Amla Oil Bonding Oil
Finisher / Hair oil, glossing
- Finisher
- oil
Scent:
The ingredient list declares fragrance. What it smells of is not stated, and we do not guess.
Listing used for research: ulta.com
Personal fit
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The rest of what your plan weighs on this product.
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Your avoid-list
Priced with its peers
$4.54/oz at 3.3 oz — less than 74% of the 169 hair oils , which mostly run $4.50–16.47/oz.
Great for
Maybe skip if
What the formula actually does
Read from the label, not the marketing
Each row says where it comes from: F means we derived it from this product’s own ingredient list, S means it is a claim the brand makes that the formula neither confirms nor contradicts.
A silicone or oil blend does the shine work here.
Heavy butters and waxes in the first eight ingredients.
Butters near the top: a heavy, softening formula.
Nothing here needs a detergent wash to remove.
Fragrance sits in the first eight ingredients — a larger share of the formula.
Ingredients that matter
The ingredients that change a decision
The workhorse ingredients plus anything lower down that changes a decision. These chips name what an ingredient does — they are not safety scores, and no ingredient here is rated good or bad on its own.
| Ingredient | What it does | Why it matters | Chip |
|---|---|---|---|
| Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil | oil | The shine and softening system | Shine |
| Palmitate | — | — | Neutral |
| Ricinus Communis (Castor) Seed Oil | oil | The shine and softening system | Shine |
| Octyldodecanol | fatty alcohol | Thickens and conditions — not a drying alcohol | Shine |
| Vitis Vinifera (Grape) Seed Oil | oil | The shine and softening system | Shine |
| FragranceFragrance (Parfum) | fragrance | The scent | Fragrance |
| Squalane | emollient | A softening touch, low in the list | Detangles |
| Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter | butter | A little richness, low in the list | Heavy |
Full ingredient list (11)
US labelling rules put ingredients above 1% in descending order of amount; below 1% they may be listed in any order. Annotations keep three readings separate: the ingredient's general function, its role in this product type, and what its position can support.
-
1
Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil
General function
A light, widely used oil that softens without much weight.
Leading ingredientListed in the first three ingredients, it is likely a structural part of this formula.
International Journal of TrichologyMay suitDry, coarse, or high-porosity hairCoats the surface and slows water leaving the strand, which is usually what coarse hair that dries out fast is missing.
May suitFrizz-prone, damaged, or high-friction hairA thin oil layer lowers friction between strands and flattens the raised cuticle that scatters light and catches on its neighbours.
May not suitFine or easily flattened hairNear the top of a list an oil is weight before it is anything else, and fine hair shows that first at the roots.
- oil
- emollient
- 2 Palmitate
-
3
Ricinus Communis (Castor) Seed Oil
General function
A thick, tacky oil used for sealing ends and for slick, held-down styles.
Leading ingredientListed in the first three ingredients, it is likely a structural part of this formula.
May suitDry, coarse, or high-porosity hairCoats the surface and slows water leaving the strand, which is usually what coarse hair that dries out fast is missing.
May suitFrizz-prone, damaged, or high-friction hairA thin oil layer lowers friction between strands and flattens the raised cuticle that scatters light and catches on its neighbours.
May not suitFine or easily flattened hairNear the top of a list an oil is weight before it is anything else, and fine hair shows that first at the roots.
- oil
- emollient
-
4
Octyldodecanol
General function
A liquid fatty alcohol that adds slip and helps oils spread.
Supporting ingredientListed in positions 4–8, it likely makes a meaningful contribution alongside the formula's main ingredients.
PubChemMay suitDry, coarse, or high-porosity hairThe waxy solid that gives a conditioner its body. It deposits a soft lubricating layer, which is most of what makes hair feel smooth after rinsing.
May suitFrizz-prone, damaged, or high-friction hairDeposits with the cationic conditioners and helps them lie flat along the strand, which is where the detangling actually comes from.
DependsFine or easily flattened hairNear the top of a conditioner it is doing most of the conditioning, and most of the weighting, at the same time.
- fatty alcohol
- emollient
-
5
Vitis Vinifera (Grape) Seed Oil
General function
A light oil used where softness is wanted without weight.
Supporting ingredientListed in positions 4–8, it likely makes a meaningful contribution alongside the formula's main ingredients.
May suitDry, coarse, or high-porosity hairCoats the surface and slows water leaving the strand, which is usually what coarse hair that dries out fast is missing.
