Wish you could create that wavy summer hair all year round, without setting a toe on the beach? The magic ingredient that is responsible for those Gisele tresses is sea salt. And luckily sea salt is also available in a bottle, known as salt spray.
Salt spray is a texturizing spray that imitates that beachy look and feel. All you need to do is spray onto damp hair, scrunch and let it air dry.
Almost every haircare brand has a salt spray in their range, but what are the good ones, and which of them are cruelty-free? We did the search for you. Check out the 8 best cruelty-free sea salt sprays (of which 4 vegan).
Index
- Label.m – Sea Salt Spray (VEGAN)
- Kevin Murphy – Hair Resort Spray
- Lush – Sea Spray (VEGAN)
- OUAI – Wave Spray
- Herbivore – Sea Mist (VEGAN)
- Oribe – Après Beach Wave And Shine Spray
- Bumble and bumble – Surf Spray
- R+Co – Rockaway Salt Spray (VEGAN)
The 8 Best Cruelty-Free Sea Salt Sprays for Beach Waves All Year Round
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1/8
Label.m – Sea Salt Spray (vegan)
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Say hello beach hair with Label.m Sea Salt Spray. The spray adds a sultry texture to your hair without giving it a crispy look or feel. Instead it leaves your hair remaining soft and touchable. Just spray and air dry or blow dry for some extra body. Also a great product to hold curls and waves. It even eliminates frizz! What else can we ask for? The scent is fresh, pleasant, like a not too strong perfume.
Best for: all hair types, especially fine hair
Free of: sulfates SLS and SLES
2/8
Kevin Murphy – Hair Resort Spray
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Perfect non-aerosol spray for some real beach waves all year round. This weightless formula holds your style in a light way. As with all salt sprays, it takes some figuring out how much product works best for your hair. The more you spray the more hold, but spray too much and your hair could end up looking greasy. Start with just a few sprays and built up to desire. The coconut unisex scent will give you an even more beachy feel.
Best for: all hair types
Free of: paraben, sulfates SLS and SLES
3/8
Lush – Sea Spray (vegan)
Shop at Lush | $$$
Perfect salt spray to up the volume and enhance curls and waves. This salty salt spray defines and holds your style in a natural-looking way, while adding a floral, fruity scent, that will linger throughout the day. Don’t let the size of this bottle surprise you, it is probably smaller than you imagined for the price that it costs. That said, a little does go a long way. In fact you should be careful not to over spray, as too much of this product can make your hair stiff and crunchy. First use a little and add more if desired.
Best for: curly and wavy hair
Free of: sulfates SLS and SLES
4/8
OUAI – Wave Spray
Shop at Amazon | $$$
For those who avoid salt sprays because of the crispy feeling it can give, run your fingers through this formula made of rice protein instead of salt. Designed by famous hair stylist Jen Atkin, this non-sticky and feather light formula gives you some natural beach waves while perfuming it with a scent of lemon, patchouli and white musk. As salt spray can have a drying effect on hair, this wave spray is perfect for dry, damaged and colored hair.
Best for: hair that wants the salt spray but not the salt
Free of: paraben, sulfates SLS and SLES
5/8
Herbivore – Sea Mist (vegan)
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It doesn’t get more natural than Herbivore Sea Mist, with salt derived from the Pacific Ocean itself and Aloe Vera as a counterpart to keep hair soft and healthy.
Not for the strongest of holds, but it will definitely add some natural body, without making your hair feel sticky at all. The formula, which comes in a glass bottle, doesn’t contain any synthetic ingredients. It is so natural that it can also be used as a face spray, which is great as sea salt works as a natural cleanser and detoxifier. Don’t overdo it though, as salt spray also dehydrates your skin (and hair). Scent-wise, you have two options. The original scent of coconut and vanilla, best described as: summer in a bottle. And secondly a subtler Lavender version.
Best for: all hair types
Free of: paraben, sulfates SLS and SLES
6/8
Oribe* – Après Beach Wave And Shine Spray
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Instant volume, instant grip, though so light weighted and soft you just want to run your fingers through. On top of that it leaves your hair shiny and perfumed. The scent is not overwhelming, but it is there and it is fancy. Yes it is a lot of money, but fair’s fair: it is biggest bottle of the bunch.
Free of: paraben, sulfates SLS and SLES
*Parent company: Oribe is owned by KAO, a company that is not cruelty-free.
7/8
Bumble and bumble* – Surf Spray
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Another salt spray that cannot be missed in this top 8 is Surf Spray of Bumble and Bumble. It creates fullness and volume and enhances waves and curls. For some serious lift at the roots, spray onto dry hair and blow dry. Don’t go crazy with this product because too much of it can dry out your hair. Subtle beachy scent.
Best for: all hair types
Free of: paraben
*Parent company: Bumble & bumble is owned by Estée Lauder, a company that is not cruelty-free
8/8
R+Co – Rockaway Salt Spray (vegan)
Shop at Amazon | $$
Are you looking for a salt spray to add some serious texture and hold? This might be the one. Not the easiest salt spray to run your fingers through, but it will give you that messy, sexy summer hair. Or actually any other style you want.
The uplifting scent of Rockaway salt spray contains notes of orange, cardamom, fig and amber.
Best for: all hair types
Free of: paraben, sulfates SLS and SLES
Can your beachy summer hair still use a bit of extra volume? Start by washing with a volumizing shampoo. We’ve rounded up the best cruelty-free volumizing shampoos.