Best oil for fine hair?

[Lilli]

Excuse me if this is repetitive - I cannot use search right and didn't see any articles about it.

I have very fine blonde hair, almost totally straight, and now that it is below my shoulders, the ends need some TLC. Which oil would be best to put on the ends as a leave-in and daily conditioner?

[Timkerbelle]

I am by no means an expert, but I have very fine hair too. Coconut oil works well for me. It seems to absorb nicely and doesn't make my hair too heavy. Provided I use a small amount of course :)

[Anje]

I think it's usually a trial-and-error thing, though I'd say that usually straighter-haired folks like lighter oils than curly-haired folks, who don't mind a bit of clumping.

Give coconut oil a shot to start with. Apply just a tiny bit (like the amount you can scrape up under a fingernail) to start with, and try it on damp and on dry hair. Dry hair is easier to gauge when you've used enough but not too much, but some people prefer the results from damp hair.

Some other oils you might like are camellia oil and jojoba oil. But start with coconut -- it's got some demonstrated hair-helping properties that these other oils don't have, and it's relatively easy to find.

[Lilli]

Thank you both so much! Is there an article about putting it on damp vs dry?

[Kaelee]

I'm also in favor of coconut oil. If you can get hold of fractionated coconut oil, that's even better!

I've used a few different oils and oil/beeswax mixes, and those are what I prefer to date. :)

[Veer666]

I have fine hair too...

Coconut oil works very well for me! sometimes I also sleep with some olive oil on the lenght (just the night before washing, because olive oil tends to put a layer around the hair, which prevents moisture to go in. It is a good way to protect the hair. Coconut oil penetrates the hair better and is a better moisturizer from within).

What also works very well is the Yes to cucumbers leave-in conditioner

[ddiana1979]

I have straight hair like you, and oils tend to weight it down. I like using either a tiny, tiny bit of coconut oil -or- 4 drops of NightBlooming's Triple Moon Hair Anointing Oil (http://www.etsy.com/shop/NightBlooming) applied to *wet* hair, just on the length. I've personally found that if I apply any oils to dry hair, it ends up looking greasy on me.

[burns_erin]

I have very fine hair and prefer grapeseed oil and/or rosehipseed oil (extra special bonus as these are the oils my skin prefers as well). I really only like coconut oil in the summer or when I am spending time in chlorinated water.

As others have said, trial and error are the best ways to go. There were some oils I put in I knew immediately were all wrong and some I was ambivalent about. It is nice though when you experiment with oils that you can cook with because that way at least they don't go to waste.

Some of the mentions on this topic:
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=6810
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=2287&highlight=hair+oil+effectiveness
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=6811&highlight=hair+oil+effectiveness
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=6815&highlight=hair+oil+effectiveness
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=6812&highlight=hair+oil+effectiveness
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=6816&highlight=hair+oil+effectiveness

Hope these helped.

[McFearless]

Putting oil on damp hair helps seal in the moisture and make your ends soft. Oil on dry hair works best as a prewash treatment. This is in my experience but it varies between people. Start off with a teeny tiny amount and rub your hands together before patting it on your ends. I get even coverage that way. Let us know if it works :)

[sweet*things]

Coconut and jojoba are my favorite oils.

[Vercelli]

Coconut and jojoba are my favorite oils.

They are also my favourites. But I am open to experimenting with other oils.

[Locksmith]

My hair's on the fine side, and it drinks up coconut oil. Another vote for that - less than you think you need, for a leave in. :)

[Lilli]

Thanks, everyone! I'm going to see if our fancy store has some coconut oil and start with that. I have tried jojoba oil in the past but didn't particularly like it, though I may have used too much.

So on collarbone-length hair, how much coconut oil are we talking about? A pea?

[Locksmith]

On your length, less than a pea to start with. A quarter of a pea, absolute tops - you can always add more easily if you need to, but getting it out if you put too much on will need a wash! :p I rub it between my hands to melt it so that I get a sheen of oil over my palms, and then apply it to the ends.

[Honestwitness]

I have fine hair and have used a teeny tiny bit of coconut oil after a shampoo/condition/towel dry by spreading it on my palms and scrunching it into the length. I always follow up with a mousse or gel to define my waves. (But I wouldn't use them on straight hair.) I did this all summer and fall.

Now that it's winter, the air is so very dry here. So, I have switched to olive oil and I REALLY like it.

[Leisje]

I love japanese camellia oil on damp hair. Makes my hair feel so soft and lovely. For pre-wash on dry hair, I have used with good effect avocado, olive, and coconut oil.

[terrylillyd]

I have the same hair as you. Coconut oil is ok, but what really works for my hair is Jojoba oil

[Yamainu]

I just run a finger over the top of the oil, and rub it on my hands - enough to be shiny, but not enough to feel greasy.

Another promoter of coconut oil, but for me, it works better if I put it on when it's dry - it does funky things when I put it on wet, but my hair just drinks it up when it's dry1

[Vercelli]

I have the same hair as you. Coconut oil is ok, but what really works for my hair is Jojoba oil

@terrylillyd, I have to say your avatar picture is super super pretty :smile:. Good to know that jojoba works best for you.

[LadyG]

I would suggest sweet almond oil, or jojoba oil. Both are lighter than coconut oil.

[Locksmith]

I would suggest sweet almond oil, or jojoba oil. Both are lighter than coconut oil.

Really? I find jojoba weighs down my hair a lot more than coconut. Isn't it interesting how heads of hair differ? :p

[smileycat]

Really? I find jojoba weighs down my hair a lot more than coconut. Isn't it interesting how heads of hair differ? :p

Jojoba weighs my fine hair down, too. Coconut is just okay as a leave in, but a couple of drops of camellia oil on the ends when about half dry after a wash makes a "wow" of difference in my fine hair!

