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How To Use Sea Salt Spray For Men

It’s like a beach day packed into a little squirt bottle. Once you learn how to use sea salt spray for men, you can bring those ocean vibes with you wherever you go.

Table of Contents

What Is Sea Salt Spray?

Imagine if hair spray and dry shampoo had a baby – that would be sea salt spray.

Sea salt spray is a light, natural hair styler that adds texture, volume and hold to your hair. The salt dissolves any oil buildup that collects at your roots, which makes your hair look thicker and bouncier.

Depending on the brand and bottle you choose, some sea salt sprays have a stronger hold or more drying power. Be sure to read the label to make sure you’re buying the right one for your hair.

And be warned – I don’t recommend sea salt spray for guys with dry hair or scalp. It’ll leave you feeling dehydrated and itchy.

Who Should Use Sea Salt Spray?

Guys with thin, oily, and curly hair should try out sea salt spray.

It’s one of the best ways to add volume to your hair, perfect for making thin hair look fuller. The texture that a sea salt spray can add to your hair looks great with curls. And the drying salts dissolve oil near your roots, so guys with oily hair appreciate how fresh it makes their scalp feel fresh.

Pair sea salt spray with a shampoo that treats oily hair, and you have the dream combo for guys like me who feel greasy by the end of the day.

Now, that’s not to say guys with thick hair can’t use sea salt spray, but it won’t address the problems that your hair and scalp face. You probably already have enough volume, and your hair probably does a good job of hiding oiliness. You might prefer using hair paste.

How To Use Sea Salt Spray For Men

Use Sea Salt Spray For Texture

This method is best if you have freshly washed hair that isn’t sitting the way you want it to. To add some texture to your hair…

  1. Start with damp or dry hair.
  2. Spray your hair with sea salt spray, getting it wet again (not dripping, but just enough so that it’s visibly wet).
  3. Use a comb to style your hair in the direction that you want it to sit.
  4. Let your hair air dry, and it’ll look thicker and firmer than before.

Use Sea Salt Spray For Volume

Blowouts are tragically underrated in everyday men’s hair care, but sea salt spray can give you the perfect, fluffy, volume-filled hair you’ve been missing out on.

  1. Start with damp or dry hair.
  2. Spray your hair with sea salt spray, getting it visibly wet.
  3. Blow dry your hair with a brush. Remember to blow dry in the direction that you want your hair to sit.
  4. Once it’s dry, your hair will look fluffier and thicker thanks to the sea salt.

Use Sea Salt Spray To Dissolve Oil

  1. Start with dry, dirty hair that hasn’t been washed in a few days.
  2. Get it damp with your sea salt spray – not sopping wet.
  3. Use a wide-toothed comb to comb it upward and outward. Since your roots are dirty, you don’t want to comb your hair toward your head.
  4. Let your hair air dry. It’ll look cleaner, and the volume and texture that the sea salt spray adds will hide your greasy roots.

You don’t necessarily need to wash your hair the night after you use sea salt spray. In fact, I recommend conditioning it instead, once you’re ready for your nightly shower. A good conditioner for oily hair will help add moisture back into your hair without making you feel greasy.

How To Use Sea Salt Spray On Straight Hair

For straight hair, I thoroughly recommend using sea salt spray with a blow dryer (the volume method that we talked about above).

Here’s the problem that you’ll face if you let your hair air dry when you use sea salt – you’ll get those wispy fly-away strands. On curly hair, sea salt spray hides those strands well. But on straight hair, it draws attention to every out-of-place hair.

Using a blow dryer with sea salt spray on straight hair is perfect for adding volume and ensuring that every hair stays in place. Your hair will look neater.

How To Use Sea Salt Spray On Short Hair

I like using sea salt spray to dissolve visible oil that builds up quickly on short hair. On those days you go without washing your hair, spritz it with some sea salt spray to liven it up. You’ll look clean again.

Follow the steps in the “Using Sea Salt Spray to Dissolve Oil” section above. 

Guys really shouldn’t wash their hair every day. So sea salt spray is perfect for letting you go longer between washes.

