Aside from (faux) sun-kissed skin, nothing says summer more than tousled hair with natural, beachy wave. And thanks to the likes of Jennifer Lawrence, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley and Jessica Alba, we know you don’t need super long locks to pull off the look. While it’s a quick and easy ‘do, as with most natural beauty looks, it comes with help of certain go-to products. In this case, sea-salt sprays. It’s insta-cool girl hair, but with so many on the market, and so many women wanting a different look, it’s hard to know where to begin without feeling like you’re wasting your money. Beauticater and long-time lover of the undone tousle, Allanah Jansons, has done the hard yards for you. No matter what your end goal – volume, smooth-to-touch, waves, curls, texture – she’s got it sorted. Here’s her pick of the best holiday hair in a bottle.

IMAGE: INSTAGRAM @ANGELCANDICES

BEST FOR: SMOOTH-TO-TOUCH, NATURAL WAVES

ORIBE Aprés Beach Wave and Shine Spray

ORIBE APRÉS BEACH WAVE AND SHINE SPRAY

“I’m usually a strictly ‘no-styling-product’ type of girl. I use Moroccan Oil, a GHD and a hairbrush. That’s the extent of my hair wardrobe. So I am over-joyed with ORIBE’s Wave and Shine Spray – it leaves my hair soft to the touch, smooth and without the slightest hint that I have anything else on my hair but fabulously nonchalant waves. This is the only sea salt spray I’ve come across that is in an aerosol can as opposed to your usual spritzer bottle and I wonder if this is partly where its success lies. This baby is so good, I don’t even touch my GHD because there is no need – I have no fly-aways and yet achieve a very natural finish. And so my hair, and ORIBE live happily ever after. The end.”

BEST FOR: TEXTURE AND VOLUME

REDKEN Fashion Waves 07 Sea Salt Spray

REDKEN FASHION WAVES 07 SEA SALT SPRAY

“I have a feeling, just from the title, that my hair is in for something big and I am right. REDKEN’s Sea Salt Spray delivers big time on the volume and I am surprised by how much I think my hair needs a lift after application. I spray the delicious (clean/fruity/salty) scent on wet and dry hair (on separate days) and I find I love the texture and oomph this spray gives my already hair. This is a reverse Pretty Woman scenario (beauty-wise) for me – in a great way. I go from nice, tame hair to sexy and disheveled in about 30 seconds. I imagine that if I had shorter hair, like a bob or a pixie-style cut, this product would work in more ways than one as its hold is great too.”

BEST FOR: HARD WORKING, ON A BUDGET

JOHN FRIEDA Ocean Waves Sea Salt Spray

JOHN FRIEDA OCEAN WAVES SEA SALT SPRAY

“I can use sea salt sprays in numerous ways – on wet, damp or dry hair, before styling, after styling and so on. The catch is that some of them work better only in one category, but not this one. I can apply JOHN FRIEDA’s Ocean Waves spray on my hair when it’s wet, damp, dry and before and after styling and my hair still looks good. This product was discontinued a little while ago (why? I have no idea) but was brought back by popular demand – giving some idea of its great styling properties. The product smells divine (like sticky coconuts in an island breeze) and enhances my natural wave – I even fool my boyfriend into thinking I’ve taken a dip in the ocean, despite living 1497km away from the nearest one. The fact that I can pick this up from my local Priceline for around $17 makes it even more appealing.”

BEST FOR: TOUSLED VOLUME

TONI & GUY Sea Salt Texturising Spray

TONI & GUY SEA SALT TEXTURISING SPRAY

“TONI & GUY’s Sea Salt Texturising Spray is part of their ‘Casual’ range. I find the word ‘casual’ doesn’t do this product justice, though. ‘Effortless and nonchalant’ I find are more appropriate as they evoke a more romantic, Parisian style, but you get the drift. This product delivers on what it says it does (texture & body) in an easy, ‘I’m-too-cool-to-care-about-my-hair’ kind of way. Even though my hair has been in a straight-ish, flat-ish kind of state, this product gets my hair up and moving in an instant.”

BEST FOR: ENHANCING CURLS

Fudge Salt Spray

TONI & GUY SEA SALT TEXTURISING SPRAY

“I don’t know I have actual natural curls until I use Fudge’s Salt Spray. To my surprise, I feel my hair actually looks nice with some natural ringlets. This spray definitely delivers the most in the ‘style’ category. Despite the coconut scent, this product is probably less beachy-chic than I expect, but it wins me over as a wave/curl enhancer. Another surprise, despite my hair looking so together, it doesn’t feel sticky, crunchy or heavy.”

BEST FOR: STRAIGHT-FROM-THE-OCEAN WAVES

David Mallett Australian Salt Spray

DAVID MALLETT AUSTRALIAN SALT SPRAY

David Mallett, an Australian with potentially the most renowned salon in Paris, does hair for the likes of Clémence Poésy, Demi Moore and Naomi Campbell. I’m not really surprised then (although am seriously impressed) by how well this product works. Mallett’s Australian Salt Spray makes my hair feel like the love-child of an Australian surfer and Brigitte Bardot. I imagine from Mallett’s history that this is what he’s hoping to achieve. The chic, minimalist all black bottle looks pretty in my bathroom too (but better in my hair). I spritz this in as my hair while it’s almost dry and walk out the door (something I’m not accustomed to doing). Love this product.”

Review by Allanah Jansons

Comment (5)

  1. January 24, 2017
    Mel

    The David Mallett spray sounds perfect for my last-minute mornings – does it leave your hair feeling crispy after you spray it??

  2. January 24, 2017
    Helen

    I love John Frieda products and they are so cheap! Love that you can use it on wet, damp, and dry hair