You may have a complicated relationship with hair oils: You’ve seen how they define your best friend’s curls, but worry they’ll make your own waves appear greasy or weighed down. That’s not the case, though. So long as you choose the right formula for your hair type (and apply it properly), there’s no reason hair oil can’t become a part of your haircare routine. To help guide you in your search, we’ve rounded up 18 of the best hair oils from L'Oréal’s portfolio of professional brands. Get ready to clear a spot on your beauty vanity.
What does hair oil do?
The benefits of hair oil depend entirely on the formula you choose and how you use it. Hair oil can moisturize hair, soften strands, reduce frizz, enhance shine, help protect against heat damage, and more. Reference the information on your oil’s packaging to know what to expect.
How do you use hair oil?
Hair oils are versatile, so there’s more than one way to use them in your everyday routine. Some formulas are designed for use prior to shampooing, and others as a finishing touch to ward off flyaways or add a glassy sheen to your strands. The instructions on your chosen product will give you a better idea of how (and when) to use it.
What is the difference between hair oils and hair serums?
Hair oils and hair serums are so similar that the terms are often used interchangeably. However, they’re not exactly the same. Serums are primarily styling aids. Their formulas are typically silicone-based and sit on the hair’s surface, helping to give your mane a smoother, sleeker look. While oils can also be used as styling aids, that’s not their only purpose. These versatile products often contain nourishing ingredients that penetrate deeper into the hair fiber, helping to improve your hair's look and feel.
What hair oil is the best?
No one oil will solve everyone’s hair needs, so the title of “best” is subjective. What works for your thick, curly hair may not suit your friend's fine, straight hair. The best hair oil for you will be one that helps address your specific hair concerns without weighing down your strands or leaving your hair looking, well, oily.
Ahead, we’ve compiled 18 of the best professional hair oils from the L’Oréal portfolio of brands to help you start tackling your hair woes one drop at a time.
Best Hair Oils for Dry Hair
Matrix Food For Soft Multi-Use Hair Oil Serum
True to its name, Matrix’s Food For Soft Multi-Use Hair Oil Serum helps give dry, brittle hair a soft, silky feel. Ingredients like avocado oil work to seal in hydration for hair that looks shiny and smooth.
All Soft Argan-6 Multi-Care Hair Oil
A luxurious, leave-in anti-frizz hair oil.
Redken All Soft Argan-6 Hair Oil
Argan oil contains several fatty acids and vitamins that help revitalize dry, brittle hair. You can find this ultra-nourishing ingredient in Redken’s All Soft Argan-6 Hair Oil. Use a few drops before shampooing, apply it to dry ends overnight, or smooth it onto styled hair to combat frizz.
Shu Uemura Art of Hair Essence Absolue Nourishing Soothing Scalp Oil Concentrate
Healthy-looking hair starts at the scalp, so we recommend adding Shu Uemura Art of Hair’s Essence Absolue Nourishing Soothing Scalp Oil Concentrate to your care lineup. This oil helps soothe scalp dryness and irritation while leaving it feeling moisturized and balanced.
Best Hair Oils for Textured Hair
25 Miracle Nourishing Oil
A hair oil treatment for frizzy or curly hair.
Mizani 25 Miracle Nourishing Hair Oil
While curly hair typically does very well with hair oils, overuse of heavier oils can still lead to buildup. Prevent unwanted residue by opting for a lightweight formula made specifically for textured hair. Our pick is Mizani’s 25 Miracle Nourishing Hair Oil. This lightweight, luxurious treatment provides 25 essential benefits for hair, including detangling, moisturizing, softening, and increasing manageability.
Curl Manifesto Huile Sublime Repair Hair Oil
Nourishing multi-use scalp and hair oil for curly, frizzy hair.
Kérastase Curl Manifesto Huile Sublime Repair Hair Oil
Curly and coily hair types are known for stubborn dryness. Ensure your curls and coils stay hydrated with Kérastase’s Curl Manifesto Huile Sublime Repair Hair Oil. Rich in manuka honey and ceramides, this multi-use hair oil hydrates even the tightest of coils and can be used as an air-dry or blow-dry styler.
