Winter weather can wreak havoc on your hair. Between shoving your lengths into an endless array of scratchy hats, scarves, and sweaters, and the super-dry heat coming out of your radiator for hours on end, your strands seldom catch a break between the months of October and March. And while a hydrating shampoo or a good deep-conditioning hair mask can remedy your dry, brittle strands, so too can a touch of hair oil. The best hair oils leave your hair looking shiny and healthy, no matter how cold or dry the climate.
What does hair oil do?
Before you ask if hair oil will leave your hair looking greasy, let me stop you. No, it won't—if you apply the right amount, and use it in the right way.
Some hair oils are meant to be applied to damp hair, others to dry, and a few are even meant to be applied directly to an itchy scalp to calm it down and to help hair growth. Many options on the market right now even act as a heat protectant.
How do I apply hair oil?
If you're using your hair oil to restore shine and protect your hair against heat damage from your styling products, apply to the ends and lengths of your hair and spread it evenly with a wide-toothed comb. This will guarantee that the product will be distributed evenly throughout your hair.
If you're in a pinch and you're looking to add a bit of shine to your day-old blowout—or remedy the look of split ends if you're in-between haircut appointments—apply a small amount of your preferred oil to just the very bottom of your hair.
Which hair types can use hair oil?
Pretty much any hair type can benefit from the inclusion of a hair oil in their routines. But, depending on factors like your hair texture or porosity, you should use different types of oils. Coconut and jojoba oils, for instance, work best on high-porosity hair. On the other hand, low-porosity hair will benefit from argan or grapeseed oils.
Keep reading to check out 21 of the best hair oils on the market right now. Here's to shinier, healthier hair in 2022.
Olaplex No. 7 Bonding Hair Oil
A lot of science goes into this No. 7 Bonding Oil from Olaplex, but I'll keep it short by saying that only a drop or two of it helps repair the hair from the inside out. It also works as a master heat protectant to keep hair safe from your blow dryer.
BREAD BEAUTY SUPPLY Hair Oil Everyday Gloss
This silicone-free oil is designed to be used on all hair types and works best on damp or wet hair fresh out of the shower, or to dry hair in between wash days to smooth fly aways and frizz. The inclusion of kakadu plum oil (which is packed with vitamin C) helps with scalp health.
Bumble and bumble Hairdresser’s Invisible Oil
This super lightweight oil literally disappears into your hair after you apply it. Apply a pump or so to dry hair after styling to give your hair that fresh-from-the-salon glow, or blend a drop in with your conditioner in the shower for a boost of softness and shine.
Crown Affair The Hair Oil
This hair oil from Crown Affair is made from just five ingredients. Two of these are Japanese tsubaki seed oil and meadowfoam seed oil, both of which hydrate and smooth the hair after a shower.
OUAI Hair Oil
Notes of violet, white musk, gardenia and ylang ylang make this the best-smelling hair product in your collection. It doesn't hurt that it protects your hair from temperatures up to 450 degrees, either.
Gisou Honey Infused Hair Oil
Mega influencer Negin Mirsalehi founded her beauty brand, Gisou in 2015 with this now-iconic Honey Infused Hair Oil. Beekeeping has been in Mirsalehi 's family for six generations, and this hair oil is proof that sticking to natural ingredients leads to better, healthier hair.
JVN Complete Pre-Wash Scalp & Hair Treatment Oil
While most hair oils are meant to be used on damp hair, Jonathan Van Ess' new oil is meant to be applied before you even get in the shower. It clarifies and calms dry scalps thanks to ingredients like Bisabolol, a plant extract derived from German chamomile.
Briogeo Don't Despair, Repair! Strengthening Treatment Hair Oil
Briogeo's best-selling Don't Despair, Repair! range includes way more than that one deep-conditioning mask. This oil from the line is made with ceramides, which you might recognize from your favorite moisturizer. Just like with your skin, ceramides help strengthen and protect the hair against damage.
Verb Ghost Weightless Hair Oil
This under-$20 oil from Verb is proven to enhance shine by 75 percent. It can be incorporated into other products for a boost of moisture.
Moroccanoil Moroccanoil Treatment
If you've heard someone talk about a hair oil that they love, they're probably talking about this one from Moroccanoil. It was one of the original hair oils on the market and, from day one, has been protecting strands and keeping them looking silky smooth.
Kérastase Elixir Ultime Hydrating Hair Oil Serum
This versatile Hair Oil Serum from Kérastase can be used before you shower as a pre-cleanse, on wet hair as a heat protectant, or as a touching-up product to make your preferred style look amazing even on day two.
dae Prickly Pear Hair Oil
This sweet-smelling hair oil from vegan brand Dae is infused with antioxidant-rich prickly pear and moringa leaf, which helps keratin production in the hair. Several of the over 200 five-star reviews on Sephora claimed that it calmed even the frizziest of curls.
PATTERN by Tracee Ellis Ross Jojoba Oil Blend
This hair oil from Tracee Ellis Ross' PATTERN Beauty is designed for curly and wavy hair types. A blend of jojoba, lavender, and safflower oils soothe the scalp and define curls.
Virtue Healing Oil
This first-of-its-kind hair oil is formulated with VIrtue's Alpha Keratin 60ku protein to deliver softness and shine.
Mielle Rosemary Mint Scalp & Hair Strengthening Oil
If you find that your scalp is dry, make it feel better by applying this hair oil from Mielle. Some reviewers even claim that it makes your hair grow faster.
OGX Extra Strength Renewing Moroccan Argan Oil Penetrating Hair Oil Serum
Silk proteins in this oil serum from OGX leave your hair feeling smooth in an instant. One reviewer even said "This oil saved my life!"
Reverie Ever Recovery Hair Oil
This oil from Reverie is made with Marula and sustainably-derived squaline, the hair mega-moisturizer that you've probably never used before.
HairStory The Hair Oil
If you don't want to keep buying multiple jars of the same product, this hair oil from HairStory has got you figured out. You can subscribe to get a refill of the lightweight oil every eight weeks.
Prose Custom Hair Oil
Haircare brand Prose is all about creating the perfect products for your hair. All you have to do is take a quiz (they ask things like your age, your hair texture, and how oily your hair tens to be) and they'll send you a customized dream product.
Sol de Janeiro Brazilian Glossy Nourishing Anti-Frizz Hair Oil
Your hair can now be fresh-from-the-salon shiny for up to 72 hours courtesy of this oil from Sol de Janeiro (yes, the brand behind the best-selling Bum Bum Cream!). It features a blend of different oils for a mirror-like shine.
adwoa beauty Baomint™ Protect + Shine Oil Blend
Talk about a hair oil wunderkind! This pick features pomegranate seed oil to soothe the scalp, antioxidant rich grapeseed oil that can block the production of DHT, a hormone that causes hair loss, and coconut oil for hydration.
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