21 Best Hair Oils For Your Healthiest Curly Hair

Using a hair oil as a pre-wash can effectively prep your dry curls before you use any cleansing shampoos—like a double cleanse for your hair!

This lightweight pre-wash oil transports you to Madurai, India with a holistic formula that includes the 10-plant root complex Dashmool that calms inflammation and nourishes your scalp. Ashwagandha supports blood circulation for healthier hair growth and frizz-fighting castor oil to visibly thicken and repair damaged curls. You can pre-poo with the luxurious Fable & Mane HoliRoots™ Pre-wash Hair Treatment Oil on color-treated hair. There is a naturally spicy floral-oriental fragrance blend of precious red champaca and jasmine sambac that most users say they reach for every wash day.

If you need a lightweight pre-wash oil, JVN’s Complete Pre-Wash Scalp & Hair Treatment Oil is an excellent option for dry curly hair. It’s infused with natural rosemary and basil root extracts that are scientifically proven to stimulate healthier hair growth and minimize the loss and thinning of your hair. JVN’s patented sugarcane-derived hemisqualane has been a widely sought-after haircare ingredient in recent years due to its natural emollient properties that hold moisture in your curls without weighing them down. The neem extract is a natural scalp soother with essential fatty acids that can calm the most sensitive and reactive scalps from harsh detergents in your shampoo.

Inspired by cultural remedies from the Dominican Republic with naturally vitamin-rich ingredients, Ceremonia crafted the Aceite de Moska Pre-Shampoo Scalp & Hair Oil to give your curls the boost they need through scalp care. The inclusion of passion fruit oil delivers a punch of antioxidants, and castor oil stimulates healthier hair growth while protecting the natural oils on your scalp. The award-winning heritage scalp oil also has aloe vera extract to balance your scalp’s pH and keep itching, dryness, and damage from product buildup and excess sebum at bay. There’s a naturally soft and woody fragrance with subtle hints of lemon zest for a refreshing experience before you even start washing.

Bondi Boost created this Elixir Hair Pre-Shampoo Oil with a blend of Jamaican black castor, argan, and coconut oil to protect your strands before you shampoo. The Australian-made pre-wash oil can also be used as a hot oil treatment to prep your curls for wash day and tame frizz. If you have a really dry scalp, this formula may be the moisture-replenishing pre-wash you’re looking for. You can use the steam in your shower along with a headwrap to give you tamed frizz-free curls when you’re done.

Rosemary is a powerhouse for hair growth—and who doesn’t love that refreshing timely of peppermint during wash day—so Mielle Organics put the two essential oils together along with 28 other hair and scalp nourishing ingredients. The Rosemary Mint Scalp and Hair Strengthening Oil is infused with biotin that fortifies your skin barrier and supports healthy hair. It features more than 30 essential oils and nutrients, including rosemary, eucalyptus, peppermint, lavender, and tea tree oils, which work together to nourish and strengthen hair. Additionally, the product features hair growth booster horsetail extract and soothing aloe vera extract. You can use this minty oil daily for a lightweight scalp refresh or in a specialized scalp treatment to prevent 

A hair oil treatment is a great way to infuse moisture and nourishment deep into damaged curls and bring them back to life with shine and bounce without weighing them down.

Curly hair tends to be exceptionally dry and that’s because the natural sebum that hydrates from the root of your scalp can’t make it down the spirals at the same rate as those with straight hair. That’s where adding omega 3, 6, and 9 fatty acids can do wonders for your curls. Kreyòl Essence Haitian Black Castor Oil – Rosemary Mint is a 100% natural hair oil made with only three ingredients—Haitian Black castor oil, rosemary, and peppermint essential oils—to boost hair growth, revive your scalp, and energize your senses. It’s great for conditioning your hair and as a treatment for your scalp. 

This silicone-free hair treatment oil has made its rounds in the haircare world. Briogeo made their Don’t Despair, Repair! Strengthening Treatment Hair Oil for curly hair that could use some reinforcements when it comes to strength, elasticity, and frizz. The 6-free formula has ceramides replenish the phospholipids when your curls are damaged and the rose flower oil is full of antioxidants to help bring the vibrancy back to your hair. Macadamia nut derivative is used as a silicone-alternative along with Briogeo’s proprietary NOVA Complex that helps seal split ends and prevent breakage from styling and environmental damage—not to mention the shine you’ll have afterward.

