The 15 Best Volumizing Mousses that Give Life to Limp Hair

Best Overall

Kérastase Densifique Leave-In Thickening Mousse

4.8

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This universally-appealing mousse is suitable for all hair types, making it an excellent choice if you're a hair mousse newbie. It's formulated with hydrating ingredients, like hyaluronic acid, ceramides, as well as gluco-peptide to help reduce hair breakage. It gives the hair a thicker, more full appearance without creating a sticky or crunchy result. Many reviewers with fine hair who say that they struggle to find mousse products that don't weigh down their hair have noted that the lightweight texture and soft finish of this one works wonders for adding volume without weighing down roots. Though it's a pretty pricey option, the versatility and positive results help to justify the cost.

Price at time of publish: $45

Key Ingredients: Hyaluronic acid, ceramides, gluco-peptide | Hair Type: All | Size: 5 fluid ounces | Cruelty-Free: No | Byrdie Clean: No

Best Budget

John Frieda Volume Lift Air Whipped Foam

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Ideal for fine hair, this affordable buy creates volume and fullness via polymer technology. There’s also caffeine to help invigorate the scalp, while panthenol (vitamin B5) hydrates and soothes. Note that while it's excellent for fine hair, those with thicker more dense hair might not find that it provides enough hold.

Price at time of publish: $10

Key Ingredients: Vp/methacrylamide/vinyl imidazole copolymer, panthenol | Hair Type: Balanced to fine | Dosage: Palm-full | Size: 7.5 fluid ounces | Cruelty-Free: No | Byrdie Clean: No

Best Drugstore

Dove Style + Care Curls Defining Mousse

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If you want to add lift and definition to your curls without spending a lot of money, this Dove mousse is pretty hard to beat. It contains dimethicone to smooth and shape the hair, while the lightweight texture doesn’t feel tacky, heavy, or stiff. It does outline that it’s best for curls; we also think this formula would be great for heavy, thick, or coarse hair types.

Price at time of publish: $7

Key Ingredients: Dimethicone, DMDM hydantoin | Hair Type: Curly, thick | Size: 7 fluid ounces | Cruelty-Free: Yes | Byrdie Clean: No

Best Dual-Purpose

Vegamour GRO Hair Foam for Thinning Hair

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Multi-purpose products add such value to your beauty routine, and this hair mousse that doubles as a hair growth treatment is a fantastic example. It provides the benefits of a great hair mousse—volume, lift, and texture—while also containing proprietary ingredients that penetrate the scalp to support fuller-looking hair. It's been clinically proven to show visible results in as soon as three months, making it a fantastic option if you use mousse consistently and you're hoping to increase your hair density, too.

Price at time of publish: $58

Key Ingredients: Turmeric, N. benthamiana, red clover | Hair Type: All | Size: 1.1 fluid ounces | Cruelty-Free: Yes | Byrdie Clean: Yes

Best for Curls

SheaMoisture Coconut & Hibiscus Frizz-Free Curl Mousse

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This clean formula, infused with silk protein and keratin, delivers curl-enhancing volume with botanical extracts designed to activate your curl's natural curl memory and wave pattern. We love the high-shine, soft finish that leaves curls bouncy without any sticky residue or crunching. It's also great for helping to tame frizz.

Price at time of publish: $13

Key Ingredients: Deionized water, silk protein, keratin | Hair Type: Curly, wavy, coils, thick | Size: 7.5 fluid ounces | Cruelty-Free: Yes | Byrdie Clean: Yes

Best for Curls, Runner-Up

TGIN Rose Water Curl Defining Mousse

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This nourishing mousse is packed with moisture-rich rose water, plus botanicals including lavender, ginger, acai, and marula to care for curls while creating soft, subtle volume. There’s also polymer technology to shape and define curls and waves. If you're looking for a mousse that won't create stiffness or totally lock curls into place but rather keep them lightly defined, this is the one for you.

Price at time of publish: $13

Key Ingredients: Rose water, acai extract, ginger root, lavender, maltodextrin/VA-copolymer | Hair Type: Balanced to curly or coiled | Size: 8 fluid ounces | Cruelty-Free: Yes | Byrdie Clean: No

Best for Fine Hair

Living Proof Full Thickening Mousse

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Those with fine hair will know that creating volume is a difficult balance—if you add too much product, you’ll simply end up with hair that is limp, greasy, and completely weighed down. Thankfully, this mousse from Living Proof gets it right. The secret is a patented thickening molecule that builds on existing hair, giving the illusion of serious volume. It’s also quite light, so there’s no tack or stiffness.