A Curl Can Dream Lightweight Oil for Curly and Coily Hair
Lightweight, silicone-free hair oil for curly and coily hair to separate strands and add shine.
Matrix A Curl Can Dream Lightweight Oil
Clumped curls can spoil good moods and good hair days. Matrix’s A Curl Can Dream Lightweight Oil is the perfect finisher to separate out curls and coils while improving shine.
Soleil Beach Bi-Phase Oil Mist
Texturizing spray and a hair oil to creates soft beach waves with zero crunch.
Kérastase Soleil Huile Sirene Hair Oil Mist
Score beachy waves sans the trip to the shore with a few spritzes of Kérastase’s Soleil Huile Sirene Hair Oil Mist. A texturizing spray and hair oil hybrid, Soleil Huile Sirene nourishes hair, gives strands a non-crunchy texture and helps protect the hair fiber from harmful UV rays.
Best Hair Oils for Frizzy Hair
Frizz Dismiss Instant Deflate Hair Oil
A hair oil-in serum that prevents frizz, puffiness and excess volume.
Redken Frizz Dismiss Instant Deflate Oil-In-Serum
High humidity can turn even the sleekest strands into a frizzy mess. Redken Frizz Dismiss Instant Deflate Oil-In-Serum can save the day. The formula, which contains the brand’s Smoothing Complex and Babassu oil, protects hair from humidity, dismisses unwanted volume, and adds glossy shine.
Frizz Dismiss Anti-Static Oil Mist
A hair mist that instantly smooths flyaways and static.
Redken Frizz Dismiss Anti-Static Oil Mist
Keep Redken’s Frizz Dismiss Anti-Static Oil Mist on hand if your hair gets staticky in cold weather. This anti-frizz, lightweight hair oil instantly smooths flyaways and static without weighing down the rest of your hair.
Serie Expert Liss Unlimited Serum
An anti-frizz blow dry serum
L'Oréal Professionnel Liss Unlimited Shine Perfecting Blow-Dry Oil
The Shine Perfecting Blow-Dry Oil from L'Oréal Professionnel’s Liss Unlimited range offers a long-lasting, anti-humidity shield to keep hair frizz-free. The lightweight spray also seals the hair for a fabulous shine.
Kérastase Oléo-Relax Advanced Hair Oil for Frizzy Hair
Sleek and shiny blowouts are within reach when you have Kérastase’s Oléo-Relax Advanced Hair Oil for Frizzy Hair by your side. A few drops worked throughout your mane can help control frizz and protect hair against heat damage (up to 450 degrees Fahrenheit).
Best Hair Oils for Color-Treated Hair
Absolut Repair 10 in 1 Oil
A lightweight multi-benefit leave in oil
L'Oréal Professionnel Absolut Repair 10 In 1 Perfecting Multipurpose Oil
Make damaged, color-treated hair feel like new with L’Oréal Professionnel’s Absolut Repair 10 In 1 Perfecting Multipurpose Oil. Ideal for hair that’s been sensitized or damaged during chemical services, this fast-absorbing oil resurfaces hair to improve its look and feel.
Blond Absolu Huile Cicaextreme
An intense strengthening oil concentrate for bleached hair
Kérastase Blond Absolu Huile Cicaextreme Hair Oil
Bleach can be a double-edged sword: On the one hand, it helps you reach blonde bombshell status. On the other, it can leave your strands feeling dry and straw-like. Luckily, there are oils specifically formulated to rehab bleach-blonde hair. Case in point: Kérastase’s Huile Blond Absolu Cicaextreme Hair Oil. Formulated with Edelweiss flower (rich in color-protecting antioxidants), this oil reduces post-bleach hair sensitivity and helps repair surface damage in one use.
L'Oréal Professionnel Metal Detox Protecting Concentrated Oil
The minerals and heavy metals found in hard water can dim even the most dazzling color-treated hair. If you suspect wash day is messing with your strands, pick up L'Oréal Professionnel’s Metal Detox Protecting Concentrated Oil. A patented molecule called Glicoamine helps neutralize and detoxify metals inside the hair to help preserve its color and add twice as much shine.
