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For effortlessly tousled mermaid hair, the best sea salt spray formulas are non-negotiable styling products—whether you’re creating new wavy texture or emphasizing your natural hair pattern. This cult-favorite styling essential captures the spirit of summer in a bottle, delivering texture, volume, and that elusive windswept wave without a trip to the coast. Sea salt sprays lend to instant movement and light hold for your hair—no heat required, for deliberately undone glamour.
Vogue’s Favorite Sea Salt Sprays
- Best on Dry Hair: IGK Beach Club Texture Spray, $36
- Best for Textured Hair: Philip B Maui Wowie Beach Mist, $34
- Best Salt-Free: Ouai Wave Spray, $16
- Best for Maximum Hold: Maria Nila Ocean Spray, $30
- Best Clean Beauty: Davines Sea Salt Spray, $32
It may seem self explanatory, but many classic formulas utilize actual sea salt to texturize and shrink your cuticle, quite literally making waves (on your lengths, that is)—though this can be a tad bit drying. Thanks to industry innovation, modern formulas are switching things up, substituting hygroscopic ingredients with moisture-retaining alternatives like sugars or proteins for tousled waves without the crunch.
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Best of all, sea salt sprays are refreshingly inclusive—they work beautifully across all hair textures. From fine, limp strands needing a lift to coily curls craving definition, the right formula can enhance your hair’s natural body while maintaining its integrity. This versatility, combined with a sensorial nod to the ocean—think notes of coconut, citrus, and clean minerals—makes it the ultimate summer staple.
Scroll below to find your new favorite styling spray for siren-worthy wavy lengths—a few spritzes, a scrunch or twist of the fingers, and you’ll master the art of beach waves—no shoreline necessary. We ve rounded up our 11 favorite formulas.
Best Matte Finish: Bumble and bumble Texturizing Surf Spray for Beachy Waves
- Why we love it: This matte-finish sea salt spray achieves an effortless, beachy texture, making it perfect for fine to medium hair, craving added volume and body. The light, marine-inspired fragrance with a touch of citrus will leave you feeling like you just stepped off the shore—no ocean required. The secret? Air-dry for a matte, beachy texture that stays effortlessly put all day long.
- Key ingredients: Seaweed extract, kelp extract, magnesium sulfate
- How To Apply: Simply spritz onto damp or dry strands, then squeeze and twist for an instant windswept vibe that feels both fresh and undone. For that enviable, tousled look, twist small sections of hair after spraying to enhance natural waves and create an effortlessly chic finish.
- Size: 4.2 oz
Best Salt-Free: Ouai Wave Spray
- Why we love it: Ouai’s Wave Spray is hands down my favorite for its ability to enhance natural texture without the dryness usually found in traditional salt sprays (mainly because, well, there’s no salt in this formula). Instead, it combines glycerin and panthenol to keep strands softly textured and hydrated—whether your hair is straight, wavy, or curly. Plus, hydrolyzed rice protein steps in to boost beach waves, delivering light structure and definition without that crunchy, stiff feel. The result? Effortless, beachy waves that stay soft and bouncy, not brittle.
- Key ingredients: Glycerin, panthenol, gac seed extract, hydrolyzed rice protein, lactobacillus ferment
- How To Apply: Shake and spray onto damp hair from roots to ends, then scrunch or twist to create that just-got-out-of-the-ocean look. To achieve a more defined texture, twist or braid damp hair before air drying or diffusing. Prefer heat styling? Apply to dry hair before using a curling iron or flat iron for loose, natural waves.
- Size: 4.9 oz
Best for Maximum Hold: Maria Nila Ocean Spray
- Why we love it: Maria Nila’s Ocean Spray is perfect for creating long-lasting beach waves. Infused with natural salt and a blend of sunflower seed extract, it provides a stronger hold than typical salt sprays thanks to its higher concentration of sodium chloride, which creates more grip and durability. At the same time, the formula’s antioxidant-rich formula protects hair from UV damage and free radicals, preserving color and vitality; 100% vegan, let this spray is your go-to for a voluminous, non-sticky matte look.
- Key ingredients: Sunflower seed extract, sodium chloride
- How To Apply: For effortlessly loose beach waves, the brand suggests spraying directly onto towel-dried hair before letting it air dry. To add texture and extra hold, use it as a finishing spray after styling with heat tools, much like you would with a hairspray, for long-lasting volume and definition.
