Most hair oils are naturally moisturising, but not all of them are created equal. Whether it’s argan, grapeseed, or coconut oil, each hair oil has special properties that specially benefit specific hair and scalp types.
With the right hair oil, you don’t have to worry about a head full of greasy hair. Instead, you’ll be loving your flowing locks of glossy, smooth hair.
To help you find the best hair oils off the shelf, we share the hair oils you need for all hair types – frizzy, curly, brittle, thin, dry, and dandruff-prone – and recommend the best hair oils in Singapore!
Argan Hair Oil
Argan hair oil is extracted from the nuts of the argan trees that are native to southern Morocco, which is why the hair oil is also commonly known as Moroccan oil. It is rich in vitamin E, antioxidants, as well as omega-6 fatty acids, and is a natural, warm golden colour – not the only reason people call this treasure “liquid gold”.
Argan hair oil is best known for providing strong protection against UV rays and heat. The oil creates a barrier around the sheath of your hair, nourishing, strengthening it, and preventing damage.
Best for: All hair types! Dry, brittle, frizzy, or heat-damaged hair will particularly benefit from this hair oil.
Moroccanoil Treatment
Moroccanoil’s products are what started the global buzz on argan oil.
Non-greasy and fast-absorbing, Moroccanoil Treatment improves your hair’s texture and shine while making it easy to manage. It also has a naturally sweet argan oil scent that is also infused with a woody and tropical floral fragrance.
Moroccanoil Treatment retails for S$23.
Cococare, 100% Natural Moroccan Argan Oil
Cococare’s hair oil is made of 100% natural argan oil, without any additives. Lightweight and easily absorbed, it doesn’t feel greasy on your hair yet produces an effortless shine.
Aside from argan oil’s mildly sweet and nutty scent, the hair oil is relatively scentless, making it perfect for combining with your favourite essential oils.
Cococare’s 100% Natural Moroccan Argan Oil retails for only S$6.34.
Avocado Hair Oil
Avocado is a superfruit that we can’t do without and, lucky for us, its powers are known not just in the kitchen, but also when it comes to hair care.
Avocado oil is made by being pressed cold from the fruit’s flesh. Since avocado’s buttery flesh is so rich in fats, it gives a generous amount of oil – oil brimming with omega-rich fatty acids, antioxidants, biotin, and other hair-supporting ingredients.
The essential fats help to seal the strands, locking in moisture and preventing breakage; whereas antioxidants like vitamins E, D, and A effectively defend the hair against environmental stressors like sun damage.
Best for: All hair types, including thick and curly hair. For an oil that’s so packed with nutrients, avocado oil is surprisingly lightweight, making it ideal for all hair types including thick or curly strands.
By penetrating rather than coating the strands, avocado hair oil gives you shinier, moisturised tresses from within. At the same time, it doesn’t weigh down the mane or clog the scalp.
For this reason, avocado oil can also double up as a scalp treatment: massage the oil into the skin, and it’ll work to nourish a dry, flakey scalp. Not only does it soothe your scalp with its antioxidant properties, but it also protects from free radical damage in the future.
Bee Choo Origin Ceramide Hair Treatment Oil
Bee Choo Origin is a familiar name for hair and scalp treatments in Singapore, and, great news, the brand’s packaged some of its best nourishing formulas for us to take home.
Bee Choo Origin Ceramide Hair Treatment Oil, winner of the Daily Vanity 2023 beauty awards for hair oil, is infused with avocado oil, which works with ceramides to nourish and protect the hair against environmental damages such as UV rays.
For the uninitiated, ceramides occur naturally in the outermost layer of the hair shaft, and introducing more of them to your strands will help protect against cuticle damage.
Together, the powerhouse ingredients – avocado oil and ceramides – lock in your hair’s moisture and give it an extra-glossy sheen. And since this oil is so lightweight, you can use it every single day, for hair that’s practically as smooth as silk!
Bee Choo Origin Ceramide Hair Treatment Oil retails for S$S28 (40ml) at Bee Choo Origin outlets and Bee Choo Origin online.
Coconut Hair Oil
Coconut oil is the ultimate multitasking oil – what other oil is able to strengthen the cuticles, moisturise dry skin, whiten teeth, and even thoroughly remove makeup?
