Hairstory’s Hair Oil Is the Ideal Daily Treatment

We put the Hairstory Hair Oil to the test after receiving a complimentary sample from the brand. Keep reading for our full product review.

While moisture is an important element of a haircare routine, hair oils can be tricky; using the wrong one can weigh your hair down or leave a residue, and great ones are often too lightweight or too expensive. A blend of eight different oils, the Hairstory Hair Oil made me curious—with it being positioned as a styling oil that nourishes dry hair, smooths, and is thin enough for daily use, I wanted to see if this oil would be a product I could add to my daily haircare regimen. Did it live up to the test? Keep scrolling for my full review.

About My Hair: Dense, 4A, low-porosity curls with dry ends

Instead of overcomplicating things with an extensive haircare routine, I care for my curls simply and focus on one thing: moisture. With my low-porosity hair, I try to pack in as much hydration as I can every time I’m styling it. Deep conditioner, leave-in conditioner, and an oil to lock in moisture are the most important and essential aspects of my weekly hair routine. After I’ve rinsed off the SheaMoisture Manuka Honey and Mafura Oil Intensive Hydration Masque, I normally use the Camille Rose Coconut Water Leave-In Treatment and the Melanin Haircare Multi-Use Pure Oil Blend as a sealant. These products sink into my hair instead of just sitting on top of it, which, because of my hair’s challenges with absorbing moisture, is key to its overall health. 

When I’m styling my hair, I normally stick to low-manipulation styles like twist-outs, protective styles, wigs, and the occasional blowout. For this review, I decided to sport a blowout and see how the Hairstory Hair Oil worked for me. Meant to be used for styling both wet and dry hair, this product had me curious how it would work for helping to retain and add moisture to my hair after heat styling.

The Packaging: Compact, easy to set up, and reusable

When I opened my package of the Hairstory Hair Oil, the product and container were packaged separately. The oil was in a plastic tube that would need to be decanted into the reusable glass bottle that came with it as part of the starter kit. Once you have the bottle, you can order the oil by itself and refill your bottle as needed. The glass bottle comes with an oil dropper as the applicator, which I was actually really glad about because most oils I’ve used come with applicators that make it challenging to control how much product dispenses into my hand.

Hairstory makes the decanting process simple with easy-to-follow instructions. All I had to do was snip the top of the Hair Oil’s plastic tube off with scissors, connect the openings of the tube and glass bottle, and let the oil ooze out of its packaging into the bottle. Once the glass bottle was full, I popped the dropper into the glass bottle and tossed the oil’s packaging into the recycling bin—such an effortless setup for a chic bottle that can be used over and over again.

The Feel: Smooth, weightless, and serum-like

The Hairstory oil has the type of texture that I enjoy: It’s thin, spreadable, and feels like a serum when it’s in my hand. I could instantly tell that a little product would go a long way and decided to apply it with that in mind. After brushing my hair, I put three drops of oil in my hand, rubbed my hands together, and spread the oil starting with my ends and moving upwards. I could feel the product smoothing my dry ends (where it tends to get the most voluminous), and polishing the other parts of my hair. Once I finished working the oil in, my hands had a slight residue, but I thought it was totally normal; I expect to have a touch of oil left on my hands after I use one.

The Results: Shiny, smooth-looking hair

After about two weeks of testing out the Hairstory Hair Oil, I enjoyed my experience and the results I saw overall. The oil is lightweight enough that I could use it everyday without issue, hydrating enough to give my hair great shine, and nourishing enough to flatten flyaways and smooth frizz on my dry ends. Upon application, my hair would feel nourished and smooth, and my dry ends would feel softer and a lot less crunchy. As the day would progress, my hair overall felt the same—with the exception of my ends. 

In my opinion, how my ends felt had less to do with the product and more to do with my ends and hair routine leading up to applying the oil. My ends are relentlessly dry—even more so after a blowout. Since I try to prolong the wear of my blowouts, it’s tough to put moisture back into my hair without getting it wet and going back to my curls. So the longer I wear my hair straight, the higher likelihood of my ends feeling dry is; as a curly girl, I think that’s just part of the game.

Outside of my thirsty ends, Hairstory’s Hair Oil was impressive in a number of ways. I’m more familiar with using oils as sealants to lock in moisture when my hair is damp. Very rarely do I use a hair oil on a daily basis, but this one was thin and weightless enough for me to apply it multiple times a day without my strands being weighed down, feeling stiff, greasy, or lacking movement. Moving forward, I’d continue to use this as a polisher or as an oil to use after I’ve put heat on my hair, but I don’t think I’d use it for twist-outs; I think I’d still need something that’s a little heavier to help maintain my hair’s level of moisture.

The Value: An investment, but can be worth it

In my opinion, Hairstory’s Hair Oil isn’t the most affordable product at $40 for a starter kit and $37 for a 2-oz. refill, but depending on your needs, it could be a worthwhile investment. Since I’d mostly be using this oil as a daily product when my hair is straight, purchasing it regularly may not work for me. This product could make more sense for someone who alternates between curly and straight hair regularly, is well-acquainted with heat tools, or can benefit from using a lightweight oil as a daily treatment. Also, products like Hairstory’s will be more expensive due to sustainable values, as the brand invests in positively affecting the planet and won’t cut product quality down with cheap or toxic ingredients.

Similar Products: You've got options

Melanin Haircare Multi-Use Pure Oil Blend: A staple in my haircare routine, Melanin Haircare's Multi-Use Pure Oil Blend ($18) will transform even the driest hair without weighing it down—seriously. Perfect to use as a pre-shampoo, a hot oil treatment, and a sealant, this oil is great if you need something nourishing. It's a touch heavier than Hairstory’s Hair Oil, but still lightweight and residue-free. 

Pattern Beauty Jojoba Oil Blend: Great for low-porosity hair, the Jojoba Oil Blend ($25) from Pattern Beauty will retain moisture, help to reduce breakage, and add tons of shine. Equally as lightweight as Hairstory’s Hair Oil, this product is worth a try if breakage and moisture retention are top of mind for you. 

OGX Renewing Argan Oil of Morocco Weightless Healing Dry Oil: Ideal for thinner hair types that need not to be weighed down, the Weightless Healing Dry Oil ($10) by OGX smooths flyaways and adds tons of shine to hair. Meant to be used on damp or dry hair, this oil is ideal if you need a product that’s a little more budget-friendly.