How to Use Mousse for Tousled Hair, According to Stylists

For many people, mousse brings back bad memories. From the sound of it coming out of the aerosol can to the dreaded crunch and not-so-good wet look hairstyle, mousse hasn't been a beauty product go-to. Until now. Call it a comeback, but with new formulations on the market that promise to enhance and not harden, mousse has become a great product for those lust-worthy beachy waves.

"If you are looking to achieve blow-dry beach waves, mousse will help lock in the shape of the hair along with providing volume all around," says Nicolette Rauchut, a senior hair stylist at LRN Beauty.

We reached out to Rauchut and two other stylists who shared their advice on how to use this revived product to attain perfect beachy waves on both wet and dry hair. Keep reading for everything you need to know about hair mousse 2.0 and welcome it back to your bathroom cabinet.

Meet the Expert

• Gina Rivera is a hair artist and founder of Phenix Salon Suites.

• Nicolette Rauchut is a senior hair stylist at LRN Beauty.

• Syd Hayes is a L'Oréal Paris's U.K.ambassador.

The History of Hair Mousse

For starters, here’s a very potted history of the iconic product. Hailing from France (mousse is the French word for foam), L’Oréal brought mousse to the mass market in the early '80s. This new product sparked a frenzy dubbed “mousse mania,” with millions of bottles flying off the shelves. Big hair was big news, and this foam enabled women to achieve sky-high hairstyles that had both volume and hold without the need for tons of hairspray. A versatile product, mousse scrunched into damp hair gave a wet look and beachy wave, too.

Unfortunately, it garnered a reputation for being crunchy, one it hasn’t been able to shake until now. “Modern mousse has new enhanced formulas. The hair labs have been able to produce mousse that gives maximum hold without the sticky, crunchy texture,” explains L'Oréal Paris's U.K.ambassador Syd Hayes. “Session stylists, including myself, were all slightly excited about using [mousse] at the shows, as they don’t reactivate and go sticky or wet when you use a curling tong or hairdryer."

To avoid a crunchy mousse, less is always more. Rauchut says to take notice of what kind of mouse you are using. "There are strong hold mousses, which will provide more lock and grit, and smoothing mousses, which usually silkier and provides more slip will moderate hold," she says.

How to Use

According to hair artists and salon founder Gina Rivera, mousse expands, so a little goes a long way. Application is also key for proper use. "You want to use a quarter size to start with and work up if needed. Completely emulsify the product in the palm of your hands to ensure even distribution; start applying at the root and then the ends in a scrunching pattern," she says.

When styling, Rauchut says to avoid plopping a dollop of the product directly on the root. "Instead, use your fingers to help rake it through and massage into scalp," she says. Since mousse is such a versatile product, there are so many ways it can be used to achieve your desired style:

• Prep for a blow-dry: “Mousse is great when used as a base before styling,” explains Hayes. "The new generation of mousse doesn’t give that crunch, but it does give hold, so it can be used as a blow-dry setting spray to help hold a curl and to add volume."

• Plump up the hair for volume: For fullness and volume at the crown, Rauchut says to use mousse on wet hair and style with a blowdryer and brush.

• Enhance your natural curl: Mousse can be used on wet hair if you are looking to boost your natural curl to create waves.

Byrdie Tip

If you're having trouble getting that natural beach-wave shape, Hayes recommends this styling trick: “One of my favorite techniques at the moment is to apply mousse into damp hair with a touch of oil. Braid the hair in two, leave it to dry, and unravel to find non-sticky beachy waves. The combination of mousse and oil helps seal the hair shaft, protecting it from the elements, like frizz-inducing humidity.”

Consider Your Hair Type

Using mousse on dry hair versus wet hair will not only yield different results depending on your hair type, but it could enhance the style your are going for as well.

• Fine hair: If you have fine hair that tends to get overloaded by salt-rich surf sprays and left looking lank, then a mousse is destined to be your go-to. "For fine hair, use a medium hold mousse to help blow-dry waves into the hair cresting a memory. First, apply raking it through roots for volume, then, use less product towards the ends so as not to weight hair down," says Rauchut.

• Medium textured hair: If your hair is medium texture and holds a style well, use a strong hold mousse to create natural waves with air drying or blow drying.

• Wavy hair: If your hair already has some movement and volume to hit, applying mousse to the roots and working through the midshaft towards the ends in a scrunching technique will amplify your natural hair pattern.

• Thick/coarse textured hair: If you have thicker hair, Rauchut recommends using a small amount of mousse that has a light hold "so it doesn't weigh down the curl." If you have medium to thick texture, use the first application at the root and then apply at the mid-lengths to ends before combing through for even distribution.
  

Mousse on Dry Hair vs. Wet Hair

According to Rivera, mousse is "a great product to add volume with a bit of hold, yet soft enough to have movement in the hair." The good news is, it can be used on both wet and dry hair for beach waves, to give you that less-defined look. Here's how:

Wet Hair

"When used on wet hair, mousse can help give the hair more body before styling," says Rivera. For wavy textures, mousse can enhance the bounce in a natural wave and take shape. When using on wet strands and blow drying, use just a palmful amount or less.

"If you are styling wet hair, you can use mousse all over and finger-style by wrapping small sections around your finger and letting them drop similar to how you would do a wand curl," says Rauchut. "Applying ample amounts of mousse in conjunction with saturated wet hair will help give hydrated bouncy waves." This technique also works for air dried hair.

Dry Hair

If you're opting to style when your hair is fully dried, mousse will dry faster, as long as it is used in smaller amounts. "Using mousse on dry hair can help create more of a piecey wet finish, which is a technique I have used in the past to create a mermaid beachy look after using a curling iron," notes Rauchut.

Up Next: 52 Wavy Hair Looks We Need to Try

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