When I came across the cult-favorite Provence Beauty Multi-Use Rose Oil, I was intrigued. It ticks all the boxes I look for in a hair product: It claims to nourish, smooth, and strengthen dry, brittle hair, and even promote healthier hair growth, by leveraging a simple, all-natural blend of oils. As a sucker for a multipurpose product, and a self-identified Oil Person, I couldn’t pass up the promise of hydrated nails and cuticles, velvety-soft skin, and a dewy complexion at the same time.
Since my hair is bleached blonde, my main concern is damage control. Twice a week, I load it up with an Olaplex No.3 mask, followed by a protein-forward shampoo, topped off with a pump of bond-building K18 in place of conditioner. I’ll occasionally run Olaplex No.6 and No.7 through my mid-shafts and ends (big fan of the “Olaplex Bun” over here), but otherwise, that’s pretty much it.
Though I’m happy with how my hair looks and feels, it can always stand to use more definition. It’s quite soft and on the finer side, so it’s prone to fluffiness and frizz. Wary of overproteinizing my hair, though, I’m only amenable to formulas that gently nourish without the addition of proteins; and, crucially, require zero thought or skill to use.
That’s precisely where Provence Beauty’s Rose Multi-Use Oil comes in — and though the oil can be used for a multitude of purposes, I was most interested in what it could do for my hair. The super-short ingredients list features a familiar combination of apricot kernel oil and sweet almond oil, further enriched with vitamin E and vegetable-derived caprylic/capric triglycerides (which the brand refers to as fractionated coconut oil). Parfum contributes to its potent rose scent.
According to brand literature, the coconut oil is what makes this product particularly beneficial for dry, damaged hair. The oil is rich in lauric acid, a type of saturated fat that penetrates the hair shaft and bolsters against protein loss, resulting in smoothness and hydration. Apricot kernel oil and sweet almond oil have moisturizing benefits in their own rights, thanks to their abundance of fatty acids and vitamins. The titular rose only appears in the form of dried rose petals, rather than a more concentrated oil, so they likely don’t meaningfully contribute to the product’s performance. But they certainly look gorgeous floating in the glass bottle.
First, a disclaimer: This oil blend is on the heavier side, so it may not be the best choice for people with very fine or oily hair. A friend of mine, who’s otherwise a huge fan of this oil (“so silky and smells heavenly,” she told me in a rave-y text), reported that it was too heavy on her already greasy hair. My hair isn’t thick by any means, but it’s not oily — I can get away with my twice-weekly shampoo without using a dry shampoo in between, for context.
With that in mind, I applied literally two drops to the mid-shafts and ends on my air-dried hair. That tiny amount was enough to tame fluffiness, seal the ends, and coax my loose, 2A-ish waves into a discernible pattern. The weight gives the oil some hold, so I was able to gently mold the ends of my hair — which tend to dry annoyingly upwards, in a flip — slightly straighter, resulting in a sharper, more defined shape overall. And I loved the subtle sheen it imparted, an effect right on par with a shine serum.
In a fit of bravery, I added another two drops, which gave my hair a tousled, piece-y look — think salt spray, but with a glossy rather than matte finish — though it came dangerously close to looking greasy. Still, the oil dried down in an instant, so it didn’t feel greasy. It actually felt as velvety-soft as if I’d just conditioned it, especially after I ran through it with a boar-bristle brush.
After a week of regular use, my hair genuinely felt thicker and stronger to the touch, and my ends less frayed. While that could very well be the cumulative work of all those protein-rich products, I can’t deny how good my hair looks and feels after working this oil into my routine.
In addition to working as a hair product, the oil’s simple formula can be leveraged almost everywhere else on your body, head to toe. Indeed, most of the product’s thousands of Amazon reviewers turn to this luxurious oil as a face or body moisturizer — one reviewer even reported that their friends thought they got Botox after using this on their face for a month, such are its purported miracles. It works wonderfully to strengthen and hydrate your nails and cuticles as well, especially because it dries so quickly and doesn’t leave behind a greasy residue (meaning, you can return to your phone/laptop/life without smudging every surface).
Personally, I found it too heavy on my face, not least because of that coconut oil and synthetic fragrance, which my finicky skin can be sensitive to. But I can confirm it feels heavenly as a body oil; it spreads easily and evenly and absorbs quickly. My aforementioned friend puts it to use as a post-shave oil, and has some big plans to add a few drops to her bath, in tandem with a rose bath bomb (why not?).
So if you don’t love this oil for your hair as much as I do, I’m willing to bet the $15 price tag you’ll find so many more uses for it.