Oh my goodness, sorry for the radio silence on the DIY side of the blog lately! Busy season with lots of do-it-yourself cooking, versus projects. But today I’m back with a new and super-easy “recipe” that I’m currently obsessed with — DIY sea salt spray!
I will admit that I am totally a hair stylist’s customer-come-true when it comes to buying hair products. I never really seek them out on my own. But when my stylist works her magic and my thin, straight, flat hair suddenly has volume?!? Well, let’s just say that I’ll buy just about any products to try and re-create the look. One of those, of course, has been my trusty sea salt spray.
To be honest, I’m not quite sure why I love the stuff so much. Maybe it’s my undying love of all things salty, maybe it’s living just a little too far away from the ocean, or maybe it really is that effective. But whatever the reason, I’ve been hooked on using sea salt spray as a texturizing product for years. Something about it just seems to give my hair that extra “oomph” when it comes to volume, and also hold curl better all day long. (And, um, sometimes a few extra days.)
But paying $20+ for a bottle that’s practically just saltwater? Well, when my last bottle ran out, I decided to do a little improvising and see if I could make a homemade version instead. Turns out you can, turns out it only takes 4 ingredients, turns out works beautifully, and — the best part? — turns out that it literally costs pennies to make.
Here’s how I made mine:
How To Make DIY Sea Salt Texturizing Hair Spray | 1-Minute Video
Begin with 4 basic ingredients:
- 1 cup warm water (for spraying)
- 1 tablespoon sea salt (for texturizing)
- 1-2 teaspoons argan oil or avocado oil (for moisturizing)
- 4-5 drops essential oil (for smelling yummy — I used this lavender oil)
You’ll also want to have a nice spray bottle ready to go. I used this glass bottle from Amazon.
Heat the water in a measuring cup or small bowl until it comes to a simmer.
Stir in the salt until it is completely dissolved. Whisk in the oil and a few drops of the essential oil. Then pour it into your bottle (with the help of a funnel, if you’d like) and give it a good shake.
Spray it all over your hair while it’s still wet. Then once you blow it dry and style it…
…get ready for some extra texture!!!
The formula I’ve listed above works best for me. But if you have more:
- Dry hair, and you’d like a little extra moisture, add in an extra teaspoon or two of the oil.
- Oily hair, then I’d go light on the oil and just use 1 teaspoon.
- Curly hair or styled hair, and you want to really “set” or hold a style in place, you can add in a teaspoon or two of hair gel. (Otherwise, I’ll sometimes just use a bit of regular hair spray after styling my hair.)
Seriously, the sea salt creates that perfect “beachy” feel that’s perfect for curls, waves, or even just giving your straight look a little extra boost. Feel free to tinker around with the proportions to find the mix that’s perfect for you. But otherwise, enjoy this easy (and super affordable!) DIY alternative to the salon prices!
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ooh these pictures are hawt ;)
How well does this work on short (just at the shoulders) hair? I have super straight hair and without a volumizer or blow dry it just lays! Would love to use this at the beach next week!
We’re not really sure, Tami, but it should work just as well! Have fun at the beach!
Very cool. Although my beach hair is usually a hot mess. Your hair is gorgeous! :)
Thank you, Stephanie!
Oh, how clever! I never would have thought to make my own! I’ve become obsessed with sea salt sprays myself of late – especially the Parlor version. But I love that this is an easy homemade version where you know exactly what’s in it. Thanks for sharing! Can’t wait to make a batch!
Thanks, Kara! I hope you love it as much as I do! : )
This is so awesome! I almost bought some sea salt spray the other day, but this is way more up my alley. Question: Does the coconut oil ever re-solidify and kind of separate from the water? Or does it all stay pretty well mixed together after you initially make it?
Oooh, good question. I actually went in an hour ago and put in a note about coconut oil. It WILL re-solidify if you keep the spray somewhere cooler than 76 degrees. So if that’s the case, I recommend using olive or argan oil. I made mine with coconut oil and keep it near the shower, though, so it tends to heat up each time I use it. :)
Use fractionated coconut oil. It’s liquefied, and won’t go hard! ?
Wow that works so well! And what a great (and inexpensive!) way to feel really summery without even going to the beach!
Agreed! (Especially when you live in Missouri and basically nowhere near a beach like me.) ;)
I love it! It’s fitting that my bottle of sea salt spray JUST ran out this week. Can’t wait to try this :)
Perfect timing! And yep, that’s exactly why I made a batch for myself. (Plus not wanting to pay $20 for another bottle of saltwater.) ;)
Ahhh… I love this so much!!! You are so absolutely stunning my friend!!! DIY scares me but this really seems doable!! If you make challah I’ll try this, deal?
Ha! DEALLLL. :)
so how does your hair look if you spray this on while damp and let it air dry??
Works great! Granted, I have naturally straight hair, so I pretty much always blow dry to give it extra volume. But it still works well if you air-dry (especially if you scrunch it for waves).
I love this so much because I’ve been using a store-bought sea salt spray that sometimes just leaves my hair more sticky than anything else. I love natural products that actually work! Thanks for sharing!
Me too! And yep, this one doesn’t leave your hair sticky at all. (Although if you want extra “hold”, you can add in a teaspoon or so of hair gel to the mix.)