At Who What Wear, we're always asking top hairdressers the golden question that we all want to know the answer to: How can we make our hair look thicker? You see, you just can't beat that look and feeling of stepping out of the salon with a voluminous blow-dry, but it can be tricky to recreate at home, especially if you have hair that's on the finer side or that tends to fall a little flat after styling. There are ways to boost your hair's volume—whether it be with a volumising styling product or a new hair colour to feign thicker hair—but it can be tricky to find a way to boost your hair's volume without it feeling weighed down or falling flat an hour after you've styled it.
Jennifer Lopez is one of our top picks for hair inspiration, and we love these volumised, bouncy curls created by celebrity hairdresser Chris Appleton.
However, there's a product we've totally been sleeping on, and it is currently being used by just about every top celebrity hairdresser right now to create full, voluminous hair on the red carpet. The product in question? Hair mousse. While it once garnered a reputation for being a little old-fashioned, we can assure you that hair mousse is firmly back on our dressing tables.
"Hair mousse was first created around the '60s with the idea to create maximum volume to hair. Initially, it had a very sticky texture," says expert hairstylist Larry King.
How to Use Hair Mousse
"The best way to use a hair mousse is to really pump out a golf ball–size amount into the palm of your hands and then use your fingers to take small amounts and slowly rake it through the hair, starting at the ends and using the remaining amount of mousse to be scrunched into the roots," says King. "If you have curly hair, I would do the same thing, but always scrunch into the hair. Do not rake through the hair because this can create frizz. So always scrunch into the hair, starting at the mid-lengths to ends and then ending the last amount scrunching at the roots."
The great thing about mousse is that it can work for all hair types and textures. "Mousse is really good because it encourages really defined curls or coils in type 3 and type 4 hair," he says. "If you have type 1 or type 2 (think poker-straight hair or hair with a wave)—where you're looking for the maximum amount of volume, maybe looking to hold in any waves or shapes you're creating with your blow-dry—then hair mousse is the ideal product to give you that hold but also give you volume."
We put several hair mousses to the test, and these 19 below are the best mousses that are deserving of your hard-earned money.
Shop the Best Hair Mousses Available Now:
- Best hair mousse for fine hair: Larry King Haircare My Nanna's Mousse
- Best multipurpose hair mousse: Hershesons Zhoosh Foam
- Best hair mousse for volume: GHD Body Goals Total Volume Foam
- Best budget hair mousse: Wella Shockwaves Ultra Strong Heat Defence Volumising Hair Mousse
- Best long-lasting hair mousse: Oribe Grandiose Hair Plumping Mousse
- Best hair mousse for oily hair: Sachajuan Dry Shampoo Mousse
- Best hair mousse for thin hair: Davines Liquid Spell Reinforcing Bodifying Fluid
- Best hair mousse for curls: Virtue Curl-Defining Whip
- Best hair mousse for air-drying: OUAI Air Dry Foam
- Best hair mousse for textured hair: Cantu Shea Butter Wave Whip Curling Mousse
- Best hair mousse for blonde hair: Color Wow Purple Color Control Toning & Styling Foam
- Best hair mousse for brunette hair: Color Wow Color Control Blue Toning & Styling Foam
- Best hair mousse for lift and strong hold: Wella Professionals EIMI Extra Volume Strong Hold Mousse
- Best hair mousse for damaged hair: Kerastase Densifique Mousse Densimorphose
- Best hair mousse with medium hold: Philip Kingsley Volumising Froth Root Lift
- Best lightweight hair mousse: Aveda Phomollient Styling Foam
- Best hair mousse for texture: Innersense I Create Lift Volumising Foam
- Best hair mousse for long hair: Amika Plus Size Perfect Body Mousse
- Best hair mousse for wet-look hair: Zara Wet Look Mousse
1. The best hair mousse for fine hair:
Larry King's mousse is a nod to his nanna's penchant for glamorous, bouncy blow-dries. This formula helps to thicken the hair and leaves a soft hold, so your hair won't feel weighed down or crunchy. "The foam is encouraged to really create the maximum amount of volume whilst also maintaining a really nice shine and also giving you the movement and the naturalness. When you run your fingers through your hair, it's as if there's no product in your hair," says King.
