11 Indian hair oils that are worth the wash-day effort

This is a jasmine-scented treatment that focuses on scalp health using a high concentration of amla. An ideal pre-shower treatment builds resilience for chemically stressed hair without the heavy grease-trap feel common in traditional oils, relying on a high concentration of vitamin C to create the right environment for growth.

Solar-infused and crafted in small batches, this neon-pink oil uses rare Himalayan herbs like jatamansi and nagarmotha to rebuild hair fried by heat or colour. It avoids all heat processing to keep the botanicals potent, resulting in a rich formula that sinks in fast enough to double as a frizz-tamer for dry ends. 

This pre-wash ritual won an Allure Best of Beauty award in 2025 in the Clean Beauty category for its use of ashwagandha (the ultimate scalp stress manager) and amla for a hint of vitamin C. It’s notably easy to wash out, making it a favourite for fine and coloured hair types who tend to find oils too congesting.

The centrifugal no-heat extraction makes this coconut milk oil incredibly light compared to the greasy versions of our childhood. It’s an edible-grade multitasker that mimics the scalp’s natural lipids and your one-and-done bottle for your hair, face, and body. Chloe Chou, fashion and beauty writer, shares: “I usually buy the 1-litre bottle because I use it for champis and for full-body massages. My skin is really dry. I find swapping my moisturiser with this once a week really helps nourish and hydrate the skin on a deeper level.”

Classic black sesame and virgin coconut oil form the base of this Ayurvedic recipe. It uses goat’s milk as a natural nourishing agent for the scalp, while the bhringraj works to arrest hair fall. The high “slip” factor makes it the ideal choice for a long, traditional Sunday massage session.

The OG Ayurvedic formula was upgraded for 2026 with 13 different extracts, including false daisy and indigo, to give your hair a serious silky sheen. It’s a bit on the heavier side, so you’ll want to really get in there with a scalp massage to get the blood flowing, and it's a total reset button for a stressed scalp. 

Think of this as a high-tech cocktail for your follicles. They use something called Root Fusion™ Technology to make sure your scalp soaks up all the 30 botanicals instead of leaving an occlusive coat on your tresses. It’s surprisingly light, so you don’t feel like a greaseball, and it’s specifically designed to help keep premature greys and dandruff at bay.

Traditionalists will appreciate this blend of three different milks (cow, buffalo, and goat) plus hibiscus. It’s a heavy-duty, nutrient-dense treatment designed to revive natural shine and address thinning through deep, protein-rich rejuvenation.

High-performance and water-based, this is for those who skip the slicked-back look. It’s packed with a 9 per cent growth complex—including redensyl and procapil—plus exosome technology to wake up dormant follicles while you sleep! It absorbs instantly, so there’s no residue left on your pillowcase. Naheed Driver, fashion lead, shares: “I mix this with the Pure Earth Kesha hair oils and add rosemary water two hours before washing, and I feel the concoction works great.”

If you’re losing more hair than usual in the shower and blaming your shower head, these little “shots” are your best bet. They’ve paired sulphur-rich onion oil with bakuchiol—the one you find in premium face serums—to speed up cell turnover on your scalp. Since they come in individual vials, the ingredients stay super fresh and potent until the second you crack them open.

This is a minimalist, two-ingredient recipe featuring fresh hibiscus and coconut milk oil. Because the molecular structure of coconut milk oil is smaller than that of regular oil, it penetrates the hair shaft to soften from the core. It’s a lightweight, non-sticky dream for low-porosity hair.