The 18 Best Hair Oils for Curly Hair

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Let down your hair, caress some oil over your strands, and soak in all the good-for-hair ingredients you’ve been dreaming of.

You’ve likely heard of hair oil. It’s often referred to with wonder or tones of awe and praise. Hair oil is a one-way ticket to “Dream Hair City” for many folks due to its rich, intense moisturizing ingredients. And when it comes to curly hair, there’s almost nothing better than treating your locks with hair oil—except for maintaining your healthy diet and exercise, of course.

As folks with curly hair know all too well, it’s often hard to find the right balance of moisture to keep curls satisfied. Popular hair products often leave hair too dry, itchy or stressed out. That’s where a hair oil leave-in treatment, quick conditioning treatment, or other oil treatments come in handy. They’re the perfect tool to deeply nourish and moisturize your curls.

Since there are so many oils to choose from, we’ve curated a list of the 18 best hair oils for curly hair. Some work well for all hair types, while others help you target specific concerns or issues. Whichever product you choose, know that it’s one of the best hair oils available on the market today.

1. Blu Atlas Hair & Body Oil

Want to visibly improve your curls and the look of your hair? You can’t go wrong with the winner of the best hair oil for curly hair, Blu Atlas Hair & Body Oil. Curls, coils, kinks, and waves are notoriously hard to satisfy. That’s why you need targeted ingredients to treat specific hair concerns related to your curly locks.

Hair & Body Oil is a naturally derived, Mother Nature-approved product with 100% natural ingredients. What does that mean for your hair? It’s going to get a whole lotta lovin with each use. This multipurpose product offers a variety of services in your self-care routine. From correcting dry patches of skin to soothing frizz, boosting shine and keeping your scalp healthy, it’s a hard-working product that gives you a lot of bang for your buck.

How can one small bottle do all that? Because it’s absolutely loaded with rich nourishing oils and nutrient-dense ingredients. We think it honestly might bore you to know all the good-for-hair ingredients it contains, but we believe you deserve to know how much heat this thing is packing. The curl-safe formula includes oils like argan, saw palmetto, geranium, castor, rosemary, sweet almond, jojoba seed, avocado, lavender seed, pumpkin seed, bhringraj, and neem. Oh, and of course, it contains aloe vera, a vitamin-packed moisturizer that works wonders on dry curls.

The real beauty of this hair (and body) oil is that it can be used in many ways. Want to get rid of a dry patch on your skin? Squeeze a drop or two of the liquid onto the dry spot and gently massage it into the skin. Dealing with dry, itchy hair and scalp? Use the dropper to get a few drops of oil, then rub the liquid evenly over your scalp and hair. If it doesn’t weigh down your hair, you can leave it in as long as you like.

There are even more ways to use this life-giving oil. Use it as a leave-in, overnight, or quick hair conditioning treatment. However you end up using it, Blu Atlas Hair & Body Oil is the best hair oil for curly hair and will help your hair feel alive and hydrated.

2. Ouidad Mongongo Oil Multi-Use Curl Treatment

Soothing frizzy, stressed-out curls is the name of the game for this multi-use curl oil. Mongongo Oil Multi-Use Curl Treatment gets an A+ for its frizz-taming abilities. The liquid also improves dry, damaged hair, adding softness and boosting shine. What you won’t get with this particular oil blend is ultra-defined curls. So if you’re looking for curl definition, you may want to check out some other products.

With this curl treatment, a blend of ingredients including broccoli seed oil, coconut alkanes, mongongo oil, and American palm seed oil, quickly penetrates your curls to deliver radiant hydration and restore your natural look.

Use this liquid as a heat protectant, leave-in treatment, or styling product to get visibly healthier hair. It’s the best hair oil for curly hair that deals with breakage, dryness, and other types of damage.

3. Living Proof Curl Moisturizing Shine Oil

Looking for extra shine and definition in your curls? Curl Moisturizing Shine Oil from Living Proof is the best hair oil for curly hair for folks who want a little extra oomph to their hair. A 5-oil blend of hair-boosting ingredients helps improve the overall look of curls while injecting it with nourishment and nutrient-dense ingredients.

Free from harsh chemicals like sulfates, silicone, phthalates, color, parabens, and formaldehyde, it’s a safe product for color or chemically-treated hair. As one of the best hair oils for curly hair, it will help you boost shine, smoothness, reduce frizz, and restore lost moisture.

4. DevaCurl High Shine Anti-Frizz Nourishing Oil

DevaCurl doesn’t mess around when it comes to curls. They have a whole line of products for thick, curly hair. Products like High Shine Anti-Frizz Nourishing Oil help those with medium to coarse curls, waves, and coils tame and manage their hair.

