Miranda's mane affair as Clear Scalp & Hair's global brand ambassador
Up for a beauty bet? Yes? Good. Here’s our wager: When this story is over and done with, even the most vociferous of oil opponents will pause a beat or two at the hair oil section of their cosmetics aisle.
Consider this a public service announcement of sorts: We’re obsessed with oils of a topical nature, and we’re on a mission to convince you, dear erstwhile lipophobic reader, to fall in love with the good stuff as well.
Now, we’ve found that the best beauty secrets are often discovered via sheer serendipity. Take our cough, beautifully bushy brows for instance.
We’ve amassed a veritable vanity chest’s worth of compliments on our brows’ varnished voluptuousness, to which we owe oils a huge debt – for close to two years now, we’ve massaged the oils from a broken Vitamin E capsule into the roots as part of a nourishing nightly treatment.
The brow benefits got us thinking about spreading the wealth from our eyebrows up onto our scalp. We’ve long extolled the benefits of a fatty diet for the face, so this wasn’t too big of a leap for us, really; read our facial oil guide to get up to speed.
If you’re an erstwhile subscriber to the oil-free school of thought, hear us out – there’s method to our madness. Take it from R&D expert for Dove Hair John Goh, who says that oils have been clinically proven to coax life from the parched plains of a frizzy follicular forest: “Certain types of lipids can dramatically improve smoothness, glossiness, manageability as well as reduce breakage.”
At this juncture, a brief detour into the type of tress oils to look out for would be instructional. John Goh says that you should zero in on products boasting a judicious blend of botanicals like coconut, almond and argan: “When choosing a hair oil treatment, look for concoctions with different natural oils – coconut, almond and argan are strongly recommended as they have been proven to penetrate the hair shaft and not simply sit on the hair surface.”
Still iffy about taking the plunge? Here are five top tips on getting the most mileage, so to speak, out of your oils, all of which are surprisingly novel to boot:
Dove Nourishing Oil Care Nutri-Oil Serum, $8.90 for 40 ml
1. USE HAIR OILS THE WAY YOU USE OIL-BASED FACIAL CLEANSERS. A really neat way of introducing oils into your routine, particularly if you’re predisposed to greasy hair, is to use them as a gentle pre-wash treatment.
Think of this haircare trick as being homologous to the oil cleansing component of your skincare ritual: The lipids lift away styling gunk for fuller penetration of the goodness from your treatment shampoos.
Here’s how. Warm up a generous dollop of oil in your palms, work it into damp hair, then relax for 10 minutes or so. (If you’re daunted by the prospect of dripping all over your daybed, clip your coiffure up and secure with a shower cap.)
When you think you’ve had enough, step into the shower and rinse off. Follow up with your go-to shampoo for surpassingly silky strands; post-rinse, your locks may be so lush as to be able to skip conditioner.
2. BE A MANE MIXOLOGIST AND CONCOCT A CUSTOM CONDITIONER. Another fabulously fun way to incorporate oils into your hair diet is to stir it into your regular conditioner to create an richly reparative rinse-off mask.
The recipe, if you can call it that, is fantastically elegant in its foolproof simplicity. Leo Huifen, Retail and Training Manager of L’Oreal Paris Singapore, says you can dispense a few drops of oil into your favourite treatment cream for maximum moisturising impact.
Grab a bottle of conditioner, sploosh out into a baking bowl, drizzle in your oil of choice, then churn by hand into a beautifying butter. Resist the urge to lick the spoon!
Sunsilk Nourishing Soft & Smooth Oil Spray Oil Spray, $11.90 for 150ml
3. THE NO-BRAINER: USE OILS POST-SHOWER TO SEAL IN MOISTURE. Like lubricating an engine, oils act as beautifying buttresses for brittle hair follicles, allowing these microscopic shafts to sop up precious moisture for sumptuously shiny strands.
Simply apply on damp hair, starting mid-length and paying extra care to the ends for easier styling. Incredibly intuitive and straightforward to use, try stashing a spray-type product in your purse for touch-ups on the go.
Toni&Guy Hair Meet Wardrobe Glamour Serum Drops, $22.90 for 30 ml
4. USE OILS AND LOOK LIKE BEYONCE. One of our favourite ways to use oils is to rake it through the ends of our tresses for a titillating photoshoot-ready sheen worthy of a lovelorn diva writhing in the waves.
They’re also perfect for taming pesky flyaways; for this purpose, opt for argan oil blends, which are awesome for lending a really reflective mirror-like mirage.
Nicolas Travis, Singapore skincare entrepreneur and founder of upcoming grooming label Allies of Skin, recommends rubbing just one drop between your palms and lightly skimming it across the surface for high-wattage shine without the extra weight.
L'Oréal Paris Extraordinary Oil + UV Protection, $26.90 for 100ml
5. LET'S GO ON A HAIR HOLIDAY. Oils can serve as Ray-Bans for your hair, especially if they come powered with sun-protective emollients. Leo Huifen, Retail and Training Manager for L'Oréal Paris Singapore, says that brushing on a good-sized amount of nutritious oil before a dip in the pool will sop up free radicals and shield your scalp from the ravages of the sun and sea.
Beauty bonus: Huifen says that these lightweight serums are designed to sink straight in like soft butter, so you needn’t fret about leaving an embarrassing oil slick in your wake when you dive in.
Before we sign off, let’s do a quick compare-and-contrast test. How many steps are there in your facial regime versus your haircare one? The latter is probably lackadaisical, relatively speaking, but that’s no skin off your back now that you’re armed with these handy (or is that hairy) tips.
So yes, lipids are liquid love for your locks. Ready to give oils a shot? Send us some virtual love by sharing this article if we’ve won our grooming gamble – and we swear we won’t judge if your newly rejuvenated coiff compels you to perform a slow-mo shampoo commercial hair flip!
Dove Nourishing Oil Care Nutri-Oil Serum, $8.90 for 40 ml, is available at major pharmacies and supermarkets. For more information, visit www.dove.com and follow Dove Singapore on Facebook.
L'Oréal Paris Extraordinary Oil + UV Protection, $26.90 for 100 ml, is available at major pharmacies and supermarkets. For more information, visit www.loreal.com.sg and follow L'Oréal Singapore on Facebook.
Sunsilk Nourishing Soft & Smooth Oil Spray Oil Spray, $11.90 for 150 ml, is available at major pharmacies and supermarkets. For more information, visit www.sunsilk.com and follow Sunsilk Singapore on Facebook.
Toni&Guy Hair Meet Wardrobe Glamour Serum Drops, $22.90 for 30 ml, is available at major pharmacies and supermarkets. For more information, visit www.hairmeetwardrobe.co.uk and follow Toni&Guy Hair Meet Wardrobe Singapore on Facebook.