Best Hair Oil for Damaged Hair

Best Hair Oil for Damaged Hair

The best hair oil for damaged hair is the one that matches how thick your hair is and how much damage you're dealing with. Oil won't rebuild hair that's been bleached, coloured or heat-styled too often. What it does do is make damaged lengths feel softer, look shinier and snag less on the brush. Below is how to pick one, and how to use it so it helps instead of weighing your hair down.

What an oil can and can't do

Damaged hair has a rough outer layer. It loses moisture quickly, tangles easily and catches on brushes and pillowcases, and every snag means more breakage. A good oil or serum coats the lengths, smooths that rough surface and cuts down friction. That's the job. It's a finishing and protecting step, not a fix.

If your hair stretches when it's wet, snaps when you brush it or still feels like straw after conditioning, an oil on its own won't be enough. Start with a treatment and finish with oil. Our best leave in treatment for damaged hair is the place to start, and the best leave in conditioner for damaged hair sits well under an oil on days you need extra slip.

Oil or serum?

The two words get used loosely, and plenty of products sit somewhere in between. As a rough guide:

  • Oils are richer and soak into the lengths. They suit thick, coarse or very dry hair, and ends that look frayed.
  • Serums are usually lighter and sit on the surface. They suit fine to medium hair and give smoothness and shine without much weight.

If you're after the best hair serum for damaged hair and your hair is fine, a light serum is the safer pick. Thick, dry hair can handle a heavier oil.

Match it to your hair

  • Fine hair: a light serum or dry oil, one or two drops, ends only. Too much and it goes flat and greasy by lunchtime.
  • Thick or coarse hair: a richer oil worked through the mid-lengths and ends.
  • Brittle hair: hair that snaps instead of stretching needs softness and slip. The best hair oil for brittle hair is usually a richer one, used a little at a time on the ends. If you'd rather keep it light, the best hair serum for brittle hair gives that slip without leaving a film.
  • Bleached or coloured hair: lightened lengths are the most fragile part of the head. Look at our hair oil for coloured hair if colour is the main cause of your damage.
  • Split ends: oil smooths split ends down and stops them catching, but only a trim gets rid of them. Our picks for the best hair oil for split ends help between cuts.
  • Frizz on top of damage: see the best hair oil for frizzy hair for oils that focus on smoothing.
  • Dry as well as damaged: our best hair oil for dry damaged hair leans towards richer, more moisturising options.

How to use it

  • On damp hair: after washing and conditioning, rub the oil between your palms and work it through the mid-lengths and ends. Keep it off the roots.
  • Start small: one pump for fine hair, two or three for thick hair. You can always add more.
  • On dry hair: a tiny amount on the ends takes the dry, fluffy look off and tames flyaways between washes.
  • Before washing: for very dry lengths, coat them in oil, leave it for half an hour or so, then shampoo as normal.

If a bottle lasts you weeks instead of months, you're probably using too much.

Building the rest of your routine

An oil works best as the last step in a routine that's already looking after damaged hair. Pair it with a gentle shampoo, a conditioner that adds moisture and a weekly mask. You'll find those in our damaged hair range. If you'd like to compare every oil and serum we stock, not just the ones picked for damage, shop all hair serums and oils.

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Your Questions Answered

Yes, as a pre-wash treatment, but it's heavy for everyday use. Coconut oil is thick and goes solid when it's cool, so it suits thick, coarse or very dry hair better than fine hair, which it tends to flatten. Warm a small amount in your hands, coat the dry lengths, leave it for half an hour, then wash it out well. For a daily finish, a lighter oil made for hair is easier to work with.

The best hair oil for damaged hair is a light oil or serum if your hair is fine, and a richer oil if it's thick or coarse. Argan oil is a good all-rounder because it softens and adds shine without much weight. Whichever you choose, use it on damp mid-lengths and ends, and add a repairing mask once a week if bleach or heat caused the damage.

A richer oil is best for hair that's both damaged and dry, especially if it's thick or coarse. Look for one that sinks in instead of sitting on top, and apply it to damp lengths straight after conditioning so it helps hold moisture in. If your hair is fine, use a lighter oil and less of it. For more moisture underneath the oil, use a hydrating conditioner.

Yes. Moroccan oil usually means argan oil, which comes from Morocco, and it's a common choice for damaged hair. It's fairly light, so it softens dry ends, smooths frizz and adds shine without much greasiness. It won't mend hair that's already broken, so if your hair is snapping, start with a hair treatment and use argan oil to finish.

Use castor oil sparingly as a weekly pre-wash treatment, because it's very thick and sticky. Mix a few drops with a lighter oil, work it through dry ends, leave it for half an hour or so, then wash it out with a clarifying shampoo so it doesn't leave residue. For everyday use on damaged hair, a light hair oil or serum is easier to manage and won't weigh hair down.

Olive oil can soften dry, damaged ends, but it's heavy and hard to wash out, so it works better as an occasional pre-wash treatment than a daily product. Coat the lengths, leave it for half an hour, then wash it out well. For everyday smoothing and shine, an oil or serum made for hair gives a lighter finish, and a weekly hydrating hair mask does more for dryness.