How to use hair oils if you have fine hair

Oils are great for deeply nourishing dry hair and smoothing frizz, and they can be especially beneficial during winter, when the cold weather and moisture-sapping central heating can leave hair feeling drier and more brittle than normal. 

But if your hair is fine, thin or prone to getting greasy quickly, you’re probably wary of applying oil products for fear of them weighing down limp hair even further.

However, by choosing the right products and applying them in the correct way, it is possible to reap the moisturising, strengthening benefits of hair oils without weighing your tresses down. Here’s how to best use them if you have fine hair…

To damp hair

Applying oil while there’s still some water on the hair will “dilute” the product, thinning it out and allowing it to be absorbed better – and deeper – into the hair follicle. Then blow drying the hair will also help to “dry out” the oil a little, too.

On the ends of your hair only

Apply oil sparingly (even a pea-sized amount can be enough to make a difference), and touch it through just the ends of the hair, which is typically the driest and most damaged part of the strands.

As a spray

Spraying an oil-based product onto the hair means that a far lighter layer is applied compared to applying it with your hands. Again, focus the nozzle towards the lengths and ends of the hair and away from the roots.

We love Paul Yacomine Hydrosol Micro-Mist Hair Hydrator, a lightweight blend of natural oils and botanical extracts that sprays out in a super-fine mist – and it also smells incredible! A 30ml bottle normally costs £22 but you’ll find it inside the OK! Beauty Box The Wellness Edit, which is worth over £95 but costs just £15 to subscribers.

In a hair mask

Look out for oils in the ingredients lists of hair masks, too – these intensive treatments are formulated to enable key repairing ingredients to quickly and easily penetrate the hair shaft.

You’ll also find an excellent hair mask inside the OK! Beauty Box - Wellness Edit. Christophe Robin Regenerating Mask contains prickly pear oil, an extract from the cactus plant that’s incredibly hydrating. This rich treatment only needs to be left on for five minutes to leave hair feeling healthier and stronger, with the appearance of split ends noticeably minimised.

As a pre-wash treatment

Applying an oil BEFORE you wash your hair allows for the product to work its magic without any residue left behind on the hair. Smooth through the lengths, tie your hair up and leave it in for as long as possible – ideally overnight – before washing your hair as normal. Just be aware that, depending on how heavy the oil is and how much you apply, you may need to do two shampoos to get that super-clean feeling.