How to use hair oil: how many drops, when and where
8 min read Care know-how Updated 5 October 2026 By Anna Sophie Schulenburg
Hair oil goes on in small amounts: warm one to three drops between your palms and press them into the ends and lengths from the bottom up, leaving the roots out. Before your next wash, decide when you want to use hair oil, because the amount and technique depend on it: as a pre-wash treatment, on towel-dried hair or as a finish on dry hair. You can tell whether you got it right once your hair is dry. The ends lie smooth and feel soft, and no strands stick together.
Oil settles as a thin film around the hair fibre. The surface becomes smoother, the hair reflects more light, and a comb glides through the lengths more easily. What oil cannot do is add water. It holds in the moisture that is already there, which is why it comes after conditioner and leave-in. A leave-in is the product that stays in your hair after washing and is never rinsed out. Oil straw-like lengths without that groundwork and the surface will shine while the hair underneath still feels rough.
Hair oil at a glance: when, where, how much
| When | Where | Amount for shoulder-length hair | What for | Afterwards |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Before washing, as a treatment | Lengths and ends, scalp if needed | 5 to 8 drops | Softer lengths, less friction while washing | Leave on for 15 to 30 minutes, then wash out |
| On towel-dried hair | Lengths and ends | 2 to 3 drops | Seals in moisture, less frizz while drying | Air-dry or shape your curls |
| On dry hair | Ends and surface | 1 to 2 drops | Shine, smooths down flyaways | Stays in |
| In a mask or conditioner | Same as the product | 1 to 2 drops per portion | The mask feels richer | Rinse out with the mask |
Most hair types get on well with a pre-wash treatment and a finish on dry hair, fine hair included, as long as the amount is right. Oil on damp hair pays off mainly for curls, waves and thick, dry hair that air-dries.
How many drops of hair oil? The amount by length and thickness
The table applies to the finish on dry hair. On towel-dried hair you can add one more drop, because the oil spreads further through the film of water.
| Hair length | Fine hair | Medium hair | Thick or curly hair |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chin-length | 1 drop | 1 to 2 drops | 2 drops |
| Shoulder-length | 1 to 2 drops | 2 drops | 3 drops |
| Chest-length | 2 drops | 2 to 3 drops | 3 to 4 drops |
| Longer | 2 to 3 drops | 3 to 4 drops | 4 to 5 drops |
For a pre-wash treatment you use more: three to five drops for short hair, six to ten for long or dense hair. If your bottle has a pump, count how many drops one press puts in your hand the first time. Then you know whether half a press is enough.
Your ends tell you after drying whether the amount was right. If they look darker than the rest and hang in clumps, it was one drop too many. If they still feel rough and stick out, add one next time. Build up one drop at a time, because excess oil only comes out completely with your next wash.
How to use hair oil, step by step
Step 1 — Count. Put the drops from the table into one palm. With fine hair, start with a single drop.
Step 2 — Warm it up. Rub your palms and the insides of your fingers together until both shine evenly and no drop is left standing. A drop that goes into the hair unspread ends up as a greasy patch on a single strand.
Step 3 — Start at the bottom. Take the ends between your hands and press them together, then work your way up to about chin height with the same movement. The ends are the driest part, so this way they get the most oil.
Step 4 — Smooth the rest over the surface. Whatever is left on your hands, stroke flat over the top layer. That lays down any flyaways. With fine hair, skip this step and wipe your hands on the ends instead.
Step 5 — Distribute. Run a wide-tooth comb through the lengths once so that no section gets oil twice. Curls are never combed: scrunch the oil into them with your hands, working upwards from the ends.
As a pre-wash treatment
Apply the oil to dry hair in four sections so the underside gets some too. Leave it on for 15 minutes, or for 30 minutes under a warm towel if your lengths are very dry. To wash it out, put the shampoo on the still dry, oily hair first and massage it in, and only then add water. That way the shampoo binds with the oil and carries it out. If your lengths still feel heavy once dry, you need a second round of shampoo next time. For dry hair, one treatment a week is enough; for normal hair, one every two weeks.
On towel-dried hair
Squeeze the water out of your lengths with a towel without rubbing. Your leave-in goes on first, then the oil, because a water-based product beads off a film of oil. If you want to blow-dry or straighten afterwards, a heat protectant goes in before anything else. Oil is not made for that job and cannot stand in for it, even in larger amounts. In that case, save the oil for dry hair after styling.