Pattern Beauty has made a lot of curly, coily, kinky textures happy with their natural formulas in every product on their line. The Pattern Jojoba Oil Blend stands out as one of the more straightforward treatments in their line with nourishing oils like jojoba, safflower, rosehip, olive, and lavender promoting your best hair yet. They recommend it most for low porosity hair to prevent breakage, but any curly head can use this oil serum on wet or dry hair (or mixed with other products) to get their trademark promise of juicy, joyful curls. PATTERN products empower women and people of color by supporting related organizations and helping the environment with recyclable packaging.

A miracle oil for your curls? Mizani definitely thinks so with their 25 Miracle Nourishing Hair Oil with jojoba, coconut, sunflower, and olive oils that absorb faster and deeper into your curls. This treatment oil is 99 percent biodegradable for a gentle product on your hair and the environment. This treatment oil is an excellent lightweight finish to any style you may and you can add drops into your favorite deep conditioner for an even deeper treatment session on wash day. 

This treatment oil comes with a guide to best suit your curly hair needs. This simple treatment oil packs a punch by reducing breakage by 73 percent and mending visible split ends by 64 percent for smoother, frizz-free, and more manageable hair. Verb’s  Moringa + Jojoba Hair Treatment Oil is a nourishing formula with hair growth game-changer moringa oil and naturally moisturizing jojoba oil to reduce the signs of damage. Whether you have fine, medium, or thick hair, this treatment oil has your back to visibly balance your scalp and seal in moisture as an overnight treatment after wash day.

Using a hair oil to seal your curls can make a big difference in the health of your hair, from sealing in moisture to protecting against harmful UV rays and environmental stressors.

As a last step in your styling routine, the right hair oil can seal moisture in, add shine to your curls, and even give you a beautiful scent that’ll turn heads anytime you whip that hair back and forth. OUAI’s Hair Oil has a rich blend of African galanga, ama oil, and Asian borage oils that are known for protecting color treated hair and heat damage. The signature fragrance is the French-inspired Rue St. Honoré which has a sophisticated and feminine beautiful violet, gardenia, ylang ylang, and white musk scent. This hair oil is also lightweight enough for daily use and provides UV damage protection with a high gloss finish, so there’s no question why it’s on our list.

Bonding technology has been the true renaissance of the hair care world and Olaplex is the artist behind all the legitimate hype. The No.7 Bonding Oil is one of their newest on the line with their patented Bis-Aminopropyl Diglycol Dimaleate formula shining in this pH-balanced hair oil that repairs damaged weak bonds in the hair cuticle and strengthens the hair structure by protecting the outer cuticle. This bonding oil also has a high UV/heat protection range of up to 450°F (or 232°C) and restores your hair to a healthier look and feel overall (plus it’s cruelty-free). This is magic oil in a bottle if you want curly hair that grows, shines, and bounces.

What can an invisible oil do to make your curls pop? Bumble and bumble says just about everything. Their salon-popular Hairdresser’s Invisible Oil is a luxurious blend of oils that offer featherlight wear and protection from any tears. Whether you have thin, medium, or thick straight and curly hair, you can expect this finishing oil to help prevent frizz-causing breakage, provide a barrier from heat damage, and protect any color-treated hair. The six oils include coconut, argan, macadamia, sweet almond, grape seed, safflower, and tiare flower extract that make your curls soft without the puffy look.

JVN does make the list a second time and that’s because these Complete Nourishing Hair Oil Shine Drops stand out. Their flagship ingredient, hemisqualane, makes an appearance as the ultimate alternative to silicone for better and stronger hair health. Meadowfoam esters add a beautiful gloss and smoothness that stays throughout the day while hibiscus extract gives all the antioxidant protection you need to prevent damage and stop color from fading. There’s also a pleasant scent of sparkling grapefruit and tangerine with hints of white florals, soft violet, and sweet honey notes that’ll make you feel as yummy as it smells. 