- Size: 5.1 fl oz
Best With Pathenol: Sachajuan Ocean Mist Sea Salt Spray
- Why we love it: Sachajuan’s beach wave spray blends sodium chloride (for texture) with magnesium sulfate (for added grip) to mimic the natural movement of sea-swept waves. The formula also includes panthenol, which works to soften and hydrate strands, all while adding extra shine—plus, the formula is vegan, paraben-, and cruelty-free for a cleaner styling experience.
- Key ingredients: Sodium chloride, magnesium sulfate, panthenol, hydrogenated castor oil
- How To Apply: No frills here—spritz onto hair before air drying or using a diffuser. Fini!
- Size: 5.1 fl ox
Best for Lightweight Hold: R+Co Sail Soft Wave Spray
- Why we love it: More for a tousled look than a defined wavy siren texture, R+Co’s Sail Soft spray delivers a lightweight mist—a perfect finishing touch on styled loose curls or waves to gently hold your look in place while maintaining movement. The formula stars antioxidant-rich alma extract for added luster, while sea kelp adds a light texture. Plus, rose hip acts as a conditioning agent while leaving behind a lovely scent (hello, hair perfume!).
- Key ingredients: Alma, sea kelp, rose hip
- How To apply: Use this in place of hair spray. Once your hair style is complete (think: loose waves or a bouncy blow out), generously mist across your lengths to lock your look in plae.
- Size: 5.2 oz
Best for Dry Hair: IGK Beach Club Texture Spray
- Why We Love It: IGK’s Beach Club Texture Spray is your go-to for a non-drying finishing spray that adds instant texture. Another salt-free formula, IGK opts for a blend of glycerin to lock in moisture while adding a touch of texture and hydrolyzed wheat protein for natural volume and body. Perfect for tousled waves, it gives you buildable, touchable texture with a matte finish that lasts.
- Key ingredients: Glycerin, sunflower seed extract, hydrolyzed wheat protein
- How To Apply: Simply spray onto dry, styled hair for volume at the roots or throughout for that enviable beachy, tousled look. A non-drying, easy-to-use spray for waves that never quit.
- Size: 5.0 oz
Best Clean Beauty: Davines Sea Salt Spray
- Why We Love It: Clean beauty enthusiasts needn’t look further than Davines for ultra natural formulations. What you see is what you get with the Italian beauty brand’s sea salt spray—composed with just eight ingredients, sodium chloride and magnesium sulfate are responsible for creating tousled waves with just a few spritzes.
- Key ingredients: Magnesium sulfate, propanediol, sodium chlorid
- How To Apply: Ideal for achieving a full-bodied, effortless look, this spray works on both wet and dry hair—just spritz and air dry for that sun-kissed, beach-ready finish. Free from parabens and added colorants, it gives you natural, textured waves with a fresh, beachy feel that lasts all day.
- Size: 250 ml
Best for Textured Hair: Philip B Maui Wowie Beach Mist
- Why We Love It: Ideal for wavy hair types, this ultra-light spray boosts body and enhances natural waves, creating that perfect tousled, frothing-out-of-the-ocean look. Infused with coconut oil, it nourishes and conditions, leaving your hair soft, shiny, and full of bounce—never stiff. The formula also features sea salt and carrageenan for added texture and hold. At the same time, aloe leaf juice and gardenia tahitensis extract soothe and hydrate. The paraben- and phthalate-free spray is safe for color- or keratin-treated hair.
- Key ingredients: Sea salt, carrageenan, citric acid, aloe leaf juice, grandiflorum flower extract, coconut oil, gardenia tahitensis flower extract, aleurites moluccana seed oil
- How To Apply: Think of this as one of the key tools in your wavy hair routine arsenal. Simply shake, spray on damp or dry hair, and scrunch for effortlessly chic waves. Follow by diffusing.
- Size: 5.07 oz
Best W3ith Sugar: Drybar Seashore Spritzer Wave Spray
- Why We Love It: Another option for beachy waves sans salt, this texturizing spray delivers a soft, tousled texture with a semi-matte finish. Infused with pineapple extract and sea kelp, the formula nourishes with vitamins and antioxidants, promoting healthier-looking hair. Ideal for fine to thick curly or wavy hair, this Drybar wave spray enhances natural texture and body while leaving no grit behind. Instead, sugar boosts softness while a polymer blend adds lasting fullness and style memory.
- Key ingredients: Coconut water, sugar, kelp extract, pineapple fruit extract, tocopherol
- How To Apply: Spray generously across your lengths, ensuring even distribution from roots to ends. Next, gently scrunch your hair for added definition. Finish off by air drying or using a diffuser.