2. The best multipurpose hair mousse:
So much more than just a mousse, this doubles as an oil absorber for second-day hair, builds volume pre-blow-dry and defines curls.
3. The best hair mousse for volume:
If you regularly style your hair, you won't regret this addition to your blow-dry routine. It plumps up hair and helps to lock in your style for longer.
4. The best budget hair mousse:
This mousse costs less than a coffee and will help boost flat roots without being heavy due to its lightweight formula. It also has so many five-star reviews.
5. The best long-lasting hair mousse:
If you find that your style usually falls flat, then Oribe's offering will come to the rescue for fine hair. Not only does it make hair bouncy, but it also lasts in-between washes and leaves hair shiny and flyaway-free.
6. The best hair mousse for oily hair:
If you find that your roots get oily quickly, then this dry shampoo–mousse hybrid will solve your qualms. It works like a dry shampoo by absorbing excess oil (without a powdery residue) and is a great way to refresh your hair between washes if you're switching up your style.
7. The best hair mousse for thin hair:
Fine or flat hair doesn't do well with product build-up, which can weigh hair down and make it look greasy. This formula is so lightweight and helps to smooth frizz and leaves a knockout shine to lengths.
8. The best hair mousse for curls:
This lightweight yet deeply nourishing formula is ideal for curls. It adds definition and shine yet still feels almost undetectable through the lengths of hair.
9. The best hair mousse for air-drying:
Sometimes, you don't always want to use heat to style your hair, and that's where this air-dry foam comes in. It helps to enhance your hair's natural texture without feeling crunchy and leaves hair so shiny. And like all Ouai products, it smells amazing too.
10. The best hair mousse for textured hair:
This lightweight, aerated formula helps to add body and definition to curls, and the shea-enriched formula helps to moisturise lengths for a shiny, frizz-free finish.
11. The best hair mousse for blonde hair:
If you have blonde hair, you might already use a toning product (which are often tinted purple to counteract yellow tones) to keep your colour looking fresh. This is a two-in-one mousse and toning product, so you can protect your hair colour and achieve volume.
12. The best hair mousse for brunette hair:
Much like purple-tinted hair toners remove unwanted yellow tones from blonde hair, this blue-toned hair mousse helps to counteract brassy tones in brunette hair and leaves a salon-worthy shine to lengths.
13. The best hair mousse for lift and strong hold:
If you're looking for a hair mousse to create lift, we would recommend you try this. It's not only loved by many hairdressers, but it also helps flat roots to become bouncy and volumised.
14. The best hair mousse for damaged hair:
For hair that's in need of TLC from heat damage, we'd urge you to try this hair mousse. It contains peptides to help repair the hair from the inside out while giving height and volume to fine hair.
15. The best hair mousse with medium hold:
You might not always want a super-strong hold, particularly if your hair is fine. This medium-hold formula from Philip Kingsley is ideal, and its frothy texture won't leave any residue in your hair.
16. The best lightweight hair mousse:
For swishable lengths, a lightweight mousse is perfect for subtle volume and hold without heaviness. This Aveda one fits the bill and feels virtually undetectable in the hair.
17. The best hair mousse for texture:
If you're looking for a hair mousse that will help create the perfect base for styling textured hair, then we would recommend you try this winner from Innersense.
18. The best hair mousse for long hair:
When you want to add volume but still keep the flex and movement in your hair, this Amika mousse is a failsafe option.
19. The best hair mousse for wet-look hair:
This creamy mousse not only holds hair in place, but adds a high-shine, ultra-glossy finish, perfect for achieving a wet-look effect.
This story was published at an earlier time and has since been updated.