9 best hair oils that lock in moisture, prevent damage and add shine

by Louise Whitbread Aug 09, 2021 6 minutes

No matter your hair type, from fine and poker-straight to tight coils, it’s worth adding an oil into your routine. While shampoo and conditioner are great for overall maintenance, a hair oil is a treatment that can have a multitude of benefits with regular use.

“Hair oils lock in curls, add in moisture, rehydrate the hair, add shine, moisture, prevent split ends and protect from pollution,” says Anita Rice, co-founder of East London sustainable salon Buller & Rice.

If you have fine hair, and not that much of it, you may well have steered clear of anything oil-related for fear it would weigh hair down and leave it looking greasy.

On the contrary, Rice recommends all hair types use a high-quality, lightweight one – especially something that is protective and acts as a split-end sealant.

How you apply it makes all the difference in its effectiveness, she explains: “For finer hair we often recommend applying it to wet locks, as the moisture in the hair slightly dilutes the oil and gives you a much more even result. If you have dry, brittle, broken, or highly textured hair we often say that using an oil on dry hair will give you a much more shiny, de-frizzing, moisture-locking result.”

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How we tested

We put a range to the test, from high-end options to budget beauty buys, and were left with our top picks of products that promote hair growth, heal split ends, tame flyaways, and are an essential blow-drying aid for adding a healthy shine.

We used them on wet and dry hair, as overnight treatments and pre-blowdrying, closely examining their texture, dosage need, value for money, ability to detangle nasty knots, and their versatility on different hair types. These are our must-haves for your tresses.

The best hair oils for 2021 are:

Best overall – Oway nurturing drops: £35.99, Amazon.co.uk
Best for fine hair – Olaplex no7 bonding oil: £26, Spacenk.com
Best for dry hair – Moroccanoil treatment: £32.85, Lookfantastic.com
Best for damaged hair – Neighbourhood Botanicals age of aquarius hair oil: £29, Neighbourhoodbotanicals.com
Best for frizzy hair – Michael Van Clarke 3 more inches magic oil: £24.50, Vanclarke.com
Best for growth – Fable and Mane holiroots hair oil: £29, Boots.com
Best for Afro hair – Charlotte Mensah manketti hair oil: £48, Charlottemensah.com
Best for thick hair – We Are Paradoxx hangover hair elixir: £30, Lookfantastic.com
Best budget hair oil – L’Oréal elvive extraordinary oil: £6.43, Superdrug.com

Oway nurturing drops, 50ml

Best: Overall

Active ingredients: Marula oil
Dosage: 1 drop for fine hair, 2 drops for thick hair

This oil feels closer to a gel in texture – thick, but not gloopy – with not a hint of grease. One pipette is all you need before running through wet strands. We saw a significant improvement to dry ends damaged from styling tools and overall our hair looked healthier with fewer split ends. The formula is rich in marrubium, black quinoa, amla and ethically produced marula and gave our tresses a hint of shine and left them feeling super soft. We found it to be an essential companion during the first lockdown when salons were shut and we were left to fend for ourselves on the hair front.

Buy now £35.99, Amazon.co.uk

Olaplex no7 bonding oil, 30ml

Best: For fine hair

Active ingredients: Bis-aminopropyl diglycol dimaleate
Dosage: 3 drops

Once exclusive to salons, Olaplex has fast become a must have for haircare fiends at home and its range of treatments is a go-to for anyone looking to give lacklustre tresses a new lease of life. Its oil comes in a small package (no bigger than your palm), but we found it to be well worth the splurge.

The texture is weightless, making it perfect for use on dry hair, and the stopper ensures you never over apply, with only three pumps needed for our medium-length strands, meaning it will last ages. With regular use it added shine, left locks soft and got rid of flyaways in seconds. Travel-friendly and lightweight, it’s another winner from the well-loved hair brand.

Buy now £26.00, Spacenk.com

Moroccanoil treatment, 100ml

Best: For dry hair

Active ingredients: Argan oil
Dosage: 2 drops

We can’t include this product without mentioning the incredible scent from the formula packed with argan oil. Once applied, the fragrance lasts all day too, and we can’t get enough of it. It comes with a handy pump dispenser that helps to control application, as too much could cause finer hair types to become greasy. It’s a brilliant product to suit all hair types in need of a moisture boost without weighing it down and comes in handy to detangle if you’re prone to knots. It’s versatile too, doubling up as a body oil for a post shower treat that will leave you smelling luscious.

Buy now £32.85, Lookfantastic.com

Neighbourhood Botanicals age of aquarius hair oil, 85ml

Best: For damaged hair

Active ingredients: Camellia oil, jojoba wax
Dosage: 1 drops

While in an ideal world we’d give up our curling wands and straighteners, the next best thing is ensuring you have a routine that’s as protective as possible. Describing itself as a hair serum, this formula features camellia oil, jojoba wax and shea butter. It’s a heat protectant that’s super silky to touch, helping repair damage.

Working best on damaged, wavy and coarse hair, we loved the glossy shine and curl definition it added, and the spray atomiser makes careful and even application a breeze. It’s a vegan-friendly and gluten-free formula with no synthetics and, best of all, the bottle and cap are easily recyclable.

