How Long Should You Leave Oil in Your Hair Before Washing?

Once the oil is in, the next question is how long to leave it. Online advice ranges from ten minutes to all night. For a pre-wash oil, the answer is simpler than that: long enough to settle into the hair, and not so long that it becomes a chore to wash out.

The short answer

20 to 30 minutes is enough for our pre-wash oils, including the Botanical Hair Ritual Oil and single oils such as date seed, garden cress and arugula. Always follow the directions on your own bottle.

Is longer better?

Not necessarily. Leaving oil on for hours does not make a pre-wash routine more effective, and it has practical downsides:

• Oil transfers to pillows, towels and clothing.
• Hair can be harder to wash clean, so you use more shampoo.
• A long wait makes the ritual harder to keep up week after week.

A short, consistent routine you enjoy is worth more than an occasional marathon.

What about overnight oiling?

Overnight oiling is a long-standing habit in some households, and you may see it recommended widely. We do not recommend it for our oils. They are designed to rest for 20 to 30 minutes before the wash, and the blend in our Botanical Hair Ritual Oil is not intended to stay on overnight. If you prefer a longer ritual, keep to the time on your bottle and enjoy the extra minutes with the oil already washed out.

Make the wait part of the ritual

The resting time is the quiet moment of wash day. A few ways to use it well:

• Wrap it: clip your hair up loosely, or wrap it in an old towel or cotton scarf, to keep oil off your clothes.
• Time it: apply the oil, then run a bath, prepare the next day or read. By the time you are done, it is time to wash.
• Pair it: on Sidr days, rest the oil first, then wash with a Sidr paste instead of shampoo.

When to wash it out sooner

If you feel any irritation, wash the oil out straight away rather than waiting for the time to finish, and stop using the product. Keep oil away from the eyes; if any reaches them, rinse well with water.

Then, the wash

Once the time is up, shampoo before adding much water. It helps lift the oil more easily. Read How to Wash Oil Out of Your Hair for the full method, and How Much Hair Oil to Use if your hair still feels coated after drying.

For the complete routine, step by step, see How to Use a Pre-Wash Hair Oil, or explore all pre-wash hair oils.