If you’ve ever dreamed of getting that perfectly “undone,” tousled, just-walked-off-the-shore hair without booking a flight, you’ve probably stumbled upon a bottle of Not Your Mother’s Beach Babe Sea Salt Spray. It’s a drugstore legend.
For years, I’ve been on a personal quest for a product that can convince my flat, lifeless hair to hold a wave for more than twenty minutes. If you’re like me, and you’re looking for texture, volume, and that effortless “cool girl” vibe on a budget, this is the review you need to read. This iconic blue bottle might just be your holy grail.
My Experience With Beach Babe Sea Salt Spray
Let me paint you a picture of my natural hair: it’s fine, there’s a good amount of it, but it has a frustratingly weak wave pattern (think 2A on a good day).
Left to its own devices, it air-dries into a shape that is neither straight nor wavy, but a sad, flat “blah” in between. It’s soft, which is nice, but it has zero “grit.”
This means styles just slide right out. A braid won’t last, and a bobby pin will slip.
I’ve always craved that “second-day” texture that makes hair look fuller and more interesting.
My journey with the Beach Babe spray started at a local drugstore.
I was drawn in by two things: the vibrant blue bottle and the ridiculously low price. For less than ten dollars, the promise of “tousled waves” and a “tropical vanilla coconut scent” felt like a steal. I snatched it up, imagining myself emerging from the ocean like a mermaid.
My first attempt was, frankly, a disaster. I got out of the shower, towel-dried my hair until it was just damp, and then… I drenched it. I must have used at least thirty sprays, coating every strand from root to tip, thinking “more is more.” I scrunched it a bit and let it air dry. The result? My hair felt like a bundle of straw. It was stiff, impossibly crunchy, and so tangled I was genuinely scared to run a brush through it. The “waves” were there, but they were sharp, spiky, and looked completely unnatural. It was a matte, crunchy mess, and I almost threw the bottle away.
But I’m persistent (and cheap). I wasn’t ready to give up. I went online and read how other people were using it. This is where I had my “aha!” moment. I was doing it all wrong.
The next weekend, I tried again. This time, I applied a generous amount of my favorite leave-in conditioner to my damp hair first. This, my friends, is the game-changer. After letting that sink in for a minute, I flipped my head over. I sprayed the Beach Babe spray, but this time, I used maybe six or seven spritzes, focusing only on the mid-lengths and ends. I avoided my roots entirely. Then, I scrunched. I didn’t just squeeze—I “scrunched and held” each section for about ten seconds to encourage the wave.
Instead of air-drying, I grabbed my blow-dryer and attached the diffuser. On low heat and low speed, I gently cupped the scrunched sections in the diffuser bowl and dried my hair about 90% of the way. The difference was night and day. My hair was full, bouncy, and had actual soft waves. The dreaded “crunch” was gone, replaced by a touchable, gritty texture that felt amazing. My fine hair suddenly felt twice as thick. It wasn’t silky, but that wasn’t the goal. The goal was texture, and I had it in spades. That day, my hair held its style, looked voluminous, and I got two compliments. I was officially a convert.
Pros Of Beach Babe Sea Salt Spray
- The Price Is Practically a Steal: Let’s be real, this is the number one reason most of us pick it up in the first place. In a world where premium texture sprays can cost $30, $40, or even $50, Not Your Mother’s is a true drugstore gem. It’s so affordable that it feels like a low-risk experiment. You can try it without the “buyer’s remorse” that comes with splurging on a high-end product you might hate. This accessibility means you can keep a bottle at home, one in your gym bag, and a travel-size one in your purse without breaking the bank. It democratizes the “beachy wave” look, making it available to everyone, not just those with a salon-sized budget.
- The Scent Is a Tropical Vacation: The moment you mist this spray, you’re hit with its signature tropical vanilla and coconut scent. It is delicious. It’s not a subtle, “is she wearing something?” fragrance; it’s a very present, “I smell amazing” kind of scent. I find it uplifting and summery, and it genuinely makes the styling process more enjoyable. It’s a full-on sensory experience. The scent also lingers nicely in the hair throughout the day, acting like a light hair perfume. If you’re sensitive to strong smells, this might be a con for you, but for me, it’s a massive, massive pro. It’s the smell of summer in a bottle.
- It Delivers Incredible Grit and Texture: This is the true purpose of the spray. If you have fine, silky, or “slippery” hair like mine, you know the struggle. Your hair has no “grip.” This spray is the antidote. The salt (and other texturizing ingredients) coats each strand and creates a slight-yet-wonderful friction. This “grit” is what makes your hair feel thicker and more substantial. It’s the perfect foundation for braids, which will suddenly hold all day without slipping. It makes buns and updos look fuller and more “artfully messy” instead of thin and slick. It’s the “it factor” that turns clean, flat hair into styled, interesting hair.
- Instant Volume for Days: While I don’t spray this on my roots (I’ll get to that in the maintenance section), the overall effect of the spray is a massive boost in volume. By texturizing the mid-lengths, it creates more body and “fluff,” which lifts the entire hairstyle. When you use it with a diffuser, the effect is even more dramatic. It helps my fine hair defy gravity. It’s not the slick, smooth volume you get from a blowout; it’s a more rock-and-roll, piecey, separated kind of volume. It’s the key to faking a fuller head of hair.
