Almond Oil Hair Serum: One Ingredient, Done Right

The best almond oil hair serum has one ingredient: almond oil. Every extra in the typical recipe, whether a second oil, a drop of fragrance or a splash of something watery, adds a variable and a way for the bottle to go wrong. So we start plain, and then talk about how to use a few drops well, which matters more than anything you could stir in.

Sweet Almond Oil bottle

Sweet Almond Oil

Our own Sweet Almond Oil, in sizes from 0.5 oz to bulk.

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What a serum actually does

Frizz is mostly a surface story. The tiny scales on the outside of each strand lift, rub against their neighbors and send fibers off at different angles. A review of hair cosmetics by Dias in the International Journal of Trichology says oils help "minimize the rubbing and friction of the cuticle cells," and describes a mineral oil as acting mostly as a surface film that adds gloss and makes combing easier. A serum does the same job: it leaves a thin film on the outside of the hair that makes it look smoother and shinier.

It helps to be straight about what we know. The best-known studies of oils on hair tested coconut, sunflower and mineral oil. In one of them (Rele and Mohile, 2003, with authors from a hair oil maker), only coconut oil reduced protein loss from hair. Almond oil was not in the comparison, and we are not aware of a clinical study of sweet almond oil on hair. So we describe almond oil as a finishing oil that coats the outside of the hair, not as something that repairs it. That is a perfectly good job for a serum.

The AAD's basics still come first: conditioner after every wash, a wide-tooth comb on wet hair, gentle towel drying and low or medium heat with a heat protectant. The serum is the last step, not the first.

The plain formulation

Because our oil is sold neat, there is nothing to subtract and nothing to measure beyond choosing a bottle. A 30 ml bottle (about 1 fl oz) holds about 27.5 g of oil, using the 0.918 density we measured for the batch on our Certificate of Analysis, and a 60 ml bottle holds about 55 g. A small glass bottle with a pump or dropper is easier to dose than a jar, and you can find them at any craft or supply shop.

We would leave out a few things:

Choosing a bottle you will enjoy

A serum is only as handy as the bottle it lives in. A pump gives you the same small amount each time, which is helpful if you tend to overdo it. A dropper lets you count. Set the bottle where you do your hair, not in a cupboard, because habits follow convenience. Wipe the nozzle after each use, and the pump will keep working neatly.

How to use a few drops

Quantity is what separates a glossy finish from a heavy one, and our post on whether almond oil makes hair greasy goes into it. As a starting point worked out from arithmetic, a quarter teaspoon is about 1.2 ml, or roughly 1.1 g of oil. Warm it between your palms until you can no longer see beads, then glide your hands over the ends and the outer surface of dry hair. Work upward only if the hair is thick. If you are after a treatment that goes on the roots, that is a different job, and the hair mask post covers it.

Apply the serum to damp or dry hair rather than dripping wet hair. Before a flat iron or blow dryer, put on your heat protectant first, style, and finish with the oil at the ends. We have no data on how almond oil behaves against a hot plate, and oil on hot metal can smoke and smell, so the finishing order is the safe one.

Oil clings to fabric, so wash your pillowcase regularly if you use a serum daily.

What to notice

After you apply it, look at the ends in a mirror. You will notice a soft shine, and flyaways lie flatter. Smell your hands: a faint, sweet nuttiness. Give it a few hours. If the hair stays soft and moves freely, the amount is right. If it looks darker or stringy, reduce next time. That is all the tuning there is.

Who should not use it

Anyone with a tree nut allergy. Our oil is cold-pressed and unrefined, so trace almond protein is present, and if you have a tree nut allergy you should not use it. Hair products also end up on faces, pillows and the hands of children in the house. The AAAAI explains that unrefined, cold-pressed nut oils retain protein that refined oils usually lose, and our nut allergy post has more.

If your scalp itches, flakes or has a rash, the AAD notes that flakes can come from the wrong oil or scalp moisturizer for your hair type, and a persistent rash belongs with a dermatologist. Before you start, try a quarter-sized spot on your inner arm twice a day for 7 to 10 days as the AAD describes, stopping at redness, itching or swelling; our patch test post has the longer version. Keep the bottle cool and dark and the pump or dropper clean.

Sweet Almond Oil bottle

Sweet Almond Oil

Sweet Almond Oil from our own shop, in sizes from 0.5 oz to bulk.

From $9.99

Shop Now →

Sources & Further Reading