The Beginner’s Hair Growth Guide to Hair Oiling (It’s Easier Than You Think)

19 minutes ago

8 min read

Hair oiling has transformed my hair from short, brittle, and full of split and wispy ends, to being tailbone length, with healthy, vibrant ends. Hair oiling has also helped to grow back my hair following my various postpartum shedding experiences.

And that’s not to mention the countless women from centuries and cultures past who have used hair oiling in various forms to grow long, thick, healthy hair.

Today’s article and video will be everything you need to know about hair oiling for maximum hair growth results. It is simpler than you think, and can make a huge difference in the condition of your hair and scalp, especially when practised consistently over time.

There is probably nearly no hair care technique that has been as universally practised across times and cultures as hair oiling. And yet, hair oiling is likely one of the most forgotten hair growth secrets in our modern western culture today. But now, due to the rapid dissemination of information online, hair oiling has made it back into public awareness.

Woman with long, wet, dark wavy hair sitting in a kitchen with a white towel around her shoulders, eyes closed, after applying hair oil.

But still for most people, and possibly yourself, the very idea of putting oil on your hair and scalp is foreign, and even though you may be intrigued by the idea, you probably have no idea where to start or just how simple it can be.

Let’s talk about what hair oiling even is, what the benefits are, what types of oils to use, how to physically apply it, how to wash it out of your hair (or not), and when you can start seeing results.

So let’s jump into it.

What Is Hair Oiling

Woman massaging oil into her scalp with a white handheld electric scalp massager, wearing a red floral top with a black scrunchie on her wrist.

Hair oiling is, quite simply, the process of applying oil or more broadly, some kind of fat, to your hair and possibly also your scalp. The types of oils, or fats, that may have been used by those people who practiced hair oiling in the past differed according to culture and availability. But the main goal was always the same: to improve the quality and condition of the hair and scalp through consistent, loving application of oils to the hair and scalp, followed by massage. In some cases, oils or fats were also used as styling aids, but in today’s video, we will be focussing on the application of oil for the purposes of improving your hair and scalp health. So let’s get into…

What Are The Benefits of Hair Oiling?

The benefits of hair oiling are numerous, and range from physically improving the condition of the hair and scalp, including optimizing the conditions needed for robust hair growth, but also include emotional benefits such as stress relief.

So let’s go rapid fire over some of the main benefits of hair oiling.

The first two benefits have to do with applying oil to the hair length, while the latter benefits are to do with the scalp and hair follicles.

Preventing Hygral Fatigue - Hygral fatigue is the scientific term for when hair becomes weakened from excess water moving in and out of the hair cuticle. This means that it becomes more mushy and therefore, more likely to snap, especially if handled when wet. Applying a small amount of oil to the hair strands, and the key word here is small, will provide a thin protective coating around the hair strands, limiting the amount of water that can get into the core of the hair strand, and also protecting the hair from breakage during washing or other wet handling.

Infographic titled “Hair Hygral Fatigue (The Cycle of Swelling & Contracting)” showing dry healthy hair, wet swollen hair after water penetration, and fatigued dried hair with breakage, plus close-ups of a strong cuticle versus damaged, lifted cuticle scales.

Sealing in moisture to hair ends, keeping them supple - by another token, if a small amount of hair oil is applied to the very ends of the hair following a shower when your hair is damp, this oil will help seal in the moisture into the hair ends, keeping them moisturized and supple for longer, and therefore, less likely to snap. Think of this as a form of leave-in conditioner. Each leave in conditioner product is, at it’s core, an emulsion of oil and water. In this case, we are getting the same effect by applying oil over our damp hair, which is containing some water.

Balancing oil production at scalp - So many people today may be scared of scalp oiling for fear that it will make their already oily scalp even oilier. But actually, the opposite can be true. Oftentimes a scalp that is overproducing oil is simply reacting and compensating for the presence of harsh shampoos that are overly stripping. Therefore, it begins to produce more oil at a faster rate. By actually applying oil to the scalp we are doing two things: one, we are telling the scalp that it can slow down it’s oil production, because it is safe and already protected with enough oil. And two, some types of oils or herbs or essential oils that may be in our hair oil treatment actually contain properties that can bring balance to an overly oily scalp. Or, if you suffer from a dry scalp, the opposite can be true - one can use ingredients designed to moisturize and soothe the scalp.

Helping to cleanse away dandruff and buildup at the scalp - Oil is actually a wonderful tool for helping to thoroughly cleanse the scalp of buildup. Oil binds to the dirt, existing sebum buildup, and dead skin particles on the scalp, and then when we wash out our oil treatment later, all of that dirt and dead skin buildup comes away with it. The oil has had a long time by that point to sit on the scalp and breakdown the buildup, so that it can all be washed away smoothly and simply in the shower.

3D illustration of a golden oil drop hovering among dark hair strands with small white flakes of scalp buildup.

3D illustration of a golden oil drop reaching the scalp through hair strands covered in white flaky buildup.

3D illustration of clean, dark hair strands growing from a smooth scalp after oil has helped lift away buildup.

Bringing blood circulation and nutrients to the hair follicles - The process of applying high quality oils and massaging them into the scalp brings increased blood flow to your scalp and hair follicles, and blood flow is where hair growth originates from. Also, many of the oils we will be talking about in a moment contain vital nutrients for your skin and hair strand production, and since we are delivering them directly to the scalp area, it is able to take effect more quickly than getting these nutrients through diet alone - which is also important, I will add.