Can I Use Sea Salt Spray Every Day?

Avoid using sea salt spray every day. Remember our warning above? Salt is drying. That’s why it does a great job of dissolving oil buildup.

If you use a salt spray every day, you’ll start to feel long-term dehydrating effects on your hair and scalp. For some guys, their dandruff gets worse. Others start to feel itchy, or their hair gets brittle or frizzy.

Salt sprays are great 2-3 times a week. Overusing them will have negative effects on your scalp.

Is Sea Salt Spray Good For Dry Hair?

Sea salt spray is bad for dry hair, eczema, psoriasis, folliculitis, and dandruff.

Lots of guys forget – any product that goes in your hair ends up being absorbed by your scalp, to a certain extent. Salt isn’t known as a soothing ingredient. If you add it to an already irritated scalp, it’ll just cause more irritation and worsen breakouts.

If you have dry hair, salt can cause more frizz.

It’s easy to think that a sea salt spray will feel refreshing and hydrating on dry hair. That’s the same logic people use when they drink ocean water to treat dehydration. Don’t fall for the trap.

Is Sea Salt Spray Good For Thin Hair?

Sea salt spray works wonders for thin hair.

Most guys with thin hair have problems with volume, texture, and oiliness. Those are exactly the symptoms that sea salt treats! You can let it air dry, use a blow dryer, apply it wet or dry – any method will leave you with hair that looks thicker.

So if this sounds like you, then I suggest really learning how to use sea salt spray for men.

Do You Use Sea Salt Spray On Wet Or Dry Hair?

You should use sea salt spray on damp or dry hair. Because the spray is already watery, if you use it on wet hair, the water in your hair will dilute the spray.

There’s nothing that annoys me more than wasted product. It’s like watching money go down the drain. When you try to use sea salt spray on wet hair, it doesn’t absorb properly into your hair. You’ll use more, trying to get it to work right, and you won’t get the full volumizing effects of the spray.

Can You Sleep With Sea Salt Spray In Your Hair?

You can sleep with sea salt spray. 

If you’ve read our other hair product reviews, like how to use gel or how to get rid of pomade acne, you’ll know that this advice goes against everything we’ve taught you about hair products. The #1 rule is that you shouldn’t leave it in your hair overnight.

Sea salt is an exception. In fact, if you usually sleep on wet hair, you can apply sea salt spray at night when your hair is damp, and by morning, it’ll add some extra texture and volume to your dry hair.

It’s a gentle product, so you don’t need to worry about it clogging your pores overnight. Just don’t sleep with it more than 2-3 times a week – it turns into a bad overnight date after that. Remember, salt is drying. Using sea salt too frequently will make your scalp feel dehydrated.

Do I Need To Wash My Hair After Using Sea Salt Spray?

You don’t need to wash your hair after using sea salt spray, but you’ll probably want to.

Most guys eventually realize that sea salt sprays are best for going between hair washes. You might wash your hair only 2-3 times a week, and once you hit 1-2 days after a wash, apply some sea salt spray to freshen up. By the time the next day rolls around, it’s probably time for some shampoo.

Is Sea Salt Spray Bad For Hair?

Sea salt spray is only bad for your hair if you overuse it. And, really, that goes for any hair care product.

When you overuse sea salt spray, it dries out your hair and scalp. This can worsen dandruff and irritation, and it’ll make your hair look frizzy. If you have sensitive or dry skin, sea salt spray probably isn’t the best styling product for you.

On the other hand, sea salt spray can make your hair look fresh and full, even on a day when you haven’t washed it. Use it sparingly, and you can have great hair everyday. So I recommend you learn how to use sea salt spray for men.

Frank Edwards is a men's grooming & style expert who is "internet famous" for being able to simplify complicated grooming routines into easy, yet effective rituals any man can do. As a professional analyst, he has spent years researching the biggest brands, products, experts, best practices, and breaking news in the space. He takes this analysis, tests it out on himself, and then documents everything in his writing. As a result, his experience-based articles are considered by some to be the gold standard in men's grooming and men's style.