A little goes a long way with the oil. Just pump a few drops of the product and work it from the top to bottom of your hair to reduce frizz, boost shine, and protect your curls from harmful UV rays. DevaCurl products are incredible for curly hair, and High Shine is one of the best hair oils for curly hair.

5. Garnier Ultimate Blends Coconut Oil & Cocoa Butter Smoothing Oil

Not everyone enjoys spending lavishly on self-care products. That’s where affordable items like Coconut Hair Oil from Garnier come in. It’s an inexpensive curl-restoring oil easily found at a grocery or drug store.

Coconut oil and cocoa butter are the key ingredients in the oil blend. They can help restore shine, improve curl definition, and seriously hydrate dry, dull strands. While the oil works hard to moisturize your strands, it also smooths out your curls and tames any frizz. With each application, you get up to 24 hours of hair-smoothing shine.

6. Mielle Organics Rosemary Mint Scalp & Hair Strengthening Oil

When dealing with curl breakage and dry, split ends, there’s no better product than Mielle’s restorative hair oil. Ideal for all curl types, from 3a to 4c, you can restore and repair your curls from the inside out. Rosemary Mint Scalp & Hair Strengthening Oil contains vitamins and nutrients that dive into your hair for optimal nourishment.

With over 30 essential oils and nutrients in the blend, it’s bound to cure whatever curl woes you’re dealing with. It’s the best hair oil for curly hair for every type of hair issue.

7. Bumble and bumble Hairdresser’s Invisible Oil

Has your curly or wavy hair become unruly and hard to manage? Invisible Oil from Bumble and bumble is packed with lightweight moisturizers that detangle, reduce frizz, soften, boost shine, and protect your hair from heat and harmful UV.

Ideal for medium to thick, curly, dry, or damaged hair, it helps take care of overwhelmed hair. With lightweight oils like sweet almond, macadamia nut, safflower seed, argan, grapeseed, and coconut, Invisible Oil can transform your hair. Invisible Oil is one of the best oils for curly hair for those with hard-to-manage curls.

8. Carol’s Daughter Goddess Strength 7 Oil Blend Hair & Scalp Oil

Strengthen your curls with the Goddess Strength 7 Oil Blend Hair & Scalp Oil from Carol’s Daughter. If you’re tired of weak, lackluster curls and want more defined, healthier-looking hair, this oil is for you.

As the oil works its magic, it helps reduce breakage, prevents split ends, gently moisturizes, and leaves your hair looking incredible. It’s one of the best hair oils for curly hair, and works well for all curl types from 2a to 4c.

9. Curlsmith Bonding Oil

Target your curls with Curlsmith’s Bonding Oil. With each application, the oil amps up your natural shine, smooths stressed-out strands, and seals your cuticles. Made with 99% natural ingredients, it’s a curl-safe treatment that will help you have fuller, healthier-looking curls. Bonding Oil is an excellent addition if you’re still building your curly hair routine because it’s a simple last step before blow drying and prepping your curls for the day.

10. Olaplex No. 7 Bonding Oil

Olaplex is the James Bond of hair oil. It’s ultra-classy, a bit sassy, and very expensive. But when you splash extra cash on Olaplex’s hair care products, you’ll get incredible results. With bonding oil, you simply apply a few drops to your curls and get instant heat protection, a boost in shine, and extra strength. Curls are hard to please, but this weightless oil is an easy-peasy treatment that will improve your curls in just a few minutes.

11. CURLS Blueberry Bliss Hair Growth Oil

Need help with hair growth? Blueberry Bliss Hair Growth Oil is a great targeted treatment for curls that have difficulty growing. Pomegranate seed, argan oil, blueberry extract, and gardenia flower oil nourish and hydrate your curls while stimulating hair growth. While it acts as a stimulant for hair growth, it also helps improve curl structure and moisturizes each strand. Ideal for coily, curly, wavy, or kinky hair, it’s a great hair oil for folks with curly hair.

12. OUAI Hair Oil

Do you need a hardworking, multitasking hair oil that can deal with every curl type? Whether you have thick, coarse coils or loose, beachy waves, OUAI Hair Oil soaks into each strand to provide optimal nourishment. The ultra-soothing oil works hard to tame frizz and flyaways, minimize breakage, add extreme shine, and give your curls the moisture they deserve.

13. Imbue Curl Worshiping Shine Oil

Worship those curls, kinks, and waves with a hair-loving oil that instantly improves your shine. Curl Worshiping Shine Oil is an all-in-one elixir for your locks, and helps restore the overall health of your hair. Looking for one of the best hair oils for curly hair? You really can’t go wrong with his hair-boosting oil. Vegan and 100% curl girl compliant, it’s the next great product for your curly hair routine.

