Unlock the Secret to Glossy, Strong Hair: What No One Tells You About Using Olive Oil!
When you glance at that humble bottle of olive oil sitting on your kitchen shelf, your mind probably hops straight to the Mediterranean diet—heart-healthy meals, a drizzle over sizzling dishes, or dipping warm, crusty bread at your favorite Italian spot. But here’s a curveball: have you ever thought about rubbing that golden elixir into your hair? I know, it sounds a bit odd at first glance. Yet, this age-old staple has been weaving its magic not just in our plates but also in our beauty routines for years. Thanks to a surge of TikTok videos and influencers swearing by its powers to grow longer, shinier, and healthier locks, olive oil is making a surprising comeback in the haircare world. But before you slather it on, does that pantry favorite actually live up to the hype? Or is it just another kitchen embarrassment waiting to happen? Let’s dive deep and uncover the truth about olive oil’s place in your haircare lineup—because your mane deserves the best, right? LEARN MORE
When you see a bottle of olive oil, you might think about the heart-healthy Mediterranean diet, drizzling it onto a pan to cook your next meal, or dunking bread into it at an Italian restaurant.
But there’s one way to use the kitchen staple that may not immediately come to mind: putting it in your hair. “It’s an ingredient that’s been around for a long time,” says Perry Romanowski, vice president-elect for the Society for Cosmetic Chemists and vice president of Element 44, a cosmetic formulating consulting company. “It’s a widely available food product, so then there’s a lot leftover. And that can go into cosmetics.”
Do a little poking around on TikTok and you’ll easily find countless videos of influencers and content creators encouraging people to use olive oil to grow longer, healthier, and shinier hair. And like many plant-based oils, olive oil can act as a moisturizer, Romanowski says, so it can seem like a good option for folks who want to breathe new life into dry or brittle tresses. Plus, a 2022 study in the International Journal of Trichology found that olive oil provides several other benefits as well, such as protecting the hair from the sun’s ultraviolet rays and easing symptoms of psoriasis on the scalp.
Meet the experts: Perry Romanowski, vice president-elect for the Society for Cosmetic Chemists and vice president of Element 44, a cosmetic formulating consulting company. Jack Levy, MD, a dermatologic surgeon at Weill Cornell Medicine in New York City. Dmitry Irshinskiy is a hairstylist at FEKKAI Soho Salon in New York City. Audrey Kunin, MD, is a dermatologist and founder of DERMAdoctor Skincare. Glenn Ellis is a celebrity hairstylist.
But does that bottle of extra virgin olive oil sitting in your pantry actually deserve a place in your haircare routine? After all, there are a litany of other hair oils to choose from on the market (think: coconut, argan, and castor oil, just to name a few).
Read on to learn exactly how olive oil can benefit your hair and scalp, the risks of using it, how to use it to achieve the best results, and whether the ingredient is worth your time and money in the first place.
The benefits of using olive oil on your hair.
There are three basic ways that cosmetic products benefit hair, Romanowski explains: Shampoos clean, conditioners moisturize, and styling products help you manipulate its shape and texture. Olive oil, which is packed with moisturizing fatty acids, falls under the conditioner category, Romanowski adds.
This is because olive oil is considered both an occlusive substance and an emollient, which means the oil works to seal moisture into the hair cuticle (the outermost layer of the hair shaft) as well as make hair look shiny and feel softer, smoother and more slippery. Similarly, olive oil may be able to help soothe and moisturize an itchy or dry scalp, Romanowski says.
By conditioning the hair, olive oil may also help you fight flyaways, and protect your locks from breakage. “It also is a lifesaver when it comes to frizz protection,” says Dmitry Irshinskiy, hairstylist at FEKKAI Soho Salon in New York City.
Here’s what else olive oil (and products containing it) may do for your hair and scalp:
- Protect from the sun: Olive oil contains antioxidants such as vitamin E and phenol alcohols. These substances work to protect hair from damage caused by the sun’s ultraviolet rays, which can otherwise make hair feel rough, weak, dull, and dry.
