concentrated formula transforms dull ends instantly. Choose Oi Milk if you want lightweight detangling and heat protection. Fine hair prefers the milk. Many devotees layer both for the full Oi effect.
More Top Picks in This Category
Not sold on either of these two? Here are more bestselling options worth considering.
Best for: Daily leave-in protection and detangling.
Davines OI All In One Milk - 4.56 oz
- 4.56 oz leave-in milk
- Multi-benefit spray
- Heat protection
- Detangling
Pros
- Lightweight versatility
- Great heat protectant
- Good value size
Cons
- Not as shiny as oil
- Spray can mist
Best for: Trying Oi Milk or packing it for travel.
Davines OI All In One Milk - 1.69 oz (Travel Size)
- 1.69 oz travel milk
- Same multi-benefits
- Compact
- Trial friendly
Pros
- Travel convenient
- Affordable trial
- Same formula
Cons
- Small bottle
- Per-ounce premium
Best for: The full Oi shine routine from wash to finish.
Davines OI Shampoo and Conditioner Set
- Shampoo plus conditioner
- Oi shine system
- Roucou oil
- Set value
Pros
- Complete routine
- Better set price
- Salon results
Cons
- Highest total cost
- Big commitment
Want the Full Picture?
The OI System vs the Milk Alone
Davines sells the OI line as a system, and the All In One Milk sits at an interesting point in it. The milk is a leave-in detangling and softening treatment, while the OI Shampoo and Conditioner Set handles the cleanse and base conditioning. Buyers who purchase only the milk and expect a full transformation are using one chapter of a three-chapter routine. The milk excels at what leave-ins do: it adds slip for detangling, tames surface frizz, and gives that soft, touchable finish. What it cannot do is replace the foundational moisture that comes from the shampoo and conditioner pairing on genuinely dry hair.
The practical buying logic: if your hair is mildly dry or you mainly want frizz control and softness, the milk alone on top of your current shampoo and conditioner is a reasonable buy. The travel size 1.69 oz exists precisely for this kind of trial. If your hair is seriously dehydrated, porous, or damaged, the full set earns its price because the three products are formulated to layer without the buildup that comes from mixing brands. Our dry hair treatment guide explains how to judge whether your dryness needs a system-level fix or a single-product addition, which saves buying a full set when a leave-in would do.
The Signature Scent Question
The Davines OI fragrance is famous, and it is strong. Buyers describe it as a warm, spa-like amber scent that lingers on hair for a full day. For most people this is a genuine selling point and part of why the line has a cult following. But fragrance load is the least discussed factor in moisturizing hair care, and it deserves a deliberate decision here because the OI scent does not wash out quickly. If you layer scented styling products or wear perfume daily, the OI fragrance becomes one more note in a stack that can turn cloying by afternoon.
The sensitive-scalp consideration is real too. Fragrance is one of the most common scalp irritants, and an itchy scalp that appeared after switching to a fragranced line is worth investigating before assuming dandruff. The test costs nothing: wash with a fragrance-free shampoo for two weeks and see if the itch fades. For buyers who love the OI performance but not the scent commitment, the travel size lets you test the fragrance endurance on your own hair before investing in the full sizes. Our Aussie Miracle Moist routine guide offers a useful contrast, showing how a different heavily fragranced line balances scent against performance for dry hair.
OI Milk on Fine vs Thick Hair
The All In One Milk is marketed as universal, but fine and thick hair experience it very differently. On thick, coarse, or frizzy hair, the milk is a workhorse: it provides enough weight to calm the cuticle, enough slip to detangle, and the softness lasts through the next day. Thick hair can take two to three pumps on damp hair without any limpness. On fine hair, the same product needs restraint. One pump, applied from mid-length down and kept strictly away from the roots, gives fine hair the frizz control without the weighed-down next-day effect that makes fine-haired buyers abandon leave-ins.
The tell for over-application on fine hair is specific: roots that look oily by evening on wash day, or hair that falls flat despite a volumizing shampoo. If that happens, halve the amount before switching products. Fine hair also benefits from applying the milk to damp rather than wet hair, since excess water dilutes the product and encourages over-pumping to compensate. For the complete fine-hair moisture strategy beyond a single leave-in, our thin dry hair guide covers lightweight layering that keeps volume alive while dryness stays controlled.