This under-the-radar hair oil smooths frizz and hydrates grey hair in seconds – and it's less than £20

There are a few beauty unicorns I’m yet to believe are real: a good lip liner that genuinely doesn’t budge all day; a lightweight foundation that covers up blemishes, without looking cake-y or sinking into creases; and a hair oil that I can apply to my dry ends and frizz on day two of my hair wash cycle, without it then looking greasier. Well, the search continues for the others, but I think I may have finally found that hair oil.

This Wunderbar formulation (I’m not practising my German, that’s the brand name), is adept at making lengths look smooth and silky, without sitting heavily on strands and causing greasiness. It’s basically the hair oil for people who think they don’t like hair oils.

It also works brilliantly on dry, frizz-prone, grey hair but more on that later.

Here’s why it’s worth a spot in your bag.

Wunderbar Vegan Smooth'n Soft Magic Treat Oil at a glance:

This smoothing oil is designed to soften, moisturise and strengthen dry, frizzy hair, leaving it feeling smoother without a heavy finish. The blend of argan and Crambe Abyssinica oils absorbs quickly, helping to lock in moisture while reducing static and friction. The brand’s Revitalising Tri-Complex also helps protect hair from external aggressors (read: rain, wind, hail...) and preserves colour.

What’s great about this formula is you can work a small amount through damp or dry mid-lengths and ends, then leave it in as you style. So many others can only be applied to damp hair, for fear of it looking too greasy.

The cherry on top? It has a warm, vanilla-like scent with accompanying fresh, floral notes, which the brand says ‘smells like freshly cut hay’. It literally smells like a crisp, spring morning with a gentle hint of vanilla.

The Good Housekeeping Institute expert verdict

Senior Beauty Tester at the GHI, Juliet Heaton, analysed the ingredients list to ensure this oil can live up to its lightweight, frizz-beating claims.

“It looks like the main ingredient Wunderbar is using here is Crambe Abyssinica Seed Oil, which has a unique composition,” Juliet explains. “It contains a high percentage (50-65%) of euricic acid, which is unusual for a seed oil used in haircare.

“It's this unique seed oil that helps to seal in the moisture and provide protection and softness, without feeling too heavy, because the acid concentration in the oil creates a silky, dry texture instead of the typically heavy or greasy one you might find in other nourishing formulas.”

My verdict on the Wunderbar Hair Oil: Is it worth it?

This is genuinely one of those problem-solving products that I’ve been searching for my whole adult life. Many have claimed that their formulations can deliver instant smoothness and add shine to straggly lengths, without needing to be applied on damp hair – but none, for me, have delivered. Until now.

The fact that this oil costs the same amount as three morning coffees on my commute but lasts me for the best part of three months, is an added bonus. Oh, and it smells sensational.

How does it fare on greying hair?

Not satisfied with simply trying this for myself, I wanted to see whether this formula is as good at fighting frizz when hair becomes slightly coarser as it goes grey. For anyone familiar with these changes in hair texture, this one’s for you. Resident grey root representative (I hope she doesn’t mind her new title), Alison Lynch, tried the Wunderbar oil to see whether it lived up to my lofty review for her, too.

“I’ve been going steadily grey since my early 30s,” Alison confides when I ask her if she minds trying this oil out for me. “I still dye it, but I have grey roots and my hair is flecked by wiry greys that really catch the light (fun). The texture of my hair has really changed as I’ve got older, too – it’s much frizzier and drier. The frizz drives me mad. Nothing I do seems to help and even if I blow dry it and it’s relatively smooth when I leave the house, it’s back to being a ball of frizz by the time I get anywhere. I know hair oils are the best solution, but I generally don’t like the greasiness and the feel in my hair.

“However, I was really impressed with this one – it truly is Wunderbar,” she tells me. “It’s very lightweight and it instantly smooths the frizz. I love that you can apply it to dry hair as I never remember to put anything on pre-blow dry (or, let’s face it, air drying). It works in seconds and has a lovely scent. I was given it to try but I’m refusing to give it back – it’s going straight in my bag.”