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The 11 Best Volumizing Mousses That Give Life to Flat Roots

 

In our humble opinion, volumizing hair mousse doesn’t get the appreciation it deserves. Sure, the formulas of the ‘80s were crunchy and stiff, but modern equivalents add unmatched body, shine, and hold without the downfalls of products past. “Mousse is actually one of my favorite ways to create volume and hold within a hairstyle,” says hairstylist John Pulitano. “It’s one of the most effective and versatile hair styling products out there.” 

We asked 60 testers to trial 37 options for a total of 192 hours to figure out which volumizing hair mousses deserve a spot in your bathroom drawer. We tested formulas in our New York lab and at home, where testers used products twice a week for two weeks, applying them to wet strands and styling for maximum volume. After sifting through all the feedback and consulting pro hairstylists, we narrowed the options to these top performers for reliably fuller, bouncier hair.

Best Overall

Joico Power Whip Whipped Foam for Volume & Shine

What We Like

• Maintains hair volume for two days
• Unscented
• Creates really impressive volume

What to Consider

• Dispenser could be more durable (ours broke immediately)

Key Ingredients: Hydrolyzed keratin, beeswax | Hair Type: All | Size: 10.2 oz | Cruelty-Free: Yes

With a name like Power Whip we were expecting big things from this mousse, and we were not disappointed. The lightweight foam—enriched with keratin to add strength and beeswax for volume and hold—gave effortlessly fuller-looking hair from the very first use and eliminated the need for additional styling products (a time and money saver). 

The formula which felt almost like a gel wasn’t sticky or heavy. Plus, it lasted a really long time. After tester Susan had blown out her hair, it stayed bouncy and lifted for the next 48 hours, with only minor touch-ups necessary. This mousse created volume so significant that friends commented on it, and she was very happy to share the secret. 

Susan, tester with hair type 1A: “I LOVE this product and will continue to use and buy it in the future. I do not have to use any other product to maintain the volume all day, so it is saving money.”

Best Budget

Not Your Mother's Plump for Joy Volumizing Mousse

What We Like

• Eliminates static and enhances curl definition
• Holds well all day
• Creates noticeable volume and fullness

What to Consider

• Floral scent is pretty strong
• Can feel crunchy if you use too much

Key Ingredients: Ginseng root extract, glycerin, cocamidopropyl hydroxysultaine | Hair Type: All | Size: 7 oz | Cruelty-Free: Yes

This wallet-friendly mousse from Not Your Mother’s impressed us. The medium-hold formula comes out thick but light and does a solid job of eliminating static from curls. Once dry, our tester Mia's ringlets were defined, full, and bouncy—a voluminous look that lasted well throughout the day. 

A little goes a long way with this product (if she overdid the quantity her hair became a little crunchy and difficult to wash out). She also found the floral scent a little intense and had to mask it with other products. Overall, though, this mousse sculpted curls and added volume well. We also appreciate that it doubles as a heat protectant.  

Mia, tester with hair type 2B: “It made my hair feel and look a lot more full than it does naturally. It did a good job of getting my curls to form and stay in place for most of the day.”

Best Fine Hair

Alterna Mousse

What We Like

• Creates big bouncy styles for fine hair
• Combats greasiness
• Makes hair feel thicker to the touch
• Strengthens strands with keratin and biotin

What to Consider

• Sea scent was a bit strong

Key Ingredients: Sea kelp, keratin, panthenol & biotin | Hair Type: fine | Size: 8.2 oz | Cruelty-Free: Yes

This mousse is designed specifically for fine hair types that crave super-lightweight volume without the heaviness some products can impart. The light, airy formula contains sea kelp to plump and moisturize the hair, plus keratin and biotin—two ingredients known to fortify and strengthen strands. 

During testing, a palm-sized amount of this mousse was enough to create serious body and bounce. Our tester Wendy felt her fine strands were thicker to the touch and her style stayed all day. Better still, the product combatted greasiness (an issue that makes fine hair appear even more flat), so she could change her everyday wash routine to an every-other-day one (A huge win!) While we weren’t wild about the oceanic scent, we would wholeheartedly recommend this mousse to anyone with fine or thinning hair.

Wendy, tester with hair type 1A: “This mousse definitely gave my hair a lot of body and volume. In addition, it feels thicker after using this product, which is great when you have such fine hair.”

Best Smoothing

Aveda Styling Foam

What We Like

• Creates a smooth, shiny finish
• Leaves hair feeling healthy and soft
• Provides great hold and volume—even on fine, straight hair

What to Consider

• Smells like essential oils, which might be off-putting for some 

Key Ingredients: Glycerin, soybean oil | Hair Type: Fine | Size: 6.7 oz | Cruelty-Free: Yes

There’s no better feeling than leaving the salon with a professional blowout, tresses bouncing in the breeze. No matter how many times we try, we can never quite recreate that level of smooth volume at home—until now. 

