5 Best Hair Oils To Maintain Healthy Braids In 2023
Nourish your hair to flaunt thick healthy plaits that look gorgeous with every outfit.
Jill TurnbullHairstylist
Expertise: Hairdressing
Experience: 47 years
Jill Turnbull is an internationally acclaimed freelance hairstylist, colorist, and makeup artist with over 47 years of experience. She founded her own beauty brand and her work has been featured in editorial magazines worldwide.Jill is... more
Oyendrila Kanjilal Certified Skin Care Coach
Expertise: Skin Care & Hair Care
Experience: 2 years
Oyendrila holds a master's degree in English Literature from the University Of Calcutta, West Bengal, and is a certified skin care coach. As a beauty and lifestyle writer with two years of experience,... more
Shiboli ChakrabortiCertified Skin Care Coach
Expertise: Skin Care & Hair Care
Experience: 4 years
Shiboli has a master’s degree in English literature from The English and Foreign Languages University, Hyderabad, and is a certified skincare coach with four years of experience. As a commerce edito... more
Image: StyleCraze Design Team
With the revival of braids, box braids are a perfect way to break the monotony from your daily hairstyle. While braids are in fashion and give a break from your combing duties, keeping your hair healthy is essential. That’s why we have hand-picked for you a list of the best scalp oils for braids, selected after meticulous examination of features and reviews, that protect your hair and keep those strands soft! They also lock in moisture and protect your hair from excessive use of chemical products. Scroll down to check them out!
In This Article
5 Best Hair Oils For Braids
1. Best No-Drip Formula:Cantu Shea Butter Tea Tree & Jojoba Hair & Scalp Oil
Image: Cantu This scalp oil from Cantu is great for weaves, extensions, and braids. It contains pure shea butter, tea tree, and jojoba oil that replace the vital oils in dry hair to make it stronger and healthier. This product has a no-drip breakthrough formula that adds a natural shine, conditions and soothes the scalp, and moisturizes braided strands to promote healthy growth while also improving hair manageability. It offers restorative care and works effectively to repair hair that has been damaged due to chemical styling treatments, heat tools, or coloring and bleaching agents. Go ahead and check out this YouTuber’s video showing the tester’s experience for more details about the product.
Key Ingredients: Shea butter, Tea tree, and Jojoba oil
Pros
- No drip formula
- Fast-absorbing
- Pleasant scent
- Anti-breakage
- Easy to spread
Cons
- Thick consistency
Pro Tip2. Best Lightweight:Bronner Brothers Tropical Roots Stimulating Growth Oil
Image: Bronner Brothers This oil from Bronner Brothers is a delicate mixture made with the goodness of herbal extracts, including the tropical and nutritious pineapple and guava, that help stimulate hair growth. It is great for sealing in shine and moisture. This botanical oil also keeps the hair frizz-free and adds a natural luster to the strands. This lightweight hair oil is suitable for all hair types and is best used to start and maintain braids, locks, and twists. It helps repair damaged hair that happens due to chemical styling treatments, heat tools, and coloring. To get a better understanding of the product, you can check out this video on YouTube
showing the reviewer’s experience with the product.
Key Ingredients: Pineapple and Guava
Pros
- Paraben-free
- Provides lightweight hydration
- Rejuvenates tired hair
- Makes hair shiny
Cons
- Strong scent
Pro Tip3. Best Moisturizing:Sulfur8 Loc Twist and Braid Oil
Image: Sulfur8 This braid oil from Sulfur8 is ideal for maintaining natural hairstyles. It nourishes the scalp with a unique blend of natural oils and extracts. The oil moisturizes the scalp and adds shine to your locks, twists, and braids. This product comes with an easy-to-use applicator tip that helps you apply it on spots that require more nourishment or dry areas of your scalp. It’s a perfect blend of non-toxic, nourishing ingredients.
Key Ingredients: Olive oil, Sweet almond oil, Tea tree oil, Sunflower seed oil, and Wheat germ oil
Pros
- Lightweight
- Cooling sensation
- Comes with an applicator tip
Cons
- Unpleasant scent
Caution4. Best Strengthening:Glammed Naturally Oil – Braid Oil
Image: Glammednaturallyoil The Glammed Braid Oil prevents front hair loss, promotes hair growth, provides deep hydration, reduces split ends, and enhances hair thickness. It is enriched with olive, castor, peppermint, and jojoba oils and vitamins E and B. Lavender essential oil stimulates circulation, while olive and jojoba oils nourish the scalp. With regular application, your hair will restore thickness and become shinier and gorgeous. This scalp oil for braids is free from animal testing and protects your scalp, nourishes your hair, and keeps lice at bay.
Key ingredients: Olive oil, Castor oil, Peppermint oil, and Jojoba oil.