If you are using herbals actives in your oil blend, like essential oils or actual infused herbal extracts, then hair oiling is a powerful means of delivering herbal medicinals directly to the scalp and hair follicles.

Herbal Hair Enriching Oil 100ml

$54.95

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What Oils To Use

This really depends on your hair type. For most people who have straight, fine, or oily hair, I would recommend using a lighter oil. I had no idea about light oils or heavy oils before I started hair oiling 10 years ago, but I quickly noticed through trial and error that some oils left my hair feeling weighed down and greasy, especially when I used too much, while others were light and washed out of my hair perfectly.

Golden hair oil being poured from a small glass cup into a larger glass measuring cup on a wooden board.

Also, when it comes to hair oiling, it is always a good idea to start simply. So I would recommend picking one type of oil and using it at least once a week for a month. This minimizes the variables so it is easier to troubleshoot - for example, if you are using too much oil, or if maybe you need to shampoo your hair twice to remove it all, etc.

What I mean by picking one oil and sticking with it for a month is to either use literally one type of oil, and we will talk about the different types in a moment, or pick one simple recipe that you will mix yourself and use for that month, or select one ready-mixed option of hair oil for sale and stick with that. And I will talk more about my own herbal hair growth oil blend and why it is a great choice in a moment.

We don’t have time to talk about the benefits of each type of oil out there. But let’s go over quickly some oils that come to my mind first. We will only be going over about 7 or 8 types, so this is absolutely not an exhaustive list.

Dropper releasing a small amount of golden hair oil into an open palm, with a dark bottle labeled “enrich. thicken. grow.” below.

We will separate the oils mentioned into two groups, heavy and light. If you have finer or straighter hair, it doesn’t mean you can’t use the heavier oils, it just means to use a lot less on your hair at a time. If you are planning on making your own blend, it is generally a good idea to mix some of one or two of the heavier oils with more of the light oil. That way you get the powerhouse benefits of the heavier oils, but still in a lighter format.

Heavier Oils:

Raw Coconut

Olive

Castor

Lighter Oils:

Fractionated coconut oil

Argan

Apricot kernel

Olive squalene

Jojoba

Camellia seed

Abyssinian

Oil Blends Plus Herbal Actives

Sepia photo of a woman brushing very long dark hair beside text that reads “High Quality Carrier Oils + Herbal Actives,” listing oils such as coconut, olive, castor, argan, and jojoba.

Now one ultra effective hair oil option is to take a mixture of high quality carrier oils like some of what we have just mentioned, and mix in some “herbal actives” - meaning herbal extracts, infusions, or essential oils, that contain “herbally-medicinal” properties that can boost the hair and scalp benefits of your hair treatment. So on that note, let’s talk about an amazing hair oil blend that I started making 10 years ago that grew my hair from chin length, to tailbone length.

How Often to Oil

Scalp treatments At least once per week, or up three times per week

Hair length oiling can be done daily if desired or needed (using light oils and a small amount)

How to Apply Hair Oil

Use a hair oil with a dropper lid, or use a hair applicator bottle (such as a dropper bottle or plastic hair applicator bottle) to apply the oil directly to your scalp. Apply to your hair by first rubbing it between your palms, then applying gently down your hair length, focussing on the very ends. Don’t use too much. Most of us are used to water based products that need to be used liberally, but oil is different. A little goes a very long way.

Woman parting her long dark wavy hair and applying hair oil to her scalp with a dropper.

How Long to Leave Your Hair Oil In

This really depends on you and your needs. If all you have is one hour to leave it in, that is better than nothing! I personally leave my hair oil in overnight for maximum absorption, which also means that washing it out later will not be as difficult. If you are sleeping on it, be sure to cover your head with a waterproof shower cap or even plastic wrap. The plastic will seal in your body heat which will also help more of the oil to absorb.

Woman holding out a long, oiled section of dark hair to show how the oil coats the lengths.

How to Wash Out Hair Oil (Or Not)

Use as natural and gentle of a shampoo as you can find, but make sure it works for you, because there is nothing to deter you from hair oiling more than washing your hair and then finding upon your hair drying that it is still greasy. I am currently in the early stages of developing my own all natural rhassoul clay shampoo, but since that is not available right now, I will link a couple brands below that I like!

Vintage black-and-white photo of a woman shampooing her hair at a sink, with her soapy hair and face reflected in a round bathroom mirror.

You may need to apply your shampoo in two rounds, to most effectively wash out the oil. Also this is optional but an ACV rinse is helpful for removing any last bits of oil, as well as helping the shine and softness of your hair.

Herbal Hair Enriching Oil 100ml

$54.95

Buy Now

When Can You Start Seeing Results?

Now this is really a loaded question because first of all, every person’s experience is different, and also, it depends on what results you are looking for. For instance, applying hair oil before washing is a type of conditioning treatment, so just like any other conditioning treatment, your hair can show results in the sense of being softer, or more shiny, or more manageable, after only one use.

But, if you are talking about results in terms of increased hair growth, thickness, or length retention, those results take more time, and patience is the biggest virtue here. Hair oil is a wonderful remedy that I have found helped my hair to grow long and thick and strong, but it is not going to magically make hair grow if there are other factors at play causing hair issues - like thyroid disfunction, major hormonal imbalances, or not enough nutrition on board. So take all of this with a grain of salt and be gentle with yourself.

Woman in a red wrap top holding out her long, dark wavy hair to show its length and healthy ends.

I would love to hear from you in the comments below if you have used hair oil, what your experience has been, and what benefits you have seen, if any. I hope you learned something about hair oiling today, and I will see you in the next article!