Some of the best-known “hair oils” on the natural hair market didn’t start there — they started in African kitchens, medicine cabinets, and market stalls, long before they had English names on a bottle. Shea butter (ori in Yoruba, nku in Igbo) has been rendered by hand across West Africa for generations.
Similarly, castor oil has its own deep-rooted history in Nigerian hair care, where it’s known as lara oil. Baobab, marula, and moringa oils are pressed from trees that have fed and treated African communities for centuries.
What This Article Covers
In this blog post, I hope to answer the one question that actually matters: what do these oils do and is it right for your specific hair?
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Hair grows from the follicle, underneath your scalp — no oil applied to the hair itself can reach or directly stimulate that follicle. What actually grows hair is genetics, hormones, nutrition, and scalp blood supply.
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What oils genuinely do well is protect the hair you’ve already grown — sealing in moisture, reducing breakage, and improving how the hair shaft looks and feels, which helps you retain length rather than accelerating growth.
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A small number of oils — rosemary and black seed oil specifically — do have real clinical trial evidence for scalp and follicle-level effects, which sets them apart from the rest of this list.
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Which oil actually works for you depends heavily on your hair’s porosity — how easily your hair shaft absorbs and holds onto moisture — which is different from your curl pattern or hair “type.”
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Low porosity hair needs light oils that won’t sit on top of tightly closed cuticles; high porosity hair needs heavier oils that can seal in moisture before it escapes through open, damaged cuticles.
What Actually Makes Hair Grow?
Before recommending a single oil, it is important to state upfront that nothing you apply to the outside of your hair can make your follicles produce hair faster. Hair growth happens beneath the scalp, where each follicle cycles through three phases.
There is a growth phase that can last several years, a short transition phase, and a resting phase before the strand sheds and the cycle starts again.
What actually influences the speed and quality of that cycle is:
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Genetics, which set your natural growth rate and how long each follicle’s growth phase runs.
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Hormones, particularly the balance of testosterone and its derivative DHT, which can shrink follicles over time in people genetically predisposed to hair thinning.
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Nutrition, especially adequate protein, iron, zinc, biotin, and vitamins A, D, and E, all of which support the cells that build each hair strand.
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Blood supply to the scalp, since follicles rely on circulation to deliver oxygen and nutrients — this is the mechanism behind scalp massage and a small number of research-backed topical ingredients.
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Scalp health, since inflammation, dandruff, or an unbalanced scalp microbiome can interfere with the growth environment even when the follicle itself is otherwise healthy.
So What Do Hair Oils Actually Do?
If oils aren’t reaching your follicles, what’s the point of them? Two genuine things:
1. They protect the length you’ve already grown. Most of what looks like “slow hair growth” is actually hair breaking off faster than it grows — so hair never gets the chance to reach a longer length.
Oils that seal in moisture and reduce friction between strands directly address this, which is why consistent oiling is associated with longer-looking hair over time, even though it isn’t technically growing any faster.
2. A small number of oils affect the scalp itself. Rosemary oil has real clinical research behind it . A well-cited study found it performed comparably to 2% minoxidil, a standard hair regrowth treatment, over six months, likely by improving scalp circulation.
Black seed oil (Nigella sativa) has similar clinical support: a randomized, placebo-controlled trial found that a topical lotion containing Nigella sativa extract meaningfully improved hair density and thickness in people with telogen effluvium, a common type of diffuse hair shedding.
This is a different category of evidence from most other oils on this list, which work by moisturizing and protecting rather than stimulating growth directly.
Understanding Hair Porosity
Porosity refers to how easily your hair’s outer layer, the cuticle, lets moisture in and out. It’s a separate property from your curl pattern, and it’s the single biggest factor in deciding which oil is actually going to work for you.
A simple way to check: drop a clean strand of dry hair into a glass of water.
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Floats near the surface → low porosity. The cuticle is tightly packed, so moisture and oils struggle to get in — but once they’re in, they also don’t escape easily.
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Sinks slowly, sits in the middle → medium porosity. This hair type generally tolerates a wide range of oils well.
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Sinks quickly to the bottom → high porosity. The cuticle is more open or damaged, so moisture gets in fast but also evaporates fast, leaving hair dry and prone to breakage.
Using the wrong weight of oil for your porosity is one of the most common reasons people feel like “nothing works” on their hair. Light oils on high porosity hair evaporate too fast to help, while heavy oils on low porosity hair just sit on top. This causes buildup and weighing curls down without ever moisturizing anything.
Best Oils for Low Porosity Hair
Low porosity hair needs oils that are light enough to work their way past a tightly closed cuticle without building up on the surface.
Marula oil
Marula oil comes from the fruit kernels of the marula tree, native to Southern and East Africa and used for generations by communities including the Ovambo people of northern Namibia for skin and hair care.
It’s notably lighter than many other African oils, rich in essential fatty acids and antioxidants including vitamin E, and it absorbs quickly without leaving residue — making it a strong match for low porosity hair that resists heavier products.
Argan oil
Argan oil is pressed from the kernels of the argan tree, native specifically to Morocco in North Africa, where it has been produced by Berber communities for centuries.
It’s rich in essential fatty acids and vitamin E, and its light texture allows it to smooth the cuticle and add shine without weighing hair down — a genuinely African oil, even though it’s often marketed without that context.
Moringa oil
Moringa oil, pressed from the seeds of the moringa tree — widely grown across sub-Saharan Africa — is rich in vitamins A, C, and E.
It absorbs well and helps balance scalp moisture without heaviness, which is why it’s increasingly used in natural and relaxed hair products aimed at low porosity, moisture-resistant hair.
