I'm not sure what I was doing with my haircare routine before I found a good hair oil. Sure, having the right shampoo and conditioner made a huge difference in the health of my hair, but using a hair oil can be the perfect way to top off your routine because it seals in hydration and adds a boost of nutrients.
Curls also tend to need a little extra love and attention. My curls are dry, frizzy, and thick, so it took me a while to find the haircare routine and curl creams for my hair type that added enough hydration without making my hair greasy or causing buildup. After reading tons of reviews across various beauty retailers, though, I found a few that work well for me. Below, you'll find some of the most highly rated hair oils for curls along with advice from a celebrity stylist on how to choose one. Keep reading—good stuff ahead!
Our Top Hair Oils for Curly Hair
- Kerastase Elixir Ultime Hydrating Hair Oil Serum
- Aussie Miracle Curls Curl-Defining Oil
- Ouidad Mongongo Curl Treatment Oil
- SheaMoisture 100% Pure Argan Oil
- Pattern Jojoba Hair & Scalp Oil Blend
Best Overall: Kérastase Elixir Ultime Hydrating Hair Oil Serum
Rating: 4.5/5 stars, 1360 reviews
"I love the Kérastase L'Huile Hair Oil—it's great for curly hair. It will nourish and strengthen. It has marula, camelia, and argan oil." — Jennifer Korab, celebrity hairstylist
Pros: Blend of four oils provides deep hydration to curly hair, helps reduce frizz
Cons: Expensive
Customer Review: "This has TREMENDOUSLY helped with my frizz and flyways! My hair is so silky smooth! I'm hooked and will definitely be repurchasing the larger size!"
Best Drugstore: Aussie Miracle Curls Curl-Defining Oil
Rating: 4.5/5 stars, 435 ratings
Aussie's Miracle Curl line is an affordable and classic line you can't go wrong with. I actually used this line as a kid, and my curls always felt soft, shiny, and more manageable afterward.
Pros: Affordable, infused with hydrating coconut and jojoba oil
Cons: None
Customer Review: "Was amazing for my wavy/curly hair!! Didn’t weigh it down and really kept hold without feeling crunchy at all, super soft and smooth!"
Ouidad Mongongo Curl Treatment Oil
Rating: 4.5/5 stars, 346 reviews
This treatment oil from Ouidad contains a blend of mongongo nut, coconut, palm seed, and broccoli seed oil. Each works together to help seal the hair's cuticles, smooth frizz, and create a protective barrier against damage.
Pros: Fast-absorbing, forms a protective barrier on the hair to prevent damage
Cons: Expensive
Customer Review: "Love this spray oil for curls, just spritz a little on the ends of dry curl—brings your hair to life! A little expensive but well worth it! Love this product!"
SheaMoisture 100% Pure Argan Oil
Rating: 4.4/5 stars, 1487 ratings
Never underestimate the power of one good, singular ingredient. Argan oil is a great hydrator and softener for many hair types, but it's particularly great for curls because it adds a lot of moisture without making your curls feel greasy or weighed down.
Pros: Affordable, contains 100% pure argan oil
Cons: None
Customer Review: "I've tried several different brands of 100% argan oil and prefer SheaMoisture's by a wide margin. It really does sink into my hair and softens it while adding shine and manageability, but it also sinks into skin well. Some argan oils leave a dry feeling after they absorb into the hair or skin or go too far opposite and stay ultra greasy, this one doesn’t. It leaves a soft glow/sheen to the skin and doesn’t feel greasy. For hair, it’s the same. No dry or frazzled ends but also not greasy oily locks either."
Pattern Jojoba Hair & Scalp Oil Blend
Rating: 4.8/5, 30 reviews
This oil, which contains a blend of jojoba, safflower, and lavender oil, helps curls maintain moisture, reduces breakage, and even helps with an itchy scalp.
Pros: Helps curls maintain moisture, reduces hair breakage, lightweight
Cons: None
Customer Review: "I have used many hair oils (I have dry, frizzy, thick, wavy-type hair). This stuff is amazing! My hair looked so good when I woke up!! The product size is big and for the cost I'm happy."
OGX Renewing + Argan Oil of Morocco
Rating: 4.6/5 stars, 6311 reviews
Another argan oil–infused superstar is OGX's formula. It's affordable, can help seal up split ends, and adds lightweight hydration to dry or staticky curls.
