How Do You Use Hair Spray for Styling? A Complete Guide for All Hair Types

Hair spray can be a game-changer in your hair styling ritual—but only if you know how to use it. Used the right way, it can hold your look in place, boost volume, tame frizz, and add shine. Used the wrong way, it can feel sticky, stiff, or unnatural.

So how do you actually use hair spray for styling? Which one should you pick—flexible hold, medium hold, or strong hold? Should you apply it before or after blow drying? And how much is too much?

In this blog, we’ll simplify it all: how hair spray works, which type to use for your hair goals, and how to apply it based on your hair type and styling habits. You’ll also learn a few insider tips that can take your results from basic to beautiful.

What Does Hair Spray Do in Styling?

Hair spray is designed to hold your hair in place after it’s been styled. But beyond just “freezing” a look, today’s formulas are far more advanced. A modern styling spray can:

• Set a shape while keeping hair soft

• Add volume, especially at the roots

• Give your strands a healthy shine

• Smooth out frizz and flyaways

• Support definition in curls or waves

• Lock in the bounce and shape after a blow dry

Hair spray works by creating a thin, flexible film on the surface of your hair that helps it maintain its shape throughout the day.

Choosing the Right Type of Hair Spray Hold

Not all hair sprays are the same. Choosing the right hold level is key to getting the finish and feel you want.

Flexible Hold
Perfect for everyday styles like blowouts, soft waves, or natural volume. It helps keep shape while allowing hair to move freely. Best for fine hair, open hairstyles, or when you want a very natural finish.

Medium Hold
Offers more control than flexible hold but still keeps some movement. Ideal for managing frizz, creating structure in waves or curls, and helping styles last through the day. Suitable for most hair types.

Strong Hold
Designed to lock styles in place with minimal movement. Best for sleek ponytails, buns, or managing very thick or coarse hair. Also great for humid days when your style needs extra support. Use sparingly on finer hair types to avoid stiffness.

Specialized Sprays: Volumizing, Shine, Frizz Control

Many styling sprays today also serve additional purposes beyond hold:

• Volumizing Sprays are light enough for fine or limp hair, giving a lift at the roots and body through the lengths.

• Shine Sprays reflect light off the surface of your hair to give it a healthy, glossy finish.

• Frizz-Control Sprays help smooth the hair cuticle and prevent puffiness caused by humidity or dryness.

You can often find multi-functional sprays that combine hold with volume, shine, and frizz control—all in one formula.

When Should You Use Hair Spray in Your Routine?

Hair spray is typically used toward the end of your styling ritual—once your hair is in place and you want to set it. But some formulas (especially volumizing or 3-in-1 sprays) can also be used before blow drying to help shape and lift.

Ask yourself:

• Are you trying to hold a finished style? → Use it as the last step.

• Are you trying to build volume or shape while blow drying? → Use it on damp hair before styling.

• Are you trying to control frizz or add shine to air-dried hair? → Use it when hair is almost dry for best results.

How to Use Hair Spray for Different Hair Goals

Let’s walk through how to apply hair spray based on what you want your hair to do:

1. For Volume and Root Lift (with Blow Dry)
Use a volumizing spray with light-to-medium hold.

• Towel-dry your hair and part it into sections.

• Spray at the roots, holding the bottle about 6–8 inches away.

• Use your fingers or a round brush to lift the roots as you blow dry.

• Once dry, mist again lightly at the crown for extra bounce.

• Flip your head upside down and shake it out to loosen and lift.

2. For Frizz-Free, Sleek Styles
Use a medium or strong hold spray with smoothing benefits.

• Style your hair into a sleek bun, ponytail, or smooth blowout.

• Lightly mist the spray onto your palms or a clean brush.

• Smooth over the surface of your hair to flatten flyaways.

• For stubborn frizz, spray directly onto the crown or hairline and press gently with your fingers.

3. For Soft Waves or Curls with Hold
Use a flexible or medium hold spray.

• Style your hair into waves or curls as usual.

• Once hair is dry and in shape, spray evenly from mid-lengths to ends.

• Let it sit for 10–15 seconds before touching the hair.

• Flip hair for added volume, or scrunch gently for bounce.

4. For Air-Dried Control and Shape
Use a light hold spray that offers frizz control and definition.

• After towel-drying your hair, detangle gently.

• Mist a light layer through mid-lengths and ends.

• Use your fingers to scrunch or shape your natural texture.

• Let your hair dry naturally—don’t touch too much while it sets.

• Once dry, mist a final layer to smooth the top and add shine.

5. For Long-Lasting Sleekness in Tied Styles
Use a strong hold finishing spray.

• Once your bun, ponytail, or braid is complete, spray all around from about 8 inches away.

• Mist lightly, then use the side of a comb or brush to press the hair down gently.

• If needed, spray onto your hand and pat down any stubborn flyaways.

Application Tips: How to Get It Just Right

• Always spray from a distance: 6 to 8 inches is the sweet spot. Too close and you’ll get clumps.

• Use light layers: Start with one mist, then add more only if needed.

• Let it dry completely: Avoid brushing or touching your hair immediately after spraying—this helps set the style.

• Spray with movement: Don’t hold the nozzle in one place. Move your hand as you spray for even distribution.

• Use your hands: For more natural shaping, spray onto your hands and gently press into hair instead of spraying directly.

Avoid These Common Mistakes

• Spraying too close, which causes stiffness or wet patches

• Using too much at once—buildup can make hair feel coated

• Brushing hair right after spraying—it can disrupt the hold

• Spraying only at the top—always lift sections and spray underneath for volume

One Spray That Does It All: 2.Oh! 3-in-1 Hair Styling Spray

If you're just getting started or want one multitasking option, the 2.Oh! 3-in-1 Hair Styling Spray is crafted in Italy and tailored to Indian hair needs.

It combines shine, volume, and blow-dry support in a single formula, making it ideal for a wide range of hair goals. With a blend of Smart Styling Activators, panthenol, and a 5-protein complex, it offers flexible hold with a natural finish—no stiffness, no residue. Whether you’re blow drying, air drying, or just polishing your look, it fits beautifully into any styling ritual.

Final Thoughts: Learn the Technique, Love the Results

Using hair spray well is all about choosing the right type, applying it at the right time, and using the right technique. It’s not just for red carpets or fancy events—it’s for everyday shine, volume, and frizz control.

Once you know how to work it into your ritual, hair spray becomes the one product that quietly makes everything else look better. And the best part? It takes just a few seconds to apply.

So if you’ve never quite known how to use hair spray for styling, now you do—and your best hair days may be just a spritz away.