On dry hair as a finish
This is the use that needs the least oil. One to two drops after blow-drying or straightening, or on day two when the ends start sticking out again. When you top up, do it on the ends only and leave the lengths alone, otherwise the oil builds up from one day to the next.
If you use MONAT: REJUVENIQE® Oil suits all three moments, as a pre-wash treatment as well as a finish on the ends, in the amounts from the table above. It contains essential oils and fragrance. If your scalp is sensitive, keep it on the lengths, and before using it on your scalp for the first time, test one drop in the crook of your elbow and wait 48 hours. For fine hair, some markets offer the lighter version, REJUVENIQE® Light.
Which hair oil suits which hair?
Most plant oils stay largely as a film on the surface. Coconut oil partly penetrates the fibre, so on fine hair it can feel stiff or dull, while on thick, dry hair it tends to feel supple. Whether coconut oil for hair works for you is best tried as a treatment first. With every other oil, what matters day to day is mainly how thin or thick it is.
| Your hair | Best moment | Texture | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fine, falls flat quickly | Dry, ends only | Thin, light blends | Up to chin height at most, never over the top layer |
| Medium, normal | Dry, or as a treatment every two weeks | Thin to medium | 2 drops are enough up to shoulder length |
| Thick, dry | Treatment every week, plus on dry hair | Rich | Leave-in first, then oil |
| Curls and waves | On damp hair, before or after your curl cream | Medium to rich | Never brush it through, scrunch it into the curls |
| Bleached or coloured | Dry and as a treatment | Medium | Oil smooths the surface; broken areas stay brittle |
| Oily roots, dry ends | Dry, bottom 10 cm only | Thin | Wash your hands before you touch your roots |
Do two rows fit you at once? The free hair analysis asks about thickness, length and scalp separately and suggests a routine to match.
Where oil sits in your routine
Oil comes after everything that contains water and after the lighter products. The only exception is the pre-wash treatment, which goes right at the start, before shampoo. A silicone-based shine serum does the same job as an oil, so pick one of the two. The order in which you apply hair products, from shampoo through leave-in and heat protectant to oil, depends on whether you air-dry or blow-dry.
Common hair oil mistakes and how to fix them
- Oil on the roots → only from chin height down; the scalp gets oil only in a pre-wash treatment
- Drops straight from the bottle into your hair → rub them between your palms first until no drop is left standing
- Oil on straw-like hair without conditioner or leave-in → moisture first, then the oil on top
- Oil as protection before the straighteners → heat protectant on damp hair, oil only after styling
- Rinsing a treatment out with water first → shampoo into the dry, oily hair, then water
- Topping up all over the lengths every day → on day two, ends only, one drop
If you have used too much, spread the oil further down into the ends with warm palms. Often it stops showing after that. If your roots still look limp, a little dry shampoo there soaks up the grease. Next time, use one drop less than today.
Quick questions
Can hair oil stay in overnight?
Yes, now and then as a treatment. Plait your hair loosely, put an old towel over your pillow and wash in the morning with two rounds of shampoo. The long contact time adds no more care than the 30-minute treatment; it is simply more convenient.
Can I use hair oil every day?
Yes, as one to two drops on the ends. If your lengths feel waxy after a few days or take longer to dry, residue has built up, and a thorough wash will take it out again.
Does hair oil belong on the scalp?
Only on a dry, calm scalp and only as a pre-wash treatment. Skip it if you have greasy, yellowish flakes, because the yeasts involved feed on oil. Whether you have a dry scalp or dandruff shows in the flakes: small, white, dry ones point to dry skin, larger, yellowish, greasy ones to dandruff. Red, weeping or persistently itchy patches are a job for a dermatologist, because a skin condition can be behind them.
Does hair oil help with split ends?
No, a split end does not grow back together. Oil lays the ends down so they show less and catch less often when you comb. The only way to get rid of split ends and breakage is with scissors.
Does hair oil make hair grow faster?
No, oil on the lengths has no effect on how fast your hair grows. Growth happens at the root beneath the scalp. Smoother ends tangle less when you comb, and that is as far as oil's effect on length goes.
Whether oil belongs in your routine as a treatment or a finish, the free hair analysis helps you narrow it down.