14. Kerastase Curl Manifesto Sublime Repair Hair & Scalp Oil

Add a little spice to your curly hair care routine with a hair oil for color-treated hair. Curl Manifesto Sublime Repair Hair & Scalp Oil helps combat one of curls worst enemies, humidity. The hair oil combats humidity by ensuring each strand is adequately moisturized while delivering nutrient-dense materials to the scalp. Suitable for all curl types, it can enhance the look and shape of your curl pattern in just one treatment. Put your money where your mouth is and get better-looking curls asap.

15. Verb Ghost Oil

De-frizz and upgrade your curly mane with Ghost Oil from Verb. It’s a lightweight, nourishing treatment with ingredients like moringa oil, hydrolyzed soy protein, and bamboo extract. Work the oil through your strands to see visible improvement in frizz, flyaways, shine, and smoothness. Ghost Oil helps improve hair from root to tip as one of the best hair oils for curly hair.

16. Fable & Mane HoliRoots Pre-Wash Hair Oil Treatment

Ready to live the rock and roll lifestyle? Then you need rock and roll style hair, of course! With HoliRoots Pre-Wash Hair Oil Treatment, you can boost the health of your curls before you even step into the shower. Unlike a typical hair oil you apply and leave in all day, Fable & Mane’s love child is a pre-wash conditioning treatment that transforms dull, lifeless hair into, “Holy cow, her hair looks incredible.” We want that for you too. Get the best curls of your life with Fable & Mane’s pre-wash treatment for curls.

17. Carol’s Daughter Pure Hair Oil

Thicker, more coarse curls, coils, and kinks need an intense moisturizing oil that can work its way deep into the hair. Pure Hair Oil from Carol’s Daughter dives deep into the structure of your hair and restores brittle, dry, lifeless strands suffering from breakage. You can use it however you fancy, as a regular hair oil, hot oil treatment, or deep conditioner. It’s the best hair oil for curly hair and for folks with thick, dense and hard-to-satisfy strands.

18. Aussie Miracle Curls Curl-Defining Oil

Let the grocery store champion Aussie help you rock your curls. Curl-Defining Hair Oil is an oil infusion that injects your hair with nutrients and vitamins to improve the look of your curls. Ideal for wavy, curly, kinky, and dry hair, the oil moisturizes hair without leaving it feeling greasy or weighed down. The best part is the price. It’s a budget-friendly hair oil for curly-headed folk and the best for curly hair at an affordable price.

Everything you’re too shy to ask about hair oil for curly hair

Girrllllll, we know you’re shy. That’s why we’re here to give you the skinny on all the ins and outs of hair oil for curly hair. We’ll help you identify the best product for your curls, what ingredients to look for, and even how to use hair oil to get the best results.

How to choose a hair oil for curly hair

We’ll walk you through the basics to be on the lookout for while you shop, including important ingredients, what to avoid, and different prices.

You only want to introduce lush, natural ingredients when it comes to your hair. While your hair prefers organic, all-natural products, we understand if you occasionally have to use a few harsh ones.

Ingredients that should give you a full body yes include:

• Argan oil: This heavy, intense moisturizer comes packed with fatty acids and antioxidants. It’s honestly a shame if you’re using a hair oil that doesn’t include argan oil because it’s one of the best hair-soothing and hydrating ingredients that soak into your strands and help minimize frizz while boosting shine and smoothness. We’re nuts about argan oil because we know it’s one of the best ingredients for thick curls and every human with stressed-out locks.
• Avocado oil: Avocado can do much more than make your toast taste incredible. Avocado oil is a rich, nourishing liquid that contains action-packed nutrients that treat your hair like royalty. This natural ingredient can moisturize your hair and body without being too thick or heavy.
• Neem oil: If your goal is to support thicker, stronger hair, then don’t overlook neem oil. It’s high in fatty acids, which helps attract the right amount of moisture and keeps your hair looking full and healthy.
• Castor oil: People have been using castor oil to support hair health for a very long time. Researchers discovered civilizations like the ancient Egyptians used it in their grooming routines. Castor oil is a long-chain fatty acid that revitalizes hair strands by injecting proteins and nutrients into hair follicles and skin. It also works as a natural hydrator and reduces inflammation on your scalp.
• Rosemary oil: This oil is a triple threat known to encourage hair growth, boost blood flow and circulation, and calm the scalp. Natural antioxidant properties help nourish the skin and hair while protecting your body from environmental stressors like free radicals.
• Sweet almond oil: There’s a lot to love when it comes to sweet almond oil. Working its way into the hair, it injects your strands with natural vitamins, boosts shine, and strengthens your strands. It also calms stressed-out skin and scalps, giving your hair a healthier look.
• Jojoba oil: Ah, sweet jojoba oil. This smoothing, soothing natural oil helps hydrate hair, encourage thickness, boost shine, and get out knots or kinks. Jojoba oil is a vitamin-packed liquid with vitamins B, C, and E, and it even contains copper and zinc.
• Pumpkin seed oil: You don’t have to smear pumpkin goop into your hair to get the hair-loving benefits of pumpkin seed oil. This slick oil is a naturally moisturizing liquid that helps soothe and smooth stressed-out strands.

