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The best for body, definition, and shine.
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In This Article
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TL;DR
Our favorite volumizing mousse is theBumble and bumble.
Thickening Full Form Soft Hair Mousse.
It boasts immediate texture and body, adding bounce and lift to each strand.
PHOTO: Ulta
In our humble opinion, volumizinghair moussesdont get the appreciation they deserve.
Its one of the most effective and versatilehair productsout there.
Our Top Picks
Best Overall
Bumble and bumble.
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With this mousse from Bumble and bumble., none of your styling efforts will be in vain.
The mousse comes out of the dispenser slowly and feels light and fluffy on your fingers.
Credit where its due: This mousse has noteworthy staying power.
PHOTO: Amazon
Besides a little static halfway through the day, hairstyles remained intact until bedtime.
Rachel, tester with 2A hair:My hair felt bouncy and thick all day.
I could either air-dry or blow-dry and get good results with both.
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Although the formula containshyaluronic acid, it wasnt noticeably hydrating.
If anything, her hair felt a little drier and more static-prone than usual.
But all things considered, the volumeespecially on curly dayswas impressive.
PHOTO: Aveda
Ciara, tester with 1B hair:This product does exactly what it states by providing density and hold.
It worked very nicely with my hair punch in and helped give it a little oomph.
On the second day, she noticed it helped hold herflat iron wavesuntil eveninganother rarity she appreciated.
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The heat-activated formula also doubles as aheat protectant.
Thats a huge plus forcurly hair, which is more prone to dryness and damage than straight hair.
The ultralight foam didnt weigh down strands at all.
PHOTO: Ulta
In fact, it left them feeling lighter than usual and lifted from root to tip.
We were concerned it might make hair greasy, but that wasn’t the case.
Instead, it curbed static, defined curls, and encouraged lots of bounce.
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It also added a lot of body and fullness to the lower part of my hair.
We recommend the Kerastase Bouffante Hair Mousse for the more discerning noses out there.
We were equally satisfied with its styling capabilities.
PHOTO: Sephora
The mousse felt lightweight on our tester’s strands and created noticeable fullness without causing any dryness or greasiness.
Crucially, it also kept hair in place throughout the day.
Paden, tester with 1A hair:I like the smell and how light it felt in my hair.
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It worked best when I only wet my hair and didn’t shampoo it.
That made my strands seem more full.
The formula (which felt almost like a gel) wasnt sticky or heavy.
PHOTO: Kerastase
Plus, it lasted a really long time.
They also appreciated that the formula is made with biotin to help strengthen strands in the long term.
It was nothing a littlehair oilcouldnt fix, though.
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Michelle, tester with 1C hair:The product gave my hair more volume and body.
My hair appeared fuller compared to normal, whether I air-dry or use heat protection and blow-dry.
The light, fluffy foam didnt weigh down extremely straight strands or disappoint in terms of hold.
PHOTO: Amazon
Hairstyles stayed put until the end of the day, admittedly with a helping hand fromhairspray.
It works really well with heat.
According to hairstylistShelly Aguirre, volumizing mousses effectively add volume to fine, limp hair textures.
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However, overapplying the product could lead to weighed-down hair.
Use your fingers to spread the product all over the hair strands, she says.
She has over five years of experience covering the beauty industry and writing product reviews.
PHOTO: R+Co
For this article, Emily analyzed testing insights after our panel tried out 15 mousses for two weeks.
Esme Benjaminis a freelance beauty and wellness writer based in New York.
2021;43(3):1361-1373.
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Published 2021 Sep 28. doi:10.3390/cimb43030097
PHOTO: Ulta
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