I love experimenting with hair colour as much as the next person, but I’ve paid the price with damaged lengths and split ends. Years of vibrant red and jet-black box dyes left my once-healthy hair, dull, brittle and deprived of nourishment. The secret to reviving my damaged locks? A good hair oil.
Whether used as a pre-wash treatment or a styling saviour, a hydrating hair oil can make all the difference to your splitting strands. Packed with powerhouse ingredients, like coconut, argan and camellia, hair oils work to hydrate, visibly strengthen and restore softness and shine from root to tip.
Ready to level up your hair care routine? I’ve rounded up my top five hair oils that helped to transform my lengths from lacklustre to luscious. Let’s dive in.
My Top Picks:
The Frizz Fighter: OUAI Hair Oil
Best On A Budget: L'Oréal Paris Hair Oil by Elvive Extraordinary Oil
The Coloured Hair Hero: Olaplex No. 7 Bonding Hair Oil
The Damage Defender: Moroccanoil Treatment Original
The All Rounder: Kérastase Elixir Ultime Hair Oil L'Huile Originale
The Frizz Fighter
For someone with fine hair, but a lot of it, this frizz-fighting fusion is a strand superstar in my eyes. I find that my hair is consistently prone to tangles and this hair oil is the solution to smoothing my stubborn strands.
Paving the OUAI to healthy hair, this formula is packed with African galanga, ama and baobab oils to soften the feeling of hard-to-comb knots. Weightless but powerful, this oil is the best for low-porosity hair types like mine, as the quick-absorbing formula leaves behind an undetectable finish.
Pro Tip: I love applying this oil on my next-day curls for an instant refresh, promoting a just-styled look without any effort.
Product Overview
Offers a frizz-free, shiny finish with a lightweight feeling
Delivers heat protection up to 232°C
Enriched with a blend of African galanga, ama, and Asian borage oils
Scented with Rue St. Honoré fragrance
Best oil for fine, low-porosity hair types
Best On A Budget
When I first embarked on my haircare journey, I wasn’t ready to splurge on a high-end hair oil just yet. Enter the L'Oréal Paris Elvive Extraordinary Oil, the perfect beginner for those on a budget.
Promoting luscious lengths without the luxury price point, this antioxidant-rich hair oil is an inexpensive option for achieving salon-worthy results at home. Enriched with a precious blend of six botanical extracts, the multi-tasking formula restores nourishment to hair that’s in need of softness and shine.
After exploring high-end options, I often still find myself returning to this drugstore staple for its shine-boosting benefits and fresh floral fragrance.
Product Overview
Promotes a conditioned, smooth finish
Offers heat protection up to 230°C
Infused with precious flower oils
Ideal oil for fine, dry hair types
The Coloured Hair Hero
Mini but mighty, Olaplex’s No. 7 Bonding Oil is TikTok-viral for its restoring properties and my ultimate go-to after colouring my locks. My first impression of this oil was that a little goes a long way.
Featuring patented bond-building technology, the exclusive formula visibly strengthens chemically treated hair while taming unruly flyaways and boosting the look of colour vibrancy.
I tend to reach for this hair oil when using heated tools, as the best-selling treatment defends delicate strands from temperatures up to 232°C.
Product Overview
Improves the look of damage and boosts colour vibrancy
Powered by unique bond-building technology
Features heat defence up to 232°C
Perfect hair oil for damaged and bleached hair
The Damaged Defender
Discovering Moroccanoil’s iconic Treatment Hair Oil was a game-changer for me. Using this hair treatment on my freshly washed damp hair meant I waved goodbye to dry, damaged strands.
Pioneering the use of strand-quenching argan oil, this iconic hair treatment is revered for its restorative and replenishing properties, providing lengths in need with a serious dose of moisture. The results? Hair that bounces back from breakage.
Out of my top five, this hair oil stands out as the best option for curly or high-porosity hair. Personally, I find that the original formula only works on my damp hair post-cleanse. If your hair is on the finer side, like mine, then don’t worry - there is a lighter version of the formula that’s equally powerful but feels weightless. For blondes, the Purple edition is a great option to enhance and maintain your tone.
Product Overview
The All-Rounder
Last but certainly not least, the Kérastase Elixir Ultime Hair Oil L'Huile Originale is everything I could ever want in a hair oil. This golden multitasker is the ultimate all-rounder, working to prime, protect and perfect my hair in one step.
Brimming with hard-harvested French camellia and argan oil, the nutrient-rich blend intensely nourishes as it leaves behind a light-reflecting gloss. With 230°C heat protection, the multi-faceted hair oil leaves my styled hair flyaway-free and is the perfect finishing touch.
Plus, the glass bottle is refillable for when I need a top-up.
Product Overview
Revives the look of dull, dry and tangled lengths
Blended with camellia, marula and argan oils
Protects up to temperatures of 230°C
Elevated with an aroma of floral musk
Suitable for all hair types
Whether you’re combatting split ends or stray hairs, there’s a tried and tested oil to meet all your haircare needs. Give your lengths the care and attention they deserve and shop my top 5 hair oils.
