In my twenties I spent a season teaching sailing and kiteboarding at a resort in the Bahamas. My first real time in saltwater as a kid from Ontario. Within a few weeks, every instructor I worked with had the same thing going on: that effortless, lived-in, incredibly textured hair. We loved it so much we'd compete to see how long we could go without washing it out. My buddy Myles made it ten days.

We assumed everyone knew saltwater did this. Turns out they didn't.

One day a couple approached us. Two hairstylists from New York. They kept asking what we were using in our hair to get it to look the way it did.

"You have to tell me what you use."

Myles shrugged:"It's just salt, bro."

When a professional hairstylist is asking about the product you're using and the answer is literally just the ocean, something's missing from other products on the market. As a chemical engineer, I had a lightbulb moment.

Back home, I went looking.
Every sea salt spray I tried fell short. Synthetic feeling and overly drying. Alcohols that left your hair crunchy instead of textured. Lab-made versions of something that should be simple.

After 80+ formulations I figured out the secret is the real thing. And combined with plant gels, I found a way to get as much real ocean water into a bottle as possible, without the damaging dryness and crunch that comes with other sea salt sprays.

Built with the right people.
Back in Halifax I had the best test group imaginable: surfers, kite boarders, and stylists. Their feedback shaped every iteration. That community is still at the heart of how we work, from university engineering students on new product development to the shops and barbers who stock us.

What's next.
Eventually you have to wash your hair. I always hated how shampoos stripped my natural oils and irritated my scalp, so we solved that too. The Surf Shampoo cleanses gently, maintains your texture, leaves your hair soft and healthy, and comes in high quality yet sustainable solid. And more products on the way - all committed to hair health with a sustainable, surf-inspired approach.

Mike Petrosoniak, P.Eng
Founder, Salty Hair