We’ve tested our fair share of overpromising hair elixirs, so when we call these the best hair oils for shiny, moisturized, and frizz-free strands, you know it’s real. If you’ve been avoiding hair oils for fear of greasiness, rest assured that our favorite picks impart a glossy, softening effect without leaving heavy residue. Some even double as aromatherapeutic mood boosters and heat protectants that speed up drying time and guard your strands from damage.
Our Top Hair Oils
- Best Overall: Oribe Gold Lust Nourishing Hair Oil, $59
- Best for Fine Hair: Moroccanoil Treatment Original, $50
- Best for Damaged Hair: K18 Molecular Repair Hair Oil, $65
- Best Pre-Wash: Fable and Mane HoliRoots Hair Oil, $38
- Best for Frizzy Hair: Rôz Santa Lucia Styling Oil, $45
- Best for Curls: HaruHaru Black Bamboo Frizz-Free Hair Oil, $22
- Best for Flat Hair: LolaVie Lightweight Hair Oil, $33
- Best for Second-Day Hair: Ouai Hair Oil, $32
- Best for Protective Styles: Cécred Nourishing Hair Oil, $44
- Best Drugstore: SheaMoisture Coconut & Hibiscus Smooth & Shine Oil, $14
- Best Strengthening: Camille Rose Cocoa Nibs + Honey Ultimate Strength Serum, $16
Frequently Asked Questions
Despite being packed with blends of moisturizing emollients (like argan oil, squalane, and castor oil), these formulas feel surprisingly lightweight and absorb in a flash. Just a few drops along your mid-lengths and ends are enough to smooth frizz, revive dullness, and leave your hair looking effortlessly polished every time.
Best Overall: Oribe Gold Lust Nourishing Hair Oil
Why it’s worth it: Oribe’s Gold Lust Nourishing Hair Oil is the ultimate indulgence for every hair type. Silky and weightless, it tackles dryness and frizz with a powerhouse blend of argan and jasmine oils, plus Oribe’s Signature Complex—a mix of antioxidant-rich watermelon, lychee, and edelweiss flower extracts—to keep strands strong, hydrated, and shiny. It has a subtle sandalwood and bergamot scent that leaves hair smelling as luxe as it looks. We crowned it our favorite hair oil overall for its instant smoothing effect, effortless shine, and color-enhancing boost—it’s basically a little bottle of hair happiness.
“Two pumps of the Oribe Gold Lust oil are all it takes to keep my hair shining all day long. After towel-drying my hair, I pump a quarter-size amount into my palms and work it through the ends, and run a comb through a few times to lightly distribute the product to my roots. If my hair is looking a little dull after drying, I’ll add one more pump once I’m finished styling.”—Kassidy Silva, social director
- Key ingredients: jasmine oil, argan oil, edelweiss flower, lychee
- Hair it’s best for: all hair types
- When to apply: damp or dry hair
- Additional benefits: repairing split ends
- Scent: bergamot, sandalwood, jasmine
- Sizes: 1.7 oz., 3.4 oz.
Best for Fine Hair: Moroccanoil Treatment Original
Why it’s worth it: Moroccanoil’s Treatment Original has been a hair-treatment staple for over a decade, and for good reason. Loved for its lightweight feel, this argan oil-based formula smooths, detangles, conditions, and boosts shine without ever tipping into greasy territory. (The treatment even comes in a Light version for superfine hair.) Furthermore, it’s also infused with linseed extract, which is rich in fatty acids that leave hair looking glossier on contact. Use it on dry hair to smooth flyaways and frizz, or work it through damp strands to help speed up drying time and give them that silky, brushable feel when using a round brush or straightening brush.
“My hair is on the finer side but comes with plenty of frizz and flyaways, so I basically need a hair oil within arm’s reach at all times. This one has been a staple in my routine since way before my 20s. I first bought it for the divine amber scent, but I kept repurchasing once I realized how well it tames my hair without weighing it down. I keep the full-size bottle in my bathroom and a mini at my desk for emergency touch-ups.”—Lily Wohlner, commerce writer
- Key ingredients: argan oil, linseed extract
- Hair it’s best for: fine, frizzy hair
- When to apply: damp or dry hair
- Additional benefits: quicker dry time, shine, detangling
- Scent: amber
- Sizes: 3.4 oz., 1.7 oz., 0.85 oz.
