Best Hair Oil for Coloured Hair

The best hair oil for coloured hair is the one that brings back shine and softness without weighing your hair down or leaving a film that makes your colour look flat. Colour, and bleach most of all, roughens the outside of the hair. That's why coloured lengths often feel drier and look duller than they did before. A few drops of the right oil help smooth that surface, so the hair feels softer and the colour reflects light again.

This page brings together the oils and serums we'd put in front of someone with coloured hair. If you want to see every option, you can shop all hair serums and oils in one place.

Oil or serum: which one do you want?

People use the two words as if they mean the same thing. They don't, quite. A hair oil is usually plant-based, like argan, jojoba or camellia, and works into the lengths. A serum is usually silicone-based and sits on the surface, giving slip, shine and a smoother finish. Plenty of products blend the two.

If you're searching for the best hair serum for coloured hair, you're probably after that glassy finish and an easier blow-dry. If your colour has left your ends dry and rough, an oil will feel more like a treatment. Neither is better. It comes down to what your hair needs on the day.

Match it to your hair

Fine hair: go for a light serum or dry oil, and use one or two drops on the ends only. Too much makes fine hair look greasy by lunchtime, and it makes colour look flat.
Medium or wavy hair: a light oil through damp hair before you dry it is usually enough.
Thick, coarse or curly hair: you can use a richer oil and more of it. Curls often need the extra softness, so see our best hair oil for curly hair if that's you.
Bleached or heavily lightened hair: this hair has taken the most damage. Oil makes it feel and look better, but it won't rebuild it on its own. Pair it with our best leave in treatment for coloured hair, and if breakage is the main issue, look at the best hair oil for damaged hair too.

What fades colour, and where oil fits

Colour fades mostly from washing, heat and sun. A hair oil won't stop that by itself, and we'd rather tell you that than sell you a bottle on a promise. What the best hair oil for dyed hair does is make the hair look healthier while the colour lasts: smoother, shinier and easier to brush through.

If your colour looks flat rather than faded, the problem is often the surface of the hair, not the colour. In that case, the best hair oil for dull hair is worth a look. For the rest of your routine, shampoo, conditioner and masks made for dyed hair do the heavy lifting. You'll find them in our coloured hair range.

How to use it

On damp hair: work a few drops through the mid-lengths and ends before you blow-dry.
On dry hair: rub one drop between your palms and smooth it over the ends and any flyaways.
Keep it off the roots unless your hair is very thick. Roots don't need it, and it'll make them look oily faster.
Layer it last: if you use a leave-in, put that on first, then the oil. Our best leave in conditioner for coloured hair works well under it.
Skip it before a colour appointment: most colourists would rather you came in without a heavy coat of oil, so leave it off the day before.

Do you need one?

If your colour is fresh and your hair feels soft, you may not need an oil yet. A good conditioner might be all you need for now. Oil earns its spot when your ends feel dry, your colour looks dull, or your hair is hard to brush through. Start small, one or two drops, and add more only if your hair asks for it.