I’m not sure what I was doing with my haircare routine until I found a good hair oil. Sure, having the right shampoo and conditioner definitely 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 best formula 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 really well for me. Below, you’ll find some of the most highly rated hair oils for curls along with advice on how to choose one from a celebrity stylist. Keep reading—good stuff ahead!
Celebrity hairstylist Jennifer 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 non-greasy,” 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 really 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.
Rating: 4.5/5 stars, 1191 reviews. Pros: Blend of four oils provides deep hydration to curly hair, helps reduce frizz. Cons: Expensive. “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.” — Korab. Customer Review: “This has TREMENDOUSLY helped with my frizz and flyways! My hair is so silky smooth! I’m hooked and will definitely be re-purchasing the larger size!:)”
Rating: 4.5/5 stars, 377 ratings. Pros: Affordable, infused with hydrating coconut and jojoba oil. Cons: None. 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. 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!”
Rating: 4.5/5 stars, 326 reviews. Pros: Fast-absorbing, forms a protective barrier on the hair to prevent damage. Cons: Expensive. This treatment oil from Ouidad contains a blend of mongongo nut, coconut, palm seed, and broccoli seed oil. Each work together to help seal the hair’s cuticles, smooth frizz, and create a protective barrier against damage. 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!”
Rating: 4.4/5 stars, 1397 ratings. Pros: Affordable, contains 100% pure argan oil. Cons: None. 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. 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.”
Rating: 4.8/5, 27 reviews. Pros: Helps curls maintain moisture, reduces hair breakage, lightweight. Cons: None. Containing a blend of jojoba, safflower, and lavender oil, this oil blend helps curls maintain moisture, reduces breakage, and even helps with an itchy scalp. 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.”
Rating: 4.6/5 stars, 5443 reviews. Pros: Affordable, helps mend split ends, helps with frizz and static, hydrating for curls. Cons: Nozzle tends to get jammed. 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. 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!”
Rating: 4.5/5 stars, 216 reviews. Pros: Silicone-free, mimics the hair’s natural lipids to smooth, hydrate, and add shine. Cons: Has a strong smell. 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. 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…”
Rating: 4.6/5, 5043 reviews. 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. Like Korad 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. Customer Review: “I re-order this all the time. Use daily on my skin.”
Rating: 4.5/5 stars, 509 reviews. Pros: Lightweight, hydrates, minimizes frizz, restores natural shine. Cons: Spray nozzle may not work as well for thick hair. 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. Customer Review: “LOVE LOVE LOVE this product. My hair soaks this up and feels so soft right after I run it through.”
Rating: 4.1/5, 909 reviews. Pros: Adds strength and moisture to dry or damaged hair, silcone-free, contains repairing ceramides. Cons: Not fragrance-free. 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. Customer Review: “I really like this oil. My hair doesn’t look greasy. Be careful, the smell—it’s kinda strong (sensible to perfume), 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.”
