When to Use Hair Oil: Everything You Need to Know
Discover the benefits of hair oil, when to apply it, and how to choose the best one for your hair type. Enhance shine, reduce frizz, and nourish your scalp effectively.
The Ultimate Guide to Using Hair Oil for Healthier Hair
Hair oil is one of those multi-tasking products that can really upgrade your hair routine. If you aren’t sure how to use it or choose the best one for you, we have all the info you need. Read on for tips on selecting and using the best hair oils.
What Does Hair Oil Do?
One of the primary uses of hair oil is to make it shiny, but these versatile treatments do much more than that, too. Hair oils can moisturize, protect, and smooth the hair shaft. They can also help strengthen damaged hair, prevent breakage, reduce frizz, improve shine, and more. Some oils, like coconut and castor oil, even penetrate the hair cuticle to deliver deeper nourishment, while others like argan oil seal in moisture at the surface and smooth flyaways. Plus, you can use oils on your scalp to treat scalp issues and nourish a dry scalp, too.
When Should You Apply Hair Oil?
The best time to use hair oil depends on your goal. For example, oiling before washing is best for deep nourishment, while post-wash application is ideal for shine and frizz control. So, are you treating a dry scalp? Trying to tame frizz before styling? Looking to lock in moisture after a wash? Here’s when to apply hair oil based on your needs.
Before Washing
Using hair oil as a pre-shampoo treatment helps protect the strands from being stripped of natural oils during cleansing. Massage oil into your scalp and hair about 30 minutes before washing to reduce dryness and damage.
After Washing
For smoothing and shine, apply a small amount of hair oil to damp or dry hair after washing. Focus on the mid-lengths to ends to prevent frizz without weighing roots down.
On Dry Scalp
For dry scalp oiling, gently massage a scalp-friendly oil (like jojoba or tea tree oil) directly into the roots. Leave it in for at least 20 minutes before shampooing it out.
Before Heat Styling
Light oils like argan or grapeseed work well as heat protectants, offering a layer of moisture and reducing damage from hot tools.
How To Apply Hair Oil
Now that you know when to use hair oil, here are some tips on application.
If you have fine hair, opt for lightweight oils like argan or rosehip. For thick, coarse, or curly hair, richer oils like coconut, castor, or avocado are more effective. Sweet almond and olive oils are also great for moisturizing.
No matter when you use your hair oil, it’s a good rule of thumb to start small. A few drops go a long way! Too much oil can leave hair looking and feeling greasy, especially with fine hair. Rub oil between your palms and smooth it onto the ends first, then work upward to help avoid oversaturating.
The Best Hair Oils
Avocado Oil
Avocado oil is packed with nutrients to help boost hair health. Aussie Miracle Moist Intense Hydration Oil contains avocado oil to provide moisture and seal the cuticle to lock in hydration.
Argan Oil
Argan Oil is a lightweight oil that adds shine without weighing the hair down. Pantene’s Miracle Rescue Regenerative Hair Oil, formulated with argan oil, helps regenerate hair bonds from the inside out. In addition to argan oil, the silicone-free hair oil is infused with pro-vitamin B5, antioxidants, jojoba oil and grapeseed oil for extreme damage repair. It provides deep repair in minutes, 72 hour frizz control and regenerates hair bonds at the molecular level.
Camellia Oil
This oil mimics the hair’s natural oils, so it soaks right in easily. The Herbal Essences All-in-1 Nourishing Spray with Aloe and Camellia Flower Oil utilize this oil to help nourish and make the hair look and feel softer.
