Using Texturizing Spray on My Wet Hair Gave Me Perfect Beach Waves

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: My hair sucks. I mean, after I mask it, wash it, blot it, heat-proof it, blow-dry it, straighten it, curl it, spray it, Powder Play it, and then tousle it with no fewer than three products, it’s fine. Good, even. But anything short of that, and it’s a limp, thin, probably-greasy mess that looks blah. And if I dare skip Powder Play—my absolutely favorite volumizing product ever—my hair mostly just lays there, flat against my head.

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But this isn’t about my love for Powder Play—not this time, anyway. This is about the new trick I taught myself one awful morning while in a zombie-like stupor after spending the night tending to my one-year-old nephew who thought crying every half hour on the half hour was a joint idea of a good time. (Side note: Every single new-ish parent deserves an award just for showing up to work.)

In any case, I got myself up and showered, and in my haste/Twilight Zone-like daze, I sprayed my texturizing spray—you know, the step that usually comes after your hair’s dry—on my wet hair. I immediately sulked: My morning was already shot, but could stringy, piece-y hair really make it that much worse? But when I was done blow-drying my hair, it was already perfectly beachy, no additional product cocktailing needed.

Photo: Imaxtree

Honestly, I chalked it up to some higher power—it must have known that a bad hair day would just sink me into a depression at that point—so it blessed me with gorgeous, tousled, easy beach waves. So I tested it again the next morning when I was better-rested, and yep, it was true. A little spritz of texturizing spray—I vacillate between Oribe Dry Texturizing Spray and IGK Beach Club Texture Spray—on towel-dried hair lends itself to a texturized-but-not-crunchy vibe that can be hard to get if it’s your last step. Three weeks later, it still works like a charm.

And if you’re really committed to the beachy look, skip the round brush and rough-dry it with just your fingers. Finish with a little cream or oil on the ends for some dimension (I like Sachajuan Finish Cream or Ouai Hair Oil). Good hair days ahead, people.