May suitFrizz-prone, damaged, or high-friction hairA thin oil layer lowers friction between strands and flattens the raised cuticle that scatters light and catches on its neighbours.
May not suitFine or easily flattened hairNear the top of a list an oil is weight before it is anything else, and fine hair shows that first at the roots.
- oil
- emollient
- ▾Below about this point, order stops being meaningful — these are typically used at 1% or less.
-
6
Fragrance
· Fragrance (Parfum)
General function
An undisclosed blend of scent ingredients. Regulations let it stay unlisted, so a fragrance-free product is the only way to be certain what is not in it.
Estimated lower-concentration zoneIt appears around or below the estimated 1% line, where label order no longer indicates relative amount; its role may be minor or technical.
May not suitFragrance-sensitive routinesDeclared fragrance. On a fragrance-sensitive routine this is the line that decides it, wherever it sits on the label.
- fragrance
- declared fragrance
-
7
Squalane
General function
The fully hydrogenated form of squalene, now made from olive or sugarcane rather than shark liver. Hydrogenation is what makes it so slow to oxidise; it spreads very lightly and absorbs without a greasy film.
Estimated lower-concentration zoneIt appears around or below the estimated 1% line, where label order no longer indicates relative amount; its role may be minor or technical.
PubChemMay suitFrizz-prone, damaged, or high-friction hairDeposits a lubricating layer that makes combing easier, which is most of what stops mechanical damage adding to frizz.
- emollient
- conditioning agent
-
8
Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter
General function
A rich, solid plant butter used for heavy conditioning on coarse or dry hair. High in the list it makes a product decidedly heavy.
Estimated lower-concentration zoneIt appears around or below the estimated 1% line, where label order no longer indicates relative amount; its role may be minor or technical.
May suitDry, coarse, or high-porosity hairCoarse, porous hair loses water quickly and can carry the weight; a butter slows that loss more than a thin oil does.
May suitFrizz-prone, damaged, or high-friction hairEmollients fill and smooth the surface of the strand, which lowers the friction that lifts the cuticle and reads as roughness.
May suitVery dry or highly damaged hairA solid fat melts onto the strand at body temperature and stays there, which is the heaviest surface moisture-holding a formula can offer.
- butter
- emollient
- sealant
-
9
Emblica Officinalis (Amla) Fruit
- botanical extract
- antioxidant
-
10
Tocopherol
- antioxidant
- vitamin
-
11
Glycine Soja (Soybean) Oil
General function
A light plant oil used to soften and carry other oil-based ingredients.
Estimated lower-concentration zoneIt appears around or below the estimated 1% line, where label order no longer indicates relative amount; its role may be minor or technical.
May suitDry, coarse, or high-porosity hairCoats the surface and slows water leaving the strand, which is usually what coarse hair that dries out fast is missing.
May suitFrizz-prone, damaged, or high-friction hairA thin oil layer lowers friction between strands and flattens the raised cuticle that scatters light and catches on its neighbours.
- oil
- emollient
What the whole list adds up to
- 7 emollients
- 4 oils
- 2 antioxidants
- 1 fatty alcohol
- 1 fragrance
- 1 declared fragrance
- 1 conditioning agent
- 1 butter
- 1 sealant
- 1 botanical extract
- 1 vitamin
Ingredient list captured 2026-09-13. Formulas change — check the package in your hand when an ingredient matters to you.
Price · 3.3 oz
Usually a good value. Most stores sell it under the $26 line, and products that do this job typically go for about $30 at this size.
Show the price ladder
Where we’ve seen it6 listings · 5 stores
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Walmart
$7.963.3 oz · $2.41/ozSep 14Lowest per oz
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Target
$13.993.3 oz · $4.24/ozSep 14
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Ulta
$15.993.3 oz · $4.84/ozSep 13
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Ulta
$15.993.3 oz · $4.84/ozSep 13
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Ulta Beauty
$15.993.3 oz · $4.84/ozSep 14
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CVS
$15.993.3 oz · $4.84/ozSep 14
Sorted by price per ounce. Dated observations from our research, not live prices. Direct store pages, no affiliate links. We don’t sell this product. and 1 listing we don’t count — grey-market or unverified sellers.
How we work this out
- 3.3 oz is the size stores list most often; every comparison on this page is made at it. Other sizes are shown in the Sizes row and the store list.
- Commonly seen is the middle half of current prices for the 3.3 oz at recognised stores — the cheapest quarter and the dearest quarter are left out, so one sale or one overpriced listing can’t move it.
