By Tom Henkenius, founder of Henkey's
Sea salt spray is one of the easiest ways to give hair texture, volume and that effortless, slightly undone look. It can also leave it feeling dry, gritty or like there's way too much stuff in it. Brightside had an interesting idea: add clay.
I have thinning hair.
So, I know the particular frustration of using a product that promises volume, watching my hair look fantastic for approximately 17 minutes, and then seeing it slowly collapse back onto my head.
Sea salt spray can help. Salt adds texture and grip, which gives flat hair more body. But use too much—or use the wrong formula—and that beachy texture can become dry, stiff or crunchy pretty quickly.
Then I tried Brightside Salt + Clay Surf Spray. The formula adds kaolin and bentonite clays alongside Dead Sea salt and Epsom salt. And on my hair, that combination creates something noticeably different: volume with a little more substance and control.
It's become my favorite product in the Brightside line. And apparently I'm not alone. Brightside co-founder Landon Strauss told me it's the brand's best-selling product overall.
What the Salt Does
Let's start with the familiar part.
Salt changes the feel of the hair. It creates texture and friction between strands, which makes hair easier to shape and gives it that deliberately imperfect, slightly undone finish people usually mean when they say "beach hair."
On thinning or fine hair, there's another benefit: texture can make hair look fuller.
You're not actually creating more hair. You're changing the way the hair you have behaves. That's an important distinction.
So Why Put Clay in a Spray?
This is the part that made us interested in Brightside.
Clay is normally something you expect to find in a jar. Kaolin and bentonite are common in matte styling products because they add grip, texture and a drier finish. Brightside took those clays and suspended them in a salt spray.
The idea is pretty straightforward: Salt creates texture and volume. Clay adds grip and substance. In practice, Salt + Clay feels like it sits somewhere between a traditional sea salt spray and a very lightweight styling product. There's enough texture to give your hair something to work with, but there's also a little more control than I'd expect from salt alone.
Getting there was apparently a pain. When Brightside was developing the product, Landon told me the clay kept settling.
"The clay would get stuck in the bottom of the bottle, and the sprayer wouldn't work."
— Landon Strauss, Brightside co-founder
The team kept adjusting the formula and eventually had to change part of the manufacturing process so the clay stayed properly mixed in.
It's a small detail. But it's also one of the things I like about the product. The salt and clay blend is listed second on the ingredient list, right after water. The clay isn't there because somebody in marketing thought "Salt + Clay" sounded good on a bottle. There's enough of it that they had to figure out how to make the bottle work.
The Best Way to Use It: As a Pre-Styler
This may actually be my favorite way to use it—and it's exactly what Brightside designed it for.
"The whole idea was to get a pre-styler… that was going to be great for volume and texture—especially volume."
— Landon Strauss
A pre-styler is simply a product you use before your primary styling product. Its job is to create the foundation before you finish the style: volume, texture, control or whatever your hair needs.
That can be a better strategy than asking one heavy product to do everything.
Salt + Clay gives me the volume and texture first. Then I can use considerably less of whatever comes next.
Want the hair to stay very natural and matte? Add a small amount of Brightside Textured Cream.
Need more hold? Finish with Firm Clay Wax.
For longer hair or something with a little more movement and polish, Hybrid Pomade makes more sense.
The important part is that you're not starting from flat, slippery hair anymore.
Salt + Clay builds the scaffolding. Your finishing product decides what the building looks like.
The Blow-Dryer Makes a Big Difference
You can spray Salt + Clay into damp hair and let it air-dry. You'll get texture and a looser, more natural finish. I love this approach: easy, just spray and go.
But if volume is what you're after, use a blow-dryer. You're using the product for grip while the heat and airflow create the shape. Landon describes it the same way:
"If your hair is damp, spray it on, then you blow-dry it, and it really gives you that great, thick look."
— Landon Strauss
Once the hair is dry, you can stop there. For a loose, matte, textured style, you may not need anything else. Landon says his teenage son does exactly that on school mornings—a few sprays instead of a whole styling routine.
Or you can add a finishing product.
Is Brightside Salt + Clay Good for Thinning Hair?
This is where the product really earns its spot in my routine.
If your hair is thinning or fine, you generally want volume without a lot of weight. Put too much heavy styling product into it and you can solve one problem while creating another: you've got hold, but you've flattened the hair you were trying to make look fuller.
Salt + Clay works differently.
It's personal for Brightside, too. Brightside co-founder Chris Hjerling has thinning hair. "My business partner has thinning hair, and he loves it," Landon told me.
I spray it into damp hair, then blow-dry. As the hair dries, I can build lift at the roots and separation through the rest of the hair without coating it in a heavy cream or pomade first.
