Olaplex Made A Hair Oil For People Who Hate Hair Oil

For me, hair oil has always been high-risk, high-reward. On a good day, it tames my frizz and buys me a few extra days in between washes. On a bad one, though, my hair ends up looking so greasy that I immediately feel the need to shampoo.

Add in the sensory nightmare of having oily hands, and I've come to have a love-hate relationship with that part of my hair routine. My natural waves need the TLC — a halo of frizz appears at even the suggestion of humidity — but my fine strands get weighed down just as easily. I’m basically asking for the impossible: fewer flyaways without sacrificing movement.

A few spritzes of Olaplex's Shine Serum Oil Mist later, and that wish list suddenly seems a lot more realistic. The brand turned its cult-favorite bonding oil into a bi-phase mist designed to be sprayed directly onto dry or damp hair. The idea? Less mess, more even application, and a lower chance of accidentally overdoing it. As someone who’s always toeing the line between glossy and greasy hair, I had a feeling it might make all the difference. Ahead, my full review.

Fast Facts

• Price: $38
• Best for: Softness, shine, and frizz control that won’t flatten fine hair.
• Rating: 5/5
• What I like: It's lightweight enough that I don’t have to worry about applying too much, but it still makes my hair look noticeably smoother.

Olaplex Shine Serum Oil Mist

If Olaplex's No. 7 Bonding Oil is one of your ride-or-die hair products, the new Shine Serum Oil Mist deserves a closer look. Instead of a uniform formula, a golden layer of oil — that looks nearly identical to the original elixir — floats on top of a clear serum. After a quick shake to combine the two, it’s meant to be misted directly onto dry or damp strands, rather than dispensed into your hands first.

Thanks to the brand's patented bond-building technology, the formula is designed to help repair damage caused by heat styling, coloring, and chemical treatments. It also helps replenish moisture in dry strands.

Beyond that, lightweight botanical oils — including Kalahari melon seed oil, rosehip, and kukui nut oil — help smooth frizz, boost shine, and hydrate dry strands. The bi-phase formula is thinner than the OG Bonding Oil, but still offers the same 450-degree heat protection. It also has Olaplex's signature tropical scent: fruity without being cloyingly sweet.

My Review

I'll admit it: I didn't exactly follow the directions. Olaplex recommends just two to four spritzes on dry hair, but after seeing how fine the mist was, I got a little carried away and ended up using closer to 15. Thankfully, this is the most forgiving hair oil I've ever tried. I sprayed it everywhere — from my crown to my ends — and my hair never looked greasy.

The shine didn’t look slick, like product sitting on top of my hair. Instead, the formula seemed to soak right into my unwashed strands, leaving behind an impressively glassy, reflective finish. Even my dry ends — which usually stay dull no matter what I use — caught the light.

Immediately after applying, my hair looked shinier and felt smoother — but naturally, I assumed the effect would wear off the second I stepped outside. Between New York's humidity and my bad habit of twirling my hair throughout the day, my ends tend to be the first thing to get puffy. Eight hours later, though, they still looked sleek. Sure, there were a few flyaways around my crown, but it never reached a point where I felt like the frizz had completely won. And for my hair in the middle of summer, that’s saying a lot.

The spray format also solves one of my biggest gripes with hair oils. Normally, I rub a few drops between my palms and sandwich each section of hair to distribute the product, inevitably applying too much in some areas and not enough in others — not to mention the oily hands afterward. But with this mist, I sprayed it exactly where I wanted it, then combed my fingers through to smooth out my strands. It’s not completely hands-free, but it’s close enough that I don’t see myself going back to traditional dropper bottles anytime soon.

The Verdict

Is the Shine Serum Oil Mist replacing the rest of my hair routine? Not exactly — I still need a good curl cream for definition after a wash day. But for a finishing touch or a day-three refresh, it’s exactly what I’ve been looking for. It manages frizz, adds noticeable shine, and makes my hair feel healthier — all without the greasy finish I usually associate with hair oils. The spray format makes it nearly impossible to overapply, which is exactly why I can see myself reaching for it far more often than a traditional oil.

As someone who’s always had a love-hate relationship with hair oil, I’m sold.