- Good value under $26 comes from the 8 products we score as doing the same job as this one. A quarter of them cost less than $7.83/oz; at 3.3 oz that is $26. Under that line you are paying less than most of them.
- About $30 is what those same products typically cost at this size — the midpoint of their prices per ounce, scaled to 3.3 oz.
Formula
Both the formula and the price land mid-range: it covers the core of what a hair oil does and costs about what hair oils cost per ounce.
How the score is counted
- Costs less per ounce than 74% of the 169 hair oils we’ve priced
- No weightless carrier in the formula
- Masstige tier, sold at Grocery / mass and Specialty beauty
- Masstige tier
- A shine systemThe silicone, oil, or ester that produces gloss.3 pts
- A weightless carrierDelivers the shine without leaving grease.2 pts
- Oils or butters in the working zoneSoftens the strand rather than just coating it.2 pts
- An antioxidantKeeps the oils in the bottle from going off.1 pt
- No drying alcohol in the first threeFast drying without leading on alcohol.1 pt
- Fragrance kept out of the top eightScent as a finishing touch, not a major share.1 pt
The formula score is completeness for the job: the share of the systems this product type is normally built around that we can find in this list, weighted. It is not efficacy, not quality, and it never compares across product types.
Does the same job
Same derived functions — what it cleans, conditions, coats or holds — at a lower cost per ounce. Scent, texture and where you buy it can still differ.
- Protein-free
- Rich
- Silicone-free
- Differs
- Protein-free
- Rich
- Silicone-free
- Function
- Also
- Fragrance-free
- Unscented
- Protein-free
- Function
- Also
See more alternatives in the product library
These are functional neighbours, not personal recommendations — they are close on formula, not chosen for anyone. Get the one that fits your hair, routine, and budget
Final decision
Should you buy it?
Good for the right personCoarse, dry, or high-porosity hair — for a formula with real substance and shine
Not ideal for anyone sensitive to fragrance, oily scalps and fine hair, or frizz on humid days
Nothing in our library matches it closely at a lower price.
We do not sell products or take placement fees. This page states what the formula and the prices show; the consultation is what matches it to a person.
Reviewers
What people report
Recurring themes our researchers wrote in their own words from sourced reviews. We do not store or scrape star ratings.
Several reviewers use this oil alongside the SheaMoisture Bond Repair shampoo, conditioner and mask as a multi-step system and credit the routine, not just the oil alone, with less breakage or shedding.
Fine or thin-haired reviewers repeatedly describe the oil as too heavy and greasy, while reviewers with thicker, curlier or more textured hair report it absorbs without weighing hair down.
The fragrance is a recurring point of disagreement, with some reviewers calling it pleasant and vanilla- or cookie-like while others find it strong, artificial or nauseating.
A number of reviewers who received the product through a sampling program report it left an oily residue or did not noticeably improve breakage, a more mixed pattern than the five-star reviews suggest.
Multiple reviewers report the oil reduces frizz and adds visible shine or sheen to hair after a few uses.
More from SheaMoisture
How this page was made
- Everything above is generated from our researched product record — identity, the ingredient list as printed, the brand's own claims, dated price observations, and review themes written in our researchers' own words. No part of this page is written per product.
- The value band is a fixed label over two stored numbers: this product’s cost per ounce as a percentile of every product of this type we have priced, each at the size it is most often sold in, and how many products we score as doing the same job cost at least a quarter less per ounce.
- Both scores out of ten are defined on this page. The formula score is completeness for the job, computed from a fixed per-format checklist shown beneath the gauge; the price score is cost per ounce against every product of this type we have priced.
- The "Is this right for you?" panel reads only your own consultation answers, and it applies exactly the filters our recommendation engine applies. It is computed when you load the page and is never stored on it.
- 3 sources consulted for this product (2 manufacturer or regulatory, 0 retailer, 1 editorial), last checked 2026-09-13.
- Ingredient references are linked for 3 of 8 product-aware annotations on this page. Fit notes are conditional formulation guidance, not a conclusion about the finished product or about you.
- We have not tested this product in a lab and we do not physically test your hair. Formula readings come from the ingredient list; behaviour claims are labelled as the brand's.
- Ingredient order tells you relative amount only above roughly 1%. Prices are observations on the dates shown and change without notice.
- Ingredient names link to our ingredient library, where each entry shows what it does, which product types use it, and where it usually sits on a label across everything we have researched.
- This is cosmetic information, not medical advice, and nothing here diagnoses or treats a health condition.
- Formula readings: derivation v22. Record last updated 2026-09-14.