Best hair oil for frizzy hair drugstore

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Whether you’ve always kept things au naturel or finally made friends with your natural curl pattern during lockdown, a hair oil is an essential part of every curly hair routine.

Curly hair is more prone to dryness, meaning it requires some extra TLC to get the most out of those beautiful kinks or waves. That's where nourishing hair oils come into play.

To find the best hair oils that actually work, our panel of 278 testers – with curls ranging from 2a to 4c – put 20 products to the test. The following 15 oils met their strict criteria to earn a spot on our list:

Should I put oil in my curly hair?

Hair oils can help solve the array of issues that tend to plague curlier hair types. They tackle everything from dullness to breakages, leaving you with a healthier head of hair.

Curly hair often needs more help in the hydration department than straight hair, as the twisty curl patterns make it tricky for the oils produced by the scalp to reach your ends. Happily, the right hair oil should help eliminate this issue.

When should I apply oil to curly hair?

Hair oils are best used to help seal in moisture after using your conditioner, but they can also be added to dry ends in between wash days and as a deep conditioning pre-shampoo treatment.

Which oil is best for curly hair?

Coconut oil may be the first that springs to mind, but there are other key hair oils to consider that aren’t as well known.

Oils are normally categorised as either moisturising or sealing. Heavier moisturising oils penetrate the hair shaft and are better suited to a deeper treatment, while sealing oils help lock in moisture, making them ideal for use after washing or to help moisturise dry ends.

Moisturising oils: Coconut, olive, avocado, sunflower

Sealing oils: Castor, jojoba, argan, grapeseed, shea butter

The best oil for your curls depends on your hair's texture, but most hair oils feature a variety to offer all the benefits.

How we test

Our panel of 278 testers – with curl types ranging from 2a to 4c – tried out 20 hair oils to find the best for defining and smoothing their natural curls.

They assessed the definition, softness and shininess of their curls after using each product, as well as its ability to reduce frizz without leaving their locks locking greasy and feeling heavy.

In the Good Housekeeping lab, we used Dia-Stron equipment to measure the smoothness of hair swatches that had been treated with hair oil.

Joint best hair oil for curly hair

Garnier Ultimate Blends Coconut Hair Oil for Frizzy Hair

Joint best hair oil for curly hair

Charlotte Mensah Manketti Hair Oil

Joint best hair oil for curly hair

Living Proof Curl Moisturising Shine Oil

Best for softer hair

Ouidad Mongongo Oil Multi-Use Curl Treatment

Best budget hair oil

Pantene Gold Series Intense Hydrating Hair Oil

Best for loose curls/wavy hair

DevaCurl High Shine Multi-Benefit Curl Oil

Best for afro hair

Bumble and bumble Curl Anti-Humidity Gel-Oil

Best for fine hair

Aveda Nutriplenish by Aveda Multi-Use Hair Oil

Best for dry, damaged hair

Imbue Curl Worshipping Shine Oil

Best for colour-treated hair

Kerastase Curl Manifesto Huile Sublime Repair

Best lightweight hair oil

Aussie Work That Curl Hair Serum With Jojoba Seed Oil

Best for boosting shine

Aesop Shine Hair & Beard Oil

Best for hydration

John Frieda Frizz Ease Dream Curls Curl Nourishing Crème Oil

Best for minimising frizz

Flora & Curl African Citrus Superfruit Hair Oil for Kinky and Curly Natural Hair

Best for styling

Curls Blueberry Bliss Hair Growth Oil

Charlotte Bitmead Charlotte is a beauty and grooming writer, covering product reviews on everything from hair dryers to moisturisers. She has previously written for ELLE’s print magazine and The Sunday Times Style, writing in-depth features that challenge people’s perceptions of the beauty industry, by drawing from topics ranging from politics to sustainability to inclusivity, as well as conducting celeb interviews and tapping into zeitgeist trends.

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