This versatile styling product does much more than you think.
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In a world of fancy hair creams, balms, and texturizing sprays, classic ol’ mousse can get lost in the shuffle. But don’t sleep on this tried-and-true, lighter-than-air styler; it’s unbeatable for adding volume to fine hair, defining waves and curls, and tamping down frizz and flyaways.
“Mousse is a great product for all hair types,” says LA-based hairstylist and image consultant Sophie Rose Gutterman. “Think of it as a lighter version of a gel. My girls with fine hair can use a volumizing mousse at the roots to give your blowout body.” It’s also a tool every curly-haired person should have in their beauty arsenal, according to NYC hairstylist Shab Caspara. “Combed through damp hair and air-dried, it will enhance natural texture or control and define existing texture,” she explains.
We asked 60 testers to try 37 hair mousses to find the ones that should be bathroom cabinet fixtures. They clocked 192 hours of testing in our beauty lab and at home, applying the products to wet hair and styling twice a week for two weeks. When all was said and done, these 13 hair mousses came out on top.
Best Overall
R+Co Aircraft Pomade Mousse
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This all-star—a hybrid mousse-meets-pomade—was a huge hit with our curly-haired testers. Enriched with moisturizing neem oil and volume-enhancing papaya extract, the formula promises to boost body and texture while leaving each strand shiny and soft—and it delivers.
Our testers raved about how big and bouncy this product made curls. It managed to define each coil and wave without weighing it down and eliminated signs of static. The formula is super lightweight, it was barely perceptible once the hair was dry and adequately scrunched. After styling, every strand looked fresh and felt silky. There was no need for any additional products—this mousse did it all.
Best Budget
L’Oreal Paris Advanced Hairstyle Boost It Volume Inject Mousse
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This styling mousse from L’Oreal Paris proves you don’t have to spend big money to get big results. The formula gave our testers’ hair a noticeable lift at the roots and helped accentuate and hold their styles. It made our straight-haired tester’s A-line bob look smoother and more sophisticated (think: the Posh Spice bob from back in the day) while our curly-haired tester appreciated that it defined her waves and kept them looking great until evening.
The formula is super airy and doesn’t weigh down fine hair, although the initial volume boost slowly drops over time.
Best Scent
AG Care Cloud Air Light Volumizing Mousse
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The cherry on top of a big, bouncy blowout is a gorgeous scent—a quality that hooked us when we tried this mousse from AG Care. This natural formula contains lots of yummy-smelling ingredients, including orange and tangerine peel oils. Meanwhile, its volume-boosting abilities come courtesy of sugarcane extract and corn starch—two natural thickening agents.
This moisturizing mousse made the hair soft, shiny, and free from static. It gave good lift at the root and left hair feeling fuller to the touch, though we did notice a little residue at the scalp which gave the impression of greasiness.
Best for Fullness
Biolage Hydra Source Styling Mousse
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While some mousses can leave hair feeling dry, this one aims to improve hair condition with each use. The pillowy formula is infused with blue agave nectar which acts like a mini hair treatment, helping parched strands retain moisture.
That being said, it doesn’t sacrifice volume for all that hydration. Both our testers reported a major boost in fullness. One raved that it appeared as if her hair had been in heatless curlers while the other praised the mousse’s ability to boost volume at her roots, creating a lifted look that remained the following day. Another major plus was how smooth and static-free it left their hair, although one lamented a lack of shine.
Best for Fine Hair
Drybar Southern Belle Volume-Boosting Mousse
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Mousse is considered a styling essential to puff up fine hair by many pro stylists, so, it’s ironic that some formulas can actually weigh down fine strands, leaving them flatter than before. That’s certainly not an issue with this option from Drybar, which blew us away with its ability to supercharge a blowout for seriously bouncy, voluminous results—even on “baby-fine” and super straight hair.
One tester raved that it made her strands “plush and airy” without any heaviness or crunchiness. Another said it left her hair soft and shiny, preventing her blow-dried-straight hair from gradually reverting to wavy.
Best Splurge
Oribe Grandiose Hair Plumping Mousse
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Oribe’s aptly named Grandiose Hair Plumping Mousse is a splurgy option, but worth the investment in our opinion. More than just a volumizing product, it also contains the brand’s signature complex, which protects hair from heat and UV damage, oxidative stress, and the deterioration of its natural keratin. Oh, and it smells like a dream, according to our testers.
The light and airy formula promptly disappears as it’s applied, and after blow drying, hair was thicker, shinier, and so much easier to style. The mousse immediately boosted hair volume at the root (and added impressive fullness overall), although one tester found that it gradually decreased as the day wore on.
Best for Curly Hair
PATTERN Palo Santo Curl Mousse
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If defined curls and enhanced texture are your hair goals, this weightless mousse was made for you. Packed with nourishing ingredients like marshmallow root and castor oil, it’s designed to define, hydrate, and preserve natural curl patterns (3B-4C), delivering weightless volume in one easy step.
Our testers agreed this mousse gave their hair the definition and hold they were after. Curls appeared perfectly coiled and bouncy and miraculously stayed that way through to the end of some very busy days. The formula’s “cloud-like” consistency didn’t cause any stickiness, and the curls still felt soft and smooth. While they didn’t concur on the amount of volume they experienced while using this mousse, both were impressed with the overall results.
Best for Frizz
Paul Mitchell Flexible Style Sculpting Foam
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It’s super annoying when you leave the house looking cute but arrive at your destination with fizzy, static-y hair that won’t be tamed. But this silky mousse from Paul Mitchell smooths hair out and keeps it that way.
