I know what you’re thinking.

You haven’t even considered using hair mousse since the latter end of the 90s, haunted by the memory of sticky, gloopy, frothy, watery formulas that stiffened hair like a Plaster of Paris cast and rendered it completely untouchable. Of course, this old school mousse had its uses – a big, bouncy blow dry could last at least a week under its stiff spell – but as new hi-tech hair products, like sprays, mists, creams and pomades came to the fore in their hundreds, mousse fell into disuse, atop the pile of long-forgotten beauty products.

The thing is, despite all that, I’m actually a massive fan of hair mousse. All it took was for hairstylist Larry King to teach me how to actually properly style my curls using one and I’ve found myself scrunching satsuma-sized balls of the stuff into my hair after every wash cycle ever since. My curls have never looked better.

But this isn’t hair mousse as you know it.

These days, the best hair mousse isn’t sticky, but rather creamy and nourishing. It isn’t runny and wet, like the remnants of an ill-advised foam party, but rather frothy and dense, like the texture of pre-baked meringue. It doesn’t petrify hair into a rigid mass; it gently scaffolds curls whilst allowing them to ripple like a Reformation silk slip dress.

Wondering how to use hair mousse on curly hair? It’s best applied to wet hair, straight from the shower - no towel or brush allowed. A golf ball’s worth is enough for short hair above the shoulders, mid-length or long hair will require a satsuma-sized ball or two. After scrunching into hair, focusing on the roots for volume or lengths for curl formation, continue with your usual drying routine - whether that’s plopping (leaving your hair to dry whilst tied up in a t-shirt or curl-safe hair towel), a diffuser-aided blow dry, or low-maintenance air-drying. Curls will end up more defined, but without looking like crispy, doll-like ringlets.

These are the best hair mousse formulas for curly hair I’ve found to date.

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