Best Hair Oil for Dull Hair

The best hair oil for dull hair is the one that suits how thick your hair is, because shine comes from a smooth surface, and the wrong weight of oil makes hair look flat or greasy instead of glossy. Hair looks dull when the outer layer, the cuticle, is rough or lifted, so light scatters instead of bouncing back. A good oil smooths that layer down and gives light a flat surface to reflect off. That's the whole job.

Why hair goes dull

Most dull hair comes down to one of three things. Dry, rough lengths from heat, colour or sun. Build-up from styling products, hard water or heavy conditioners sitting on the hair. Or old, weathered ends that have had years of brushing and tying up. Oil helps the first and third. It does nothing for build-up; it adds to it. If your hair feels coated or waxy rather than dry, give it a proper wash first and see if you still need an oil.

Oil or serum?

Both sit on the surface of the hair and smooth it. Oils lean on plant oils and feel softer, with more of a sheen than a gloss, and they do more for hair that's dry as well as dull. Serums usually lean on silicones for slip, so they give a quicker, higher shine and keep flyaways down. If you're after the best hair serum for dull hair, think about how fine your hair is: a few drops go a long way, and too much shows fast. Plenty of people use both, oil on damp hair and a drop of serum on dry ends to finish. You can compare them side by side when you shop all hair serums and oils.

Match the oil to your hair

The best hair oils for shiny hair have one thing in common: they're used sparingly. How much you use, and how rich the oil is, depends on your hair.

• Fine or straight hair shows oil quickly. Go for a light, dry-finish oil and start with one pump through the ends only. Our hair oil for straight hair picks stay at that lighter end.
• Thick, coarse or curly hair can take a richer oil, and more of it. Curls often look duller than straight hair because light has more bends to bounce off, so oil smoothed over the outside of each curl helps. See our best hair oil for curly hair.
• Dry hair that's also dull needs moisture under the oil, not just more oil. Oil seals in what's there; it doesn't add water. Start with our best hair oil for dry hair and use it over a leave-in.
• Coloured or lightened hair often looks dull because colouring roughens the cuticle. A light oil after every wash keeps the surface smoother between appointments. Have a look at the best hair oil for coloured hair.

Argan is a sensible first oil to try. It's light enough for most hair types and doesn't leave a heavy film, which is why it turns up in so many salon blends. If you want to start there, browse the best argan oil for hair.

How to use it

• On damp hair: one or two pumps through the mid-lengths and ends before you blow-dry.
• On dry hair: one drop warmed between your palms, smoothed over the top layer to finish.
• As a pre-wash treatment: more oil through dry lengths, left on for a while, then shampooed out. This suits thick or very dry hair. Fine hair rarely needs it.
• Keep it off the roots. Oil at the scalp makes hair look flat and greasy, which is the opposite of what you're after.

What to pair it with

Oil works best on hair that's already well conditioned. A conditioner made for shine smooths the cuticle at the rinse, and the oil finishes the job. Start with the best conditioner for dull hair in the shower, then add our best leave in conditioner for dull hair if your hair dries out between washes. Layer them in that order: leave-in first, oil last.

One last thing. If you've tried an oil and your hair looks greasy by lunchtime, it usually isn't the wrong oil. It's too much of it. Halve the amount before you switch.

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