Scary Hair, or Captain Howdy's Been Playing With My Shampoo Again

Photo Credit: Sephora

My hair needs a young priest and an old priest. We have a few of each at the church I work at, but since I'd feel weird asking any of them to douse my head in Holy Water, I've been on a journey to find something to tame my possessed hair. "The power of Redken compels you!" hasn't quite been cutting it.

My hair is naturally wavy--in the back. It's naturally straight on one side in the front. I tried blowing it out, but that only seemed to make it angry, so I dropped my weapon, backed away slowly, and decided to give the surfer girl look a go.

Two years ago, I found myself in a similar predicament. Once Summer hits full-swing down here, all you can do is hope for the best and expect the frizz. Our weather laughs at anti-humidity hairspray. It guffaws at gel. The more you do to combat the moisture in the air, the more you just tick it off. I fully believe that Southern weather is sentient, and wages war with those who personally offend it. I am totally on its hit list, especially after last Summer's filming and all the gunk that went into my hairstyles.

Two years ago, I also found my hair's salvation--a magical little cheapie potion called Sunsilk Waves of Envy Sea Mist. You sprayed it on, let it air dry either down or twisted into pin curls, and took it down for amazing rock-star surfer waves. It was liquid gold, I tell you. Sadly--nay, tragically--it has been discontinued.

This year, I searched high and low for a replacement brand, and, for the longest time, found nothing. I guess when you live near the beach, buyers assume you'll just let nature do the work for you. To that, I respond, "pish!" I haven't been to the beach this year, and I highly doubt I'll make it anytime soon. There's also no salt spray in my air-conditioned bathroom, where all my other hair styling products reside. I needed something bottled, thank you.

Luckily, Bumble and Bumble have seen the need for this product, and Sephora has been nice enough to stock it. Of course, it's considerably more expensive than the Sunsilk, but that's supply and demand for you. Aptly named Sea Spray, this is, basically, bottled sea air. Here's what Sephora has to say about it:

This styling spray adds volume and texture to the hair to create a sexy, wind-blown feel. Its salt-infused formula adds fullness, hold, and a cool, matte finish. Salt water is no secret to editorial stylists for adding volume and texture, and anyone who has been in the ocean knows of that salty, sexy, sun-dried, wind-styled feel (that seems such a shame to wash out). So while Bumble and bumble hasn't exactly bottled the real thing, they've replicated and improved it, including seaweed and kelp extracts to enhance moisture.

I say: Yeah, that about covers it. I washed my hair, added a bit of mousse, blew it dry to the point of dampness, spritzed it generously, hit it with the hair dryer again for a second (just to blow it around a little bit, like wind would), then let it air dry the rest of the way. It resulted in the exact same beachy kind of style I'd get after spending a day laying out in sugar sands. The spray added a ton of body and texture, so my already thick hair looked even more voluminous, and the waves held all day, without even a touch of hairspray. It was gorgeous, easy, and I loved it...

...till the next day. I didn't have time to wash my hair the next morning, but figured the beach waves would get me through work and I could shampoo that evening. That's when I made the fatal error of brushing my hair. It immediately frizzed almost beyond control. In retrospect, I should have skipped brushing and opted to utilize the extra texture in a messy bun, but I didn't. A fair amount of hair oil and smoothing cream and a couple of well-placed braids later, the frizz gave way to a look a little more Ren Faire in nature, and I was good to go. On the pro side, the mattifying formula of the Surf Spray kept my second-day roots from looking shiny. $23, Sephora.

Final Verdict: 7 out of 10. Pricey, but worth it. Just be prepared for second day drama if you skip the shampoo.