“It gives a tousled look with the slightest sheen,” says Columbus, Ohio-based hairstylist Mia Santiago. “And because of the mix of salt and oil, it’s also helpful and controls unruly frizz.” We also can’t help but notice the formula itself looks like a little ocean in a bottle—the tropical blue base and foamy layer on top (thanks to the separation of salt and oil) set the beachy mood before you even spritz.
“I have thick, frizz-prone hair that barely holds a curl past a few minutes. Most wave sprays either dry it out or do nothing at all. But Bumble and Bumble’s Surf Infusion gave it just enough hold to keep my waves from falling flat, without making it crunchy or stiff. I’ve also used it on damp hair before braiding it into two French braids overnight, and the result was soft and dreamy. I’m also obsessed with the scent.” —Christa Joanna Lee, contributing commerce writer
- Key ingredients: sea salt, mineral blend, coconut oil
- Who it’s for: people with medium and thick hair (if you have finer hair, try the Bumble and bumble Surf Spray)
Best for Wavy Hair: Ouai Wave Spray
Why it’s worth it: When you want people to ask what smells so good—and it’s your hair—the Ouai Wave Spray is the move. It delivers weightless texture and natural-looking movement, using hydrolyzed rice protein to mimic the volumizing effects of sea salt without drying your strands. Glycerin and panthenol keep hair soft and touchable (never crunchy), making it ideal for straight, wavy, or curly textures. “It helps with frizz as well!” New York City-based hairstylist Marie Nino previously told Allure. And thanks to the updated North Bondi scent—a dreamy blend of florals and musk—it really feels like sunshine in a bottle.
Tester feedback from contributing commerce editor Deanna Pai
“I’ve been using this stuff for years, and it never fails me. It leaves my bob full and bouncy, but not overly done—and, unlike some styling creams, never weighs down my fine, wavy hair.” —Deanna Pai, contributing commerce editor
- Key ingredients: rice protein, coconut oil, panthenol, hibiscus extract
- Who it’s for: all hair types, including natural and color-treated hair
Best Volumizing: Dae Hibiscus Wave Spray
Why it’s worth it: The bigger the hair, the closer to beauty heaven—well, that’s what we say every time we spray the Dae Hibiscus Wave Spray onto our strands. This spray doesn’t contain sea salt (which can dry out hair), but it does contain a trifecta of moisture-replenishing hibiscus flower extract, prickly pear seed oil, and moringa seed extract, which work together to plump the hair shaft for a fuller, thicker look. Just a few gusts of its volumizing formula are all you need to see its hair-raising results. This spray gets brownie points for its buildable formula that won’t create a crunchy, stiff texture, no matter how many layers you spritz on.
Tester feedback from managing editor Alessandra Foresto
”My hair has gotten straighter and straighter as the years go by, and while I used to be able to air-dry and get perfect S waves without any product help, that’s no longer the case. To get a more evenly distributed set of waves nowadays, I need a little hold, but I hate feeling like my hair is crunchy or too oily, so I prefer to stay away from mousses and gels. Instead, I like the buildable properties (and delicious tropical smell) of this creamy spray. I use a few spritzes on damp hair and braid my hair into pigtails or space buns after washing it for beachy waves. On day 2, I use a tiny, tiny bit more on dry hair and use a flatiron to give my waves more definition without making them feel sticky (and finish things up with an oil for extra shine and frizz control). If I’m stretching into day 3, I spray again and scrunch my hair up to go back to messy waves.” —Alessandra Foresto, managing editor
- Key ingredients: hibiscus flower extract, prickly pear seed oil, moringa seed extract
- Who it’s for: fine hair types, straight to wavy hair types
Best for Thin Hair: Philip B Maui Wowie Beach Mist
Why it’s worth it: This tropical-scented mist creates tousled, voluminous waves with ease. “This spray includes sea salt and leaves your hair looking like you’re fresh off the beach,” says Santiago. “It’s a buildable spray that adds volume without the frizz.” Ideal for fine or thinning hair, it amps up body and texture with sea salt and bamboo extract, while floral waters and vitamin E keep strands soft and shiny. One of our testers found that a generous mist, a little scrunching, and an hour of air-drying transformed limp waves into big, sexy texture.
Since it has hydrating aloe vera and smoothing coconut oil, you can spritz it pretty generously without sacrificing shine or touchability.
- Key ingredients: sea salt, orchid extract, kukui seed oil, coconut oil, aloe vera
- Who it’s for: people with thinning or fine hair
Best for Shine: Oribe Après Beach Wave and Shine Spray
Oribe
Après Beach Wave and Shine Spray
Why it’s worth it: Beach waves don’t exactly have a reputation for looking shiny and hydrated, Oribe’s Après Beach Wave and Shine Spray changes that. It’s infused with moisture-rich ingredients like safflower seed oil, marigold extract, and amber extract to give your hair a silky finish and reflective shine. “Used on wet or dry hair, this aerosol spray adds texture and gloss without weighing anything down,” says Santiago. It also smooths frizz thanks to glycerin, has UV protection, and leaves your waves looking more polished than parched.
While most sea salt sprays work best on damp hair, this one serves a dual purpose by refreshing dry strands and adding a boost of shine as it revitalizes your style.
- Key ingredients: safflower seed oil, vitamin B5, glycerin
- Who it’s for: all hair types
Best for Dry Hair: Kevin Murphy Hair Resort Spray
Kevin Murphy
Hair Resort Spray
Why it’s worth it: If your dream hair lives somewhere between windswept beach waves and a model’s day off, Kevin Murphy Hair Resort Spray knows what it’s doing. “It works beautifully on fine to medium textures. One reason I’m obsessed is the hydrolyzed silk. It’s usually found in high-end skin care, and it helps the hair stay smooth, strong, and hydrated,” says New York City-based hairstylist Vanessa Ocando. Just a few spritzes deliver soft volume, matte texture, and that effortlessly undone finish. Want to take your hair styling to the next level? “If I’m air-drying, I’ll apply it to damp hair, then let it dry or diffuse,” says Ocando. “Once it’s dry, I’ll go in with a 1-inch curling iron to add soft bends and smooth out any frizz. It gives me volume and a textured, undone feel.”