Grapeseed oil
A lighter, non-African oil worth mentioning for comparison: grapeseed oil is thin, fast-absorbing, and rich in linoleic acid. It is a reliable, affordable option for low porosity hair that struggles with heavier oils.
Best Oils for High Porosity Hair
High porosity hair needs the opposite: heavier oils that can sit on the hair shaft long enough to slow down how fast moisture escapes.
Castor oil
Castor oil is thick and viscous, made mostly of ricinoleic acid, and has a long, specific history in Nigerian hair care under the name lara oil — a direct ancestor of Jamaican Black Castor Oil. This was carried across the Atlantic through the transatlantic slave trade and still closely tied to West African hair traditions today.
Its thickness makes it excellent at sealing in moisture and reducing breakage on hair whose cuticle is too open to hold onto hydration on its own, which is exactly the profile of high porosity hair.
Shea butter
Shea butter — ori in Yoruba, nku in Igbo — is extracted from the nuts of the shea tree, native to West Africa, and has been hand-processed there for generations, primarily by women’s cooperatives whose techniques have been passed down for centuries.
It’s rich in fatty acids and vitamins A and E, and its thick, buttery texture makes it one of the most effective sealants available for high porosity, dry, or coily hair that loses moisture quickly.
Black seed oil
Black seed oil, from Nigella sativa, has roots in North African and Middle Eastern use going back thousands of years — seeds were found in Tutankhamun’s tomb in ancient Egypt.
Beyond its clinical research for hair density mentioned above, it’s a moderately heavy oil rich in fatty acids, which makes it a genuinely dual-purpose choice for high porosity hair: an oil with real evidence for both scalp-level effects and sealing power.
Baobab oil
Baobab oil, pressed from the seeds of the baobab tree which has an iconic presence across the African savanna. It contains a strong mix of omega-3, -6, and -9 fatty acids, particularly linoleic acid, which supports barrier repair.
It sits between light and heavy depending on the specific extraction, but its fatty acid profile and reputation for improving elasticity and reducing breakage make it well suited to dry, curly, or coily high porosity hair that needs both moisture and structural support.
Putting Together Your Routine
Identify your porosity first, using the float test, before buying a single product — this single step prevents most of the “nothing works on my hair” frustration.
For low porosity hair: apply oils to damp hair, ideally with a little heat (a warm towel or steam) to help the cuticle open enough to let the oil in, and use light oils like marula, argan, or moringa.
Medium porosity hair can generally use oils from either list, so this is more about personal preference and how your hair responds.
If you have high porosity hair, apply heavier oils like castor, shea butter, or baobab after a water-based leave-in, to seal that moisture in before it has a chance to evaporate.
For scalp and follicle support specifically, rosemary and black seed oil are the two with genuine clinical evidence. You need to use these massaged directly into the scalp, diluted in a carrier oil, consistently for at least 8 to 12 weeks before judging results.
Cautions and Side Effects
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Undiluted essential oils like rosemary can irritate the scalp — always dilute in a carrier oil rather than applying directly.
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Product buildup is a real risk with low porosity hair and heavy oils — if hair feels greasy or weighed down rather than moisturized, the oil is likely too heavy for your porosity.
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Allergic reactions are possible with any plant-derived oil, so patch test anything new, especially nut-derived oils like baobab or shea if you have known nut allergies.
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Oils won’t fix hair loss from a medical condition — persistent shedding, bald patches, or hair loss with scalp pain or redness should be evaluated by a dermatologist rather than managed with oils alone.
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Consistency matters more than variety — rotating through six different oils, like my cousin, makes it hard to know what’s actually working. Pick one or two suited to your porosity and give them 8 to 12 weeks before switching.
Conclusion
No oil grows hair from the follicle — that job belongs to genetics, hormones, nutrition, and scalp health. What oils do is protect the hair you’ve already grown, and getting that protection right comes down to matching the oil’s weight to your hair’s porosity.
Use light, fast-absorbing oils like marula, argan, and moringa for low porosity hair, and heavier, sealing oils like castor, shea butter, and baobab for high porosity hair. It’s worth noting how many of the most effective options here are African in origin. We already have the solutions we are looking for.
Related Reading: Argan Oil Vs Olive Oil: Which Is Best For Menopausal Skin And Thinning Hair?
FAQs
Do oils actually make hair grow faster? Not directly. Hair grows from the follicle, which no topical oil can reach. Most oils work by protecting hair you’ve already grown, reducing breakage so it can reach a longer length. Rosemary and black seed oil are exceptions with real clinical evidence for scalp-level effects.
How do I know if I have low or high porosity hair? Drop a clean, dry strand into a glass of water. If it floats, you likely have low porosity hair. If it sinks quickly, you likely have high porosity hair. If it sinks slowly and sits in the middle, you’re probably medium porosity.
Which oil is best for low porosity hair? Light, fast-absorbing oils work best — marula, argan, and moringa oil are all good options that won’t sit on top of the hair or cause buildup.
Which oil is best for high porosity hair? Heavier, sealing oils work best — castor oil, shea butter, and baobab oil can help lock in moisture before it escapes through the more open cuticle.
Are African oils actually backed by research, or just tradition? It’s a mix. Shea, castor, marula, baobab, and moringa have compositional research (their fatty acid and antioxidant content is well documented) plus long traditional use, though large clinical trials specifically on hair growth are limited. Black seed oil stands out with genuine randomized clinical trial evidence for improving hair density.
Can I mix oils from both the low and high porosity lists? Yes, especially if you have medium porosity hair or your hair’s needs change with the seasons — many people use a lighter oil day-to-day and a heavier one for deep conditioning or protective styling.