Types of Hair Oil
Hair Health

Types of Hair Oil: Everything You Need to Know

In this Article

Are you ready to jump-start your haircare routine? If you’re looking for a new product to help rejuvenate your hair, consider the benefits of hair oil and discover the different types that can help you achieve luscious locks.

So the question is, what types of hair oil work best? 

In this guide, we’ll take you through the primary hair oils on the market today, how they can benefit the hair, and which one might be right for you.

What is Hair Oil?

Hair oil is an oil-based product used to smooth frizzy hair, increase shine, and condition the hair. They may also be infused with additional vitamins or nutrients to provide additional nourishment to the hair follicle and scalp. 

Hair oil can provide these hair and scalp benefits: 

  • Lock in moisture
  • Protect the hair from humidity 
  • Smooth frizzy hair 
  • Prevent damage from repeat combing
  • Detangle natural hair 
  • Add luster and shine
  • Provide extra nutrients

If you’re looking for other ways to help tame frizz, consider trying a smoothing shampoosmoothing conditioner, or a smoothing leave in conditioner to see and feel the difference.

What Are the Different Types of Hair Oil?

There are several types of synthetic and natural oil used to create hair oil. Today, the most commonly-used ones are: 

  • Silicone oils
  • Coconut oil
  • Olive oil
  • Sesame oil
  • Argan oil
  • Jojoba oil

Silicone Oil

You might’ve heard a thing or two about silicones before. Silicone is a synthetic ingredient used in many shampoos, conditioners, and hair products. It’s widely adopted as a way to smooth and de-frizz hair. 

Silicone oil works to:

  • Coat the hair strands to smooth them out
  • Protect healthy hair from humidity and frizz 

While silicone oil and other silicone products may have a few benefits, they can also cause unwanted scalp and hair buildup over time. At Living Proof, our products are formulated without silicones to help you achieve the smooth texture and shine your hair deserves––without the hassle of buildup.

Hair oil drops.

Coconut Hair Oil

Coconut oil is becoming more and more popular as an ingredient in moisture-promising hair products. It smells great, but does it really work? 

Science says, yes. 

Coconut oil is a powerful ingredient that can help: 

  • Moisturize the scalp
  • Detangle, smoothen, and soften natural hair
  • Protect healthy hair from repeat combing/brushing
  • Penetrate into the hair to moisturize 

Olive Hair Oil

Olive oil is a highly nutritious oil, containing vitamin E and antioxidants that can provide many benefits to your skin and scalp. 

Olive oil can: 

  • Soften and condition dry hair
  • Moisturize the scalp
  • Help minimize hair breakage and split ends

Sesame Hair Oil

Sesame oil has similar smoothing and antioxidative properties as olive oil. Additionally, sesame oil can help:

  • Soften and moisturize hair
  • Protect hair from hair breakage from repeat grooming

Argan Hair Oil

Argan oil not only smells refreshing, but it’s also a lightweight and advantageous oil.

You may consider using argan oil to help: 

  • Lock in hair moisture
  • Smoothen hair and increase elasticity

Jojoba Hair Oil

Jojoba comes from an evergreen-like plant native to the Southwest and Mexico. This powerful and natural oil is an emollient consisting of antioxidants and fatty acids that mimic the body’s natural sebum.

Jojoba oil can help: 

  • Moisturize dry skin on the scalp
  • Protect against hair breakage from repeat combing/brushing
  • Smooth the outer layer of the hair

Hair oil graph.

What Hair Oil Should You Use?

The science points to so much evidence of hair and scalp benefits that it may seem hard to know what oil is good for your hair type. The right choice for you depends on a couple of factors: 

  • Your hair’s thickness
  • Your hair and scalp’s regular oil levels
  • Your shampoo and conditioning routine
  • The humidity and weather where you live
  • Your scalp’s tendency for dryness

Unsure about how to use hair oil or how to identify the best hair oil for your hair? Take a look at these hair oil types under these conditions: 

  • For thin and fine hair – If you’re looking for a moisture boost, try argan or jojoba oil, as they’re lightweight and won’t weigh your hair down as much as coconut or olive oil.
  • For dry scalps – Try massaging your dry scalp once a week with shea butter, jojoba oil, or olive oil to help lock in moisture.
  • For humid conditions – If you live in high-humidity environments, you can help control frizz with lightweight jojoba oil, coconut oil, or sesame oil.

Find Your Nourishing Hair Oil With Living Proof 

If your tresses are seeking a little extra shine, hair oil could work for you. Hair oil can help restore the appearance of damaged hair, provide moisture, and replace surface lipids that can get stripped away with everyday wear and tear. 

At Living Proof, we studied the science and worked to engineer a hair oil for frizzy hair. It’s made with fast-absorbing ingredients that moisturize your dry hair without weighing it down. The best part? Zero silicones.

If you’re unsure about what products are best for your hair type, take our hair quiz to find out. Restore your hair’s natural moisture and welcome smooth hair with our hair products online today. 

  1. National Library of Medicine. Single hair fiber assessment techniques to discriminate between mineral oil and coconut oil effect on hair physical properties. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32949101/
  2. Style Circle. ORIGINS OF BEAUTY: HAIR OILING. https://stylecircle.org/2022/03/origins-of-beauty-hair-oiling/
  3. National Library of Medicine. Hair Oils: Indigenous Knowledge Revisited. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9231528/
  4. National Library of Medicine. Alternative Protocol for Hair Damage Assessment and Comparison of Hair Care Treatments. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7276157/
  5. National Library of Medicine. Single hair fiber assessment techniques to discriminate between mineral oil and coconut oil effect on hair physical properties. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32949101/
  6. U.S. Department of Agriculture. Oil, olive, salad or cooking. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/171413/nutrients
  7. National Library of Medicine. Potential Health Benefits of Olive Oil and Plant Polyphenols. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5877547/
  8. United States Environmental Protection Agency. Natural Ingredients for your Hair Care. https://nepis.epa.gov/Exe/ZyNET.exe/P100AW8W.txt?ZyActionD=ZyDocument&Client=EPA&Index=2011%20Thru%202015&Docs=&Query=&Time=&EndTime=&SearchMethod=1&TocRestrict=n&Toc=&TocEntry=&QField=&QFieldYear=&QFieldMonth=&QFieldDay=&UseQField=&IntQFieldOp=0&ExtQFieldOp=0&XmlQuery=&File=D%3A%5CZYFILES%5CINDEX%20DATA%5C11THRU15%5CTXT%5C00000002%5CP100AW8W.txt&User=ANONYMOUS&Password=anonymous&SortMethod=h%7C-&MaximumDocuments=1&FuzzyDegree=0&ImageQuality=r75g8/r75g8/x150y150g16/i425&Display=hpfr&DefSeekPage=x&SearchBack=ZyActionL&Back=ZyActionS&BackDesc=Results%20page&MaximumPages=1&ZyEntry=17
  9. Insider. How to use olive oil to prevent split ends and moisturize hair, according to a stylist and dermatologists. https://www.insider.com/guides/beauty/olive-oil-for-hair
  10. National Library of Medicine. Ensuring safety and improving keeping quality of meatballs by addition of sesame oil and sesamol as natural antimicrobial and antioxidant agents. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34119118/
  11. National Library of Medicine. Wound healing properties of jojoba liquid wax: an in vitro study. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21211559/
  12. National Library of Medicine. Characterization, sensorial evaluation and moisturizing efficacy of nanolipidgel formulations. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24772476/



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Living Proof Review Team



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