The clay gives me a little grip. The salt gives me texture. And because the finished hair has more separation and body, it looks like I have more of it.
Again, that's cosmetic. This isn't a hair-growth product, and it's not treating hair loss. It's styling the hair you already have in a way that can make it appear fuller.
For guys with thinning hair, that's a pretty useful trick.
Does Salt + Clay Make Your Hair Crunchy?
Not when I use the right amount.
This is still a salt-and-clay product. If you're expecting your hair to feel exactly as soft as freshly conditioned, product-free hair, you're using the wrong category. The texture is intentional.
But there's a difference between texture and crunch. Used properly, Salt + Clay gives my hair noticeable grip without making it feel shellacked into place.
The easiest mistake is simply using too much. Start with a few sprays. Work it through. Blow-dry. Then decide whether you actually need more.
Hair is remarkably unforgiving of the "well, six sprays were good, so twelve must be incredible" school of hairstyling. Truly, start with less and add more.
Does Salt + Clay Dry Out Your Hair?
Dryness can be one of the downsides of salt sprays. Brightside's formula doesn't contain alcohol which was an intentional decision the founders made from the start.
"When we set out to do Brightside, we wanted to be able to get into Whole Foods and Sprouts… not necessarily organic, but clean products. We didn't want alcohol in there."
— Landon Strauss
That doesn't mean Salt + Clay magically turns salt into conditioner. It's still a texturizing product.
If your hair is very dry, damaged, bleached or prone to breakage, I'd be more conservative with how often you use any salt spray and pay attention to how your hair responds.
Who Should Use Brightside Salt + Clay?
I'd start here if you like matte, textured hairstyles and want a base that makes everything else work better—whether you use it alone or under a cream, clay or pomade.
It's especially good if your hair is thinning, fine, flat or difficult to give volume to.
Who wouldn't I recommend it to? If your hair is already very dry or damaged, I'd probably start somewhere else. And if what you want is a slick, shiny, highly controlled finish, a texture spray isn't really solving your problem in the first place.
How to Use Brightside Salt + Clay Surf Spray
For the most volume:
-
Start with damp hair. Towel-dry first. You don't want it dripping wet.
-
Shake the bottle. There's actual clay in here. This isn't the product I'd skip that step with.
-
Start with a few sprays. Concentrate on the areas where you want texture and volume rather than soaking every strand.
-
Work it through with your fingers. Make sure you're distributing the product instead of leaving it sitting on the surface. You could stop here or…
-
Blow-dry while lifting at the roots. Use your fingers to lift the hair away from the scalp and point the dryer toward the roots. This is where the volume happens.
-
Stop—or finish. Leave it alone for a loose, textured look, or add a small amount of cream, clay or pomade for more hold and shape.
The Bottom Line
There are plenty of sea salt sprays.
What makes Brightside interesting isn't that it reinvented the category. It's that it made one smart change to it.
It added clay.
On my hair, that gives the salt something I didn't realize I wanted until I used it: a little more grip, a little more substance and a little more help keeping the volume I created.
That's why Salt + Clay was the Brightside product that caught our attention. It's why it's my favorite product in the line.
And if you want a texture spray that doubles as a real pre-styler—especially if your hair is thinning or fine—this is the Brightside product I'd start with.
Want the rest of the story? Read how Brightside earned its place at Henkey's, including how Landon and Chris went from a San Diego barbershop to their own formulas.
Shop Brightside Salt + Clay →
Brightside Salt + Clay FAQ
Can you use Brightside Salt + Clay Surf Spray every day?
You can use it regularly, but how often makes sense depends on your hair. If your hair begins feeling unusually dry, scale back and make sure you're conditioning appropriately.
Should you use Salt + Clay on wet or dry hair?
For volume, start with damp hair and blow-dry. You can also use a small amount on dry hair when you want additional texture, but start conservatively.
Can you use Salt + Clay without another styling product?
Yes. For a loose, matte, textured style, it can be enough on its own. Add a cream, clay or pomade afterward when you need more hold or control.
Is Brightside Salt + Clay only for thinning hair?
No. It works as a texture spray and pre-styler on most hair types. It's especially useful on thinning or fine hair because it adds volume without weight.
Is Brightside Salt + Clay good for thinning hair?
It can help thinning or fine hair look fuller by adding texture, separation and volume. It does not grow hair or treat hair loss.
Does Brightside Salt + Clay contain alcohol?
No. Brightside formulated it without alcohol, which is a common source of dryness in salt sprays.
What's the difference between sea salt spray and Brightside Salt + Clay?
Traditional sea salt sprays primarily use salt to create texture and grip. Brightside combines Dead Sea salt and Epsom salt with kaolin and bentonite clays, giving the hair additional texture and substance.
