Sea salt spray is one of the most popular alternatives to standard hair spray.
It gives your hair texture and volume without making it heavy or greasy, and it uses just a few simple, natural ingredients.

But just how good is sea salt spray for your hair, and is it safe to use? Don’t worry, because we’ve got all the answers right here!
In this handy guide, we’ll look at whether or not sea salt spray is bad for your hair, as well as how you can keep your hair protected while you’re styling it.
What Is Sea Salt Spray?
Sea salt spray is a type of hair styling product that’s used to give your hair a tousled, textured look.
Most sea salt sprays contain a mixture of sea salt, water, and other natural ingredients such as essential oils and extracts or sea kelp.
Unlike regular hair sprays, sea salt spray doesn’t leave your hair greasy and heavy.
The salt content in the spray absorbs the oil in your hair, leaving it light and without the same weight and oily feeling that other hair products have.
Using sea salt spray gives your hair the same effect as a day at the beach, with that wavy, slightly stiff texture and full volume typically associated with coastal areas.
It also makes it easier to style, as the hair maintains its shape after the hair is styled due to the salt content keeping strands in place when dry.
Adding natural oils or other, similar ingredients helps to lock in moisture and prevent your hair from becoming brittle and dry.
Things like citrus oil or sea kelp also give your hair a luxurious shine, along with a pleasant scent and soft feel.
Is Sea Salt Spray Bad For Your Hair?
So now that we’ve covered what sea salt spray actually is, let’s take a look at whether or not it’s bad for your hair.
The short answer here is no – at least, not if you’re using it properly.
However, using sea salt spray too regularly or incorrectly can actually be damaging to your hair and leave it brittle and lifeless.
As we’ve mentioned already, the salt in sea salt spray absorbs and removes the natural oils from your hair.
While these oils can leave your hair feeling heavy and greasy if left to build up for too long, they also provide your hair with a layer of protection and hydration that keeps it looking and feeling soft and flowing.
If you use too much sea salt spray, or use it too regularly, you can strip away all of these natural oils and absorb all the moisture from your hair.
This causes dryness and brittleness, and gives your hair a straw-like, lifeless appearance.
While using sea salt spray from time to time to style your hair won’t cause any major issues to your hair, frequent use can be pretty damaging and put your hair in a bad shape.
It’s not just your hair that can be affected by sea salt spray, however; it can also strip the moisture from your scalp, causing dry and flaky skin and damage to the roots of your hair.
This can have some pretty serious consequences for your hair.
Dry, brittle strands are prone to breaking and split ends, while damage to your scalp can cause issues such as flaky skin and even some hair loss!
These issues aren’t a problem if you use sea salt spray in moderation, and the salt can even be beneficial to your scalp by removing excess oil and sebum, which reduces the risk of dandruff and breakouts.
However, using sea salt spray too often can be bad for your hair and scalp, leading to several issues.
Why Does Sea Salt Damage Hair?
As we’ve already covered, using salt on your hair can leave it dry and brittle.
If you’ve ever swum in the sea and noticed your hair feeling stiff and straw-like afterward, it’s because of the salt content in the water.
By stripping the natural protective oils from your hair, it becomes more prone to damage and breakage.
Using sea salt spray too often prevents your hair from building this protective layer, causing it to dry out and become prone to damage.
The same goes for your scalp – removing the oils and sebum from your scalp, while it can be beneficial, also dries out and damages your scalp.
This can have even longer-lasting effects, as a damaged scalp can lead to issues like dandruff and even hair loss.
On top of the issues caused by salt, some sea salt sprays also include alcohol as an ingredient.
While a small amount of alcohol can strengthen and rejuvenate your hair and scalp, it can also dehydrate your hair and inflame your scalp, leading to damage.
How To Protect Your Hair When Using Sea Salt Spray?

But just because sea salt spray can be bad for your hair, that doesn’t mean you have to steer clear of it entirely!
Sea salt spray has plenty of benefits, both when it comes to styling and protecting your hair.
So with that said, let’s take a look at how to protect your hair and scalp while you’re using sea salt spray!
Don’t Use Sea Salt Spray Every Day
Using sea salt spray on a regular basis is the easiest way to dry out your hair, leaving it in bad shape.
Instead, use sea salt spray in moderation to protect your hair and scalp from the potentially harmful effects of the salt.
As long as you don’t use sea salt spray in excess, you can style your hair without having to worry about damage.
Use A Protein Spray To Strengthen Your Hair
Hair protein sprays help to strengthen your hair, rejuvenating its elasticity and preventing breakage and split ends.
Using a protein treatment prior to sea salt spray will keep your hair protected against the damage caused by salt.
Condition Your Hair Before Using Sea Salt Spray
Conditioner is also a great way to protect your hair from the potential damage of sea salt spray.
It locks in moisture and strengthens your hair, preventing it from drying out or breaking.
While leave-in conditioner is the best way to protect your hair from the salt in sea salt spray, it can leave your hair heavy and greasy; however, simply conditioning and washing your hair before styling it with sea salt spray will keep your hair safe from harm and easy to style!
Final Thoughts
And there you have it!
While sea salt spray can be bad for your hair if used in excess, as long as you style with it in moderation and protect your hair properly in advance, you shouldn’t have any issues.
Although sea salt spray can lead to dry and brittle hair, using it correctly will let you get that tousled, textured look without any risks!
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