- Fight against fungi: Olive oil is thought to have antifungal properties, says Dr. Jack Levy, a dermatologic surgeon at Weill Cornell Medicine in New York City. Research suggests that it can slow the growth of a certain fungus called candida albicans, which can cause yeast infections on the scalp if it proliferates uncontrollably.
- Help treat psoriasis: Psoriasis is a chronic skin condition resulting from an overactive immune system. It causes the body to attack healthy skin, which leads to rapid skin cell growth and scaly, dry and itchy patches on the scalp and other areas of the body. Olive oil may be able to help ease these symptoms by softening and loosening skin build ups, according to the Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis Alliance. However, “we have so many good medications for psoriasis these days,” Dr. Levy says. “So using olive oil is not really recommended as a sole agent. It might be helpful to use in addition to some other medications.”
Are there risks of using olive oil for hair?
Sadly, yes, there are a few downsides you’ll want to consider, says Jack Levy, MD, a dermatologic surgeon at Weill Cornell Medicine in New York City. Here’s what to keep in mind before dunking your hair into the golden liquid:
- It can make your hair greasy: Olive oil is, after all, an oil. That means applying too much can give your tresses an I-haven’t-washed-my-hair-in-weeks look. Yikes. This is particularly true for folks with thin hair, or those who naturally have an oily or greasy scalp to begin with.
- It can turn rancid: Olive oil is made up of unsaturated fatty acids. When those acids are exposed to sunlight, it can create a chemical reaction that makes the oil go bad, Romanowski explains. As a result, “your hair might smell kinda funny,” he says. “So while you can use it, it’s not a great idea.” This is something to keep in mind more generally, but it’s especially true if you’re considering using cooking olive oil, rather than a hair product that may contain extra preservatives to prevent rancidity.
- It can worsen dandruff and cause scalp issues: Though there’s decades of research substantiating that olive oil is healthy to eat, there’s far less evidence that it’s a good ingredient in cosmetics, Dr. Levy says. But one thing we do know is that it can exacerbate dandruff. That’s because dandruff is caused by an overgrowth of a specific species of yeast called malassezia, Dr. Levy adds. And that yeast thrives off lipids like those found in (you guessed it!) olive oil. “Olive oil can feed” off the yeast and grow out of control, he says. So if you’re already prone to dandruff or have a sensitive scalp, think twice before using olive oil, Dr. Levy says. The oil is also thick and heavy. So it has the potential to clog hair follicles on your scalp, especially if you don’t fully wash it out, Romanowski adds. This can cause itchiness and inflammation.
- It can be irritating: Oils, like anything else in cosmetics, can potentially be irritating to some folks. And just because something is considered natural, doesn’t mean that it’s better for you. Ingredients like olive oil are “natural plants just like poison ivy and poison oak are natural plants,” Dr. Levy says.
Who should use olive oil on their hair?
Anybody is free to give olive oil a try, of course. But folks with curly, textured and coarse hair are more likely to have success, says Dr. Levy. Since olive oil is thick and heavy, putting it on hair that’s fine and thin can weigh it down and make it look lifeless, says Audrey Kunin, MD, a dermatologist and founder of DERMAdoctor Skincare. It can also make thin hair look stringy.
How do you apply olive oil to the hair?
If you do decide to try using olive oil, it’s important to make sure you’re not allergic to it first, Dr. Kunin says. To get the biggest bang for your buck, consider using a cold-pressed, unrefined variety of olive oil (like extra virgin) since it retains more beneficial nutrients. And if you’re not sure how to go about a patch test, rub the oil product “on the inner arm for a week or two” to make sure you can tolerate it, Dr. Levy says.
