I have a confession to make: I don’t like salt spray. I know it’s one of those things I’m meant to rave about – after all, every model with artfully tousled hair I’ve interviewed has always waxed lyrical about the stuff, and it is the zenith of ‘cool girl’ beauty. But for me, it’s filed away with coriander, The Beatles and prosecco as a Thing I Just Don’t Get The Hype About. So when I heard that Kérastase was launching a ‘sugar spray’ that had all the benefits of salt spray (added volume, loose texture, a piece-y finish) with none of the detriments (crispy lengths, tangles, flat ends), I decided to give it a whirl.
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A big part of the problem I have with salt spray is that it involves so much ‘scrunching’ of the hair. I like products you can work and style through your hair in a formulaic fashion, whereas salt spray requires so much ad hoc, nonchalant styling that it makes someone as Type A as me positively twitch. But in the name of journalistic integrity, I decided to throw caution – and my hairdryer nozzle – to the wind. I started by straightening my hair from dry, which isn’t how I’d usually wear it, but I didn’t want any texture in there to begin with, so I could see what the spray can do.
I then misted my hair (with a Homebase plant-watering bottle, of course) until damp, then went to town with the sugar spray. I’d been advised to use 2-4 pumps on each section of hair, so I took two-inch sections and sprayed up and down the lengths. I wasn’t sure if I’d used enough, but figured I could always add more as it dried, but couldn’t really take any away. I scrunched my hair with my fingers (you can use a hairdryer, but I wanted to go as lo-fi as possible) and let it air-dry, adding more spray where I felt I needed it.
The spray activated curls I’d forgotten I even had, thanks to years of blow-drying. The nape of my neck and the mid-lengths of hair sprung into cute, mid-sized waves, but other parts of my hair stayed stubbornly straight, though the spray did give them soft texture, minus any crunchiness. I think the lack of a uniform effect is down to the hodge-podge nature of my hair (I’ve got balayage, highlights and the remnants of a Brazilian blow-dry), rather than a lack of efficacy from the spray. I did like the soft waves and insouciant texture it created, and it was easy enough to wash out at the end of the day.
If you like a loose wave, or desperately want to texturise super fine hair, this is a good shout, especially if you’re kind of a wash-and-go girl. Meanwhile, I’m off to collect the next stamp on my DryBy loyalty card. See ya!
Kérastase Eau de Vagues Sugar Spray, £23.90, available at Kérastase