Everyone wants undone, model-off-duty hair à la Alexa Chung but unfortunately we don’t have the aid of a legendary hair stylist to hand. The solution? Texture spray.
The love child of hairspray, dry shampoo and sea salt spray, this hybrid product promises to add movement, volume and staying power to your locks. Not only does it provide that roughed-up effect you’re lusting after but it also refreshes and revitalises flat or second-day hair without any of the nasty residue that comes with dry shampoo.
So how do you use it? Usually in a metal can; texturising products are used just like hairspray. You can either spray all over by lifting large sections to create volume or in smaller, concentrated areas for hold and more definition.
That said, they’re all formulated differently with some adding shine while others will mattify, so it’s important to find one that works for you. Here, we’ve compiled a comprehensive guide to our favourite texturising sprays.
1. Ouai Texturising Hair Spray, 128ml: £22, Selfridges
One of many amazing products from celeb hair stylist Jen Atkin’s popular range, it's ideal for creating bed-head texture in an instant. If it’s good enough for the Kardashian-Jenner sisters, Chrissy Teigen and Jennifer Lopez, then it’s good enough for us. Super-lightweight, it leaves no tell-tale chalkiness or residue and gives your hair plenty of definition, hold and shine. The spray is also formulated with Ouai’s “smart technology” – a cocktail of nourishing ingredients like keratin, ibiscus and jasmine that work to strengthen and protect your hair at the same time.
2. Oribe Dry Texturising Spray, 75ml: £20, Space NK
Cult beauty brand Oribe is lauded by hair stylists and beauty editors alike, and while this travel-size texturizing spray is a little pricey, it’s well worth it. An invisible, dry spray, just a quick mist promises voluminous hair that, thanks to its patented polymers absorbing oil, will leave you with styled for a full day. It’s fortified with aloe barbadensis leaf juice, ginger root and mango, to encourage hydration and circulation. Plus, it smells divine. So much so that the brand launched an eau de parfum with the same notes of jasmine, sandalwood and bergamont.
3. L’Oreal Professionnel Tecni Art Next Day Hair, 250ml: £9.39, Notino
Technically a powder, this product comes in an aerosol for easy, even distribution. It gives your hair plenty of body and lift, without any of the crunchiness you get with hairspray and adds that messy-looking finish. With a small nozzle that finely sprays the product, it gives hair a natural feel and an instantly dishevelled look that’s easy to brush out.
4. Redken Wind Blown Dry Finishing Spray, 250ml: £12.23, Look Fantastic
As a brand that’s been around since the Swinging Sixties, Redken knows its stuff and this texturising spray proves it. If you’re looking for big hair then this is the spray for you, as it gives instant body and bouncy fullness with a mild hold. You can’t feel it in your hair and it can be used to target your roots or be sprayed all over for a natural, windswept effect that gives you a soft-matte finish.
5. Bumble & Bumble Dry Spun Finish Thickening Hair Spray, 150ml: £22, John Lewis
While it’s great for all hair types, Bumble & Bumble’s spritz works wonders on fine, limp hair. So if you struggle to maintain volume, this could be the solution. A little goes a long way with this translucent, dry spray: the result is instant fullness, with movement and texture, but without any residue. It also contains ingredients like wheat proteins, zeolite and silk powder to give texture and make brushing easier.
6. Sachajuan Moulding Spray, 125ml: £15, Cult Beauty
One of Stockholm’s coolest brands, Sachajuan has become a cult favourite among beauty buffs – and we can see why. This moulding spray is ideal for those who love to create different styles. It boosts volume and is great for adding texture to ponytails, plumping braids and adding new life to second-day hair. A non-sticky product, it leaves your hair looking effortless and feeling fresh.
7. Living Proof Instant Texture Spray, 148ml: £22, Fabled
Streamline your styling ritual with this multi-purpose product that thickens, holds and adds texture to your hair. Ideal for breathing energy into lifeless locks. Some serious science has gone into this one too, with the brand’s patented, volumising molecule (PBAE) forming microscopic thickening “dots” along each hair giving it immediate fullness.
The Verdict: Texture hair sprays
For hair that will look just as good at 6pm as it did first thing in the morning, Ouai’s Texturising Hair Spray is a clear winner. Invisible, added shine and serious volume, it ticks all the boxes. But, we also have to mention Bumble & Bumble’s Dry Spun Finish, which comes a close second, as it revives lifeless hair almost instantly.
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