Most of us can agree that nothing feels as luxurious as a healthy hair routine. So a staple product that everyone needs for their strands is hair oil. Hair oils can strengthen the hair, add shine and moisture, and eliminate frizzy ends.
However, many people still shy away from using hair oils. Depending on what oil you use, it can have the opposite effect on your hair. For example, oil can leave your ends looking greasy, stringy, and weighed-down. It can even be hard to wash out.
The way your hair absorbs various products, oils, and moisture is all due to your hair’s porosity. For example, hair oils can have difficulties penetrating low porosity hair because the cuticles are close and tightly packed together.
So, what are the best oils for low porosity hair? The best hair oils are lightweight in texture and can efficiently hydrate the strands, so your ends are moisturized instead of greasy. Oils like jojoba and argan can also be good choices for low porosity hair.
Because low porosity hair has cuticles that are sealed, it can be challenging for hair oils to penetrate the shaft, and instead, it will leave you with a greasy finish because the oil will just sit on the hair shaft.
Thankfully, low porosity hair can still benefit from oils, and we’ll tell you which ones will really make a difference in your hair care routine.
Best Hair Oils For Low Porosity Hair
1. Argan
When you think of hair oils, what most likely comes to mind is Argan oil. Many people refer to Argan Oil as Moroccan Oil because the oil is derived from an Argan Tree in Morocco. Argan oil is extremely lightweight and offers various benefits.
Argan oil is packed with hair-loving components like fatty acids, vitamin E, and even antioxidants. This oil will nourish the hair without leaving you greasy. A little oil goes a long way with Argan.
Argan oil will also form a moisture barrier for your strands so you can lock in hydration and help control frizz. It’s ideal to use this oil as a finishing oil after you style your hair. Argan oil can soothe and nourish your scalp.
Overall, Argan Oil is the most versatile hair oil that will suit almost any hair type/texture. It’s lightweight and locks in moisture, which is ideal for low porosity hair types. This argan oil smells amazing and adds shine to any hair type.
2. Sweet Almond
Sweet almond oil is one of the most underrated hair oils that deserves the same amount of hype as other oils. sweet almond oil is the safest version of almond oil that your hair can tolerate. It provides the hair with multiple advantages.
Sweet almond oil is full of nutrients like vitamins A & E, zinc, potassium, and oleic acid. These components will offer low porosity hair intense moisture and strengthening properties.
Sweet almond oil can act as a deep conditioner as well. So, if you’re looking to add an intense hydration treatment, then you can leave sweet almond oil in your hair for an hour or even overnight, depending on your sensitivity levels.
Incorporating sweet almond oil into your routine for low porosity hair will allow your strands to reap the benefit of this oil and to hold onto hydration.
3. Grapeseed
Surprisingly enough, grapeseed oil is also an extremely lightweight oil that low porosity hair types will fall in love with. When purchasing grapeseed oil, the one thing to look out for is to ensure that it’s processed in a safe environment.
Sometimes the way grapeseed oil is manufactured can cause more harm to your hair because it’s formulated with harsh ingredients. However, grapeseed oil that is processed safely will offer the most benefits.
Grapeseed oil is ideal for oily hair, low porosity hair, and fragile or thin strands because it’s so lightweight it can easily nourish these hair types without leaving you greasy. Grapeseed oil even doubles as a heat protectant.
4. Avocado
Avocados are a yummy food that you can eat in so many ways, but who knew you could make avocado oil? Avocado Oil also offers multiple benefits for low porosity hair because it’s packed with nutrients that the hair will love.
Surprisingly enough, Avocado Oil is thicker in consistency than other oils, which may lead you to believe it won’t work for low porosity hair. However, avocado oil is deeply nourishing, and it can seep into the strands to provide moisture from within.
5. Pomegranate
We know that pomegranates are a delicious fruit to snack on, but their oil can also nurture our strands back to life. Pomegranate oil isn’t one of the most popular oils for your hair, but it offers nourishment, and it will ensure your strands are healthy.
Pomegranate oil makes hair more elastic, shinier, fuller, and softer. It is ideal to use right after the shower as a finishing oil or hydrating treatment. Your scalp will also fall in love with pomegranate oil.
6. Coconut
Most people have a love-hate relationship with coconut oil. At the end of the day, what works for one person won’t work for the others. So while the effects that coconut oil has on hair is still widely debated, it is likely to offer some benefits.
However, the type of coconut oil you use will significantly impact your ends, so don’t reach for your cooking coconut oil just yet. You’ll want to look for fractionated coconut oil without fatty acids.