We were totally won over by Aveda’s Phomollient Styling Foam, which gave smooth, shiny, light volume akin to a salon blowout (no small feat given that our tester Erin's hair is fine in texture but dense in strands, a combo that’s notoriously bad at maintaining volume). The foam formula wasn’t sticky or heavy and once it dried, it left her hair feeling healthy and soft. On the second day, she noticed it helped hold her flat iron waves until evening—another rarity she appreciated.

Erin, tester with hair type 1A: “This product worked great with my texture, enhancing it by making it shinier, but still helping it hold styled looks like flat iron waves.”

Best Long-Lasting

Bumble and bumble Mousse

What We Like

• Keeps hairstyle intact all day
• Weightless formula creates texture and body
• Defines curls

What to Consider

• The label was hard to read

Key Ingredients: Hydrolyzed soy protein, wheat amino acids, panthenol | Hair Type: All | Size: 5 oz | Cruelty-Free: Yes

The frustration of painstakingly volumizing your hair only to have the fullness drop within a few hours is real. With this mousse from Bumble and Bumble, all your blow-drying efforts won’t be in vain. The mousse comes out of the dispenser slowly and feels light and fluffy on your fingers. Once dry, there’s no discernable crunch or residue—the weightless foam formula gives hair instant texture and body, adding bounce and lift to each curl. 

Credit where it’s due: This mousse has noteworthy staying power. Besides a little static halfway through the day, hairstyles remained intact until bedtime. We could even put our hair up in a clip or bun for a while and when we shook it loose, the curls were still perfectly coiled.

Rachel, tester with hair type 2A: “My hair felt bouncy and thick all day. I could either air-dry or blow-dry and get good results with both.”

Best for Curly Hair

IGK Big Time Volumizing Mousse

What We Like

• Defines waves and curls
• Protects hair from heat and UV damage
• Lifts roots and thickens ends

What to Consider

• A large quantity of product is needed for best results

Key Ingredients: Glycerin, sunflower seed extract | Hair Type: Curly | Size: 6.2 oz | Cruelty-Free: Yes

Curly-haired friends, this is the formula you’ve been waiting for—one that maximizes your natural volume while also defining and holding your coils and waves. The heat-activated formula also doubles as a heat protectant. That’s a huge plus for curly hair—which is more prone to dryness and damage than straight hair. 

The ultralight foam didn’t weigh down strands at all. 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. We suspect this mousse will really come into its own during the summer months when humidity plays total havoc with curls.

Alexa, tester with hair type 2B: “It’s really hard for me to get volume by my scalp but this mousse managed it. It also added a lot of body and fullness to the lower part of my hair.“

Best for Curly Hair, Runner-Up

PATTERN Beauty Curl Mousse

What We Like

• Defines without leaving hair crunchy or heavy
• Has two lovely scent options
• Tames static

What to Consider

• Can feel sticky if too much is used

Key Ingredients: Marshmallow root, castor oil, glycerin | Hair Type: Curly | Size: 8 oz | Cruelty-Free: Yes

Another great pick for curly and coily hair types is this mousse from Pattern. If you wear your hair natural, you'll love that this one adds volume and keeps static at bay while hydrating the hair, so that your mane is soft and touchable all day long. It also works to set your hairstyle so that your curls stay defined even longer without falling or losing their shape. We love that it comes in two scents (one with notes of neroli, rose, and patchouli and one with notes of mint and citrus) to keep your curls smelling great.

Best Lightweight

Kérastase Densifique Leave-In Thickening Mousse

What We Like

• Nonsticky consistency
• Gives hair a denser, fuller appearance
• Helps strengthen hair over time

What to Consider

• Can leave hair feeling a little dry

Key Ingredients: Hyaluronic acid, ceramides, peptides | Hair Type: Thinning, fine | Size: 5 oz | Cruelty-Free: No

When you’re looking for ultimate volume, you need a feather-light mousse. “Pillowy” is the word we’d use to describe this formula, which not only creates the illusion of more volume but actually helps thicken hair over time with top-tier beauty ingredients like strengthening gluco peptide and elasticity-enhancing ceramides. 

After using this mousse, our tester Ciara's fine hair appeared more dense and her curls were defined and bouncy. Although the formula contains hyaluronic acid, it wasn’t noticeably hydrating. If anything, her hair felt a little drier and more static-prone than usual. But all things considered the volume—especially on curly days—was impressive.

Ciara, tester with hair type 1B: “This product does exactly what it states by providing density and hold. It worked very nicely with my hair type and helped give it a little oomph.”

Best Scent

Kerastase Hair Mousse

What We Like

• Smells great
• Creates volume and hold
• Lightweight, nonsticky consistency

What to Consider

• Can leave hair feeling a little dry

Key Ingredients: Argan, marula, and camellia oils | Hair Type: All | Size: 5.07 oz | Cruelty-Free: No

Not aligning with a hair product's scent can be distracting at best and a complete deal breaker at worst. We recommend the Bouffante Hair Mousse from Kerastase for the more discerning noses out there. It’s formulated with a blend of antioxidant-rich, moisturizing oils including argan, marula, and camellia, creating a light, pleasant fragrance we genuinely enjoyed wafting alongside our face. 