- Added UV Protection Is a Sneaky Bonus: This is a feature I didn’t even know I needed until I saw it on the bottle. The formula includes ingredients that help protect your hair from the sun’s damaging rays.1 This is incredibly thoughtful, especially for a product designed to mimic a day at the beach. If you have color-treated hair, this is a huge benefit. Sun exposure is notorious for fading color and causing brassiness. Using this spray before a day outdoors gives you a little extra layer of defense, helping to preserve your expensive color and the health of your strands. It’s a pro that works in the background, but it adds serious value.
Read more: My Thoughts on Palmer’s Skin Success Eventone Fade Cream
Cons Of Beach Babe Sea Salt Spray
- The Crunch Is a Real and Present Danger: My first disastrous experience is a testament to this. It is shockingly easy to over-apply this product. If you use too much, or if you apply it to hair that is too dry, you will bypass “beachy” and go straight to “80s prom” levels of crunchy, stiff, and crispy. Your hair will feel hard to the touch, and you won’t be able to run your fingers through it. It’s a fine line, and finding the perfect amount for your hair type and length takes practice. It’s the product’s biggest flaw and the one that causes most people to give up on it too soon.
- The Drying Effect Is Not a Myth: This is a sea salt spray. Salt, by its very nature, is hygroscopic, meaning it draws moisture out of its surroundings.2 In this case, that’s your hair. If you use this spray daily, or if you have hair that is already dry, damaged, bleached, or high-porosity, you will feel the effects. Over time, it can leave your hair feeling parched, brittle, and more prone to snapping and split ends. This con is manageable (which I’ll cover in the maintenance tips), but you cannot ignore it. It is not a hydrating product, and it doesn’t pretend to be.
- It Can Cause Tangles and Knots: The same “grit” that I listed as a pro has a dark side. By creating friction between the hair strands, it can also cause them to tangle and knot together, especially if you have fine or long hair. At the end of a day wearing this, my hair definitely has more snags than usual. It requires a gentle hand and a good detangling comb in the shower to work through them. If you’re not careful, you could cause breakage just by trying to brush out the knots it helped create.
- The Strange “Greasy” Buildup Paradox: This one is weird, but I’ve experienced it, and I’ve seen others mention it. How can a product that is drying also make your hair look greasy or stringy? It’s not the salt’s fault, but likely the other ingredients in the formula (like conditioners or polymers) that are meant to offset the salt. On very fine hair, if you apply too much or get it too close to the scalp, this formula can weigh your hair down and make it look piecey in a “dirty” way, not an “effortless” way. It’s a strange balance-beam act.
Maintenance Tips For Beach Babe Sea Salt Spray
- Your Non-Negotiable First Step: Leave-In Conditioner: I cannot stress this enough. Do not even look at your Beach Babe bottle unless you have first prepped your hair with a moisturizing leave-in conditioner or hair serum. Think of it as applying primer before foundation. The leave-in creates a protective, hydrated barrier on your hair shaft. This allows the sea salt spray to sit on top of the barrier to do its texturizing job, rather than sinking in and sucking all the moisture out of your hair’s core. Apply your leave-in to damp hair, comb it through to ensure it’s evenly distributed, and then you can move on to the salt spray. This one tip alone will solve 90% of the “crunchy” and “dry” problems.
- The Perfect Canvas: Damp Hair: You need to find the “sweet spot” of dampness. If your hair is soaking wet, the product will be too diluted and will just drip right off, doing nothing. If your hair is bone dry, the spray will “flash dry” on the surface, creating instant crunch and a patchy, uneven application. The sweet spot is towel-dried hair that is about 60-70% dry. It should be damp to the touch, with no dripping, but still have enough moisture to help distribute the product evenly as you scrunch it in. This allows the spray to meld with your hair’s natural wave pattern as it finishes drying.
- Master the “Less Is More” Application: Your instinct will be to douse your hair. Fight this instinct. For my shoulder-length, fine hair, I use about six to eight spritzes total. I flip my head upside down and mist the product from at least a foot away. I am aiming for a “cloud” of product to fall on my hair, not a “jet” of product to soak one area. Focus exclusively on your mid-lengths and ends. Avoid your roots, as this can cause that weird greasy buildup and irritate your scalp. Avoid your very ends if they are prone to splitting, as this is the most fragile part of your hair. You can always add more, but you can’t take it away without re-washing your hair.
- Learn to “Scrunch and Hold”: How you dry your hair is just as important as how you apply the product. Don’t just squeeze your hair randomly. Take a section of your hair in your palm and “scrunch” it up toward your scalp, then hold it there for 5-10 seconds. This encourages the wave to form and “set.” Work your way around your head, scrunching and holding each section. This manual encouragement is key for those of us whose hair is “on the fence” about being wavy.
