Normally I'm not so quick to jump on a review like I am about to with this product... but I was so impressed after just one use of this that I couldn't prepare my review quick enough! I got the Bumble and Bumble Surf Spray just last week in the Selfridges Summer Beauty Box and I couldn't wait to try it out. Luckily, the chance arose on Saturday - I wasn't planning on leaving the house (apart from to sit in the garden in the glorious sunshine) - so I figured that if it didn't work, it wouldn't matter what my hair looked like. All too often I've tried out products for the first time when I'm going out somewhere, and actually care about my appearance, and they've let me down!

For most, Bumble and Bumble's Surf Spray needs no introduction - I certainly didn't need one. But if you have genuinely never heard of this product before, basically it's a styling spray that gives you the wavy, textured hairstyle that you get after you've swam in the ocean. I haven't been to a beach and swam for a very long time, but from what I remember my hair did go wavy, however it was also crunchy and a nightmare to brush out afterwards without a lot of conditioner. Now, for a price, you can achieve the "beach babe" look without having to step foot near a beach and without the crunchy, dry texture!


Normally, if I leave my hair to dry naturally it does go quite wavy by itself - but only if I don't brush out my hair after unravelling it from my hair towel. If I do brush it, it dries pretty much straight with an odd kink here and there, and quite flat; not a good look. The problem with not brushing my hair is that it can look too messy, and often goes quite flyaway after a couple of hours. So, what I was hoping for from this spray was to be able to brush through my hair after towel-drying and still be able to achieve wavy hair with good volume. What I ended up doing was patting my hair dry, brushing it through with my new Tangle Teezer and spraying it evenly all over my hair, including the roots. I then scrunched the ends of my hair to encourage the waves, and sat outside in the light wind to speed up the drying time. When I looked in a mirror a couple of hours later I was amazed to find perfect waves all through my hair!



The two images above show the results... I think you can agree that they are pretty impressive. My hair is quite long and thick, so I was wondering if it perhaps wouldn't work as well as some claim, but that isn't the case. My hair still felt soft and manageable, not crunchy at all and was no more difficult to brush through than usual. I didn't notice any discernible scent; I was expecting it to smell salty and a did a bit, but not very strongly at all and it disappeared very quickly. Whilst my hair didn't have tonnes of volume it had enough for me and lasted until I brushed it out about ten hours later. One thing I will point out is that you will get the best result from being outside in the "fresh air", so to speak. I applied it again the next day but stayed indoors whilst it dried and the result was fine, but not as good. Even being out for thirty minutes or so will be enough - or at least it was for me!

The negative point about this product is one that rings true with most of the people who love it... the price. The 50ml bottle I have is worth £8.50 and it is a very small bottle indeed. I have used it twice and I'm down about a third of the bottle already - unfortunately I can't tell because the bottle is opaque. I can see this being used up very quickly, so it doesn't really offer good value for money. The 125ml bottle retails for £20.50, which does work out to be slightly better value but is still pretty steep. So, this will have to be one that's saved for special occasions - such as my birthday this Thursday!

Final verdict: Look no further if you are trying to create those perfect waves for practically no effort. It is a bit pricey but it is unrivalled - I've never known anybody to have found a cheaper dupe!

Bumble and Bumble Surf Spray can be bought from Boots for £20.50 (125ml). However if you intend to stock up, consider buying directly from Bumble and Bumble's website. The 125ml bottles are still £20.50 each, but if you buy at least two you benefit from free shipping and an extra free 50ml bottle of Surf Spray. You also get to choose two samples at the checkout.