Hairspray may automatically make you think of crunchy, slicked-back hairstyles…but what if I told you that it’s useful for curly hair styling too – and your hair won’t even look crispy if you do it right!

Read on to find out how hairspray can be used on curly hair, along with the best hairsprays for curly hair on the market right now.

Can you use hairspray on curly hair?

Short answer – of course you can! In fact, there has been a recent uptick in brands creating hairsprays specially designed for curly hair, with formulations that consider the unique characteristics of curly hair. Hairspray is especially good for fine hair, since it gives a lot of hold without weighing hair down. But, there are a few factors to take into account before you reach for that can…

Pros and cons of using a hairspray on curly hair

There are lots of benefits to styling your curls with hairspray:

👍🏽 Hairsprays give great hold: the hard hold that hairspray gives can really help your curls with lasting definition, whether you use it alone or with another product.

👍🏽 Hairsprays can help with volume: the slightly rough texture that some hairsprays provide can actually help boost volume and texture if your hair is overly soft and your curls drop easily, which is common with fine hair.

👍🏽 Hairsprays can be cheap: while there are some more expensive hairsprays out there, a drugstore hairspray works on curly hair just as well.

👍🏽 Hairsprays are lightweight: if your curls get easily weighed down, hairsprays are a great way to give hold to your curls without putting too many extra products in your hair.

On the other hand, there are also some characteristics of hairspray that not everyone likes…

👎🏽 Hairsprays can feel producty: it is easy to use too much hairspray, and that can give you a stiff or producty feeling in your hair. A little texture is good for hold, but too much can feel a bit icky.

👎🏽 Some hairsprays can be drying on curly hair: hairsprays often contain short-chain alcohols like denatured alcohol, and these quick-evaporating ingredients can sometimes feel drying on curly hair. If your hair is well-conditioned and soft, this might not be a problem, but if it loses moisture quickly, this could make the problem worse.

👎🏽 Hairsprays can cause tangles: the strong hold and texture that hairsprays give can make curls stick together, which can make them difficult to detangle. While this feeling washes away easily, it’s best not to touch your hair when you have hairspray in it!

How to style curly hair using hairspray

On its own: for a lightweight, voluminous result, you can try applying hairspray on your curls without any other styling products! When your curls are soaking wet, define them in the way you want them to be (whether that’s through brush styling, raking and scrunching, or whatever your preferred application method). Then, squeeze the excess water out of your hair and spray the hairspray all over, making sure you also get the crown of your head and the back. Diffuse or air dry as usual.

Watch @welshiecurlgirl demonstrate this on Instagram:

Layered with another product: hairspray is great for boosting the hold of any styler! For another lightweight but high-volume combo, try spraying hairspray after raking and scrunching in a foam, or just spray a light mist of it after applying gel. If you’re worried about the drying effects, try a leave-in or cream underneath – but if you’re still not getting the definition and hold you’d hoped for, try skipping those extra conditioning steps.

Watch me style with foam + hairspray on Instagram:

Partway through drying: hairspray is also great for Smasters, which is when you glaze more of your styler over your curls when your hair is half-dry. To do this with hairspray, you can either spray it directly over your hair partway through drying, or you can spray it into wet hands and then glaze that over your curls.

Curls feeling crispy after styling?

With all three of these methods, don’t forget that if your hair feels crispy when it’s dry, you can “scrunch out the crunch” by scrunching your curls until that crunchy feeling goes away. This should be done on fully dry hair! Remember that hairspray is supposed to give a little texture to hair to help with hold, so don’t panic if you can still feel a bit of the product in your hair.

Alcohol-free hairsprays specially designed for curly hair

As mentioned, there are a few curly-hair-specific hairsprays on the market now! These are often formulated without alcohols, as many curlies are still concerned about their drying effects.

Bouclème Flexible Hold Hair Spray: find on…
Bouclème website (use code COAST15 for 15% off) | LookFantastic (use code LFTFCOAST for 21% off) | Marks & Spencer | Cult Beauty

Bounce Curl Hair Spray: find on…
Bounce Curl Website (use code CURLSBYTHECOAST10 for 10% off) | International stockists

Curlsmith Flawless Finish Hairspray – Strong Hold: find on…
Curlsmith website | Amazon US | Amazon UK

Curlsmith Flawless Finish Hairspray – Flexible Hold: find on…
Curlsmith website | LookFantastic (use code LFTFCOAST for money off) | Amazon US | Amazon UK

Other hairsprays

I’m of the opinion that just because a product has a drying alcohol in, doesn’t make the entire formulation drying! So if you, like me, don’t care about avoiding alcohols in your curly products, these hairsprays also work on curly hair.

Umberto Giannini Weatherproof Hold Anti-Humidity Frizz Free Hairspray: find on…
Umberto Giannini website (use code COAST20 for 20% off) | Boots UK | LookFantastic | Amazon

Innersense I Create Finish: find on…
Innersense UK website | Innersense US website

Amika Fluxus Touchable Hairspray: find on…
Cult Beauty | Amazon US | Amazon UK

Wella Deluxe Shine & Repair Hairspray: find on…
Boots UK | Amazon UK | LookFantastic (use code LFTFCOAST for money off)

Further reading about the role of alcohols in curly hair products:

Are alcohols bad for curly hair? Here’s the difference between “drying” and fatty alcohols