- The Diffuser Is Your Best Friend: While you can absolutely air-dry, I find the results are 100% better when I use a diffuser attachment on my blow-dryer. Use a low heat and low-speed setting. Tip your head to one side and gently “cup” a scrunched section of hair in the diffuser bowl, bringing it up to your scalp. Hold it there for 30 seconds before moving to the next section. The diffuser minimizes frizz by distributing the air gently, and the heat helps to “set” the waves created by the salt spray, giving you incredible volume and hold that lasts.
- You Must Use a Clarifying Shampoo: This is a non-negotiable part of the maintenance. Sea salt spray, like dry shampoo and hairspray, builds up on your hair and scalp.3 If you don’t remove it properly, your hair will eventually become dull, lifeless, and weighed down.4 Once a week (or every 3-4 washes), you need to use a dedicated clarifying shampoo.5 This will deep-clean your hair, stripping away all the salt, product, and hard water buildup, and “reset” your canvas. Your hair will feel lighter, and your other products will work better.
Comparison With Other Brands
- Beach Babe vs. Sun Bum Sea Spray: This is the most direct comparison, as they are both fun, beach-themed, and at a similar drugstore price point. The biggest difference I’ve found is in the moisture and scent. The Sun Bum “Texturizing Sea Spray” often feels a bit more hydrating; it contains sea kelp and other conditioning ingredients that make it feel slightly softer in the hair. The scent is also different: where Beach Babe is all tropical coconut, Sun Bum has that iconic banana-and-sunscreen smell. Honestly, it often comes down to which scent you prefer and whose formula your specific hair type finds less drying.
- Beach Babe vs. Ouai Wave Spray: This is the “drugstore vs. luxury” showdown. The Ouai Wave Spray, masterminded by celebrity hairstylist Jen Atkin, is not a salt spray; it uses rice protein and coconut water to create texture.6 As a result, it is far less drying and creates a “cleaner,” softer, more “piecey” look with more shine. The Beach Babe spray creates a “grittier,” more matte, and more voluminous look.7 The Ouai scent is also famously sophisticated (their “North Bondi” fragrance). The trade-off? The price. Ouai is significantly more expensive. I use Beach Babe for grit and volume, and a product like Ouai for softer, “second-day” texture.
- Beach Babe vs. Bumble and bumble Surf Spray: This is the OG, the one that started it all. The Bumble and bumble “Surf Spray” is a salon legend. In my opinion, it is also the most “salty” and drying of the bunch. It gives incredible, authentic “I just surfed in the ocean” texture, but it’s not for the faint of heart (or for damaged hair). It’s also very expensive. I see the Not Your Mother’s Beach Babe as the more affordable, slightly more forgiving, and better-smelling “dupe” for the original. If you find the B&b spray is just too harsh and costly, the Beach Babe is the perfect alternative.
Also read: My Thoughts on Redness Defense Green Primer
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
This is a “yes, but” answer. It’s “good” for styling—it’s fantastic at creating volume, texture, and waves, especially on fine or flat hair. However, because its main texturizing ingredient is salt, it is inherently drying. It’s not “good” for your hair’s health in the way a deep conditioner is. If you use it in moderation and follow it with proper maintenance (like using leave-in conditioners and clarifying), you can enjoy the styling benefits without long-term damage.
This completely depends on your budget and hair type.
For a Budget: Not Your Mother’s Beach Babe is arguably the “best” for its price. It delivers on its promise of texture and waves for under $10.
For Dry/Damaged Hair: A salt-free spray, like the Ouai Wave Spray (which uses rice protein), is a “best” choice because it gives texture without the drying effects of salt.8
For the “OG” Experience: Bumble and bumble Surf Spray is the iconic salon-quality original that many stylists still swear by for the grittiest, most authentic matte texture.
It’s a tool, and like any tool, it can be used correctly or incorrectly. It’s “bad” if you use it every single day on dry, color-treated hair without any hydrating products, as it will lead to dryness, brittleness, and breakage. It’s “good” when used as a styling product 2-3 times a week, after applying a leave-in conditioner, and as part of a routine that includes regular clarifying and deep-conditioning masks. It’s not inherently “bad,” but it must be used with care.
Here is my quick-step guide:
Start with damp, towel-dried hair.
Spray a moisturizing leave-in conditioner all over your hair and comb it through.
Shake the Beach Babe bottle. Lightly mist 6-10 sprays (depending on your hair length) from an arm’s length away, focusing only on the mid-lengths and ends.
Scrunch your hair with your hands. Use a “scrunch and hold” motion to encourage wave formation.
For best results, use a diffuser on your blow-dryer at low heat, low speed.9 Cup the scrunched sections in the diffuser bowl and dry them completely.
If air-drying, try not to touch your hair until it’s 100% dry to avoid creating frizz.
Conclusion
So, is the Not Your Mother’s Beach Babe Sea Salt Spray worth it? In my book, it is a resounding yes. You are getting a high-performance, cult-favorite styling product for the price of a few coffees. If you have flat, fine, or texture-less hair and you’re chasing that elusive, voluminous, gritty “surfer girl” look, this is your most affordable ticket there. Yes, it can be drying, but with the right maintenance (I’m begging you, use a leave-in!), it’s a con you can easily manage. It’s a staple in my collection, and it should be in yours, too.