Avoid harsh, harmful ingredients

You deserve better than those cheap grocery store products that you’ve been loading up on at Walmart for the past ten years. Hair and body products sold in big warehouse stores typically contain harsh chemicals that irritate your hair, skin, and body.

Common ingredients to avoid include parabens, sulfates, phthalates, formaldehyde, dyes, fragrances, mineral oil, and PEGs. While you may think your inexpensive grocery store products “aren’t causing any harm,” they can cause a million problems, from itchiness, dryness, redness, and inflammation to hair breakage.

We recommend switching to safe, naturally derived ingredients for your health and wellness.

Keep your budget in mind

If there’s one thing that’s just as important as the ingredients, it’s your budget. Don’t go into debt or toss expenses on your credit card just to have better-looking hair.

The best way to manage shopping for pricey self-care items? Give yourself a budget. We don’t mean “budget” in a negative, “you must not spend money” kind of way. A budget just gives you a guide so that you know exactly how much you can spend on self-care products.

Whether you allocate $1,000 a year to your self-care budget, or keep it at a lower wallet-friendly number like $300, there are products at every price point, so you can stay within budget. Good-quality hair oil for curly hair typically costs around $25 to $50. Note that we say “good quality” because there are a lot of cheap products that won’t give your hair the support and nutrients it needs.

Tips and tricks for curly hair (and hair oil secrets)

Curly hair can be a tricky mistress, so we’ll share our hottest tips and tricks to help you take control of your locks.

Avoid heat (for all hair types)

Guys, folks, peeps, please, please, please, for the love of all things holy, avoid heat. What does this mean? Stop using hot hair styling tools like blow dryers, straightenings, and curling rods daily. If you want a fabulous hair day, by all means, use your hot styling tools. But when it comes to daily life, you should avoid heat like the plague.

Curly hair is notoriously hard to satisfy, and applying heat to your hair will dry it out even more. This also applies to when you’re washing your hair. Use lukewarm or cool water whenever you dunk your head under the water or showerhead.

How to apply hair oil for curly hair

This is our best-kept secret; there’s a right and wrong way to apply hair oil. You can skip to the next section if you’re already a pro. If not, buckle up, baby, because we’re going to Hair Town.

There are different ways to apply hair oil, and the correct way depends on your hair type. If you have fine, curly, wavy hair, use a few drops of oil, start from the mid-length of your hair, and work down to the ends. Don’t apply above the mid-length because it will likely make your hair greasy or heavy looking.

If you have super dry, thick, curly hair, it’s safe to apply hair oil all over your hair (and scalp because it’s probably thirsty too). Be sure to spread it evenly from root to tip. This way, you won’t have oversaturated sections while other areas are dry.

Best time to apply hair oil for curly hair

It depends on whether you will use your hair oil as a leave-in treatment or will you wash it out. When using hair oil as a leave-in treatment, you can apply it directly after cleaning and conditioning your hair, ideally when it’s damp or dry. If you’re using the hair oil as a quick 30-minute treatment, you should apply it when you know you’ll be at home and you can wash the oil out of your hair.

Another option is to use the hair oil as an overnight treatment. Simply apply it to your hair, cover it in a shower cap or towel, and then wash it out the next morning.

How often should you use hair oil

The key to a great hair oil? Using it just the right amount. It’s a bit like Goldilocks and the Three Bears; use it too often, and your hair will have too much oil and too little, and it won’t have enough oil to keep it hydrated. You’ll want to experiment with your hair to find the perfect frequency. You can start by using it once a week or two weeks. Finding that that’s not enough? Then increase usage by a few days, preferably around your wash days. Just be careful not to overdo it, as that will make your hair look heavy and weighed down.

Frequently asked questions

Can I use hair oil on my body?

It depends on the self-care product you have! Most hair oils are formulated for use only on your hair. While some ingredients are similar to body oil, hair oils typically contain hair-supporting, smoothing, and shining ingredients. There is one great product that can meet your skin and hair care needs. Blu Atlas Hair & Body Oil, which won the award for best hair oil for curly hair, can be used all over your body or hair, targets concerns like dryness, and provides balanced hydration.

What’s the best hair oil for curly hair?

Blu Atlas Hair & Body Oil is the best hair oil for curly hair. Do your curls often look dry, dull, and lackluster? A product like Hair & Body Oil can help revitalize and rejuvenate your hair and scalp and turn frumpy, dry curls into smooth, shiny ringlets.