Is There a ‘Wrong’ Way to Use Hair Oil? We Ask a Celebrity Hair Stylist

Main image – Jorgefuentes/Stocksy

Michael Douglas is a celebrity hair stylist with a passion for empowering beauty fans to feel more confident with their hair. He is also a regular Live That Glow columnist, answering readers questions on all things hair care. Here, he advises on whether you should apply hair oil to wet or dry hair.

I was always taught to only put hair oil on dry hair as I heard applying it to wet hair can actually be damaging. Now I’m seeing influencers using oils on wet hair on top of hydrating sprays or serums to lock in the moisture. Which way is right and can I damage my hair by doing it wrong?

Michael says:

It’s not damaging at all to put oil on damp or dry hair.

Oil and water don’t mix, they separate. So applying oil to damp hair will not trap moisture or water inside the hair – instead it will separate and the water will evaporate leaving the oil behind.

The oil acts a bit like fake moisture leaving the hair feeling soft to the touch, supple and less dry feeling. You can obviously also apply it to dry hair after styling.

You must remember though that oil is heavier than water and a lot of other styling products, so less is more when it comes to putting it into dry hair.

You can use oils in two different ways; one for conditioning and the other one for styling.

If you’re using it for conditioning, my best tip is to apply directly to dry hair so you get the full force of the oil onto undiluted hair. You can also leave it in the hair overnight and this is often called slugging. Simply shampoo and condition out in the morning.

Using oil for styling hair, I would often put it in damp hair in a very small amount then use your preferred styling product like a blow dry spray, then blow dry and style the hair as normal. Then use a very small amount afterwards to help finish the style.

Oil does not damage the hair whether it goes on damp or dry. If anything it offers protection to the hair during heat styling or air drying. It reduces friction from the hair and friction is a great cause of damage.

My favourite oils are probably from the OGX range but I also love the one from Arkive by Adam Reed.