Do you need to shake Brightside Salt + Clay before using it?
Yes. Because the formula contains clay, shake the bottle before spraying to keep the ingredients evenly distributed.
Can you use Salt + Clay as a pre-styler?
Yes—that's what Brightside designed it for, and it's one of our favorite ways to use it. Apply it to damp hair, blow-dry for volume and then use a small amount of your preferred finishing product.
Henkey's Verdict: A matte, textured pre-styler that works for most hair—and especially well on thinning, fine or flat hair that needs volume without weight.
Brightside Salt + Clay Surf Spray Review: Why the Clay Matters
By Tom Henkenius, founder of Henkey's
Sea salt spray is one of the easiest ways to give hair texture, volume and that effortless, slightly undone look. It can also leave it feeling dry, gritty or like there's way too much stuff in it. Brightside had an interesting idea: add clay.
I have thinning hair.
So, I know the particular frustration of using a product that promises volume, watching my hair look fantastic for approximately 17 minutes, and then seeing it slowly collapse back onto my head.
Sea salt spray can help. Salt adds texture and grip, which gives flat hair more body. But use too much—or use the wrong formula—and that beachy texture can become dry, stiff or crunchy pretty quickly.
Then I tried Brightside Salt + Clay Surf Spray. The formula adds kaolin and bentonite clays alongside Dead Sea salt and Epsom salt. And on my hair, that combination creates something noticeably different: volume with a little more substance and control.
It's become my favorite product in the Brightside line. And apparently I'm not alone. Brightside co-founder Landon Strauss told me it's the brand's best-selling product overall.
Brightside
Salt + Clay Surf Spray
$20.95 | 6 fl oz
What the Salt Does
Let's start with the familiar part.
Salt changes the feel of the hair. It creates texture and friction between strands, which makes hair easier to shape and gives it that deliberately imperfect, slightly undone finish people usually mean when they say "beach hair."
On thinning or fine hair, there's another benefit: texture can make hair look fuller.
You're not actually creating more hair. You're changing the way the hair you have behaves. That's an important distinction.
So Why Put Clay in a Spray?
This is the part that made us interested in Brightside.
Clay is normally something you expect to find in a jar. Kaolin and bentonite are common in matte styling products because they add grip, texture and a drier finish. Brightside took those clays and suspended them in a salt spray.
The idea is pretty straightforward: Salt creates texture and volume. Clay adds grip and substance. In practice, Salt + Clay feels like it sits somewhere between a traditional sea salt spray and a very lightweight styling product. There's enough texture to give your hair something to work with, but there's also a little more control than I'd expect from salt alone.
Getting there was apparently a pain. When Brightside was developing the product, Landon told me the clay kept settling.
The team kept adjusting the formula and eventually had to change part of the manufacturing process so the clay stayed properly mixed in.
It's a small detail. But it's also one of the things I like about the product. The salt and clay blend is listed second on the ingredient list, right after water. The clay isn't there because somebody in marketing thought "Salt + Clay" sounded good on a bottle. There's enough of it that they had to figure out how to make the bottle work.
The Best Way to Use It: As a Pre-Styler
This may actually be my favorite way to use it—and it's exactly what Brightside designed it for.
A pre-styler is simply a product you use before your primary styling product. Its job is to create the foundation before you finish the style: volume, texture, control or whatever your hair needs.
That can be a better strategy than asking one heavy product to do everything.
Salt + Clay gives me the volume and texture first. Then I can use considerably less of whatever comes next.
Want the hair to stay very natural and matte? Add a small amount of Brightside Textured Cream.
Need more hold? Finish with Firm Clay Wax.
For longer hair or something with a little more movement and polish, Hybrid Pomade makes more sense.
The important part is that you're not starting from flat, slippery hair anymore.
Salt + Clay builds the scaffolding. Your finishing product decides what the building looks like.
The Blow-Dryer Makes a Big Difference
You can spray Salt + Clay into damp hair and let it air-dry. You'll get texture and a looser, more natural finish. I love this approach: easy, just spray and go.
But if volume is what you're after, use a blow-dryer. You're using the product for grip while the heat and airflow create the shape. Landon describes it the same way:
Once the hair is dry, you can stop there. For a loose, matte, textured style, you may not need anything else. Landon says his teenage son does exactly that on school mornings—a few sprays instead of a whole styling routine.
Or you can add a finishing product.
Is Brightside Salt + Clay Good for Thinning Hair?
This is where the product really earns its spot in my routine.
If your hair is thinning or fine, you generally want volume without a lot of weight. Put too much heavy styling product into it and you can solve one problem while creating another: you've got hold, but you've flattened the hair you were trying to make look fuller.
Salt + Clay works differently.