Best for Damaged Hair: K18 Molecular Repair Hair Oil
K18
Molecular Repair Hair Oil
Why it’s worth it: A winner in the Splurge category of the 2023 Best of Beauty Awards, K18’s Molecular Repair Hair Oil works to address frizz on two levels: first, by reversing structural damage caused by heat styling and salon treatments through the brand’s namesake K18 peptide, and second, by conditioning hair with natural lipids, like avocado and sunflower oils. Whatever your hair concerns, Lazaro Lambertucci, a New York City-based hairstylist and colorist, confirms that the K18 Molecular Repair Hair Oil is “weightless and amazing for all hair types.” (Not just damaged!) It also helps prevent future damage by providing heat protection up to 450 degrees. This multitasking oil can be applied to damp hair before styling or used as a finishing oil.
“My head of bleached, dryness-prone hair needs a hardworking oil, and K18’s gloss-enhancing formula fits the bill. My dehydrated hair usually needs a hefty drench of oil to feel anywhere near soft, but this oil leaves it feeling silky-smooth after just six drops. I also love the lightweight feel; it doesn’t leave any residue behind but gives my hair glass-level reflection.” —Jennifer Hussein, former commerce writer
- Key ingredients: squalane, avocado oil, sunflower oil
- Hair it’s best for: frizz and flyaways due to breakage
- When to apply: damp or dry hair
- Additional benefits: enhanced color vibrancy, heat protection
- Scent: floral
- Sizes: 1 oz.
Best Pre-Wash: Fable and Mane HoliRoots Hair Oil
Why it’s worth it: Not all hair oils are meant to be used before washing. Inspired by Ayurvedic hair oiling, a 5,000-year-old practice in India that involves massaging warm, herb-infused oils into the scalp and strands to nourish, Fable and Mane’s HoliRoots Hair Oil is designed to be worked into the scalp section by section before your shower. Leave it on for at least five minutes—or overnight—for stronger roots, reduced breakage, boosted circulation, and deeply hydrated, healthy-looking hair. Key oils like castor, olive fruit, jojoba, grapeseed, and sesame, along with Ayurveda classics like ashwagandha and amla (which are known to stimulate keratin production), work together to nourish strands and calm the scalp. Rest assured: Despite being packed with oils, you won’t find any residue in your scalp post-shampoo. Rather, your strands will feel softer, silkier, and stronger.
Tester feedback from commerce editor Sarah Han
“I’ve been using this product pretty consistently for two years, applying two droppers of product to my scalp for at least 10 minutes—sometimes even longer, if I’m watching a show—before I hop into the shower. I also like using a scalp massager to work the product more deeply. It rinses away swiftly down the drain, and my scalp feels lighter post-shampoo. I don’t wash my hair as often as I probably should, so I like to make the very most of each session.” —Sarah Han, commerce editor
- Key ingredients: ashwagandha; amla, castor, olive fruit, jojoba, grape seed, and sesame oils
- Hair it’s best for: people with dry, broken strands looking to boost growth
- When to apply: dry hair pre-shower
- Additional benefits: hair growth
- Scent: earthy
- Sizes: 1.8 oz.
Best for Frizzy Hair: Rōz Santa Lucia Styling Oil
Why it’s worth it: Frizzy hair doesn’t have to ruin your day. Case in point: Rōz’s Santa Lucia Styling Oil protects against heat and humidity—two of the foremost causes of frizz—and smooths using five plant-based oil extracts, including jojoba and argan oils. We especially love the vetiver and citron scent, which elevates this oil to hair-perfume status. If you want to level up from the drugstore hair oil you’ve been using for a few years but aren’t ready to drop a Benjamin on anything too fancy, this one serves as a perfect middle ground.
In our testing, we found that this hair oil worked equally well on wet or dry hair—especially if you have thick, curly, dry, or frizz-prone hair. (If you have hair on the thin or oily side, you’ll want to primarily apply it closer to the ends to avoid greasiness.)
“This is, hands down, my favorite hair oil. It smoothes frizz, smells heavenly, and has consistently calmed my hair—which seemingly expands by two feet in circumference—when the humidity hits. But what I love almost as much as the oil’s performance is that the brand’s founder, Mara Roszak, grew up in Laurel Canyon (a legendary area in Los Angeles), and Rōz’s entire line perfectly captures the magic and mythology of the landscape!” —Shanna Shipin, senior commerce director
- Key ingredients: jojoba oil, argan oil, Roman chamomile, jasmine, aloe vera
- Hair it’s best for: frizzy hair
- When to apply: damp and dry hair
- Additional benefits: heat protection
- Scent: vetiver, citrus
- Sizes: 0.5 oz., 2 oz.
