The 16 Best Volumizing Mousses of 2022

Best Overall

Joico Firm Hold Design Foam

3.5

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Who else recommends it? StyleCraze also picked the Joico Firm Hold Design Foam.1

What do buyers say? 83% of 2,300+ Amazon reviewers rated this product 4 stars or above.

This universally-appealing mousse delivers body, hold, and shine—all while caring for dry, dehydrated hair. The alcohol-free formula is boosted with kukui nut oil to nourish and smooth, while polymers coat each strand to build volume. Reviewers also seem to love the fact it’s never sticky or stiff.

Price at time of publish: $23

Key Ingredients: VP/VA copolymer, kukui nut oil | Hair Type: Fine, thin | Size: 10.2 fluid ounces | Cruelty-Free: Yes | Byrdie Clean: No

Best Budget

John Frieda Volume Lift Air Whipped Foam

Courtesy of Amazon

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Ideal for fine hair, this wallet-friendly buy creates volume and fullness via polymer technology. There’s also caffeine to help invigorate the scalp,2 while panthenol (vitamin B5) hydrates and soothes.

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

Courtesy of Walmart

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If you want to add lift and definition to your curls without breaking the bank, this Dove mousse is pretty hard to beat. It contains dimethicone to smooth and shape,3 while the lightweight texture doesn’t feel tacky, heavy, or stiff. While it does outline that it’s 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 for Curls

SheaMoisture Coconut & Hibiscus Frizz-Free Curl Mousse

Courtesy of Ulta

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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.

Price at time of publish: $11

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

Courtesy of Ulta

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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.

Price at time of publish: $12

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

Courtesy of Amazon

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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 and greasy. 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 Thick Hair

TIGI Catwalk Strong Hold Mousse

Courtesy of Amazon

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With a strong hold and thicker consistency, this mousse from TIGI is great for thick, coarse hair. It contains dimethicone to coat the hair, providing smoothness, definition, and hold3—making it a useful pick for those with a natural curl, too. Because it’s heavier texture-wise, it provides long-lasting hold, too.

Key Ingredients: PVP, PEG/PPG-18/18 dimethicone | Hair Type: Curly, thick, and coarse | Size: 6.7 fluid ounces | Cruelty-Free: No | Byrdie Clean: No

Best for Wavy Hair

Amika Plus Size Perfect Body Mousse

Courtesy of Sephora

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This airy, whipped option is amazing when it comes to creating soft, beachy waves. It’s got a flexible hold, 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: $28

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

Courtesy of Amazon

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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.4

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

Courtesy of Amazon

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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.

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

Courtesy of Nordstrom

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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 Normal Hair

Original & Mineral Rootalicious Root Lift Mousse

Courtesy of Amazon

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Enriched with native Australian quandong and lilly pilly extracts, this mousse is volumizing but supremely nourishing, as well. It works to create a barrier around the roots, lifting the hair up and out. “This is one of my favorite mousses for all hair types, but especially fine and flat,” adds Pulitano. “It coats the hair, lifting from the roots and creating movement that’s natural but long-lasting.”

Price at time of publish: $50

Key Ingredients: PVP/VA copolymer, quaternium-23, quandong, lilly pilly | Hair Type: All | Size: 10.14 fluid ounces | Cruelty-Free: Yes | Byrdie Clean: Yes

Best for Frizz

Redken Full Frame 07 All-Over Volumizing Mousse

Courtesy of Ulta

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Sick of rain and humidity ruining your blow-dries? Redken’s Full Frame 07 All-Over Mousse is the answer. It contains polymer technology plus castor oil to smooth flyaways, while an anti-frizz shield prevents water from swelling up the hair cuticle. It also manages to add amazing volume without feeling tacky or heavy—in fact, it brushes out easily (no need to shampoo).

Price at time of publish: $24

Key Ingredients: Allyl methacrylate copolymer, lauryl methacrylate copolymer, castor oil | Hair Type: Thick, frizzy hair | Size: 8.5 fluid ounces | Cruelty-Free: Yes | Byrdie Clean: No

Best for Shine

Virtue Volumizing Mousse

Courtesy of Dermstore

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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 imparting a healthy-looking shine. The keratin component is actually designed to replenish keratin bonds within the hair, repairing damage and preventing breakage.5

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

Amazon

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You’ve definitely seen this product in your feed. 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.

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