What is hair mousse
Hair mousse is one of those hair styling products that has several names and if you come across styling mousse, it is one and the same product.
Hair mousse has a lot of qualities and can be used in both short and long hair, curly hair as well as straight hair. Hair mousse is best known for its ability to add body and volume to hair and to hold hair in place so that hairstyles last all day.
But hair mousse can also do other things like:
- To add moisture and care to the hair
- Creating structure in the hair
- Remedy flyaway and frizzy hair
A hair mousse is as the name indicates a mousse that comes in an aerosol foam spray. Because this is an aerosol dispenser, remember to always turn the can upside down when using it. A hair mousse expands greatly and this is a big part of the secret to its magic and the reason why it can give a flat and lifeless hair a lot of fullness.
A good hair mousse does wonders not only for curly hair but also for straight hair that lacks volume
Hair mousse or styling mousse as it is also called, is one of the few hair styling products that men use as much as women. Hair mousse is great for both short and long hair.
Many people mistakenly believe that mousse can only be used on curly hair, but mousse is actually a wonder product for straight hair that lacks body. The biggest challenge when setting hair is usually creating volume in the hairstyle so that the hair doesn’t look flat and boring. But it’s also making the hairstyle last all day, so you don’t walk out the door in the morning with a good hair day, only to see it turn into a bad hair day in a couple of hours because the hair clumps and loses its shape.
A good hair mousse can both give you plenty of volume in your hair without the lengths of your hair feeling full of product. At the same time, the mousse also keeps the style in place, for up to 12 hours in the case of some products. That’s longer than most people can keep on their feet.
If you’re looking for a hair styling product that can both create plenty of body and hold your hair in place, let me help you find the absolute best hair mousse for your hair.
Unfortunately, many people also use their hair mousse incorrectly so I’ll finish by giving you a guide on how to get the best results with hair mousse or styling mousse.
How to check the quality of a hair mousse or styling mousse
If you want a good indicator of whether you’ve got a good mousse, squirt a tiny amount the size of a quarter into the palm of your hand. If you have a quality styling mousse, the amount will expand from the size of a quarter to the size of an egg.
Of course, there are other requirements that must be met for a hair mousse to be defined as a quality product, but its ability to expand is the most important, since this is a product that is meant to add volume to the hair.
How hair mousse works in hair
Hair mousse is applied to freshly washed towel-dried hair. Hair mousse can be used in several ways because it can be used to create volume in the hair, to create structure in the hair and to create hold in the hair. Most hair mousse or styling mousse focuses on one or two of these properties and it is therefore important that you choose the right type of hair mousse.
How to choose it you can read more about in a moment, first I look at how you can use hair mousse in different ways when styling your hair.
Create volume by using hair mousse on the scalp
If you want to create lots of volume in your hair, the secret is to use hair mousse exclusively on the scalp so that only the innermost hairs come into contact with the hair styling product.
When you put hair mousse only on the scalp, the mousse makes the hair rise from the scalp, creating a lot of volume that lasts all day long because the hair mousse also gives hold to the hair.
If you want to use your hair mousse to create volume in your hair, then you need to dry your hair with a hair dryer to achieve the effect. You can read about the best way to do this at the end of this article.
Create hold and volume in styled hair
If you love updo hairstyles with lots of volume, a good hair mousse can quickly become your best friend. If you’re using mousse to create voluminous updo styles, it’s a good idea to blow-dry some mousse into the lengths of your hair too. This will give your hair a lot of texture, which in turn will help to fill out your hairstyle.
If you want even more body, you can combine mousse with hair powder or dry shampoo, which you apply to the scalp after the hair is dry. With a combination of these two types of products, you will be able to create a huge mane that adds plenty of body to your hairstyle.
Use hair mousse to create definition in your curls
If you have curls, then you probably already know about hair mousse because this styling product is super effective at creating definition in curls, allowing your curls to air dry without losing their shape and becoming frizzy.
If you haven’t already tried hair mousse for your curls, you’re in for a treat. Squeeze a tiny bit of mousse into those towel-dry curls, and you can just let them air-dry and enjoy revived curls that look like you’ve spent an eternity in front of the mirror.
If you choose a hair mousse for curls and not just any hair mousse, hair mousse will also contain moisture protection so that your hair doesn’t easily start to become unruly if it gets damp in the air.
Create the wet look with hair mousse
If you like your hair to have a slightly wet look even after it’s dry, use hair mousse on wet hair and don’t blow dry. This will help your hair retain its wet look. But unlike wet look hair gel, hair mousse is super easy to comb out of your hair.
How to choose the best mousse for YOUR hair
No matter what type of hair styling product you’re going to buy, it’s important that you don’t just grab the first and the best, but choose one that actually suits your hair.
One of the reasons there are so many different hair mousses on the market is that many of them do different things. So it doesn’t matter which one you choose.
Hair mousse must be adapted to the hair type
Your hair type should have as much impact on your choice of hair products as your skin type hopefully has on your choice of facial care products. After all, it’s not just a case of “playing the fool” when products are developed for different hair types. Different hair types need different things, and often there are things they definitely don’t need.
Hair mousse for fine hair
If you have fine hair, then your biggest challenge is most likely that you can’t create very much volume in your hair, no matter how effective a blow out you try to do with the hair dryer.
This is because fine hair doesn’t have much structure, which means that air layers aren’t naturally created between the strands when you blow dry your hair. If you use a hair mousse specially designed for fine hair, it will be able to create the structure in your hair you lack, so you can blow-dry volume into your hair more easily.
As I mentioned earlier, a product like hair powder is super suitable in combination with hair mousse in fine hair because it creates extra body in the hair. If you have fine hair, it is important to avoid too much product in the hair and especially in the hair lengths, which can weigh the hair down.