Buy now £29.00, Neighbourhoodbotanicals.com

Michael Van Clarke 3 more inches magic oil, 50ml

Best: For frizziness

Active ingredients: Grape seed oil, linseed oil, carrot seed oil
Dosage: 3 drops

Small but mighty, we loved the dropper applicator which makes it almost impossible to use too much of this product. Using the right amount is key to the effectiveness of hair oil, as using too much on fine hair can make it feel limp and greasy. This silicone- and paraben-free serum, created by renowned hairdresser Michael Van Clarke, is lovely and lightweight and doesn’t leave a sticky mess on the palms of your hands.

Three to four drops is plenty – simply apply through mid-lengths and ends and it delivers a glossy, healthy-looking shine. For the best results, we’d recommend using it on damp locks before blow-drying.

Buy now £24.50, Vanclarke.com

Fable and Mane holiroots hair oil, 55ml

Best: For growth

Active ingredients: Ashwagandha, madurai
Dosage: 2–3 drops
Volume: 55ml

Unlike the other oils we tried, this one is a scalp treatment designed to be applied to dry hair overnight and washed out the following morning or five minutes before you shower. It easily became part of our weekly routine. If you have fine, naturally straighter hair, we’d recommend keeping it to once or twice a week, while curly or thick tresses should use more regularly.

We didn’t just love it for the head massage we gave ourselves to ensure it was fully absorbed – we noticed that after just two weeks our hair was noticeably softer, particularly around the roots, and lasted longer in between washes. The pipette dropper also allows it to be applied directly onto your scalp without being left with oil-covered hands.

Buy now £29.00, Boots.com

Charlotte Mensah manketti hair oil, 100ml

Best: For Afro’s

Active ingredients: Vitamin E, calcium, manketti nut oil
Dosage: 4 drops

Charlotte Mensah, an award-winning afro hair stylist, created this luxury hair oil that’s been tried and tested on her clients. It’s a blend of manketti nut and ximenia oils that are sustainably sourced and a cocktail of vitamin E and essential nutrients like calcium and protein. Preventing moisture loss, it’s a dull, dehydrated hair saviour that we loved for its weightless feel in our curly hair. While pricey, it's worth the splurge, smelling gorgeous but not overwhelming. Keep it close by if you regularly use heated styling tools.

Buy now £48.00, Charlottemensah.com

We Are Paradoxx hangover hair elixir, 75ml

Best: For thick hair

Active ingredients: Argan oil, coconut oil and yoya oil
Dosage: 1 drop

Irish beauty brand We Are Paradoxxhas fun packaging that’s not too gimmicky, and it creates effective products using vegan, locally sourced ingredients, all while being 90 per cent plastic-free. The formula, housed in packaging inspired by a hip flask, is thicker in texture than other oils, but easy to evenly distribute through wet strands, which we found most effective.

It gave hair that lovely glossy shine that you usually only find after a salon visit thanks to its formula enriched with Irish whisky, coconut and soya oils. Just be careful not to use too much, as it dispenses quite quickly, running the risk of weighing hair down if applied to dry hair.

Buy now £30.00, Lookfantastic.com

L’Oréal elvive extraordinary oil, 100ml

Best: Budget oil

Active ingredients: Chamomilla recutita extract, sunflower seed oil, coconut oil
Dosage: Half a drop–1 drop

This is an excellent option if you’re new to hair oils and want something simple and inexpensive. It’s part of L'Oréal’s elvive range, designed to treat hair issues across all hair types, whether you’re hoping to protect your coloured locks or focus on improving split ends. Plus, this oil can also be used in a variety of ways: you can use it pre-shampooing to hydrate a dry scalp, add a moisture boost to wet hair or as a styling product to tame flyaways.

It has a very subtle scent, luxurious-looking bottle and non-greasy feel that doesn’t cling to strands. Just be careful with how much you apply — for finer hair types, we found half a pump was more than adequate. The thicker your hair, the more you can apply.

Buy now £6.43, Superdrug.com

Hair oils FAQs

What does hair oil do?

Hair oils have a lengthy list of benefits that all hair types can incorporate into your routine. Oils can help lock in curls, combat dehydration, add shine, reduce split ends, protect from heated tools and pollution and add moisture.

What to look for in a hair oil

If your hair is naturally fine, look for a lightweight oil that can protect your hair without weighing it down or leaving it greasy. However, if you have thicker, curlier hair you can afford to apply it less sparingly and it can de-frizz and boost shine.

There are many different types of oils you can reach for too. One of the most popular is argan oil, a lightweight texture that suits all hair types and is rich in antioxidants and fatty acids that will nourish dehydrated, lackluster tresses. Jojoba oil is another common choice, that works well on dry hair in need of added moisture.

If you’re struggling with brittle locks, look for manketti oil, that’s rich in nutrients, protein, and fatty acids that strengthen damaged strands and leave them feeling soft with a healthy shine.

Can I use hair oil every day?

How frequently you apply hair oil is dependent on your hair type. If you have Afro, thick or very curly hair, it can be applied daily, but if you have fine, straighter hair, then it’s best to limit it to two to three times a week on wet, clean hair after your shower.

This will dilute the oil evenly throughout strands and will also protect from heated styling tools, such as hair dryers or straighteners.

The verdict: Hair oils

We can’t fault the fast-acting Oway nurturing drops that improved our split ends within a few days of use and left us going back for more throughout lockdowns. A haircare companion worth keeping close no matter what your hair type is like, it’s a surefire way to prevent further damage and extend the time between your salon visits.

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For more haircare recommendations, read our guide to the best scalp massagers that promote hair growth