Pros
- Lightweight
- Paraben-free
- Enhances braid longevity
- Suitable for dry hair
- Shine enhancement
- Protects your scalp
Cons
None
5. Best Non-Greasy:ORS Olive Oil Nourishing Exotic Scalp Oil
Image: Ors Olive Oil This exotic scalp oil from ORS restores damaged hair and provides moisture in the scalp and conditions the hair. It promotes healthy hair with nutritious ingredients like babassu oil, coconut oil, castor oil, and ginger root. This product is excellent to apply on cornrows, braids, locks, and twists and has undergone no animal testing stages. It comes in a twist nozzle bottle that allows for easier and direct application to the scalp.
Key Ingredients: Babassu oil, Coconut oil, Castor oil, and Ginger root
Pros
- Lightweight
- Reduces flakiness
- Reduces itchiness
- Non-greasy
Cons
- Not ideal for protein sensitive hair.
Who does not love beautifully styled braids? But, not just styling, it is also essential to maintain your hair while braiding. With a plethora of hair oils in the market, here are a few things to remember while buying the best hair oils to maintain healthy braids.
Things To Consider While Picking The Best Hair Oils To Maintain Healthy Braids
- Formulas
Choose lightweight formulas that are easy to apply, add shine to your hair, and hold your braids for a long time. It should not make it look stiff or crunchy. Opt for oils that prep your scalp with a soothing effect and calm down any inflammation or irritation. Make sure the formula is no-drip and does not weigh down your hair or make it look greasy. Look for oils that relieve tight braids, tame baby hair and flyaways, promote healthy hair growth, and nourish the scalp and hair follicles. If you have sensitive scalp, opt for expert-recommended formulas with clinically verified ingredients.
- Ingredients
Look for nourishing ingredients such as sweet almond oil, shea butter, tea tree, jojoba oil, plant-based oil extracts olive oil, coconut oil, castor oil, or wheat germ oil. nettle, horsetail, and lavender also help improve scalp and hair health. These help to style your hair without causing any damage, enhance the quality and texture of the hair, and also soothe the scalp. Moreover, these ingredients work well not only for braids but also on cornrows, locks, and twists.
- Applicator
Most commonly, hair oils for braiding come in easy-to-use bottles with nozzles. These are highly convenient and efficient to use while braiding. In fact, for those with thick and coarse hair, the nozzle bottle works more efficiently. However, if you have thin and fine hair, use the hair oil spray for ease of application.
Infographic: Infographic: Scalp Oils For Braids: How To Choose And Apply Them
Protective hairstyles like braids need special care and maintenance so that the scalp stays moisturized and healthy. Regular massage with nourishing hair oils prevents dirt buildup, flakiness, itchiness, and other concerns. Check out the infographic below to find out how to choose the right oil for your scalp and how to apply it the right way. Illustration: StyleCraze Design Team
Save the high-quality PDF version on your device now.
Download Infographic
The Bottom Line
Box braids are no more a religious practice now. It’s a fashion statement that also relieves you from daily combing duties. Although your scalp produces oil, it needs extra nourishment to avoid damage. Box braids need specially formulated scalp oil for braids. These oils strengthen your hair shafts, soothe the scalp, shine your hair, and condition your hair. Thus, they prevent hair and scalp damage. For preventing split ends, try the fast-absorbing Cantu Shea Butter Tea Tree & Jojoba Hair & Scalp Oil. To combat flakiness and itchiness, the ORS Olive Oil Nourishing Exotic Scalp Oil is the perfect choice, and for rejuvenating tired and frizzy hair, you may go for Bronner Brothers Tropical Roots Stimulating Growth Oil. In addition, some scalp oils also promote hair growth. Oils loaded with powerful ingredients bring added benefits. However, stay away from the scalp oils that weigh down your hair.
Why Trust StyleCraze?
The author, Oyendrila Kanjilal, is a hair care enthusiast. She believes you need to use the best scalp oils for braids to keep your hair healthy. After going through thousands of reviews on trusted online forums and websites, she has carefully picked these products to help her readers make the best pick. The shortlisted oils keep your hair nourished and strong, making them look great in a braid.
Frequently Asked Questions
Should I oil my scalp with braids?
Yes. When your hair is in box braids, oiling your scalp is a great option as it preserves and nourishes the hair underneath.
How often should you oil your hair with braids?
For the first two to three days after you braid your hair, apply oil on the edges to reduce pressure and tension. Also, prevent braided hair from being itchy and flaky by applying some oil at least twice a week.
Should I oil my scalp with braids?
Yes, you can oil your scalp with braids. This helps better distribute the hair oil and hydrate the scalp and hair.
What can I put on my scalp with braids?
Use moisturizing hair oil to prevent dryness, flakiness, and itching. You can also use a clarifying shampoo to clear the scalp of the sebum or product buildup.
How often should you oil your scalp when you have braids?
Ideally, you must oil your hair twice or thrice weekly to keep your braids and scalp moisturized.
Is it good to oil your braids everyday?
No, oiling your braids regularly may turn them too greasy and oily. You can use a moisturizing water-based hair spray instead
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