- Size: 5 fl oz
Best Multipurpose: Reverie Natural Mare Mediterranean Sea Mist
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- Why We Love It: From enhancing beachy waves to using it in lieu of dry shampoo, Reverie’s Natural Mare Mediterranean Sea Mist is the ultimate multipurpose styling product. It’s also pro hairstylist Samantha Draper’s go-to volumizing mist for amplifying clients’ texture and adding fullness without any stiffness or dryness. Powered by rice seed extract for strength and algae extract to thicken, it creates natural volume and definition. A touch of Mediterranean sea salt conditions and enhances texture, leaving hair soft and bouncy. Plus, with every bottle sold, Reverie helps fund the removal of ocean-bound plastic waste through its partnership with rePurpose Global.
- Key ingredients: Rice Seed Extract, algae, mediterranean sea salt
- How To Apply: Use it to air dry, diffuse, or refresh your hair between washes—it’s a multi-tasking styling essential that Draper describes as “soft, light, and super workable.”
- Size: 5 fl oz
Best Mineral-Rich: David Mallett Australian Sea Salt Spray
- Why We Love It: David Mallett’s Australian Sea Salt Spray effortlessly recreates the texture enhanced by a cool beachside breeze. Infused with Murray River salt, one of the purest salts in the world, this lightweight spray enriches hair with essential minerals, improving texture and adding subtle, beachy ripples. Suitable for all hair types, it shapes and tones hair for a natural, effortless look with a touch of volume and movement. Plus, it has a lovely fragrance. “We used bergamot as the scent for this sea salt spray, because of its association with lemon and the sea—it’s a delightful mix,” celebrity hair stylist David Mallett tells Vogue.
- Key ingredients: Murray river salt, Sodium Chloride, magnesium Sulfate, hydrogenated castor oil
- How To Apply: According to the brand, activate the ingredients by shaking the bottle several times. Spray three to six times over wet or damp hair, twist strands with your fingers. Leave to dry naturally or gently blow dry with a diffuser.
- Size: 150 Milliliters
How To Choose a Sea Salt Spray
Mallet advocates for a less is more approach when it comes to both the ingredients and application of sea salt sprays. “Choose formulas with as many natural ingredients as possible,” he advises, emphasizing that this ensures your hair looks more like a relaxed post-vacation style, rather than feeling dry or chalky. He also points out that spray pump bottles tend to be more user-friendly for at-home styling, allowing for better control over the amount of product you apply to your hair.
How do sea salt sprays work to create waves?
Wave sprays are perfect for enhancing definition, and sea salt has long been a staple ingredient for that coveted beachy texture. “Salt sprays work very much in the same way as when you’re on vacation or on a boat and you get salt water in your hair,” says Mallett. “That’s why so many people love their hair when it’s dried when they’re on the beach—the salt water adds wavy texture.”
In other words, salt shrinks the hair’s natural pattern and cuticle, replicating the loose curl pattern of a wave. Though be mindful, its hygroscopic nature can dehydrate your strands, so it’s best to apply sparingly for the perfect balance of texture without the damage. However, Draper notes that many modern formulas are moving toward salt-free options, instead using hydrolyzed wheat or rice protein to create texture while infusing the hair with moisture—so spritz away, without a care in the world about drying out your hair!
How To Apply a Sea Salt Spray
There are two main ways to use wave sprays: spritzing onto wet hair for an effortlessly undone, air-dried look or applying to dry hair to elevate heat-styled waves. “Spraying on wet hair gives you an awesome base that adds texture and volume to create new waves or enhance pre-existing texture,” explains pro hairstylist Eden Fabbo. “If your hair is dry or looking wispy with lots of flyaways, I love spraying wave spray to smooth things down and hold it in place. You can either quickly melt the product into your strands with a blow dryer or let it air dry—either way, it tames frizz while keeping that natural texture.”
Mallet prefers replicating the au naturel approach by applying sea salt sprays to freshly washed, wet hair—and, of course, the world-renowned pro has a solution to avoid drying out your lengths: “You can leave a little bit of conditioner in the hair before applying wave sprays, or use a light serum to prevent the hair from becoming dry or frizzy,” says Mallet. When in doubt, he advises being cautious about overdoing it—so don’t go spray crazy: “It’s better to underdo it than overdo it!”
Meet The Experts
- David Mallett is a renowned Parisian hairdresser and stylist, known for his expertise in fashion editorials, runway shows, and celebrity clientele.
- Samantha Draper is a New York–based professional hair stylist at Soho salon Suite Caroline specializing in everything from cool cuts to expert blowouts.
- Edden Fabbo is a professional hair stylist and makeup artist based in Jersey City with over 15 years of experience. Fabbo is the co-founder of Sainte Lüx.
