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The Best Hair Oil For Every Hair Type, According To A Hair Stylist

Banish frizz, repair damage and enhance shine with the oils that really work.

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Whether it’s daily heat styling, frequent colour changes or slacking on those essential split-end trims, we all have a vice when it comes to keeping our hair in peak condition. But whatever your complaints may be, a good hair oil could well be the hero you're looking for.

But first: the facts. Hair oils often get confused with serums, but as hair stylist and co-founder of The Loch Louise Garbutt explains, the two products actually have completely different uses. 'A silicone serum is ultimately a styling product – it should be applied onto dry hair to tame frizz. Most contain special light reflectors to add immense shine on the surface. In contrast, hair oils are more treatment focused and dig a little deeper,' she says.

So, where a silicone-based serum will coat your hair to smooth frizz and enhance shine, an oil can actually penetrate fibres and nourish follicles, working to restore and repair on a long-term basis. A lot of brands conflate the two in their product names and marketing, which doesn't make things easy (but that's what we're here for).

And another thing: the right hair oil for you may not necessarily be the one your best friend swears by, because like skincare, hair care is rarely a one-size-fits-all situation.

'Just like the rest of our products, we should aim our hair oils at specific concerns,' says Garbutt. 'Coconut oil is still the holy grail due to its moisture-retaining properties: it's perfect for especially dehydrated hair.' For coarser, frizz-prone hair, she recommends the denser argan oil. And for weak hair? 'Look for something containing castor oil. It's protein based, so works to rebuild the integrity of each strand.' Finally, jojoba oil is an unsung hero for dry and irritated scalps. 'Amazingly, it has the same chemical structure as the sebum produced by our scalps, so is great for dryness and dandruff yet still softens your ends.'

Thankfully, today’s beauty shelves now contain a hair oil for every hair type, and we know the very best ones – whether you're curly, straight, fine or frizzy.

Scroll down for the best hair oils you’ll find us slathering on come wash day…

The 18 best hair oils to nourish, treat and strengthen

Best hair oil for frizz

Living Proof No Frizz Vanishing Oil

On Sale
No Frizz Vanishing Oil
Best hair oil for frizz

Living Proof No Frizz Vanishing Oil

£24 at Amazon

For finer hair that tends to frizz, this one really is magic. The extra-lightweight blend of five oils works to block humidity from puffing up your hair, yet feels completely undetectable on even the most slender of strands. The result is sleek, shiny hair that never feels greasy. Try applying it to dry ends as a post-styling sealant, too.

Hair Syrup Grows-Mary Hair Oil

Grows-Mary Hair Oil

Hair Syrup Grows-Mary Hair Oil

Rosemary oil is all over Tiktok at the moment, with plenty of users lapping it up as a quick hack for speedy hair growth. While scientific research on its effectiveness is currently scant, there is a hefty amount of anecdotal support for Hair Syrup's Grows-Mary hair oil: seriously, the reviews are overwhelmingly positive.

Simply put, it's a pre-wash hair treatment that contains rosemary oil diluted in a base of gentle carrier oils. Massage it into your hairline the night before wash day, and you may see baby hairs appear in a matter of weeks.

Best hair oil for damage

Olaplex No.7 Bonding Oil

On Sale
No.7 Bonding Oil
Best hair oil for damage

Olaplex No.7 Bonding Oil

Now 39% Off

Yes, Olaplex – the love of your hairdresser's life – also makes a hair oil that you can use at home.If you really need more detail before adding this one to your cart, know that it's formulated to penetrate so deeply into strands, it can repair damage caused by straighteners, rough brushing and that time you bleached your own hair over the bathtub.

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Best hair oil for an overnight treatment

Fable & Mane HoliRoots Hair Oil

HoliRoots Hair Oil
Best hair oil for an overnight treatment

Fable & Mane HoliRoots Hair Oil

The founders of Fable & Mane launched this hair oil as an ode to the Indian hair-oiling rituals they treasured as children. Containing safflower, sesame and jojoba alongside strengthening ashwagandha, it's a true-to-tradition nourisher designed to be massaged in with care, and left to linger overnight.

Best hair oil for shine

Hair by Sam McKnight Love Me Do Nourishing Oil

Love Me Do Nourishing Oil
Best hair oil for shine

Hair by Sam McKnight Love Me Do Nourishing Oil

Blinding shine is the aim with Sam McKnight's latest launch. Love Me Do is a particularly light blend of oils, designed to be smoothed over damp or dry hair as a finishing touch. It works especially well on fine hair, and smells incredible: think fresh, green and crisp.

Best hair oil for fine hair

Champo Weightless Hair Oil

Weightless Hair Oil
Best hair oil for fine hair

Champo Weightless Hair Oil

Designed as a finishing serum, rather than a deep treatment, Champo's oil is one of the lightest we've tried. It's wonderful for smoothing flyaways without making lengths look greasy, and adds a brilliant shine too.