It's personal for Brightside, too. Brightside co-founder Chris Hjerling has thinning hair. "My business partner has thinning hair, and he loves it," Landon told me.
I spray it into damp hair, then blow-dry. As the hair dries, I can build lift at the roots and separation through the rest of the hair without coating it in a heavy cream or pomade first.
The clay gives me a little grip. The salt gives me texture. And because the finished hair has more separation and body, it looks like I have more of it.
Again, that's cosmetic. This isn't a hair-growth product, and it's not treating hair loss. It's styling the hair you already have in a way that can make it appear fuller.
For guys with thinning hair, that's a pretty useful trick.
Does Salt + Clay Make Your Hair Crunchy?
Not when I use the right amount.
This is still a salt-and-clay product. If you're expecting your hair to feel exactly as soft as freshly conditioned, product-free hair, you're using the wrong category. The texture is intentional.
But there's a difference between texture and crunch. Used properly, Salt + Clay gives my hair noticeable grip without making it feel shellacked into place.
The easiest mistake is simply using too much. Start with a few sprays. Work it through. Blow-dry. Then decide whether you actually need more.
Hair is remarkably unforgiving of the "well, six sprays were good, so twelve must be incredible" school of hairstyling. Truly, start with less and add more.
Does Salt + Clay Dry Out Your Hair?
Dryness can be one of the downsides of salt sprays. Brightside's formula doesn't contain alcohol which was an intentional decision the founders made from the start.
That doesn't mean Salt + Clay magically turns salt into conditioner. It's still a texturizing product.
If your hair is very dry, damaged, bleached or prone to breakage, I'd be more conservative with how often you use any salt spray and pay attention to how your hair responds.
Who Should Use Brightside Salt + Clay?
I'd start here if you like matte, textured hairstyles and want a base that makes everything else work better—whether you use it alone or under a cream, clay or pomade.
It's especially good if your hair is thinning, fine, flat or difficult to give volume to.
Who wouldn't I recommend it to? If your hair is already very dry or damaged, I'd probably start somewhere else. And if what you want is a slick, shiny, highly controlled finish, a texture spray isn't really solving your problem in the first place.
How to Use Brightside Salt + Clay Surf Spray
For the most volume:
The Bottom Line
There are plenty of sea salt sprays.
What makes Brightside interesting isn't that it reinvented the category. It's that it made one smart change to it.
It added clay.
On my hair, that gives the salt something I didn't realize I wanted until I used it: a little more grip, a little more substance and a little more help keeping the volume I created.
That's why Salt + Clay was the Brightside product that caught our attention. It's why it's my favorite product in the line.
And if you want a texture spray that doubles as a real pre-styler—especially if your hair is thinning or fine—this is the Brightside product I'd start with.
Want the rest of the story? Read how Brightside earned its place at Henkey's, including how Landon and Chris went from a San Diego barbershop to their own formulas.
Shop Brightside Salt + Clay →
Brightside Salt + Clay FAQ
Can you use Brightside Salt + Clay Surf Spray every day?
You can use it regularly, but how often makes sense depends on your hair. If your hair begins feeling unusually dry, scale back and make sure you're conditioning appropriately.
Should you use Salt + Clay on wet or dry hair?
For volume, start with damp hair and blow-dry. You can also use a small amount on dry hair when you want additional texture, but start conservatively.
Can you use Salt + Clay without another styling product?
Yes. For a loose, matte, textured style, it can be enough on its own. Add a cream, clay or pomade afterward when you need more hold or control.
Is Brightside Salt + Clay only for thinning hair?
No. It works as a texture spray and pre-styler on most hair types. It's especially useful on thinning or fine hair because it adds volume without weight.
Is Brightside Salt + Clay good for thinning hair?
It can help thinning or fine hair look fuller by adding texture, separation and volume. It does not grow hair or treat hair loss.
Does Brightside Salt + Clay contain alcohol?
No. Brightside formulated it without alcohol, which is a common source of dryness in salt sprays.
What's the difference between sea salt spray and Brightside Salt + Clay?
Traditional sea salt sprays primarily use salt to create texture and grip. Brightside combines Dead Sea salt and Epsom salt with kaolin and bentonite clays, giving the hair additional texture and substance.
Do you need to shake Brightside Salt + Clay before using it?
Yes. Because the formula contains clay, shake the bottle before spraying to keep the ingredients evenly distributed.
Can you use Salt + Clay as a pre-styler?
Yes—that's what Brightside designed it for, and it's one of our favorite ways to use it. Apply it to damp hair, blow-dry for volume and then use a small amount of your preferred finishing product.
Henkey's Verdict: A matte, textured pre-styler that works for most hair—and especially well on thinning, fine or flat hair that needs volume without weight.