Coconut oil stands out for being super moisturising, which makes it great for hydrating dry locks and smoothening frizzy hair. Since the hair oil also acts as a protective shield and has some sun protection factor, it can also prevent both dyed and undyed hair from fading.
Best for: Curly, dry, dull, or damaged hair. Coconut oil will nourish your hair and restore its shine! However, coconut hair oil is less ideal for brittle hair because it can cause a build-up of proteins, which can lead to hair breakage if it’s too overwhelming.
Everyone should use coconut oil sparingly and only apply it from the middle to the ends of your hair. Depending on your hair type, you can use it once to three times a week.
Now Foods, Solutions, Liquid Coconut Oil
While coconut oils are usually heavy on the hair, Now Foods Liquid Coconut Oil has a pleasingly light texture and is easily absorbed by the hair so that your tresses are richly conditioned yet don’t feel too greasy.
For those who do not appreciate the strong fragrance of coconut, this hair oil is also ideal because it only has a mild scent that can be easily combined with other essential oils.
In addition to conditioning hair, this coconut oil can also be used to moisturise dry skin. Users rate this product 4.7 stars out of five on iHerb.
Now Foods Liquid Coconut Oil retails for S$18.06.
Pura D'or, Professional, Fractionated Coconut Oil
Pura D’or’s hair oil is organic, fractionated, and thus has a lightweight liquid texture that is unlike regular coconut oils.
It’s also easily absorbed by the skin and hair to moisturise, giving you softer skin as well as stronger hair.
The coconut oil has a mildly sweet coconut smell that can be paired with other fragrances too.
Pura D’or Professional Fractionated Coconut Oil retails for S$21.19.
COCO & CO. Organic Pure Extra Virgin Coconut Oil
COCO & CO.’s coconut oil is 100% raw and organic. With a silky and thin texture, this coconut oil is easily absorbed by the hair and doesn’t leave your hair feeling heavy or greasy.
It exists as an immaculate white, solid form at cooler temperatures but as a clear liquid in warmer environments. The coconut oil melts into a clear liquid when you rub it in your hands.
This hair oil can be applied to your hair overnight for deep conditioning, or in a small amount for extra shine.
COCO & CO. Organic Pure Extra Virgin Coconut Oil retails for S$41.38.
Grapeseed Hair Oil
Grapeseed oil is extracted from the cold-pressed seeds of grapes. It is an ultra-lightweight oil that can be used daily because of how thinly it sits on the hair and it doesn’t leave hair greasy.
While all hair oils are naturally moisturising, grapeseed oil is particularly effective as a sealant – to lock in moisture from hair moisturisers or after you towel-dry your hair – because it has higher concentrations of linoleic acid, which are fats that remain on the surface of the hair.
Grapeseed hair oil can be applied directly onto the scalp to reduce and prevent hair loss, as well as reduce dandruff by promoting healthy cell growth. It can also be coated onto the entire length or just the dry ends of your hair to strengthen and bring shine!
Best for: Fine, weak or brittle hair, hair that is prone to dandruff, thinning hair. Don’t be afraid to use grapeseed hair oil daily.
Body Shop Grapeseed Glossing Hair Serum
The Body Shop’s grapeseed glossing hair serum contains grapeseed extract as well as other rich ingredients such as sesame seed oil.
It comes in a small bottle of 60ml because just a small amount each use will restore your hair’s silky texture and daily shine. If you love a floral, citrusy scent, you’ll love the smell of this glossing hair serum.
Squeeze a pea-sized amount onto your palms and apply it to either dry or damp hair.
Body Shop Grapeseed Glossing Hair Serum retails for S$18. You can get it from Lazada, Shopee, or The Body Shop’s outlets in Singapore.
Now Foods, Solutions, Grapeseed Oil
Now Foods Solutions Grapeseed Oil is very lightweight, making it the ideal hair oil for every hair type. It’s also 100% pure grapeseed oil that odourless and with mild emollient properties.
Rich in fatty acids such as linoleic, oleic, stearic, palmitic, myristic, and lauric, Now Foods grapeseed oil is nourishing for hair as well as dry skin, without clogging pores or causing breakouts.
