If you have Scandinavian-whispy hair like me, you know that a texture spray is a mainstay. At the same time, finding an organic texture spray that doesn’t dry out your hair, is far harder said then done.

A salt-based spray is one of the best (and most versatile) ways to bulk up your fine hair and build texture, all using natural-based ingredients. Some stylists use it as a prep for everything from high-buns to headband curls.

This USDA-certified organic sea mist from John Masters Organics (JMO) gives a bit of body and a touch of grit to fine hair. The sea salt  (harvested from the Mediterranean) helps create the beachy texture and body. While the organic aloe leaf juice and lavender oil helps counteract the drying-nature of the salt to keep hair hydrated all while adding sheen.

How To Use It: The instructions on the bottle are a bit vague. So, here’s how to really up your sea salt spray game:

• Spray your hair with water till damp.

• Then take small sections of your hair and twist-and-spray each section from root to ends with JMO’s sea salt spray. A little goes a long ways, 1-2 sprays per section is ideal.

• For extra volume, grab a handful of duckbill clips. Then, scrunch each twisted section and clip it into place near the root.

• Let it air-dry or blow-dry. Remove the clips. Scrunch. Enjoy your beach waves. 

What We Love About It: JMO’s spray adds volume without adding long list of unpronounceable chemicals to your mane or the air. It smells lovely too. Think: no synthetic fragrances, just a hint of lavender.

Ingredients: Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice (Aloe)*, Glycerin*, SD Alcohol 38-B (Lavender Blended Alcohol)*, Sodium Chloride (Sea Salt Blend), Linalool†, Geraniol†, Limonene†, Coumarin†

Good To Knows: It’s easy to overdo this spray, which tends to make fine hair feel less beachy and more tacky. If you add too much spray near your roots, you might even get the appearance of some white-crystalized salt flakes. Our tip: use conservatively and you’ll love it. If you find that the alcohol or salt is still bit too drying for your hair, another texture-adding alternative I love is Honeybee Garden’s Alcohol Free Herbal Mint Hair Spray but it’s especially firm, so I only use a scant-amount of it.

May your summer be filled with great-hair-days.

Love,

Hazel + Lemon

Good for You - The COSDNA ingredient analysis listed the ingredients as a “2” and EWG reviewed the spray at a safe “1”. John Masters Organics products are free of SLS, parabens, DEAs, MEAs, TEAs, GMOs, petro-chemicals and artificial colors, fragrances or fillers. The organic essential oils in JMO’s products are steam-distilled while the plant oils are cold-pressed. Here’s a complete list of ingredients JMO steers clear of.

Good for Others - I couldn’t find too much information on the website about JMO’s ethical practices. I know the brand believes in using fairly traded ingredients whenever possible, but I wasn’t able to find more information other than that. Fingers crossed they supplement their website with more details + transparency soon. I recently reached out to JMO and (hopefully) more fair-trade details and specifics are pending. After a bit of sleuthing, I did find out that JMO does partner with the J Life Foundation (a local charity near a few of their Hong Kong locations) to support under-privilege families. We’d love to read and see more about this partnership in the future too.

Good For Earth - Inspired by his dogs (the-recently-adopted) Maya and Amber (his sweet pup passed away after battling cancer in 2006) John Master believes in ethical treatment for all animals. The entire JMO line is cruelty-free and endorsed by PETA. JMO tries to use fully recyclable amber glass bottles whenever possible. For some of his plastic-packaged products, the company uses PET (1) plastic—the most commoly recyclable alternative. All boxes used for JMO’s skincare line are made from 100% recycled paper with 100% soy ink. JMO’s packing "peanuts" are also made from sugar for decomposing. A few of JMO’s locations also incentivize customers to bring previously-used plastic conditioner bottles (from any brand) and then JMO sends the bottles to HK recyclables. The one thing that is really missing is just most details and transparency as far as sourcing + packaging.

C&C Overall - Finding a super-clean, organic texture spray is rather hard. So, Hazel and I both appreciate that John Masters Organics salt spray is a refreshingly clean and minimalist. I love the texture that the spray adds to my hair and it’s an ideal quick-fix for slept-in hair. The salt, alcohol and glycerin ingredients can be a bit drying—but for me, the aloe and lavender seem to tip the scale. If you want to DIY your own salt spray, this is a recipe I’ve used in the past and enjoy.