That’s why products like hair mousse and hair powder are also great because they go on the scalp where they add body, but at the same time they don’t weigh the hair down because the product isn’t in the lengths.
Hair mousse for curls
Hair mousse for curls is one of the absolute best styling products for curly hair. A hair mousse contains plenty of moisture for the curls while helping the curls to keep their definition, their shape, so that the curls are still beautifully together when they dry up.
When you use hair mousse for curls, you don’t just use the product on the scalp, like when you want to create volume, but also on the lengths. The hair mousse should be squeezed into the damp curls. Preferably while turning your head downwards so that you can easily distribute the product evenly throughout the hair. Then leave the curls to dry without touching them further.
A hair mousse for curls also contains a special kind of moisture protection, which makes your hair less likely to start curling when the weather is humid.
Hair mousse for strong hair
If you have very heavy hair, you probably find that your hair gets weighed down easily by the weight of the hair, especially if you have long hair.
With a hair mousse you will really be able to create some volume at the top, but you have to be careful not to put any / or too much product in the lengths as it will weigh the hair down further.
The easiest way to distribute hair mousse in long or thick hair is by turning your head downwards so you can easily reach the scalp. Then comb through the hair again to distribute the mousse properly.
Hair mousse with special properties
There has been a great development with hair mousse over the past few years. This also means that many hair mousses today have special properties that can be a great advantage, depending on your hair type and how you style your hair.
Hair mousse with fibre
One of the most groundbreaking hair mousse products is hair mousse containing fiber. If you buy a hair mousse with fiber, you can really get some volume into your hair.
The reason a styling mousse with fiber adds so much more volume and texture to your hair is because the fibers attach to the outside of the hair shaft, making your hair feel much fuller.
At the same time, it changes the surface structure of the hair shaft, making it easier to create air between the strands, which is what you need if you want more volume in your hair.
Hair mousse with anti-frizz
We live in latitudes where there is often moisture in the air. Some hair reacts to this more violently than others
Are you one of those whose hair tends to start curling and becoming unruly or whose hair clumps together completely just the slightest bit of moisture in the air?
If these are problems you are familiar with, then you can benefit from choosing a hair mousse with anti-frizz properties, which will help protect your hair so that it doesn’t start to frizz as soon as the weather is humid.
Hair mousse with extra hold
Giving body and hold to your hair has always been the primary task of hair mousse. Today, however, there are hair mousses that give extra hold to the hairstyle.
If you don’t like the feeling of hairspray in your hair, which is the way we most often fix our hair, you can choose a hair mousse with extra extra hold. It fixes hair without making hair stiff to the touch.
Hair mousse with or without alcohol
You should be aware that there are hair mousses with and without alcohol. Alcohol in hair mousse has no effect on some hair types, while it definitely does not work well with others.
If you have normal or oily/oiled hair, then it doesn’t matter whether your hair mousse contains alcohol or not, but if you have dry or damaged hair, then you should not choose hair mousse or other hair styling products that contain alcohol. This will further dry out your hair and make it look dull and lacklustre.
How to use hair mousse correctly
Hair mousse is one of the hair styling products we’ve known for the longest time and has been a staple on store shelves since the 1980s.
Yet, it has been found that many people use hair mousse or hair styling mousse incorrectly and therefore do not get as good results as the product actually allows.
I’ve already covered earlier in the article how to squeeze hair mousse into both the scalp and hair lengths of a curly hair. Therefore, I will now concentrate on guiding you on how to use hair mousse correctly when you want to add lots of body to a straight hair.
Do the preparation correctly
No matter how good hair products you have, the end result will still depend on the quality of your hair. That is, how healthy your hair is. Many of us use hot hair styling tools or we dye our hair, both of which damage the hair.
Therefore, you can do your prep work properly by washing your hair in a good shampoo and conditioner that suits your hair type and can infuse your hair with the right type of care.
Hair mousse should be applied to towel-dried hair
When you get out of the shower and your hair is towel dry, comb through your hair before putting mousse in it. This makes it much easier for you to spread the product with your fingers.
If you use other products on the length of your hair like coconut oil for hair or a leave-in conditioner, you can still use it even if you use hair mousse.
Spread hair mousse on the scalp
Hair mousse differs from most other hair styling products in that it only needs to be applied to the scalp, not the lengths, when you want to achieve lots of body. That’s why, as I said, you can use other hair styling products on the lengths.
Many people find it easiest to distribute hair mousse if you turn your head downwards so you can easily reach the scalp. For shoulder-length hair, calculate to use about a handful of hair mousse. That may sound like a lot, but that’s because hair mousse expands tremendously; in fact, it’s only about the size of a nickel.
Blow dry your hair upside down or use a round brush
The hair mousse helps the hair toes to rise from the scalp, giving plenty of body, but it needs to be helped along with a blow dryer. You can only ever get volume in your hair with mousse if you use a hairdryer.
Dry hair upside down until the innermost hair is dry or blow dry hair with a round brush. Once your hair is dry, it will hold its shape and you will get plenty of body in your hair, even on the 2nd day.
Have you worked out which mousse is right for YOUR hair?
So we’ve been all around the hair mousse. I hope you’ve become much wiser about all the benefits of this hair styling product.
If you still have questions about any of the hair mousse I’ve introduced you to here, I’ve included links directly to the retailers. On their page you can find further product information and that’s also where you can make your purchase. I’ve made the prices at each retailer easily accessible so you can quickly see where you’re getting the best deal.
Enjoy your new hair mousse and congratulations on having far fewer bad hair days.