If you’ve always found gels a touch too sticky, creams a bit heavy and those ever-popular beach sprays a tad gritty, we have just the fix: spray wax. The flexible formula hits a sweet spot and has honestly changed the way we style our hair. Here are five of our favorites—and tips on how to use them.

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Oribe Flash Form Finishing Spray Wax

Infused with a blend of glycerin and panthenol, this superfine mist adds a soft sheen to strands while providing a light hold. Apply it as a finishing touch from your mid-shafts to ends in a downward, sweeping motion for even distribution (and take a moment to luxuriate in that divine Oribe scent while you’re at it). 

Oribe ($42)

OGX Beeswax Texture Hair Spray Wax

Thick-haired ladies: This one’s for you. Beeswax gives this spray a bit more grip, which will help tamp down any puffiness and keep frizz in check. Use it on slightly damp strands for better definition as it dries.

OGX ($9)

DryBar The Kicker Finishing Spray Wax

Have fine hair that tends to go limp? Spray this coconut-scented wax into the palms of your hands before working it through your locks. With honey extract and microcrystalline wax, it adds just the right amount of tousled texture without weighing things down.

DryBar ($26)

FatBoy Spray Putty

Created by longtime stylist Tyson Kennedy, this spray is a lighter version of the brand’s cult Perfect Putty. Ladies with lobs, bobs and pixies: Lightly mist this all over your hair before scrunching random sections with your fingers for a piece-y, mussed-up texture. 

Fatboy ($28)

Sexy Hair Play Dirty Dry Spray Wax

One of the OG’s in the category, there really is no wrong way to use this versatile spray. It gives unruly curls shape and breathes life into limp strands. Use it any which way you please: on damp or dry hair, as a primer or as a finishing touch. The lightweight formula is flexible and won’t leave your hair crunchy.

Sexy Hair ($19)

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