Kérastase Hair Oil NZ: Elixir Ultime and the Other Four

Updated September 2026. Prices are our live online prices.

Short answer: if you want one Kérastase oil that suits nearly every head of hair, buy Elixir Ultime L'Huile Originale. Switch to Blond Absolu Cicaextrême if you're lightened, Gloss Absolu if your hair is dull rather than dry, Première Huile Gloss if it's damaged and you're on hard water, and Chronologiste if the fragrance is half the point.

We keep five Kérastase oils on the shelf in Wānaka and people mix them up all the time, mostly because the bottles look like siblings. They do different jobs. Here they are side by side, with what each one costs you per millilitre, because the cheapest bottle isn't always the cheapest oil.

The five Kérastase oils, side by side

Elixir Ultime: the one most people should buy

This is Kérastase's original oil and the one clients ask for by name. It's a lightweight blend with marula and camellia oils, and it works on damp or dry hair, so it covers most of what people want an oil for: less frizz, more shine, softer ends, without the greasy weight.

How we use it at the station: one or two pumps through damp mid-lengths and ends before the blow-dry, then half a pump on dry ends at the finish to catch flyaways. Longer or thicker hair can take a bit more. Fine hair needs less than you'd think.

On price, the 75ml bottle ($105.00) works out cheaper per ml than the 30ml ($51.24). Buy the small one if you're trying Elixir for the first time or want one for your bag.

Blonde? Use Cicaextrême instead

Lightened hair is more porous and fragile than natural hair, and the Blond Absolu oil is made for it. It adds hyaluronic acid and edelweiss flower to the oils, has a dry-touch finish, and doesn't weigh fine blonde lengths down. If you're already using the Blond Absolu shampoo or mask, this is the matching finish. The refill pouch ($73.08) tops up the glass bottle and is the cheapest oil per ml on this page.

Dull, not dry: Gloss Absolu Oil

Some hair isn't parched at all. It just doesn't reflect light any more. Gloss Absolu uses an acid glossing system (tartaric acid) alongside the oils to reseal the cuticle, so the finish is glassy rather than just soft. It's the one to pick if the thing you miss is the shine you walk out of the salon with. If you want that shine done properly between colours, read about our in-salon hair gloss.

Damaged and on hard water: Première Huile Gloss

The Première oil carries citric acid to counter calcium build-up, which is what hard water leaves on hair and why damaged hair here can feel stiff and dull however much conditioner goes on. It's the smallest and dearest bottle per ml ($72.24 for 30ml), so it suits people already on the Première routine rather than anyone who just wants a shine oil. Our Première guide sets out the whole routine in order, and the hard-water guide explains why it matters so much around Central Otago.

Chronologiste L'Huile de Parfum: the fragranced one

This is the oil from Kérastase's Chronologiste range, and it's properly scented, so it doubles as a hair perfume. People buy it for the ritual and the smell. If all you want is frizz control and shine, Elixir does that for less per ml. If you love the Chronologiste range already, here's our take on the rest of it.

How to use any of them without it going greasy

• Start with one pump. You can add more, you can't take it out.
• Mid-lengths and ends only. Keep oil off the scalp.
• Damp hair before heat styling for smoothness, a touch on dry ends to finish.
• Fine hair or an oily scalp: a couple of times a week is usually plenty. Dry, thick or curly hair can take it daily.

Weighing up other brands too? Our hair oil guide by hair type covers the whole oil shelf, not just Kérastase. And if you still can't decide, ask at your next appointment and we'll try a pump on your ends at the basin, or book in at UKIYO.

Every bottle we sell is bought direct from L'Oréal New Zealand and shipped from our salon on Helwick Street in Wānaka. Free NZ shipping over $75, and 11% off your first online order with code WELCOME11.