This $53 Texture Mist Gives My Thin Hair The Indie Sleaze, Boho Waves Of My Dreams

Think Kate Moss at Glastonbury circa 2005; Sienna Miller in 2004’s Alfie, Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen in New York Minute (also 2004), and Alexa Chung’s 2007 French girl bob. What do they all have in common? Perfectly, effortlessly tousled hair. Hair that suggests late-night partying, a missed alarm clock, and having to do your makeup on the Tube. Or perhaps a jet-set life of sun, sand and sea — a magical concoction that always grants you your best hair days (but usually, for us mere mortals, only on those rare occurrences that you are on holiday). It’s an ideal that I’ve been chasing ever since my formative teenage years and, especially with the resurgence of indie sleaze and all things 2006-to-2012 coded, one that hasn’t gone away with maturity and a fully developed frontal lobe. And so when news of a wonder product — a quick trick to my hair of dreams if you will — trickles in via a friend, I just had to bite. Introducing Hair by Sam McKnight’s aptly named Cool Girl Barely There Texture Mist, $53.

I have to admit I was rather doubtful. Me and texture mists? This isn’t my first rodeo. I remember the salt-heavy, crunchy-hair days of OG Bumble and Bumble’s Surf Spray and Schwarzkopf’s got2b Beach Matt (especially the smell — that stale, chemically charged saltiness). It didn’t do my very fine, thin tresses any good then; the salt just dried out my already moisture-depleted hair even more. Luckily, times and hair care technologies have changed. Now, Sam McKnight has perfected a weightless mist formula that lifts my roots and amps up the lengths, while keeping my hair soft and touchable, too. All without the faff of blow drying/curling/crimping/waving (this is a certified lazy girl favourite too).

As you can see, I’ve made some attempt to give my hair volume with choppy layers. Usually I leave my hair as uncombed as possible as this is the only way to give it the semblance of movement — the layers get flat and limp very quickly and I typically only have a window of a day or two after washing when it has body. This means I’m often washing my hair every other day, just to give it life. Now with the Cool Girl Mist, I’ve been able to cut that down to just washing twice a week. A few spritzes of this at the roots and scrunched in at the ends makes a world of difference. I’ve found applying it on my hair upside down amps up the volume, as does spraying hair with water so it’s damp first (though it also works well on dry hair). I’ve found a natural wave coming through, but without the frizz and tangles. Rather, Cool Girl leaves a subtle shine to your hair. A warning to any fragrance haters out there: This spray does have a strong scent (a fresh, grassy combination of frankincense, juniper wood and water lily).