Pros: Affordable, helps mend split ends, helps with frizz and static, hydrating for curls
Cons: Nozzle tends to get jammed
Customer Review: "I have wavy hair which gets frizzy a lot! and I really like that this one comes in spray format which makes it super easy to apply! I have been using this for a while and will keep getting it since my hair likes it a lot!"
Living Proof Curl Moisturizing Shine Oil
Rating: 4.5/5 stars, 218 reviews
This hydrating five-oil blend from Living Proof mimics the natural lipids of curls to help smooth down flyaways, deeply hydrate, and add sheen. It works well for wavy, curly, and coily hair.
Pros: Silicone-free; mimics the hair's natural lipids to smooth, hydrate, and add shine
Cons: Has a strong smell
Customer Review: "I absolutely love this oil! The texture is light, the smell is amazing, and the performance is on point. I have long, thick hair with a natural wave and usually pro-wave products like this don’t do much for me. But I needed a new oil and it this as well as the leave-in were on sale so I figured I’d give them a try. I’m beyond glad I did because using this in combination with the LP Curl Enhancer has made my waves tighter, softer, and more defined than ever before..."
Pura d'Or Organic Sweet Almond Oil
Rating: 4.6/5, 5576 reviews
Like Korab said above, pure, organic oils like sweet almond are great for both the skin and hair since they provide a lot of hydration and nutrients to the hair without weighing it down. Those with thinner curls might want to use sparingly, though. I have thick hair, and sweet almond oil can sometimes make even my strands a little greasy if I use too much.
Pros: Can be used on both your skin and hair, provides lightweight hydration, adds extra nutrients to curls
Cons: May be too greasy for thinner curls
Customer Review: "I re-order this all the time. Use daily on my skin."
Mizani 25 Miracle Nourishing Hair Oil
Rating: 4.5/5 stars, 511 reviews
This Mizani oil is a blend of coconut, sunflower seed, and jojoba to nourish strands, minimize excess frizz, and restore natural shine. My only con for this one is that I don't always love a spray nozzle for thicker hair types. We have so much hair that it's hard to get it all with a spray bottle sometimes. Sigh.
Pros: Lightweight, hydrates, minimizes frizz, restores natural shine
Cons: Spray nozzle may not work as well for thick hair
Customer Review: "LOVE LOVE LOVE this product. My hair soaks this up and feels so soft right after I run it through."
Briogeo Don't Despair, Repair! Strengthening Treatment Oil
Rating: 4.1/5, 928 reviews
I'm a huge fan of the whole Don't Despair, Repair! line from Briogeo. The deep-conditioning mask is a nonnegotiable weekly treatment for me, and I recently got to try this hair oil from the line along with it. It's great for damaged hair and helps add moisture and strength.
Pros: Adds strength and moisture to dry or damaged hair, silicone-free, contains repairing ceramides
Cons: Not fragrance-free
Customer Review: "I really like this oil. My hair doesn't look greasy. Be careful, the smell—it's kinda strong (sensible to perfume) but after a while you don't smell it anymore. I use it after heat styling or the days that I don't make my curl routine."
FAQs
What Should I Look for in a Hair Oil?
Korab has some advice if you have curly hair and want to invest in a good hair oil. "When looking for a hair oil for curly hair, I recommend looking for an oil that is lightweight and nongreasy," she says. "[One that] adds hydration and controls frizz. I also like to look for an oil that has heat protection."
If your curls are on the thinner side, you'll want to heed the above point because heavier oils might make your hair greasy and can weigh it down. Korab also recommends looking for organic and natural oils like avocado, olive, and sweet almond oil. "These will help define your curls without synthetic additives," she says. Below, find Korab's favorite hair oil along with a few of our own recs.
How do I apply hair oil?
How you apply your hair oil is really up to you and your curl type. If you have curls that are coarse or extra dry, you might want to apply your hair oil every day after you get out of the shower. I have coarse, 3c curls and I like to add mine as a finisher on top of a leave-in conditioner, applying at the bottom of my ends first and working my way up to the root area. Typically, I like to avoid using too much oil on my roots so they don't become greasy, but if your hair is extra dry, you might be able to get away with using it on your roots every day.
This may be too rich for finer curls. To avoid curls becoming greasy, start slow and see how your curls respond. You'll find the frequency that works for you and your curl type when it comes to applying hair oil.
This article was originally published at an earlier date and has since been updated.
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