The formula made curls defined and separated (albeit a little crunchy according to one tester), and when combined with a blow dry, it left a smooth finish with plenty of volume and bounce. Thanks to its light and foamy consistency, the mousse didn’t weigh strands down, even when heavy-handed with the product. However, one tester did notice it began to feel heavy on her hair if she didn’t wash it for a few days.
Best for Color-Treated Hair
Pureology Style + Protect Weightless Hair Mousse
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If you’ve got color-treated hair—which, let’s face it, tends to be more fragile and prone to damage—reach for this mousse from Pureology. It protects your hair as you style it. The key ingredient here is xylose, which is known to prevent damage from heat styling (avid blow dryers, this one’s for you).
Once our testers figured out how many pumps of product to use for their hair length (one for shorter styles, two or three for medium and long lengths) they were pleased with the volume the mousse achieved. Their hair was smoother, less frizzy, and, crucially, maintained its style all day without falling flat. Our tester with colored hair was relieved to have found an effective styling product designed specifically with her hair concerns in mind.
Best Root-Lifting
Redken Root Lifter Volumizing Spray Foam
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Any seasoned blow-dry expert knows that voluminous hair starts at the roots. This foam from Redken promises to lift even the most stubbornly flat and forlorn strands, and we can confirm that it works.
Spraying this product directly onto the roots and massaging it in made usually fine, limp hair appear lifted and voluminous. Better still, it maintained the root elevation with no discernable midday drop. There was no residue left behind after drying, in fact, the hair felt natural and soft, and the overall finish was, in a word, “refined.”
Best Lightweight
Rossano Ferretti Parma Volumizing Mousse
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If your hair is on the finer end of the spectrum then “lighter-feeling and easily liquified mousses” will be a game changer for you, explains Caspara. Of all the formulas we tried, this one, which one of our testers described as “nearly the same consistency as water,” was incredibly weightless and made a blowout on fine hair look ultra professional, full-bodied, and smooth. It also felt ultra soft and noticeably thicker when running fingers through it.
It’s worth noting that our thicker-haired tester didn’t have as much luck with this mousse. The consistency was too lightweight to volumize or define her curls, but she did discover it was perfect for taming her edges.
Best for Bounce
Sebastian Mousse Forte
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For a bouncy-bombshell look, reach for a bottle of this stuff. We were wowed by this mousse’s instant impact, imparting shine, volume, and plenty of bounce—even on ultra-thick hair.
The fluffy foam is designed to provide a strong hold but is virtually imperceptible once applied, dissolving on the hair without leaving any icky residue behind. While the hold it created was decent, our testers did note their blowouts fell a little flat by the end of the day. Given that you’re likely to use heat styling with this mousse, you might also appreciate that it comes with built-in heat protection.
Best for Flexible Hold
Shu Uemura Kaze Wave Hair Mousse
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This product impressed us with its ultra-flexible hold (a pro for curly and wavy hair in particular) because no one likes a stiff, crunchy 1980s-style mousse. It did a great job of sculpting curls, making them defined, static-free, and soft, with not even a hint of dreaded crunchiness.
The formula provided a noticeable volume boost for our fine-haired tester but didn’t do much in terms of fullness for our thick-haired tester. However, they agreed that this mousse has a flexible, natural finish.
What to Look for in Hair Mousse
- Hair type-specific formulas: “For fine or straight hair, I recommend a volumizing mousse,” says Gutterman. “This will give you the blowout of your dreams.” If, on the other hand, your hair is thick, Caspara advises using creamier, heavier formulas that provide greater control and a more robust hold.
- Desired hold level: Dreaming of a big bouncy blowout? A stronger holding mousse applied to the roots is ideal for boosting volume. Hoping for enhanced texture and better frizz control? A softer holding mousse will define curls and reduce static while allowing for natural movement.
- Low- or no-alcohol formulas: Our expert hair stylists warned against one specific, extremely common ingredient: alcohol. “It can damage hair after repeated use and dry out the scalp when used for root lift ahead of blow-drying,” explains Caspara, who suggests looking for low- and no-alcohol formulas whenever possible to help protect your strands.
FAQ
What are the benefits of adding mousse to your hair routine?
In short, mousse is a really versatile styling product. It can do everything from boosting volume and giving the appearance of thicker hair to sculpting curls and preventing flyaways. It can even improve the condition of your hair. “Mousse is a great product to use because it rehydrates the hair and allows the natural texture to come out,” adds Gutterman.
Are there any potential pitfalls of using styling mousse?
Depending on the hold power of a styling mousse, you run the risk of excessive stiffness that can create a hard and unnatural look when air-drying hair or sticky and greasy-looking roots after blow drying. “The trick with mousse is starting with a golf ball-sized amount and emulsifying it between your hands until it’s completely liquified before applying it,” advises Caspara. “Based on your final results, you can gauge how much to use and adjust accordingly the next time.”
How do I apply mousse for the best results?
Start with towel-dried, slightly air-dried hair (think 50% remaining moisture). Rub the mousse between your palms until it liquifies, making it easy to distribute, then apply it to your hair before styling as desired. “For the most even application, I recommend applying mousse directly onto a large, wide-toothed comb and combing it through damp hair,” says Caspara.
Gutterman adds that you can even use mousse as a style refresher. “I like to add a mousse to my curls on day two to refresh them and control frizz,” she says.