Bread Beauty Supply created this everyday gloss to seal moisture and shine on your curls…every day. As one of Allure’s Best of Beauty winners in 2020, it’s clear that its debut was one for the books. With Kakadu plum oil for antioxidant-rich vitamin C for scalp health, safflower oil for essential fatty-acid goodness, and gentle capryl capric triglycerides for a lightweight, silky finish, you can get a beautiful seal on your wash day style every time. The formula is non-greasy and promotes follicle health at the root of the scalp down to the ends of each coil.

A multi-purpose oil is a budget-smart option to have a one-and-done product that you can use as a pre-wash, treatment, sealant, or whatever your coils need. 

Ouidad is a curly hair powerhouse and their Mongongo Multi-Use Curl Hair Oil is on the list because of it. The nourishing multi-use oil includes a blend of the star ingredient Mongongo oil to lock moisture on your curls, and raw silk powders restore softness and provide natural volume. Additionally, Coconut Oil nourishes strands with essential vitamins, and Broccoli Extract adds moisturizing fatty acids to help control flyaways, frizz and split ends. Finally, Palm Seed Oil strengthens strands, making them less damage-resistant. With all these benefits, Ouidad Mongongo Multi-Use Curl Hair Oil is a must-try for anyone with curly hair.

Melanin Haircare may have started from an OG YouTube natural hair guru, but the longevity of this brand is in the results it delivers. The Multi-Use Pure Oil Blend is packed with nourishing antioxidant oils like baobab for a soothing conditioner for your scalp and hair, argan oil to stimulate cell regeneration and hair growth, and sage oil for antibacterial and antimicrobial protection. This grease-less oil softens and detangles knotted curls so you can detangle your knots with a pre-poo, as a deep treatment with your deep conditioner, and as a finishing oil to seal moisture into your skin and hair. 

Rizos Curls is the Latina-owned and brand that is specially designed to support multi-cultural curls and melanin-rich skin. The lightweight Nourish Oil can be used on your hair, scalp, and body with hair-loving and skin-safe oils like vitamin A-rich carrot seed oil that is known for giving you an instant glow and a smoother complexion (not to mention lustrious hair). The blend of moringa, sunflower, and castor oils adds a great defense against frizz and dryness while the citrusy blend of grapefruit and orange oils give your scalp and body the vitamin C it needs to revitalize you from head to toe.

Josie Maran is well known as the Argan Oil Queen and has created many skincare products that raise the bar, but their 100 Percent Pure Argan Oil will always be the tried and true flagship product for truly multi-purpose products use. The essential fatty acids, antioxidants, and vitamin E naturally found in this cold-pressed argan oil are sourced from UNESCO-protected argan nuts that are hand-cracked by women-led coops in Morocco. Thie liquid gold oil will give you a dewy glow without the risk of clogging your pores and ultra-smooth hair with a healthy shine. Clinical trials showed this oil smoothed fine lines and wrinkles and increased skin hydration levels within four weeks.

Hailing from Australia, the macadamia nut is rich in fatty acids and skin-nourishing squalane. This hidden gem of 100% macadamia oil concentrate will give you the softer skin and lustrous curls you’ve been after. This cold-pressed concentrate has a subtle nutty scent and protects the skin on your scalp and body whenever you want the simplest oil with the best results. Your hair should get softer, your skin more cushiony, and your vibe way more relaxed. Let’s not forget that this packaging is glamorous, so keep it close so you can grab it whenever you need it.

Kérastase Curl Manifesto is a luxurious line that has made rounds in curly hair circles lately. The Nourishing Scalp & Hair Oil is infused with rare Manuka Honey, a true superfood powerhouse for your health on the inside and the outside. Ceramide peptides restore your natural curl pattern by protecting the outside cuticle of your curls. This is crucial for preventing breakage and smoothing curly hair in a non-greasy finish. If you like your skincare and hair care oils with a warm and elegant fragrance, this one may be your new go-to with tuberose petals, honey milk, white musk, and nougat.