It really is try and try again until you find the right oil for your hair. Good luck!

[phistash]

I'm just jumping in to mention argan oil. It's very lightweight and I find it's one of the few that I can use without getting the greasies. It's very expensive, but it does last a long time.

Failing that, I prefer either grapeseed oil or coconut oil, both of which can be very reasonably priced.

[Naphthylamine]

I'm a fine hair head too, and I like using 1-2 drops of apricot oil when I need to get the flyaways back in place. It smells nice and doesn't weigh my hair down.
Coconut oil works well too but it is a little tricky on my hair; if I accidentally use a little too much, some strands tend to clump together.
Another nice oil is violet oil. This one is a little interesting; it is so light that it's almost volatile. I generally use it in mister bottle mixes.

[Locksmith]

Ooh, I've heard good things about camellia oil, but I don't know anythiing about it. Is it expensive?

[little_cherry]

Camellia oil is nice on finer hair. I have a blend of fine, medium and coarse strands.

[LaurelSpring]

I dont like oil. It just makes me oily. I like to use butters. I use a mixture of cocoa butter, shea butter and a little coconut oil. I melt them all together and then put in the fridge to harden. I think this works much better for me.

[Crazycatlady]

As for leave in conditioner, I like one by Aveeno. It's in a spray bottle and has wheat proteins in it. My fine hair likes it - I usually just use it mainly on the ends.

[madeline_]

I second argan oil. If you get the kind for cooking, it's not all that expensive. I pay 16 euros for a 500ml bottle in the bio supermarket.

[TheBluffs]

Jojoba is fantasic for fine hair, it is quickly absorbed.

Vegi oil works to, but leave it overnight.

Same with sunflower, and olive. they might not smell rosey, but leaving them in is a great way to atain high gloss and conditioning.

I'm not sure about coconut though..

[Marjolein]

I have almost babyfine hair and my hair detests coconut oil (and olive oil, and sweet almond oil, and.... well any oil just on it's own). But I agree it's a good (the best) oil to start with.

If your hair doesn't like it either, don't despair, there are other options. For me the solution turned out to be the tiniest amount of Nightbloomings Panacea, but for you it might be something else completely. Happy experimenting!!

[GrowingGlory]

Your hair might like a few drops jojoba oil mixed with diluted shampoo.

[Red Leo]

jojoba works the best for me and I have fine hair,get oily real fast if I go to heavy on it ,so just use a very small amount first and work your way up.

[NouvelleNymphe2]

I like Camelia and AVG. I have super fine hair.

[pelicano]

Very fine dry hair here. Camellia is my favourite, closely followed by argan.

[CarpeDM]

I'm a fine haired and coconut is the lightest oil in my opinion. I used to use olive oil but it was way too heavy and harder to wash out. I've also tried a ton of other oils like camellia, carrot, evening primrose, sesame, vitamin e AND SO ON. But coconut is definitely best for my fine hair.

[Lilli]

Thank you, everyone! I got camellia oil from Amazon and am going to try it tonight after wash while my hair is damp. I will report back!

[Delila]

I'm a bit late to the discussion, but I thought I'd chime in with a 'me, too' on the virtues of camellia oil. I've got some camellia japonica that I really like, I haven't tried the other varieties since I'm stuck ordering online instead of shopping locally, but I'm thinking I'll experiment in the future. :) I've experimented with a number of oils over the years, and so far, as a grooming aid, I think camellia japonica is my favorite.

I've got an oily scalp, so for me, I need to be careful not to over-oil. In the conventional 'smooth some oil over my damp hair' fashion, I've tried a good many different ones, and it does seem to me that the only way to know whether or not your hair will respond well to something is to try it. Results do seem to be very individual. For me, shea butter is a good choice, my hair seems to like it when it's in conditioners too.

Coconut is a bit hit or miss, since it's so easy for me to over-oil. In recent weeks I played around with the 'oil shampoo' method, (where you mix coconut oil and shampoo, and use that to wash) and have really been intrigued, but for tonight's shampooing I went back to my old standby of shampoo/conditioner/creme rinse with a dab of camellia oil smoothed over my length while still damp.

[cataphract]

I personally find I can't get good results out of coconut unless it's warmer than 48F outside. It seems my hair just won't do anything but let it ride around looking greasy when it's colder.

For colder days I like grapeseed or sweet almond oil, tiny tiny bits - a drop or two each go so I don't overdo it. For days when I need more moisture than normal, I like vitamin E oil. I have a friend that swears by Emu Oil... but that's a little out of my price range with how thick my hair is and how much I'd have to use. Beyond that it wigs me out a little and sometimes I think I'd probably rather rub my head on an oily Labrador.

[Konstifik]

Argan oil is very light and works great for my hair. However, trial and error is always the best to use. :)

[Lilli]

So last night I used an interesting Japanese shampoo sample sent by the website TrueRenu that I got the camellia oil from. They are an awesome website for all the cool samples they send, including candy! I swear there must be some LHCers on the reviews there. Anyway, the shampoo was volumizing by NS-K, which I might try again. I waited a bit until my hair was half-dry and then smoothed 3 drops from mid-shaft to ends per the picture instructions (since I don't read Japanese!) When it dried, it was definitely shinier at the ends, but not as soft as I expected. To be fair, my expectations are probably pointless as I never have used oil.

It concealed the broken ends from having had a perm a long time ago and some flatironing while it was growing, which is good. Today I tried putting a lot on while I exercised and then washing it out afterwards. It looks about the same, except I missed a part and that part is oily.

I am going to give it a few weeks before making a verdict. I need to try it without the volumizing NS-K shampoo b/c that is definitely different than anything I have used. I should try it tomorrow with some CV shampoo bars.