Hair oiling basics: how often, how much, how long

Less than you think. For most people with mid-length hair, something in the range of a teaspoon is plenty. Enough to coat the scalp and run through the lengths, not enough to leave hair dripping.

The instinct to use more comes from a reasonable place: if a little is good, more should be better. In practice more oil mostly creates a washing problem. Hair that has been saturated needs repeated shampooing to clear, and repeated shampooing is more stripping than the oil was nourishing.

1. 01Warm a small quantity between your palms. Body heat is enough; the oil should feel comfortable, not hot.
2. 02Part your hair in sections and work the oil into the scalp with your fingertips, not your nails.
3. 03Massage in slow circles for a few minutes. This is the part worth not rushing.
4. 04Draw whatever remains on your hands down through the lengths, paying attention to the ends.
5. 05Loosely tie or clip your hair up and leave it.

Fingertips rather than nails matters more than it sounds. Nails scratch, and a scratched scalp is an irritated scalp. If you find yourself digging in to feel like it is working, ease off.

An hour before washing is enough to feel a difference in how hair handles. Longer is fine if it suits your routine, and many people prefer overnight simply because it is convenient rather than because it is better.

There is no strong reason to leave oil on for extended periods, and a couple of reasons not to. Oil attracts dust, and hair left oiled for days under a pillowcase is not a clean environment for a scalp. If you do oil overnight, use an old pillowcase and wash your hair in the morning.

Two to three times a week suits most hair types. If your scalp runs oily, once a week may be plenty. If your hair is dry, coarse or chemically treated, three times may feel better.

The honest answer is that frequency is a comfort question, not a dosage question. Nobody is under-oiling their way to a problem. Pick a rhythm that you will actually keep, because consistency does more than intensity.

The trick is to shampoo before wetting your hair. Apply shampoo to oiled dry hair, work it through, and only then add water. Shampoo binds to oil more effectively without water diluting it first, and one round usually does what two rounds would otherwise struggle with.

Use lukewarm rather than hot water. Hot water is more stripping and it is a common reason people finish a wash with a scalp that feels tight.

• Using far too much, then over-washing to remove it.
• Massaging with nails instead of fingertips.
• Applying oil to the lengths but skipping the scalp, or the reverse.
• Brushing hard while the hair is oiled and wet, which is when it is most vulnerable.
• Expecting a visible change in days. This is a maintenance habit measured in months.