Hair oiling is a long-standing tradition used to keep hair clean and moisturized, so it grows long and strong. Herbal oils, which are derived from plants with therapeutic benefits, infuse the hair with those same benefits.
Whether you’re struggling with dry, frizzy, or weak hair or simply want healthy and lustrous locks, keep reading to learn how to choose the right oil for hair.
What is Hair Oiling?
Hair oiling involves applying oil to the scalp and strands to restore moisture, strengthen hair, and improve manageability. Hair oiling also boosts blood circulation in the scalp, encouraging healthy hair growth while preventing issues like dryness, frizz, and split ends.
While hair oiling is an age-old practice, it continues to prove its relevance in modern self-care routines. Many still consider hair oiling an essential part of taking care of your skin.
Regular oiling can protect hair from environmental stressors and damage caused by heat styling or chemical treatments. While frequency is crucial, using the best oil for your hair is key to getting the desired results.
How to Choose Oil for Hair
Different hair oils offer unique benefits, so it’s important to choose the right one for your hair’s needs, including options like a gentle hair oil for kids. Here are things to consider to help you find the right oil for you:
Know Your Hair Type
Each type of hair requires different products and care to look its best. So, you need to understand what kind of hair you have to determine which oils would work best for it. Then, you can narrow down your choice based on your scalp or hair concerns.
Heavier oils like olive oil and coconut oil work best for curly and wavy hair. Meanwhile, lightweight oils like argan oil and malunggay oil deliver moisture without weighing down thin and straight hair.
Consider Your Hair Concerns or Goals
Think about the concerns that you want to address or improve about your hair. Is your hair dry, frizzy, or too greasy? Do you have split ends? Does your hair break easily, or is it falling out?
Perhaps your hair is healthy but looks a bit dull and thus needs some luster? Or you simply want to keep it healthy while you grow your hair to the ideal length.
Different oils offer specific nutrients and effects, so knowing what you want to improve about your hair can help you find the best hair oil.
Consider Your Scalp
Many people think that oil is only beneficial for the hair, but many hair concerns stem from the scalp. So, you should also consider your scalp health when you choose a hair oil to use.
Some scalp concerns are dandruff, dryness, itchiness, and hair loss. If you have these problems, don’t forget to consider them in your oil selection.
Hair Porosity
The hair oil you use will also depend on your hair’s porosity. Low porosity means the hair cuticles are tightly packed, which makes it harder for moisture to penetrate. Lighter oils, like moringa oil, that don’t weigh the hair down, are ideal for low-porosity hair. On the other hand, high-porosity hair has more open cuticles and loses moisture more quickly. Heavier oils, such as olive oil or sunflower oil, can help lock in hydration.
Hair Thickness
Fine hair needs lightweight, nutrient-rich oils to prevent limpness. Thick or coarse hair benefits from richer oils that add softness and control frizz.
Lifestyle
Hair oiling can be tailored to your schedule and lifestyle to deliver the best results. If you lead an active lifestyle or frequently style your hair, using a protective oil can help shield it from the effects of sweat, UV rays, and heat damage caused by styling tools. If you style your hair minimally and prefer a more natural look, a deeply nourishing oil blend can maintain your hair’s health and vitality.
The Best Herbal Oils for Your Hair
Another important step in choosing the best oil for hair is knowing your options and what benefits they offer. So here are the herbal oils you can use for hair oiling:
Moringa Oil
Moringa oil is derived from the moringa plant, dubbed “the miracle tree” because of its numerous benefits. Moringa oil’s benefits on the skin carry over to the scalp and hair as well.
Moringa oil is packed with vitamins, minerals, and fatty acids, making it an effective agent for nourishing and moisturizing, strengthening hair, reducing dandruff and itchiness, stimulating hair growth, and reducing frizz.
Malunggay oil is also lightweight, so it doesn’t leave a greasy residue that can weigh down your hair, making it great for those with thin or straight manes.
Argan Oil
Argan oil is considered “the liquid gold” of hair care because it’s rich in antioxidants, vitamins, and essential fatty acids. These ingredients help hydrate and seal in moisture, strengthening and softening the hair to make it more manageable.
Apart from making hair manageable and shiny, argan oil’s benefits for hair include protecting it from heat. It can serve as a heat protectant when you style your hair with heat styling tools.
This hair oil also helps alleviate inflammation and moisturize a dry scalp, making it ideal for preventing dandruff and an itchy scalp.
Argan oil, the main ingredient in our Hair Relaxing Serum, is also lightweight. It adds shine to hair without making it greasy.
Sunflower Oil
Do you have dry, frizzy hair? Sunflower oil can moisturize and hydrate deep into strands and roots, allowing it to prevent split ends, manage frizz, and make dull hair more vibrant.
Sunflower oil offers benefits for the hair and scalp. It helps nourish and strengthen the strands to promote growth and avoid hair loss. It also helps calm itchiness and combat dandruff by moisturizing the scalp.
Another great reason to choose this oil for your hair is that sunflower oil also protects it from environmental pollutants and UV rays that can damage your hair. Likewise, you can use sunflower oil as a heat protectant when you want to use heat styling tools.
Coconut Oil
Coconut oil is popular for various personal care purposes in India, as well as the Philippines. For one, it’s an excellent home remedy for skin allergy; however, it’s also great for moisturizing and repairing damage in hair.
Coconut oil is easy for hair to absorb, so it moisturizes deep into the shaft. Keeping hair moisturized helps reduce breakage and protects it from various environmental damage.
With that said, people with oily hair tend to find coconut oil too greasy.
Olive Oil
Is olive oil good for hair? Absolutely! Although olive oil is more popular for its uses in the kitchen, when used as a hair oil, it can help boost the hair and scalp’s overall health.
Olive oil is rich in antioxidants and fatty acids, making it great for moisturizing and strengthening hair. It can also help stimulate hair growth and repair damage like split ends.
This oil is on the heavy side, however, so it’s best for thicker hair. It can help make thick hair smoother, softer, and more manageable. In contrast, it may weigh down thinner hair.
Benefits of Using a Multi-Formula Oil
Hair often needs more than one nutrient source to address several concerns at once. Single-ingredient oils each have their benefits, but a multi-formula oil like Moringa-O2 packs more punch in its unique blend.
Moringa-O2’s hair oils and serums use malunggay oil, sunflower oil, and olive oil, enabling you to address different hair concerns with just one product.
Get all the benefits of the best hair oils with Moringa-O2 and achieve healthy and lustrous hair.
Application Tips and Techniques
Now that you know how to choose hair oil, it’s time to learn how to apply it. Here are some tips and techniques for your hair oiling routine:
1. Pre-Wash Treatment
Massage oil into your scalp and work it through your hair at least 30 minutes before washing to allow nutrients to penetrate.
2. Overnight Treatment
For deeper conditioning, leave the oil in overnight and wash out in the morning.
3. Post-Wash
Use a few drops on damp or dry hair to tame frizz and add gloss.
4. Scalp Massage
Use gentle, circular motions to stimulate blood flow and encourage stronger, healthier hair growth.
Complete Hair Oil Solution
When it comes to caring for your hair, a multi-formula product like Moringa-O2 offers a holistic approach. Although it’s known for being a malunggay oil for hair, it combines the nourishing powers of other ingredients like olive and sunflower oil to deliver a balance of vitamins, antioxidants, and essential fatty acids that single-ingredient oils simply can’t match.