This spray also utilizes honey, a natural humectant, to draw moisture into dry hair while maintaining a piece-y, lived-in look.
- Key ingredients: wheat amino acids, hydrolysed silk, tangerine peel oil
- Who it’s for: all hair types, especially fine to medium textures with dry hair
Best for Thick Hair: Davines This Is A Sea Salt Spray
Davines
This Is A Sea Salt Spray
Why it’s worth it: Buzzy indie brand Davines knows a thing or two about creating hardworking formulas. “Davines’ This Is A Sea Salt Spray is a very strong sea salt spray for medium to thick hair,” explains Netherlands-based hairstylist Linda de Zeeuw. “Spray it on damp hair before blow-drying and finish with a hot tool to create those beautiful beach waves.” De Zeeuw adds that it’s also very nice for finishing a pompadour haircut given its long-lasting hold with a matte finish—so don’t be surprised if the shorter-hair folks in your life try to snag it.
If you have thicker hair, chances are you’re not looking for too much more texture—you want control and definition without stiffness. This sea salt spray is surprisingly lightweight, adding just the right amount of grip to enhance your natural wave pattern without weighing anything down.
- Key ingredients: sea salt
- Who it’s for: dry hair and scalp
Best for Naturally Textured Hair: Unite Beach Day Texturizing Sea Salt Spray
Unite
Beach Day Texturizing Sea Salt Spray
Why it’s worth it: To enhance a beachy vibe on hair that already has some natural texture, Santiago turns to Unite Beach Day Texturizing Sea Salt Spray. This formula strikes the perfect balance between grit and hydration—natural sea salt boosts volume and definition, while moringa seed oil helps lock in moisture and adds a healthy sheen to curls and waves. It’s especially great for naturally textured or wavy hair types looking to amplify their pattern without the crunch. “It doesn’t leave hair feeling sticky and has a matte finish,” Santiago adds, making it ideal for refreshing second-day hair or adding body to air-dried styles.
Moringa seed oil is rich in antioxidants and fatty acids that help nourish, smooth, and soften coarse or textured hair, making it feel more manageable and hydrated.
- Key ingredients: sea salt, moringa seed oil
- Who it’s for: wavy and curly hair
Frequently Asked Questions
What does sea salt spray do?
In its most basic definition, sea salt sprays mimic the wave-defining abilities of salt water. There are quite a few hair products that will add texture to your hair looks, but cosmetic chemist Ginger King is keen on salt. “You add any particles to the hair, [and they] will create volume such as mud, dry shampoo, starch, et cetera, but the difference is the effect,” she tells Allure. “Sea salt spray can work as a light texturizer with some hold. She says to think about the salt on a margarita glass; “it sticks so it has some ‘hold factor’ when it is wet.” King notes that sugar can also work as a texturizer, but she prefers salt because of its antiseptic properties.
Tips for styling with a sea salt spray
When it comes to creating beachy, soft waves, there are actually quite a few ways to go about it: braids, scrunching, and even your flatiron can do the trick. But, no matter which styling route you choose, a sea salt spray is essential to nail this classic, surfer-inspired look.
Jennifer Korab, a New Jersey-based hairstylist, previously told Allure that her usual process for creating beach hair involves three steps. Starting on dry hair, prep with a heat protectant to minimize damage, followed by a few spritzes of texturizing wave spray to help hold the look.
Then, curl each section using a curling wand or iron. “Hold the iron vertically to create loose waves,” says Korab. “Start wrapping the hair at the mid-lengths, leaving the ends out for a more natural look. Hold the hair around the iron for a few seconds then release.”
Meet the experts
How we test and review products
We always enlist a range of testers for our makeup vertical, but hair-care products and tools are another story. While there are certainly products that can be used across different hair textures, lengths, curl patterns, thicknesses, colors (natural and unnatural), and needs, hair products are often created with specific consumers in mind. Many are created in order to address a concern (dandruff, breakage, brittleness) or to work most effectively for a specific hair type (4C curls, wavy hair, gray hair). You wouldn’t want to pick up a purple shampoo that’s only been reviewed by someone with, say, auburn hair, or a diffuser that’s never been tested by anyone with curls—right?
For our review of the best sea salt sprays, we enlisted the help of multiple editors, writers, contributors, and hairstylists who’ve nailed the art of beachy waves. Testers considered performance across four primary categories: efficacy, texture and experience, fragrance, and packaging. For more on what’s involved in our reporting, check out our complete reviews process and methodology page.
Our staff and testers
A beauty product is a personal purchase. You might be searching for a face cream to address persistent dryness or a new nail product to add to your Sunday self-care routine; you may simply be browsing around for the latest launches to hit the hair market. No matter what you seek or your individual needs and concerns, Allure wants to ensure that you love anything we recommend in our stories. We believe that having a diverse team of writers and editors—in addition to the wide range of outside testers and industry experts we regularly call upon—is essential to reaching that goal.
After all, can we really say a skin-care product is the “best” for people over 50 if the only testers we’ve solicited opinions from folks who have yet to hit 30? Can we honestly deem a high-end diffuser worthy of your hard-earned cash if it’s never been tested on curls? We’re proud that our staff spans a wide range of ages, skin tones, hair textures, genders, and backgrounds, which means that we are able to fairly assess any beauty product that comes into the beauty closet.
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