Traditionally, coconut oil will not work well for low porosity hair because it’s thick, heavy, and can even be hard to rinse out. However, fractionated coconut oil can be absorbed by the hair much more quickly, acting as a carrier oil.
Fractionated coconut oil is excellent for eliminating frizzy strands, and your hair will drink it up so quickly that you won’t notice any greasy residues.
7. Safflower
Safflower Oil is another oil that may not be common for some people. However, safflower seed oil, derived from the saffron flower, is used for countless other things besides beauty products. It’s also life-changing for low porosity hair.
Like the other oils on this list, it is moisturizing and also contains hair-loving nutrients. However, what this oil targets that others don’t is hair loss. Safflower seed oil tends to the scalp and promotes hair growth.
This oil can easily be mixed with others to create your hair serum. Your scalp will love it, and you can promote healthy hair growth while fighting hair loss. So next time you need to tend to fragile or low porosity hair, safflower oil will be your best friend!
8. Sesame Seed
Sesame seeds make an excellent topping on foods, and their oil is also highly beneficial and versatile. This oil is lightweight, and it won’t make low porosity hair feel slimy or greasy.
Not only does it rejuvenate your low-porosity hair, but it even acts as a protective barrier against UV rays and prevents dandruff and dryness.
Because sesame seed oil is so lightweight, it will be able to penetrate low porosity hair, it can detangle your ends, and you can also mix it with other oils to make your own hair serum.
The downside of sesame seed oil is that its scent is very potent and unique. It can take some time to get used to, but for most people, it’s unpleasant.
9. Baobab
Baobab is another underrated oil that should absolutely be added to your hair routine. Surprisingly enough, baobab oil has the most vitamins, nutrients, omegas, and more, making it ideal for low porosity or brittle strands to help retain moisture.
So if you’re feeling overwhelmed over which oil to pick in your routine, baobab oil is the ultimate all-in-one oil. Baobab oil will provide numerous benefits to your hair, like strengthening and moisturizing properties. Even your scalp will love this oil.
Baobab is filled with many vitamins and other wonderful ingredients like linoleic acid that you might even be able to ditch your hair supplements. It’s gentle enough to nourish and hydrate your scalp.
10. Rosehip Seed
Rosehip oil is a well-known oil that offers immense hydration for the hair and skin. It can even offer soothing properties. Like baobab and sweet almond oil, rosehip seed oil is also full of omegas/fatty acids and vitamins.
Rosehip oil can be very potent. When working with rosehip oil, a little goes a long way. So, to get the best results for low porosity hair, you can mix a few drops with another oil, so it doesn’t weigh the strands down. This oil is the best to use as an overnight treatment.
Because rosehip is hydrating, it can soothe multiple scalp issues like itchiness, dryness, flaky scalp, and in some cases, even dandruff. So if you’re looking for a low-budget way to treat your scalp and low porosity hair, this oil is for you.
11. Apricot Kernel
Who knew you could make apricot oil from apricots? While apricots are a common summer fruit, their oil is not as popular. However, the hair can reap some benefits from apricot oil, especially if you have low porosity strands.
Surprisingly enough, apricot kernel oil shares many similarities with sweet almond oil. You can easily incorporate a few drops of this oil into various hair products to gain its benefits. It’s very moisturizing, and it can also tend to dry scalps.
12. Sunflower Seed
Before you reach for another cooking oil from your kitchen, sunflower seed oil can also be formulated to suit hair. Unlike sunflower cooking oil, sunflower seed oil for the hair is lightweight, and the strands can easily absorb it.
Sunflower seed oil offers the most intense conditioning treatment. It’s ideal to use to hydrate your ends and prevent split ends. Similar to other oils on this list, sunflower seed oil can also be used to soothe dry scalps and promote healthy hair growth.
This oil is packed with antioxidants that your scalp will love to soak up. Sunflower seed oil is ideal if you are looking to deep condition your hair more often, prevent breakage, and improve shine.
13. Camellia
Camellia is a plant that thrives in certain parts of Asia. Also, there are many versions of this plant, and you can find hundreds of hybrids. This flower/plant can also be turned into an oil that is a fantastic treatment for low porosity hair types. It enhances shine and smooths hair. It can also help your strands retain moisture.
Healthy naturally products recommended using camellia as a pre-shampoo treatment. This will allow your hair to take its time to soak up moisture and prevent breakage from occurring. So, if split ends are your enemy, try this oil for yourself.
