OIL FOR ONE The hair product to rule them all
We drill down and discover the one hair product to rule them all.
Imagine a product that improves hair health and texture, protects from thermal damage, combats frizz and flyaways, prevents breakage, reduces dry time, adds gloss and shine, encourages growth, combats scalp inflammation and dandruff, stacks the dishwasher, pays the power bill, fixes the dripping tap in your ensuite...
Okay, scrap those last three. Your life admin is on you. But at least you’ll have more time to do it with the multitasking mane-tamer that is hair oil. Is this sounding a bit like an infomercial? Bear with because – you guessed it – there’s more. Many hair oils on the market today even moonlight as body and face oils. And in the spirit of minimalism, conscious consumerism and basically just Kondo-ing the shit out of all our cupboards, there’s never been a better time to embrace them.
It’s true that hair oils made from naturally derived ingredients like argan, coconut and marula are not a new invention. To say nothing of the fact that ancient civilisations have been extolling their beautifying benefits for centuries, they’ve been a staple of salons and well-stocked beauty cabinets ever since Moroccanoil’s namesake product arrived on the scene about 15 years ago.
Still, fine-haired females, or anyone whose oily roots are helping to keep dry-shampoo companies afloat, are still trying to figure out how adding more of the stuff can possibly help the situation.
Here’s the thing – and cast your mind back to that primary-school science lesson if you can. Oil and water don’t mix. Oil, in fact, attracts oil, which makes oil-based cleansers and shampoos extremely effective at removing excess sebum and impurities. As a bonus, they actually protect your hair from the more drying ingredients in said cleansers, ensuring your skin and strands aren’t stripped of their natural oils and are shielded throughout the process, and after.
The same principle applies to leave-in hair oils, as those who have already jumped on the facial-oil bandwagon will know. If you’re still concerned about looking like
you’ve swum around in a deep-fryer, note that many haircare brands have created versions specifically formulated for light or fine hair. But, says Danny Pato from Auckland’s award-winning D&M salon, that’s not totally necessary. He explains that the trick is more in the application, and recommends applying the oil to damp hair before blow-drying. “For the most even distribution, dispense the product into your palm and rub your hands together before spreading it through mid-lengths and ends, avoiding the roots if they’re on the oily side.”
Silky, glossy hair will be the immediate result. If squeaky clean isn’t your thing, try dousing your hair in sea-salt spray before adding your favourite hair oil. Danny says you’ll get all of the oil’s benefits, including healthy shine, but with the beachy texture that you rely on for volume and grip.
Danny calls this combination “luxe grunge”. We call it a valid reason to make space for one extra product in your line-up.