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Best luxury hair oil

Oribe Gold Lust Nourishing Hair Oil

Gold Lust Nourishing Hair Oil
Best luxury hair oil

Oribe Gold Lust Nourishing Hair Oil

Sitting firmly in the 'treat yourself' camp is this delicious hair oil from Oribe. Perfect for anyone who has a close relationship with their straighteners, it'll shield from heat damage and add incredible shine to lacklustre strands. The blend of argan oil, cassis, watermelon and lychee sinks in swiftly, leaving behind the kind of fragrance that'll make you forget all about your perfume (although if you want to double down on the scent, the brand makes those too).

Best hair oil for dry ends

Augustinus Bader The Hair Oil

The Hair Oil
Best hair oil for dry ends

Augustinus Bader The Hair Oil

Surprisingly, one of our favourite products from Augustinus Bader's phenomenally acclaimed line-up is also the most affordable.

The Hair Oil is simply brilliant on lengths that needs a bit of TLC: it's lightweight yet hard-working, containing a blend of vitamin-rich oils that smooth instantly and, in the long-run, work to repair frazzled strands. If you're considering investing in the Bader hair line, start here.

Best hair oil for heat protection

K18 Molecular Repair Hair Oil

Molecular Repair Hair Oil
Best hair oil for heat protection

K18 Molecular Repair Hair Oil

Every straightener addict knows the importance of using heat protection, but it's fair to say many traditional sprays and mists leave your hair feeling a little crunchy.

Offering the best of both worlds, this Tiktok-famous healing oil shields from temperatures up to a precise 232°C (which more than covers your Ghds) while penetrating the hair shaft to repair the broken keratin bonds that lead to straggly strands.

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Best hair oil mist

Ceremonia Oil Mist con Aloe Vera

Oil Mist con Aloe Vera
Best hair oil mist

Ceremonia Oil Mist con Aloe Vera

Curly hair tends to need more of a moisture injection than straight strands, and this aloe-vera based oil mist is up to the task.

The blend of murumuru, chia and coconut oils works to lock in the hydration from the aloe water base, giving your curls enough slip to dry with definition and major bounce.

Thoughtfully, the spray nozzle means you can easily get an even application without over-saturating certain areas – and it's ideal for rehydrating curls without disrupting your pattern throughout the day, too.

Best hair oil for curls

Kérastase Curl Manifesto Huile Incroyable Repair Oil

On Sale
Curl Manifesto Huile Incroyable Repair Oil
Best hair oil for curls

Kérastase Curl Manifesto Huile Incroyable Repair Oil

Kérastase's Curl Manifesto line has impressed more than one member of the ELLE beauty team. If you're looking to finally ditch the daily straightening, but aren't sure how to nurture that natural texture, this line will help.

The shampoo and conditioner should be your starting point, but the product that'll really take things up a notch is this lightweight but deeply moisturising oil: one pump, scrunched into wet hair, will conjure the shiny, bouncy curls you didn't know you had.

Best hair oil for texture and coils

Bread Hair-Oil: Everyday Gloss

Hair-Oil: Everyday Gloss
Best hair oil for texture and coils

Bread Hair-Oil: Everyday Gloss

Bread Beauty Supply is the name every textured hair girl should know right now. The brand offers everyday essentials that not only care for curls properly, but are a joy to use too. This sweetly scented hair oil adds incredible shine and separation to tighter coils and kinks. It's rich and dense – thanks to the argan and soybean oils inside – but that's exactly the point. 4C curly girls, stop the search.

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Best multi-use hair oil

Aveda Nutriplenish Multi-Use Hair Oil

Nutriplenish Multi-Use Hair Oil
Best multi-use hair oil

Aveda Nutriplenish Multi-Use Hair Oil

Aveda's all-natural potion can be used however you fancy. The brand recommends it for use before shampooing, after washing, or as an overnight treatment, meaning you're getting serious beauty bang for your buck. And of course, this being Aveda, it smells delicious.

Best hair oil for all hair types

Arkive The Good Habit Hybrid Oil

The Good Habit Hybrid Oil
Best hair oil for all hair types

Arkive The Good Habit Hybrid Oil

Revered hair stylist Adam Reed is a fragrance fanatic, so it makes sense that his newly launched line smells incredible. This lightweight hair oil adds supreme shine while smoothing flyaways, and releases a trail of rhubarb and white florals with every hair swish (there will be swishing).

Best hair oil for styling

JVN Hair Complete Nourishing Shine Drops

Complete Nourishing Shine Drops
Best hair oil for styling

JVN Hair Complete Nourishing Shine Drops

This is the product that set Jonathan Van Ness' brand on fire in the States – and you'll see why once you get your hands on a bottle. The oil feels significantly lighter than the rest, and creates an instantly glassy shine – as if you've just sat through a lengthy keratin blow-dry.

The secret is the brand's signature hemi-squalane: a skincare-inspired ingredient that slicks over each hair strand to hydrate and smooth, without adding weight or residue. Try it on dry hair after styling for the most blinding results.

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Best hair oil for breakage

Virtue Healing Oil

Healing Oil
Best hair oil for breakage

Virtue Healing Oil

Extra moisture is great, but when you reach for the straighteners every single morning, you're going to need something that goes deeper. Virtue's impressive formula contains the brand's own patented human-identical keratin, so slips into those struggling strands to prevent breakage occurring. Thoughtfully, it's a totally clear oil too, meaning those with icy highlights can use it without fear of brassiness.

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