We were equally satisfied with its styling capabilities. The mousse felt lightweight on tester Paden'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 hair type 1A: “I like the smell and how light it felt in my hair. It worked best when I only wet my hair and didn't shampoo it. That made my stands seem more full.”

Best With Hair Dryer

Nexxus Mousse

What We Like

• Excels with heat styling
• Lightweight formula doesn’t weigh down hair
• Creates volume and hold

What to Consider

• Light hold not ideal for fine hair

Key Ingredients: Hydrolyzed elastin, keratin amino acids, glycerin | Hair Type: Fine | Size: 10.6 oz | Cruelty-Free: Yes

For head-turning volume, heat styling is key. Nexxus’s Volumizing Foam Hair Mousse works like a dream with a hair dryer, effortlessly creating the appearance of fuller, thicker hair. 

The light, fluffy foam didn’t weigh down extremely straight strands or disappoint in terms of hold. Hairstyles stayed put until the end of the day—admittedly with a helping hand from hairspray. The mousse is designed to boost fine hair while still allowing plenty of natural movement, which we appreciate, but the hold was a little too light for fine hair. 

Terri, tester with hair type 1A: “I would recommend this product to ladies who style their hair with a hair dryer. It works really well with heat.”

Best for Fullness

R+Co BLEU Highest Volumizing Mousse

What We Like

• Boosted fullness on heat-styled and air-dried hair
• Light, residue-free formula
• Creates volume and hold

What to Consider

• Made hair feel drier and look less shiny
• Dispenser wasn’t easy to use

Key Ingredients: BLEU molecule complex, biotin | Hair Type: Fine, curly | Size: 6.3 oz | Cruelty-Free: Yes

If the illusion of fuller, thicker hair is your goal, give this volumizing mousse from R+Co a try. A dollop of this light and airy “whip” gave tester Michelle’s hair a real boost, whether they air-dried or heat-styled. They also appreciated that the formula is made with biotin to help strengthen strands in the long term. 

The finish was voluminous and residue-free, although they did notice their hair felt a bit drier than usual and lacked shine. It was nothing a little hair oil couldn’t fix, though. 

Michelle, tester with hair type 1C: “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.”

What to Look for When Buying a Volumizing Mousse

• Hair Type: Hair mousse products designed for thin, fine hair differ from those intended for thick, curly hair. Mousses appear lightweight but the addition of oils or thickening agents may weigh down hair types with less bulk or texture.
• Volume-Boosting Ingredients: “Polymers, collagen, hyaluronic acid, and even bamboo will lift and volumize fine hair,” says Pulitano. Additionally, look for silk amino acids and panthenol to strengthen hair, add body, and protect from some of the drying effects of some mousse formulas.1
• Texture: The texture of your volumizing mousse is also important, explains Pulitano: “I favor products with an airy, silky texture as they’re easier to work with and don’t leave a tacky residue.” Pulitano adds that while it does differ between brands and formulations, a thicker mousse often dictates a stronger hold, whereas a thinner formula will likely provide a light hold.

FAQ

Does volumizing mousse work on thin hair?

According to hairstylist Shelly Aguirre, volumizing mousses effectively add volume to fine, limp hair textures. Just be sure not to over-apply the product as this could lead to weighed-down hair.

How do you apply mousse for volume?

When applying a volumizing mousse, Aguirre recommends beginning with a golf ball-sized dollop of product and emulsifying it in your hands before applying it to damp (so not too wet) hair. “Use your fingers to spread the product all over the hair strands,” she says. “You can always add more, but too much is not good, so always err on the side of caution.” From there, you can let your hair air-dry or brush the hair upwards while blow-drying to add extra lift to the roots.

Why Trust Byrdie

The writers of this roundup tried some of the leading volumizing mousse formulas on the market. They also spoke with trusted hairstylists for expert tips and recommendations. Byrdie contributor Emily Algar is the owner of very fine, soft hair, so she knows a quality volume-boosting product when she sees it. She has over five years of experience covering the beauty industry and writing product reviews.

This article was updated by Esme Benjamin, who regularly uses mousse to tame and enhance her fine, curly hair.  Esme joined Byrdie as a freelance commerce writer and editor in 2023, covering the best tried and tested products in the beauty space. As a former wellness editor, Esme has a particular interest in clean beauty and the intersection of beauty rituals and self-care.  

For this story, our writers consulted with:

• John Pulitano, a professional hairstylist and the co-owner and creative director of Headcase Hair, a salon in Sydney, Australia.
• Shelly Aguirre, a hairstylist at Maxine Salon in Chicago. She specializes in cutting, blowouts, extensions, and keratin treatments.