How to Make a Hot Oil Treatment for Hair

Co-authored by Shun Pittman and Hannah Madden

Last Updated: March 1, 2022 Approved

Good hair care between haircuts helps you to maintain a healthy texture and shine. Treating yourself to a DIY hot oil treatment will add that extra healthy glow to your hair—plus, it’s super easy! You can use products that you might already have at home to amp up your beauty routine and make your hair look amazing.

Follow these 9 steps to make your own hot oil treatment for your hair.

1

Choose from coconut oil, olive oil, or sunflower oil.

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Select an oil based on what your hair needs. Coconut oil and sunflower oil help to nourish your hair and promote healthy growth, so they’re great for any hair type. Olive oil helps your hair retain moisture and add vitamins A and E, so it’s great for damaged hair. You can find these oils at most drugstores or home goods stores, and they’re usually in the food section.^{[1]
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- Some experts even recommend adding in a few drops of essential oil, like tea tree oil or rosemary oil. Essential oils can help nourish and moisturize your scalp as well as your hair.^{[2]
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- If you have sensitive skin, place a drop or two of your oil onto the inside of your elbow, then leave it there for 24 hours. If you don’t develop any rash or itchiness, the oil is probably fine to use. If your skin gets irritated, try using a different oil.
- If you don’t want to make your own mixture, you can buy a pre-made hot oil treatment from the drugstore.

2

Heat up your oil in a pot.

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Using warm oil helps open up your hair cuticle. Pour 2 to 3 tablespoons (30 to 44 mL) of your oil of choice into a heat-safe bowl. Fill up a large pot with water and put it over high heat, then bring it to a boil. Make a double boiler by placing the bowl of oil into the pot, balancing the bowl over the water. Stir the oil for 2 to 3 minutes until it’s warm.^{[3]
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- Using a double boiler heats the oil up slowly and evenly.
- If you can avoid it, try not to heat your oil in the microwave. The intense heat from your microwave can cause oil to break down, and it may heat unevenly.

3

Separate your hair into 2 to 4 sections.

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If you have thick hair, this will make it easier to work with. Brush out your hair and split it vertically down the middle, creating 2 equal sections on either side of your head. If you want to, you can split those sections into 2 to make them a little smaller. Clip all the sections up except one with a claw clip or a hair tie to keep them out of the way.^{[4]
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- Your sections don’t have to be super neat. You’ll be taking your hair down in just a second!
- Start with damp, freshly-shampooed hair for this.
Linda Nossett

Jun 24, 2017

"Used this 35+ years ago and loved the results. Now my dry, frizzy grey hair needs serious help. Can't afford..." more

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4

Test the oil on the inside of your wrist before using it.

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Your oil should be warm, not super-hot. Before you start rubbing it on your head, dab a bit onto your finger and drop it onto the inside of your wrist. If it’s too hot for your skin, let the oil cool down for just a few minutes before you start.^{[5]
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- Doing a patch test before using your oil is extremely important. If the oil is too hot, you could burn your scalp.
- If the oil doesn’t burn your wrist, you can go ahead and start applying it to your hair.

5

Massage the oil into your roots.

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Start at the top of your hair and work your way down. Use your fingers to scoop up a bit of oil. Bring it up to your scalp and gently massage it into your hair strands. Lift sections of your hair up to get underneath them, and try to cover all of your roots in that section. When you’ve finished one half of your hair, let your hair down and do the other side.^{[6]
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- If you deal with any scalp dryness or dandruff, putting hot oil on your roots will really help with that.

6

Drag the oil down to the ends of your hair.

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Your ends are going to need some moisture, too. Grab more oil and start massaging it into the mid-shaft of your hair, then drag your fingers down to the ends. Keep going like this until you’ve coated your entire head in oil.^{[7]
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- Your hair is probably going to look wet or greasy, but that’s a good thing!
- Use a mirror to check out the back of your head and make sure you’ve coated every strand of hair.
- Dragging oil down your entire length of hair is going to help combat dryness and frizziness, and it will also reduce your split ends.

7

Cover your hair with a shower cap for 30 minutes.

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Protect your hair so you don’t get oil all over your house. Cover up with a shower cap or a plastic bag to keep your hair contained while you wait. Let the oil soak in for at least 30 minutes so it has time to hydrate and repair your hair.^{[8]
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- If you want to, you could even leave the oil in your hair overnight.
- For extra moisture, wrap your hair in a hot towel for 20 to 30 minutes while the oil sits in your hair.

8

Shampoo and condition your hair in the shower.

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Water probably won’t be enough to rinse the oil out. When you’ve let your hair sit for long enough, hop in the shower and lather up some shampoo. When the oil is gone, follow up with a conditioner to leave your hair feeling shiny, soft, and healthy.^{[9]
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- Don’t worry if your hair still feels a little greasy from the oil. If it does, you can shampoo it a second time to get all of the oil out.

9

Use a hot oil treatment 1-2 times a month, depending on your hair type.

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Long-term use will help repair dry or damaged hair. If you have curly hair, bleached hair, or damaged hair, you can use hot oil to add moisture and shine every other week. If your hair has a finer texture, you might do better using this treatment once a month instead.^{[10]
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- After your hot oil treatment, use a clarifying shampoo. If you feel like there's still oil in your hair, use the clarifying shampoo again; otherwise, follow up with a hydrating shampoo.