Camellia oil can also be mixed with other oils so you can customize your hair routine to achieve your ideal outcome. Overall, camellia oil may not be as common in the States as in Asia, but it’s definitely worth trying out in your hair routine.
14. Monoi
Monoi oil is an exciting and uncommon hair oil that can bring multiple benefits to your hair. Moni oil shares many similarities with other oils regarding moisturizing and protecting properties.
If you can’t find fractionated coconut oil, Monoi oil can be your next best bet. Monoi Oil is a great oil to protect the hair against harsh environmental factors like UV rays, wind, rain, and more.
There are multiple ways to incorporate Monoi oil into your routine. For example, you can either add a few drops of oil into butters and conditioning products or use it as a pre-shampoo treatment.
15. Jojoba
Many people would argue that jojoba oil is the mother of all oils. Jojoba oil is everyones’ number one choice because it’s the closest oil that mimics the natural hair oils that our scalps produce. Jojoba oil also offers hundreds of benefits.
Jojoba oil can easily be absorbed by low porosity hair, and it doesn’t leave behind a greasy residue. Jojoba oil is highly versatile; you can find a way to incorporate it in almost every part of your hair routine.
Like other oils, jojoba oil is full of fatty acids, antioxidants, and antibacterial properties. So, whether you need hydration to soothe your scalp, grow your hair, or tame your ends, jojoba oil can do it all.
Jojoba oil can be mixed with other oils, used as a pre-shampoo treatment, or even mixed with other hair products.
Is Avocado Oil Good For Low Porosity Hair?
Avocado oil can be thicker than most other oils, especially if it will be used on the hair. Many people find it confusing how a heavier oil can offer positive side effects for low porosity hair. However, it’s easy to reap all the benefits from avocado oil.
We mentioned earlier that avocado oil is rich in vitamin E and fatty acids. These moisturizing properties will keep your strands shiny and soft. You will notice that your hair will be a lot easier to style and deal with daily.
However, avocado oil can be quite pricey, but it can be well worth the results. Avocado oil is a fantastic oil that can easily penetrate the hair, which is ideal for low porosity hair. But most people still shy away because it’s heavy and more oily.
Thankfully, when you use avocado oil the correct way for low porosity hair, you won’t have to fear experiencing greasy strands, weird residues, and weighed-down hair.
When incorporating avocado oil into your routine, heat will be your best friend. Avocado oil has a high smoking point and is perfect for heat treatments.
Another reason a hot oil treatment is the best way to use avocado oil is that heat can lift the cuticle and allow all the benefits of avocado oil to seep into your strands.
Once the moisturizing properties pass the cuticle, they won’t be going anywhere for a while.
Light Oils For Low Porosity Hair
1. Moroccanoil Treatment Oil
Some may agree that Moroccanoil’s Argan Oil is what started the hair oil craze in the US. However, argan oil has been around for centuries as a treatment for various concerns, but it happens to also be excellent for our strands.
This oil is great to use while styling, and it can even freshen up dry or dull ends throughout the week. Moroccanoil’s formula is very versatile. You can apply this oil to wet or dry hair and continue styling as you desire.
The Moroccanoil Treatment Oil will smooth frizzy ends, condition the hair, add shine, and even detangle your strands.
2. Now Solutions Organic Jojoba Oil
Now Solutions makes jojoba oil affordable and accessible. Their formula is certified organic, hexane-free, paraben-free, and vegan. This jojoba il is versatile, so not only will it work for your hair, but it is excellent for the skin and body too.
You’ll receive 4fl oz of oil, which is a bargain considering you need such little oil to treat all your beauty needs. Jojoba oil can easily be used as a pre-shampoo treatment, or it can be mixed with other hair products or oils.
3. Pure Body Naturals Sweet Almond Oil For Hair And Skin
Pure Body’s 16 oz Sweet Almond Oil will ensure your hair and skin will never be dry or malnourished ever again. This bottle will last you a lifetime, and sweet almond oil is lightweight, offering hundreds of benefits.
If you’re looking for a high-quality carrier oil to mix and make your own oil recipes, this will be the perfect match. Sweet almond oil contains various vitamins like E, A, and B. This formula is versatile, so feel free to use the oil all over!
Overall, this oil is a beautiful addition to any hair routine, and low porosity hair will fall in love with it! Its lightweight texture makes it ideal for fine or low porosity hair to gain the most benefits, and it will be easy to wash out when you need to.
Up Next: Macadamia Oil Vs. Argan Oil For Hair