If you want to extend your beachy, tousled waves beyond the beach this Labor Day weekend, sugar sprays are the way to go, especially if your hair is fine in texture. They’re an amazingly sweet alternative to sea salt sprays. While salt sprays can leave curls feeling dry and brittle, sugar sprays create craveable, soft waves, minus the stiffness or the crunch. They contain hyper-moisturizing sugar extracts that impart your hair with a healthy shine — making them perfect for those with dry, damaged or colored hair.
They also deliver incredible body and texture to your tresses, adding touchable, piecey separation to the ends. Plus, the sugar-spiked sprays dry quickly and add plenty of texture and hold without any sticky residue. “Sugar sprays allow women who have fine, limp hair to create their own definable textured results and they allow women who naturally already have loads of texture to control and maintain the hold and support throughout their hair,” explains Christopher Catanese, a TIGI Academy educator.
TIGI Bed Head Sugar Shock Spray, $15.95 at Target
To build and intensify body, Catanese advises working the sugar spray into wet hair from mid-length to ends. “Use a round brush in sections around the head for a voluminous finish. And directly upward to increase lift at the root,” he says. For a loose, natural texture and feel, Catanese likes to apply the sugar spray throughout wet hair. He then combs through to distribute evenly.
“Once the product is distributed, push natural texture back into hair with hands. Use a blowdryer on medium speed and medium heat. Dry hair slowly working systematically around the head. And don’t section the hair because doing so may cause frizz by overworking the area,” he adds.
Keratin Complex Sweet Definition Texturizing Sugar Mist, $17 at Keratin Complex
How to DIY Your Own Sugar Spray
For those who simply want to DIY and create their own natural, light, flexible-hold version of the spray that allows their hair to move naturally without being stiff, here’s an easy-to-follow recipe.
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 teaspoon sugar
Directions: Heat the water until it reaches an almost boiling temperature. Dissolve the teaspoon of sugar into the water. Mix thoroughly. Let cool. Then pour into a spray bottle. Spray and style your hair as usual. And if you want a spray that offers more hold, simply add another teaspoon of sugar to the heated water.