Comments

Nancy Johnston

Jul 30, 2019

"I had very painful shingles on the right side of my head and in my right eye in March. My head has never stopped..." more
Nancy Hatcher

Feb 8, 2018

"For the first time in 68 years my naturally curly hair turned straight and extremely dry. We've had a very..." more

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Bonnie Mahana

Feb 9, 2017

"I'm kind of a tomboy, and I'm not even really good doing simple makeup. I'm so glad I found this,..." more

Michelle Williams

Nov 24, 2017

"My hair desperately needs attention. I use argon oil on a regular basis before I blow dry my color treated hair and..." more

Nonmi Hisseddeo

Sep 15, 2016

"I had questions about do-it-yourself hot oil treatments, and this article answered them all. I now know which oils..." more

Cheri R.

Nov 25, 2019

"My hair is so dry/damaged right now. I was looking for help that is not complicated. These step-by-step..." more

Yvonne Pattle

Aug 7, 2017

"I used to have oil treatment in the salon, but I feel it is far better using the home treatment because I was never..." more

Hasnaa Elshazly

May 31, 2016

"This is truly effective. This remedy should be done a couple of times a week. It worked for my hair which has..." more

vatun sai

Jul 18, 2017

"I used to have severe hair loss, even though I tried different oil treatments, it never worked that much. But this..." more

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Imran Nazir

Sep 30, 2017

"It was really helpful. I was looking for natural ways to take care of my hair. I always knew that coconut oil is..." more

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Connie Catton

Aug 6, 2016

"I really appreciate the thorough explanations listed here. It answered several questions that I had since its the..." more

Ocean Rainn

Jun 29, 2017

"I use coconut oil as a body lotion, and was surprised and thrilled to find out I could use it on my hair as well...." more

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Colotta Copeland

Jan 11, 2019

"To kill two birds with one stone, hot oil treatment and deep conditioner work good together on naturally-curly..." more

Sandra Stanton

Aug 5, 2018

"The most clear and concise directions I found on giving my hair a hot oil treatment with ingredients I had at home."

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Sydney Martin

Jul 25, 2020

"This was great and I am growing my hair. It helped me grow 4 inches in five months, thank you very much."

Lachelle Hawthorne

Jul 12, 2017

"I wasn't sure what order to apply hot oil treatment and wasn't sure if I rinse out the treatment or not."

Sibongile Sharon

Apr 4, 2018

"My hair was not growing at all, then I used castor oil treatment. My hair is growing bigger and bigger."

Alyssa Gordan

Jun 6, 2016

"I love how detailed this is. I was able to do my oil treatment step-by-step perfectly. Thank you!"

Viji L.

Jun 15, 2017

"I have learned hot oil massage from this article and it's very useful to me. Thank you so much."

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Expert Q&A

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Question

Do I wash my hair before or after an oil treatment?

Shun Pittman
Master Cosmetologist, Global Salon Educator & Author
Shun Pittman is a Master Cosmetologist, Author, Owner, and Founder of Corps d’Elite Salon and Corps d’Elite Beauty. With over 25 years of international experience, she is dedicated to and specializes in providing luxury salon services to all hair types and textures and every skin tone and shade. Her services include hair conditioning treatments, cutting, coloring, styling, extensions, and makeup application. Shun has experience working with, coaching, training, and mentoring beauty professionals from multiple companies including L'Oréal, Wella, Matrix, Paul Mitchell, Redken, Big Sexy Hair, and Toni & Guy. She is also a host for national and local media outlets and her work has been featured in The Washingtonian, The Cheddar Network, and WJLA Good Morning Washington's Beauty and Fashion Police segments. Shun is the author of “50 Things Your Hairdresser Wants YOU to Know (and a few things we don’t...)".

Shun Pittman

Master Cosmetologist, Global Salon Educator & Author

Expert Answer

Wash your hair after you use hot oil so you don't have it built up on your scalp.

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Question

How often should you do a hot oil treatment on your hair?

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Staff Answer
This answer was written by one of our trained team of researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness.

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Staff Answer

Once a week tends to be sufficient for most hair types and this is commonly suggested by the instructions on commercially available hot oil treatments. Sometimes doing it two or even three times a week might be beneficial for very dry or damaged hair, just until it improves. And if you don’t really like doing hot oil treatments, and your hair is healthy, try doing it once a month to gain at least some benefits. It is suggested that you do some experimentation to see what works best for your hair. It can also help to talk to your hairdresser for advice tailored to your hair type.

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Question

Can hot oil treatments damage your hair?

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This answer was written by one of our trained team of researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness.

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Staff Answer

Provided the hot oil treatment is used properly, as directed by either the manufacturer when using commercial treatments or instructions for homemade oil treatments (as in the article above), it should be beneficial for most hair types. It is important to take great care when handling the hot oil and to avoid burning your hand, scalp or facial skin.

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Tips

Wait to shampoo until after the treatment so you don't have a build-up of oil in your hair.^{[11]
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Shun Pittman
Master Cosmetologist, Global Salon Educator & Author

Expert Interview. 14 April 2021.}

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Oil has the potential to stain clothes. Try wearing clothing you don’t care about when you’re doing a hot oil treatment.

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"When washing the oil out, first wash your hair with warm water and then rinse with cold. It's better for your hair." - Zoey Y.

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Warnings

If you are experiencing hair loss, do not use hot oil treatments. The oil can heat up your hair strands and lead to further breakage.^{[12]
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American Academy of Dermatology
Professional organization made of over 20,000 certified dermatologists

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