With men starting to switch to more natural, textured hairstyles new products are popping up that we never would have used before.

The traditional pomades are starting to be switched for clays, pastes, texture powders and salt sprays.

And it's the latter, salt sprays, that we're going to focus on here. So what is salt spray and how should you use it on your hair?

What Is Salt Spray?

Salt spray or sea salt spray is exactly what it says on the tin. It's a spray with salt in it and it's designed to mimic the look you get from a quick splash in the sea. It works on your hair because sea salt is naturally dehydrating and absorbs the natural oils in the hair. This means that you are easily able to create natural, textured and wavy looks with the spray.

How Much Salt Spray To Use?

This will all depend on your hair type and the product you're using. As with most products, for those with finer hair we'd suggest using less and for those of you with thicker hair we'd suggest using a little more. This will all be a case of trial and error for your hair type and the product you're using.

Some salt sprays will have stronger holds, some will dry out the hair more, some will make the hair look greasier so just bare all of these in mind and start small. It's always easier to add product than to remove it!

Haircut by @jakelansley_jbs

How To Apply Salt Spray?

Salt spray will be mainly used as a pre styler and most salt sprays will be suggested to be applied to damp hair before blow drying through. This will normally get the most of a salt spray as it will allow you to get added volume and texture in the hair, which is the main purpose of salt spray.

However, most salt sprays will also be able to be applied to dry hair and left to dry naturally too, especially for longer hairstyles. You may want to do this if you're in a rush and just want to add a little bit of texture to the hair. You obviously won't get the same volume that you'd get from blow drying though!

What Styles To Use Salt Spray For?

For long length hairstyles

Salt sprays are great for longer length hairstyles as a pre styling product to add texture and volume to the hair. If using on a long length hairstyles then you will probably get away with using just salt spray on it's own to add some texture and waves to the hair, but if you want to finish with something else for added hold then apply hair spray once dry.

Haircut by @cullencharlie17

For short to medium length hairstyles

Salt spray is not just to be used on longer length hairstyles however, as salt sprays are also great for use on short to medium textured hairstyles, like the new David Beckham hairstyle, as a pre styler. Simply spray a small amount into damp hair and blow dry through. Then finish with a small amount of matte clay or paste for added hold and to remove the "fluffy look" of the hair.

Bare in mind that salt sprays are best used on textured messy hairstyles and not on smarter slicked styles. If you want a textured matte look to your hair that has movement and is easily rewardable then salt spray is for you!

Will Salt Spray Dry My Hair Out?

Yes, as we mentioned salt spray does dehydrate and absorb the natural oils in your hair, there's simply no way to get around that in some way. This however is not something to be hugely concerned about at the level that a sea salt spray should dry your hair out at.

Different brand salt sprays will dry your hair out more than others, so again this will be a bit of trial and error to get the right one for you and make sure it isn't over drying for your hair.

If you do have ultra dry hair or are worried about your hair overly drying out after using salt spray then we'd suggest either stopping use or using a hydrating serum or leave in conditioner afterwards.

Also if it is something you're a little concerned about then don't use salt spray every single day, only use it when you really want to nail your hairstyle.

Get Exclusive Access To The Regal Gentleman Salt Spray

To follow on from the success of our matte clay, we've spent the past 12 months creating our very own salt spray with some of the best barbers in the UK and our Regal team of testers. It will soon be here, and you can get exclusive access now to be one of the first to try it.