Price at time of publish: $30

Key Ingredients: Vp/methacrylamide/vinyl imidazole copolymer, panthenol, acacia senegal gum | Hair Type: Fine, thin, or balanced | Dosage: Egg-sized amount | Size: 2 fluid ounces, 5 fluid ounces | Cruelty-Free: Yes | Byrdie Clean: No

Best for Wavy Hair

Amika Plus Size Perfect Body Mousse

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This airy, whipped option is amazing when it comes to creating soft, beachy waves. It provides a flexible hold, and it's formulated with shaping polymers and sea buckthorn for nourishment, leaving your hair soft, tousled, and defined. Pair it with a sea salt spray for a more undone finish.

Price at time of publish: $30

Key Ingredients: AMP-acrylates/allyl methacrylate copolymer, PEG-40 hydrogenated castor oil, sea buckthorn extract | Hair Type: All | Dosage: Golf-ball-sized amount | Size: 8.5 fluid ounces | Cruelty-Free: Yes | Byrdie Clean: No

Best for Dry Hair

R+Co Aircraft Pomade Mousse

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Pulitano loves this mousse for clients with fine, brittle, or dry hair, thanks to the inclusion of papaya, protein, and neem oil. “Mousse can be drying due to the alcohol content, but Aircraft is surprisingly soft and nourishing. I love smoothing it through the hair before a bouncy blow dry for long-lasting results.” The addition of corn starch prevents grease around the roots, too.

Price at time of publish: $36

Key Ingredients: Corn starch, synthetic beeswax, papaya fruit extract, neem oil | Hair Type: Balanced, dry, and colored | Size: 5.6 fluid ounces | Cruelty-Free: Yes | Byrdie Clean: No

Best Splurge

Leonor Greyl Au Lotus Volumizing Mousse

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Formulated without alcohol, this lush French buy is all of our luxury beauty dreams realized. It’s airy and light, so it works on thin, frizzy, or mature hair (there’s no stiffness whatsoever). The addition of castor seed and jojoba oils recondition the hair, too. While it’s got a hefty price tag, we promise you it’s a great formula and an excellent choice if you're looking for an alcohol-free product.

Price at time of publish: $48

Key Ingredients: Polyquaternium 4/Hydroxypropyl Starch Copolymer, PEG-40 hydrogenated castor oil, buxus chinensis seed oil | Hair Type: Thin, mature, dry or colored | Size: 5.1 fluid ounces | Cruelty-Free: Yes | Byrdie Clean: No

Best for Colored Hair

Oribe Grandiose Hair Plumping Mousse

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“This mousse is hard to beat,” says Pulitano. “It coats each hair fiber, leaving it shiny, full, and manageable—not to mention beautifully bouncy.” This soft, velvety, and color-safe formula is amazing for building structure within the hair, ensuring excellent hold and a long-lasting finish. Also, it’s got that signature expensive Oribe scent (need we say more).

Price at time of publish: $39

Key Ingredients: VP/VA Copolymer, panthenol, amber resin extract | Hair Type: All | Size: 5.7 fluid ounces | Cruelty-Free: Yes | Byrdie Clean: No

Best for Frizz

IGK Big Time Volumizing Mousse

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If you're looking for a mousse to use before you blow dry your hair in order to provide volume and smooth frizz, we recommend this one. After applying it on towel-dried hair and giving yourself a blowout, it works to add volume, control frizz, and flyaways, and act as a heat protectant. It also helps to preserve the longevity of your hairstyle, and we love that it's suitable for a wide range of hair types.

Price at time of publish: $32

Key Ingredients: Glycerin, sunflower seed extract | Hair Type: Frizzy | Size: 6.2 fluid ounces | Cruelty-Free: Yes | Byrdie Clean: No

Best for Shine

Virtue Volumizing Mousse

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Virtue always exceeds our expectations, and this volumizing mousse is no different. It’s packed with keratin, proteins, panthenol, and polymers and will help nourish, strengthen, and build body, all while creating a healthy-looking, ultra-shiny finish. The keratin component is actually designed to replenish keratin bonds within the hair, repairing damage and preventing breakage.

Price at time of publish: $38

Key Ingredients: VP/VA copolymer, acrylates copolymer, keratin, hydrolyzed soy protein, wheat amino acids, panthenol | Hair Type: All | Size: 5.1 fluid ounces | Cruelty-Free: Yes | Byrdie Clean: No

Best for Definition

The Doux Mousse Def Texture Foam

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This lightweight foam mousse contains natural moisturizers and silk proteins to tamp frizz, lock in moisture and strengthen hair, leaving hair soft and shiny. Reviewers note the formula sculpts and creates definition nicely without leaving any flakes behind. Reviewers also note that the product can be drying, especially on the ends, so you might need to condition a bit deeper or finish off with a lightweight hair oil.

Price at time of publish: $15

Key Ingredients: Panthenol, silk amino acids, | Hair Type: All | Size: 7 fluid ounces | Cruelty-Free: Yes | Byrdie Clean: No