Once you know the oil won’t irritate you, you’re ready to give it a whirl. Start by putting just enough oil onto your hands to lightly coat them. Then, massage the oil into your hair, focusing on the middle of the hair shaft and the ends rather than the roots and scalp, Dr. Levy adds. “Also, as with a lot of hair products, a little goes a long way,” says Glenn Ellis, a celebrity hairstylist who works with stars like Aubrey Plaza and Chloe Fineman. “So you only really need about one to two tablespoons.”
If you want to put olive oil on your scalp, aim to keep it on for only 20 to 30 minutes before washing it out, Dr. Levy says. Same rule applies if you’re using it as a deep conditioner, Ellis adds. And if you’re worried about the oil making your hair too greasy, “I recommend mixing it with a little conditioner” before applying, Ellis adds. “This will help you rinse it out easier.”
Try not to use olive oil too often to avoid buildup on the scalp or excess greasiness, Ellis says. Aim to use it once a week or less, or the same frequency you’d use a hair mask or deep conditioner. And be sure to avoid using olive oil entirely if you plan to do any heat styling, Romanowski adds. Olive oil has a low smoke point, he explains, which means using a curler or flat iron after applying oil can quickly burn your hair. “You’re essentially sizzling it,” he says. “It’s going to have a burnt smell.”
But perhaps the easiest—and best—way to incorporate the ingredient into your routine is by using products formulated with it. Here, a few of our favorites:
Hair Products Containing Olive Oil
This edge control gel is formulated with olive oil for a hair-strengthening boost. Apply it to the edges of your hairline and smooth it with your fingertips, small toothbrush or a brush to perfect the look of your ponytails, updos, braids, twists, locs or lace fronts.
What’s the bottom line?
Olive oil can indeed give your hair a moisturizing boost. “As a formulator, I look at it more as an ingredient that is put in products because consumers like the story of it,” Romanowski says. After all, a relatively cheap, accessible, natural, and delicious ingredient sounds hard to resist, right? But “there are other ingredients that don’t have as sexy names, but they actually work better,” he adds.
If you’re set on oiling your hair or scalp (which is a totally valid, ancient practice that’s baked into many cultures) consider opting for alternatives like castor or coconut oil instead, Dr. Levy says, which tend to “not have complications associated with them.”
But for those simply looking to make their hair softer, silkier or shinier, perhaps consider products that have synthetic compounds like cyclomethicone and dimethicone on the ingredients label, Romanowski says.
And if you’re looking to manage frizz or flyaways, consider hair products that include cetrimonium chloride or behentrimonium methosulfate, he adds. “People used to use olive oil exclusively or they would use soaps or things like that” on their hair, Romanowski says. “But there’s just a natural evolution to finding chemicals that work better than the things that are out there in nature.”
Katie Mogg is the beauty editorial assistant at Women’s Health. Since starting college at Northeastern University in 2020, her bylines have appeared in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, NBC News and The Boston Globe. She strives to help readers lead happier and healthier lives through science-backed stories that explain how to care for hair, skin and nails. When she’s not working, Katie enjoys live music, strolling through Central Park, planning her next beach getaway, and sharing hotpot with friends.
Brian Underwood is beauty director at Women’s Health, where he oversees content strategy for the brand across all platforms, including digital, print, and social. Underwood previously served as beauty and wellness director at Oprah Daily and O, The Oprah Magazine. During his tenure leading beauty content for the Oprah brand at Hearst, stories Underwood commissioned were awarded the Skin Cancer Foundation Media Award and a Fragrance Award for Editorial Excellence (his second). He was the launch Beauty Director of Dr. Oz THE GOOD LIFE, and has held additional editorial positions at Fitness, Organic Style, Good Housekeeping, Life & Style Weekly, and Woman’s Day and has written for Self, Shape, Seventeen, Redbook, Cosmopolitan, and many more. Underwood previously served on the Skin Cancer Foundation’s gala committee and as partnerships director of the Trans Beauty Clinic, a New York-based charitable organization that provided beauty services and workshops to the city’s trans community.
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