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Hair mousse still ranks among the most versatile, yet not fully understood, styling products. Created in the form of an aerated foam, the product ensures gentle hold, wave formation, and increased volume of crown while not leaving sticky film like regular styling gels.
Knowing how to apply the foam properly to wet hair will turn dull and flat hair into voluminous and bouncy blowout. This is your comprehensive guide to hair mousse use.
What hair mousse is?
"Mousse" is derived from the French word for foam, which accurately depicts the nature of this super-lightweight styling product. In contrast to heavy pomades, creams or hair sprays rich in alcohol content, which tend to make hair heavy, mousse offers a foamy texture that evenly coats each strand of hair. It gives an invisible structure to each strand of hair, adding volume without compromising its touchability.
Hair mousse not only acts as a holding product for styling but also as a protective barrier for your hair. Modern foam products are made up of moisture-trapping elements, which seal hair cuticles and protect your hair from outside humidity, ensuring that you don't suffer from frizzy hair. You can use hair mousse to add volume to roots, create curls, or give straight hair a workable texture.
Since mousse works efficiently in air, you should pair it with a sophisticated drying process. Applying the foam to wet hair and blow drying will ensure that it is set properly and adds maximum body to your hair without making a crunchy layer.
Step-by-step process for correct usage of mousse
Creating natural-looking volume using hair mousse calls for a proper technique and even distribution of the product among the hair strands. It is important to follow certain steps to make sure that each hair strand will be lifted with just enough product.
Step 1. Cleanse your hair
Wash your hair thoroughly with suitable shampoos and conditioners. Dry your hair with a microfiber towel until it is evenly moist but not soaking wet.
Apply the right amount
Shaking the container well, invert it and squeeze out of it a portion of foam roughly as big as a golf ball. You always need less product than you think.
Distribute evenly along the lengths
Rub the foam in both of your hands and carefully distribute it along the strands paying attention to the roots mostly but also to mid-lengths and ends.
Comb out for an even coverage
Use a wide-tooth comb or your fingers to comb through the strands so the foam will spread evenly throughout the length.
Dry the strands to achieve maximum volume
Blow-dry them with the help of high-speed airflow while raising the strands up at the roots.
How to use hair mousse on different types of hair?
Hair mousse is incredibly versatile, but changing your technique of application according to your natural hair texture will bring out some really amazing effects.
Fine/thin hair
Mousse is the key product for volume creation in thin hair. It brings body and crown height without being too much of weight compared to oil or wax products.
Curly/wavy hair
In curl creation mousse is great for defining the ringlets and springiness. Using foam in wet curls will eliminate any frizziness while keeping the waves bouncy and not crunchy at all.
Straight hair
The straight hair type can gain from the use of mousse through grip and texture addition. It will create enough friction for maintaining the hairstyle whether it be a braid or waves.
Thick/coarse hair
Rather than using strong hairspray on the thick hair, you should apply a big handful of mousse.
Match mousse with new heat-drying methods
For you to achieve maximum volume from your moussed hair, you need to use the appropriate drying method with the hair treatment. Fast airflow causes the foam to set quickly; hair fibers swell up and achieve dynamic volume.
|
Hair texture |
Primary styling goal |
Recommended blowout technique |
Ideal styling tool |
|
Fine, flat hair |
Maximum root lift and crown height |
Rough-dry roots upward using high air velocity at low heat settings. |
|
|
Wavy or curly hair |
Clumped, frizz-free ringlet definition |
Gently cup moussed curls upward using a dedicated diffuser attachment. |
|
|
Sleek straight hair |
Smooth body with zero static flyaways |
Direct airflow downward along the shaft using a focused styling concentrator. |
Using the multi-purposeful Laifen Swift Special will allow you to set up your hair style without any heat damage. Featuring special styling nozzles such as diffuser and concentrator it will provide you with accurate air flow control when sculpting well-defined curls or creating a beautiful sweeping blowout.
Using the lightweight and portable Laifen SE 2 with its powerful high-speed velocity you will be able to dry your moussed hair quickly while negative ions will help you remove any static frizz.
Pro tips on how to prevent your hair from becoming crunchy and full of product build-up
Even though using hair mousse is not a difficult task there are certain mistakes that may make your hair look and feel bad.
Too much product will most likely result in crunchy hair. Start by applying a moderate amount, which is equal to a golf ball. Apply more only if you have very long and thick hair. When your hair feels stiff after being dried then gently scrunch it using your clean dry hands to remove product cast and make it soft and flexible again.
Also, do not apply mousse to already dry hair unless you want to get a slicked-back look. As we have already mentioned mousse requires water to spread easily. Using controlled air flow from the Laifen Air Hair Dryer will quickly seal the cuticle locking in moisture and setting your style without any heat damage.
FAQ
Should I use mousse on wet or dry hair?
Hair mousse should always be applied to damp hair that has just been towel-dried. This helps in distributing the product evenly across all hair strands since there will be no formation of clumps when applied to damp hair. Applying mousse to dry hair causes the formation of sticky clumps and uneven and stiff texture.
Can hair mousse cause damage to hair or make it dry?
The modern formulation of mousse is usually gentle and consists of moisturizing ingredients. The product will not make your hair dry as long as you do not use mousse with drying alcohol content and blow dry hair using temperature-controlled air flow.
How is hair mousse different from hair gel?
Hair mousse is a light foam that adds volume and body and holds hair. Hair gel is a dense liquid that gives strong hold and glossy finish since it creates a very rigid style.
How do I remove crunchy feeling after blow-drying hair treated with mousse?
If your hair becomes firm and crunchy after blow-drying it, just perform a process called scrunching out the crunch. In this case, just squeeze portions of your hair upward with clean dry hands or a microfiber cloth.
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