A fan of this grapeseed oil says, “For those looking for a carrier oil for their hair, this is perfect as it has a lot of properties that nourishes the hair. I mix it with rosemary oil, olive oil, castor oil and almond oil for a great oil mixture for my high porosity hair.”
Now Foods Solutions Grapeseed Oil retails for S$11.68.
Life-flo, Pure Grapeseed Oil
Life-flo Pure Grapeseed Oil is made from 99.5% grapeseed oil and vitamin E that absorbs quickly into the hair. Practically scentless, you can pair it with therapeutic essential oils like rosemary, lavendar, or chamomile, and leave it in your hair overnight before rinsing for a deep conditioning.
Should your hair be weighed down by other types of heavier oils, you’ll appreciate Life-flo Pure Grapeseed Oil’s lightweight hydration for glossy hair.
Life-flo Pure Grapeseed Oil retails for S$13.70.
Castor Hair Oil
Castor hair oil comes from castor beans that grow from the tropical Ricinus plant and contains rich amounts of fatty acids.
When applied to the scalp, castor hair oil stimulates blood vessel dilation to increase the delivery of oxygen and nutrients to the hair follicles, encouraging hair growth.
Best for: Dry, or medium to thick hair. Castor oil has a thick texture that is more suited for medium to thick hair. People with thinner strands can also use castor oil but only on the ends of the hair to resolve any tangles. Use it once a week for optimal results!
SheaMoisture, Jamaican Black Castor Oil, Strengthen & Restore Hair Serum
SheaMoisture’s Jamaican Black Castor Oil is ideal for curly or wavy hair, or hair that is regularly straightened, permed, or heat styled.
SheaMoisture combines Jamaican black castor oil that is rich with reparative omegas, with Shea butter that nourishes and hydrates. Their unique formula is also infused with peppermint to give a fresh, minty sensation for the most enjoyable conditioning experience.
SheaMoisture Jamaican Black Castor Oil retails for S$15.13.
Heritage Store, Organic Castor Oil
Heritage Store Organic Castor Oil is cold-pressed and hexane-free, giving a clean and nutrient-rich oil.
A multi-functional hair oil, it can also be used on the abdomen to relieve cramps as well as heal wounds and scars.
A reviewer says, “It also amazingly helps to grow back eyebrow and eyelash hairs! As well as hair on your scalp. […] It is very thick and sticky though, so it can do well to mix it in with another oil like olive and use plenty of natural shampoo the next morning to clean it all off.”
Heritage Store Organic Castor Oil retails for S$26.14.
Tea Tree Hair Oil
Recognise the fresh, herbaceous, spicy scent in your beauty products? Tea tree oil has been a super ingredient since we can remember, used in skincare products to reduce bacteria, calm irritated skin, and fight acne – only some of the healing effects that tea tree oil is relied on for.
Tea tree oil tackles the root of your hair problems – its antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties are useful for regulating oil production at the scalp, reducing itching, and fighting dandruff. With a healthier scalp, you’ll also notice effects like new hair growth and healthier-looking locks.
Best for: Itchy scalp, dandruff-prone hair, and all hair types! Tea tree oil should be diluted with a carrier oil (any of the aforementioned oils) and applied to the scalp rather than onto the hair. Some people may also be allergic to or irritated by tea tree hair oil, so it’s important to do a patch test on your inner arm before using this hair oil.
Tea Tree Therapy, Tea Tree Oil
Tea Tree Therapy is a brand that started offering tea tree products in 1997, recognised as one of the pioneers of tea tree oil.
A 100% tea tree oil that is made in Australia, this oil can be used to treat acne, mosquito bites, skin allergies etc. as well as on the scalp to reduce itching and dandruff.
Fans of this tea tree oil say that they have used it on their scalp as it is, diluted with water, or mixed with aloe vera and seen itching and dandruff decrease.
Tea Tree Therapy Tea Tree Oil retails for S$10.
Thursday Plantation, Tea Tree Oil
Thursday Plantation’s Tea Tree Oil is 100% pure and 100% natural. Besides on the scalp, this tea tree oil can also be used to relieve minor cuts or wounds, control acne, and maintain a clear complexion.
It’s also gentle on the skin, with low para-cymene content to prevent skin irritation.
Thursday Plantation, Tea Tree Oil retails for S$22.90.