Best Hair Oils for All Hair Types
Elixir Ultime L’Huile Original Hair Oil
Nourishing treatment and anti-frizz oil that blends Argan Oil and Marula Oil to add shine, hydration, and strength to all hair types and textures.
Kérastase Elixir Ultime L’Huile Original Hair Oil
Kérastase’s Elixir Ultime L’Huile Original Hair Oil is somewhat of an icon in the hair world. Nicknamed “gold in a bottle” by devoted fans, its blend of precious oils makes hair soft, supple, and shiny as glass. Check out our Kérastase Elixir Ultime L'Huile Original Hair Oil Review to learn more.
All-In-One Multi-Benefit Oil
Lightweight, fast-absorbing multi-use oil that helps to nourish, add shine, and hydrate all hair types and acts as a pre-shampoo, leave-in, and overnight treatment.
Biolage Professional All-In-One Multi-Benefit Oil
A multi-functional oil like Biolage Professional’s All-In-One Multi-Benefit Oil is an editor-approved way to streamline your whole routine. This weightless, multi-use oil for all hair types softens and detangles hair, seals split ends, and rejuvenates hair overnight. Plus, you’ll love the light scent of Biolage’s AromaScience™ fragrance.
Essence Absolue Nourishing Protective Hair Oil
A moisturizing hair oil that adds shine and softness.
Shu Uemura Art Of Hair Essence Absolue Nourishing Protective Hair Oil
If you need proof that hair oils can beautify hair without adding weight, here it is: Shu Uemura Art Of Hair’s Essence Absolue Nourishing Protective Hair Oil. The feather-light formula provides both heat and UV protection, hydrates, and safeguards hair against breakage. Our Essence Absolue Oil explainer has you covered with even more details.
Mythic Oil Huile Originale
A multi-use oil made with argan oil.
L'Oréal Professionnel Mythic Oil Huile Originale
L'Oréal Professionnel’s Mythic Oil Huile Originale has argan oil in its formula, a precious ingredient extracted from the legendary Moroccan argan tree. Its lightweight and fluid texture is ideal for detangling after cleansing and adding luster before or after blow-drying.
Next Up: These Pro Tips Will Give You Shiny, Gorgeous Hair
Use our salon locator to discover more oils with a professional hairstylist near you.
All-In-One Multi-Benefit Oil
Lightweight, fast-absorbing multi-use oil that helps to nourish, add shine, and hydrate all hair types and acts as a pre-shampoo, leave-in, and overnight treatment.
All Soft Argan-6 Multi-Care Hair Oil
A luxurious, leave-in anti-frizz hair oil.
Mythic Oil Huile Originale
A multi-use oil made with argan oil.
Essence Absolue Nourishing Protective Hair Oil
A moisturizing hair oil that adds shine and softness.
25 Miracle Nourishing Oil
A hair oil treatment for frizzy or curly hair.
Frizz Dismiss Anti-Static Oil Mist
A hair mist that instantly smooths flyaways and static.
Frizz Dismiss Instant Deflate Hair Oil
A hair oil-in serum that prevents frizz, puffiness and excess volume.
Serie Expert Liss Unlimited Serum
An anti-frizz blow dry serum
Elixir Ultime L’Huile Original Hair Oil
Nourishing treatment and anti-frizz oil that blends Argan Oil and Marula Oil to add shine, hydration, and strength to all hair types and textures.
Absolut Repair 10 in 1 Oil
A lightweight multi-benefit leave in oil
Blond Absolu Huile Cicaextreme
An intense strengthening oil concentrate for bleached hair
Curl Manifesto Huile Sublime Repair Hair Oil
Nourishing multi-use scalp and hair oil for curly, frizzy hair.
A Curl Can Dream Lightweight Oil for Curly and Coily Hair
Lightweight, silicone-free hair oil for curly and coily hair to separate strands and add shine.
Soleil Beach Bi-Phase Oil Mist
Texturizing spray and a hair oil to creates soft beach waves with zero crunch.
