It's True: This Forgotten '90s Product Actually Works Wonders on Thin Hair

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.

best-hair-mousse-300467-1654978664059-main

(Image credit: @chrisappleton1)

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

best-hair-mousse-300467-1655119148168-main

(Image credit: @nayelizabethh)

"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:

  1. Best hair mousse for fine hair: Larry King Haircare My Nanna's Mousse
  2. Best multipurpose hair mousse: Hershesons Zhoosh Foam
  3. Best hair mousse for volume: GHD Body Goals Total Volume Foam
  4. Best budget hair mousse: Wella Shockwaves Ultra Strong Heat Defence Volumising Hair Mousse
  5. Best long-lasting hair mousse: Oribe Grandiose Hair Plumping Mousse
  6. Best hair mousse for oily hair: Sachajuan Dry Shampoo Mousse
  7. Best hair mousse for thin hair: Davines Liquid Spell Reinforcing Bodifying Fluid
  8. Best hair mousse for curls: Virtue Curl-Defining Whip
  9. Best hair mousse for air-drying: OUAI Air Dry Foam
  10. Best hair mousse for textured hair: Cantu Shea Butter Wave Whip Curling Mousse
  11. Best hair mousse for blonde hair: Color Wow Purple Color Control Toning & Styling Foam
  12. Best hair mousse for brunette hair: Color Wow Color Control Blue Toning & Styling Foam
  13. Best hair mousse for lift and strong hold: Wella Professionals EIMI Extra Volume Strong Hold Mousse
  14. Best hair mousse for damaged hair: Kerastase Densifique Mousse Densimorphose
  15. Best hair mousse with medium hold: Philip Kingsley Volumising Froth Root Lift
  16. Best lightweight hair mousse: Aveda Phomollient Styling Foam
  17. Best hair mousse for texture: Innersense I Create Lift Volumising Foam
  18. Best hair mousse for long hair: Amika Plus Size Perfect Body Mousse
  19. Best hair mousse for wet-look hair: Zara Wet Look Mousse

1. The best hair mousse for fine hair:

2. The best multipurpose hair mousse:

3. The best hair mousse for volume:

4. The best budget hair mousse:

5. The best long-lasting hair mousse:

6. The best hair mousse for oily hair:

7. The best hair mousse for thin hair:

8. The best hair mousse for curls:

9. The best hair mousse for air-drying:

10. The best hair mousse for textured hair:

11. The best hair mousse for blonde hair:

12. The best hair mousse for brunette hair:

13. The best hair mousse for lift and strong hold:

14. The best hair mousse for damaged hair:

15. The best hair mousse with medium hold:

16. The best lightweight hair mousse:

17. The best hair mousse for texture:

18. The best hair mousse for long hair:

19. The best hair mousse for wet-look hair:

This story was published at an earlier time and has since been updated.

Explore More:
Eleanor Vousden
Beauty Editor, Who What Wear UK

Eleanor Vousden is the beauty editor for Who What Wear UK. She was previously deputy editor at Hairdressers Journal, health writer at Woman & Home and junior beauty editor at beauty website Powder. She has also contributed to Wallpaper and Elle Collections with written and styling work.Working as a beauty journalist since 2015 after graduating in fashion journalism at the London College of Fashion, she has been highly commended at the BSME Talent Awards for her work on Powder and also contributed to the title winning Website of the Year at the PPA Awards.Eleanor’s journalistic focus is to provide readers with honest and helpful beauty content. Through words, video and live broadcast, she has interviewed several celebrity makeup artists, hairstylists and top dermatologists throughout her career, as well as celebrities such as Sarah Jessica Parker and Scarlett Johansson. She has a particular interest in finding solutions for acne and eczema, which she has experienced firsthand. She has also amassed a large collection of fragrances and can never say no to a new candle.When she’s not writing or testing the latest beauty product or treatments, she’s on the seafront in her hometown of Brighton and Hove, where she lives with her partner and her miniature dachshund.