When to oil your hair: overnight or just before you shampoo? (2024)

When to oil your hair: overnight or just before you shampoo? (1)

Hello there, lovelies! We all love an at-home hair spa, don’t we? It’s a great way to show your tresses some love and care, while giving yourself some much-needed pampering. Today we’ll talk about an important step in a hair care routine: oiling your hair. Should you oil hair just before you shampoo, giving the oil just enough time to soak into your hair? Or should you oil your hair the night before you shampoo it and let it work its magic overnight? Read on to find out!

Oiling hair overnight

When to oil your hair: overnight or just before you shampoo? (2)

How to do it:

1. Massage oil into hair and scalp and leave it on overnight (don’t forget to cover your pillow with an old towel!)
2. Wash off oil when you shampoo the next day

Note: De-tangle your hair with a comb/hair brush before, not after you finish oiling it, to avoid breakage.

When you can go for it:

• You feel your hair requires intensive treatment to address concerns like coarseness, fineness, dandruff, dry scalp, excessive frizz, etc.
• You feel your otherwise normal hair has become too rough or coarse due to, say, a fun beach outing
• You spend a total of 15 minutes getting ready in the morning 😊

When to oil your hair: overnight or just before you shampoo? (3)

In general, it is not recommended to leave oil on for more than 6-8 hours, as that might make things tricky. The oil can attract a lot of dirt, dust, grime and get them to stick to your hair! So, it will take a lot more effort to wash your hair with all this added stuff to wash off.

Oiling just before you shampoo

When to oil your hair: overnight or just before you shampoo? (4)

How to do it:

1. Massage oil into hair and scalp and leave it on for 30-60 minutes (or for 3-4 hours, if you feel like it)
2. Wash off oil thoroughly from your hair when you shampoo

Note: As mentioned earlier, combing and de-tangling go before, not after massaging oil into your hair!

When you can go for it:

• Any regular shampoo session – it helps protect your hair during the washing process
• You don’t have specific concerns like excessive dryness/coarseness, frizz, dandruff, hair thinning etc.

When to oil your hair: overnight or just before you shampoo? (5)

Good hair oils generally have a concentrated dose of nutrients (not too concentrated, that would make them harsh on hair) to do what they are meant to do. Based on the type of hair oil, they can moisturize and nourish hair, reduce frizz, reduce irritation in the scalp, promote hair growth, protect hair from damage or heal and repair hair from within. Of course, some oils can perform more than one of these functions.

When to oil your hair: overnight or just before you shampoo? (6)

Choose natural oils such as coconut oil, olive oil, macadamia oil, almond oil or shea lipids, which can help strengthen, repair, nourish and protect hair from within.

plum recommends: Our much-loved Olive & Macadamia Nutri-Shield Pre-Shampoo Hair Oil

Here’s to happy hair days!

Related products:

Share your "oiling philosophy" with us by taking our poll below!

When to oil your hair: overnight or just before you shampoo? (2024)
Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Pres. Lawanda Wiegand

Last Updated:

Views: 5591

Rating: 4 / 5 (51 voted)

Reviews: 82% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Pres. Lawanda Wiegand

Birthday: 1993-01-10

Address: Suite 391 6963 Ullrich Shore, Bellefort, WI 01350-7893

Phone: +6806610432415

Job: Dynamic Manufacturing Assistant

Hobby: amateur radio, Taekwondo, Wood carving, Parkour, Skateboarding, Running, Rafting

Introduction: My name is Pres. Lawanda Wiegand, I am a inquisitive, helpful, glamorous, cheerful, open, clever, innocent person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.