Best for Curls: HaruHaru Black Bamboo Frizz-Free Hair Oil
Why it’s worth it: Hair porosity can make all the difference in how well your strands hold onto moisture, and Haruharu Wonder Black Bamboo Frizz-Free Hair Oil is built to work across the spectrum, from pin-straight to curly. The foundation is nutrient-rich black bamboo water, which hydrates and softens, while argan oil and sugarcane-derived squalane lock in moisture without weighing hair down. Lightweight enough for fine hair but powerful enough for thicker strands, it tames frizz and smooths split ends without leaving any residue. To strengthen and repair, the formula blends 10 hydrolyzed plant proteins, 17 amino acids, and eight peptides, boosting elasticity and fortifying weak areas, all while surrounding hair with a bright citrus aroma, softened by notes of lavender and geranium.
Tester feedback from contributing commerce editor Deanna Pai
“Hair oil and I don’t really mix. While I could probably use the frizz control, my hair is so fine that oil just tamps it down at the crown and smushes any bit of volume. That’s where this stuff has proved different. Instead of just pairing oil with oil, the argan oil and bamboo water feel a lot more lightweight—think a serum. And while it doesn’t completely eliminate my frizz (an impossible task), it gave my hair a nice shine and smoothed some of the flyaways around my hairline.” —Deanna Pai, contributing commerce editor
- Key ingredients: black bamboo water, argan oil, peptide complex
- Hair it’s best for: all hair types, especially curly hair
- When to apply: dry hair
- Additional benefits: shine-boosting, smooths flyaways
- Scent: grapefruit, orange, lime, lavender, bergamot, and geranium
- Sizes: 2.7 oz.
Best for Flat Hair: LolaVie Lightweight Hair Oil
Why it’s worth it: Pulling off the (near) impossible, LolaVie’s Lightweight Hair Oil leaves hair with a patent-like shine without flattening your meticulously-styled blowout. The dilemma with most hair oils is that they have at least some weight, which can lead to a deflated style, especially if you have naturally fine, thin, or otherwise flat hair. But LolaVie’s nourishing formula vanishes as quickly as you apply it, only leaving behind a vibrancy-enhancing finish. Plus, its ingredients list reads like a recipe for shiny strands that could put diamonds to shame and includes heavy-hitting moisturizers like sunflower seed oil, bamboo extract, and proteins derived from lentils and chia seeds.
“Short, fine hair like mine and oils don’t always get along, but I never have to worry about that with LolaVie’s Lightweight Hair Oil—hell, its distinguishing factor is right there in the name. Just a few drops of this keratin-based oil gives my hair the hydration and shine it desperately needs, and thankfully without that heavy, greasy feeling.” —Nicola Dall’Asen, senior news editor
- Key ingredients: sunflower seed oil, olive leaf extract, chlorella vulgaris (algae) extract, chia seed extract, bamboo extract
- When to apply: after towel-drying and/or after styling
- Additional benefits: minimizes breakage
- Scent: coconut
- Sizes: 1.5 oz.
Best for Second-Day Styles: Ouai Hair Oil
Why it’s worth it: Not only does Ouai’s Hair Oil deliver intense shine, but this lightweight formula is brimming with strand-softening ingredients like antioxidants and fatty acids that provide protection against damage stemming from pollution, UV exposure (meaning less color fading), and hot tools. It’s weightless enough for fine hair but potent enough to smooth coarse hair, so it’s perfect for refreshing second-day blowouts.
“There are only a few oils I dare rake through my fine strands, and Ouai’s is one of them. So imagine my delight when I learned that the same lightweight formula is now available in the brand’s signature St. Barts scent with notes of dragonfruit, tuberose, and amber. Each time I catch a whiff, it feels like I’ve teleported from my office to the beach.”—Dianna Singh, features director
- Key ingredients: galanga oil, ama oil, borage oil
- Hair it’s best for: all hair types
- When to apply: after styling
- Additional benefits: enhances color vibrancy
- Scent: floral
- Sizes: 1.5 oz.
Best for Protective Styles: Cécred Nourishing Hair Oil
Cécred
Nourishing Hair Oil
Why we love it: We all want hair that can withstand a full Beyoncé choreography, and it starts with the right oil. Cécred’s Nourishing Hair Oil features a blend of 13 plant-based oils designed to hydrate, protect, and shine. At the heart of the formula is an African oil Blend (baobab, moringa, and black seed oils) that keeps strands supple and resilient while they’re tucked away in your style, while sea buckthorn oil replenishes with fatty acids and vitamin E. keratin ferment takes it a step further, reinforcing the hair’s natural barrier, reducing breakage, and restoring protein with every braid, twist, or knot.
Source: Allure – www.allure.com
