Creams give waves a shape. Sprays give them grip, and grip is what fine, slippery hair usually lacks by the second day. This is where the beachy, salt-water idea is really useful, because a little roughness helps a wave hold its bend instead of sliding flat.

OUAI's Texturizing Wave Spray and IGK's Beach Club Volume Texture Spray are the two that read most obviously as beach. Both suit hair that has been air dried and needs a lift at the roots and some bend through the middle. Bumble and bumble's Thickening Dryspun Texture Spray and Oribe's Dry Texturizing Spray are the drier, more grown-up choices, leaving a drier finish that makes a loose wave look lived in. Living Proof's Full Dry Volume and Texture Spray is the one to reach for when lift is the goal. Kenra's Volume Spray 25 is the hairspray in the group, meant for locking a shape in place after everything else.

Spray from a good arm's length, hold the bottle away from your roots, and scrunch upward rather than brushing. If it feels stiff, do not add product. Rub a little water between your palms and pat it through, and the wave loosens back up.

One more test: after a spray, tilt your head and shake it out. If the waves fall back into place with a soft bounce, you used the right amount. If they stay rigid, the next round gets half as many spritzes, and the roots get most of them.

Half of good wave care is what happens around the product. Rough friction is what turns a defined bend into a puffy cloud, and most of that friction comes from towels, elastic bands and sleeping on cotton.

Act+Acre's Microfiber Hair Towel is the step I would take first: press and squeeze upward, never rub, and skip the wrap-your-head-in-a-turban routine that drags on wet strands. Slip's Slipsilk Skinny Scrunchies are the ones I would wear overnight in a loose pineapple on top of your head. For holding hair off your face while product sets, the claw clips are more useful than they look: Emi Jay's Big Effing Clip in Cherry Kiss grips a lot of hair, Drybar's Hold Me Hair Clips are the easy everyday pick, and Pattern Beauty's Hair Clip works well for sectioning damp lengths. I love the tortoiseshell ones in the collage for this, since they are as good on the counter as on the head.

If you like a diffuser, Curlsmith's Hair Defrizzion Dryer and XXL Diffuser cups sections of waves instead of blowing them about.

What I would skip: brushing dry waves, wrapping them tightly in a regular towel, and tying them with a thin elastic band. All three break up the wave pattern you just built, and none of them leave you with anything to show for it.

Small habit, big difference: put your clips and scrunchies in the same spot every night, so the gentle option is also the easy one.

My own routine is short. Cream or mousse on soaking hair, scrunch, diffuse or air dry, then a spray only if the second day asks for it. Try to change one thing at a time, and give it a few washes before deciding.

If your hair goes flat, use less cream and more spray. If it frizzes, do the opposite, and lean on a mousse for hold. Sleep on something smooth, refresh with a damp hand, and keep clips near the sink so the shape does not get pushed about while you get ready.

I also keep one wide-tooth comb for the shower and nothing else. Detangle with conditioner in, from the ends up, then put the comb down. Waves like being handled once, gently, and then left to do their own thing for the rest of the day.