Like many of my fellow millennials, I have a love-hate relationship with hair mousse. While it was never my first hair styler of choice, I occasionally reached for mousse in middle school to give my curly hair (and my right arm) a break from the flat iron. Yet, no matter how much or how little of the whipped foam I applied, the outcome was always the same: Crunchy, wet-looking curls that felt like they might snap right off.
Needless to say, I was initially hesitant to review a gifted sample of Redken's Full Volume Mousse, a heat-protectant mousse ideal for adding volume to hair. But once I realized it was not the standard Y2K mousse I'd come to loathe, I was all in. The volumizing claims and conditioning ingredients sounded promising, and I wanted to settle the score with hair mousse once and for all.
I had the perfect opportunity to put this moisturizing mousse to the test during my best friend’s bachelorette weekend. Keep scrolling to see how Full Volume helped my mane endure three days' worth of activities and discover its surprising link to resolving my packing struggles.
What is Redken Full Volume Mousse?
A packaging rebrand of Redken’s Full Frame 07 Volumizing Mousse, the Full Volume Mousse is a medium-control conditioning foam that provides all-over volume for fuller, thicker-feeling hair. The lightweight formula is enriched with castor oil and contains thickening polymers and conditioning agents to lift and moisturize hair. In addition to volumizing fine hair, it also guards against humidity and protects hair from heat damage up to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.
Who is Full Volume Mousse for?
All hair types can benefit from the conditioning and frizz-fighting properties of Redken Full Volume Mousse. That being said, those with fine or thin hair will likely see the most noticeable boost in volume. We suggest using it whenever you want to create a style with lots of bounce and soft hold.
How do you use Full Volume Mousse?
For volume and heat protection, apply Full Volume Mousse to towel-dried hair after shampooing and conditioning (but before any other styling products). Dispense a golf ball-sized dollop into your palm, rub your hands together, and rake the product through your mane from roots to ends. If you find the amount isn't enough for your hair, add more, using a bit at a time. Then, for optimal results, blow dry your hair with a diffuser.
Tip: You can check out our article How to Use Hair Mousse for more ways to incorporate mousse into your routine.
My Hair Routine Before Redken Full Volume Mousse
I’ve been in my air-drying era for the past year, but I’ve recently reverted to my old habits of straightening and curling my hair. In the photo above, I prepped my hair with a heat-protectant lotion and dried it with a blowout brush to make it look sleeker. The last step was curling the ends of my hair with my curling iron so it wasn’t stick-straight. You’d never know it, though, judging by how flat and drab my locks ended up (I’m chalking it up to needing a trim). After seeing these unfortunate snapshots, I was ready to shake up my hairstyling routine with the Full Volume Mousse—hopefully, it’d breathe life back into my strands.
My Redken Full Volume Mousse Review
At first, using this mousse took some trial and error. I initially applied it to my curls and let them air dry, thinking I’d have bigger, bouncier hair. However, my hair looked exactly the same but felt slightly stiffer. What I didn't realize was that this conditioning mousse is meant to be used with heat stylers, like blow driers. Once I acknowledged my mistake, I quickly rinsed the mousse out of my hair and filed the information away for next time.
A few days later, I was ready to bring the (styling) heat before heading out for the big bachelorette weekend. Unwilling to waste valuable luggage space on my usual trio of hot tools (a blow dryer brush, curling iron, and flat iron), I washed and styled my hair at home before departing. I wondered how my hair would survive three days of festivities without my arsenal. One of the other girls was bound to have a curling iron on hand for emergency touch-ups, right? Happily, I discovered my worries were for naught.
Day 1: Thursday
I washed and towel-dried my hair, applied the recommended amount of Full Volume Mousse, and let my hair dry slightly before grabbing my blowout brush. My first thought was that my hair felt THICK. When I gathered it all in my hands, it felt twice as thick as usual, so I knew the polymers were doing their job. After blow drying, it was time to curl my hair. At first, I had a bit of trouble navigating my hair’s unfamiliar bulked-up texture, but it felt more manageable once I finished curling it. Usually, my curls flatten a bit after brushing through them, but this time, they retained their shape. I rarely use texturizing spray or hairspray when I style, so that gorgeous body was strictly from Redken’s mousse.
Day 2: Friday
These photos were taken more than 36 hours after my initial styling. I slept on my curls, exposed them to a day of windy winery hopping, and then got ready for a glitzy dinner. Even when I’m not doing anything extravagant, I always have to touch up my hair after a day or two; this weekend was apparently the exception. Not a single section of my hair fell flat and needed re-doing (not even my fussy face-framing layers). I figured this was a fluke since my hair was still relatively clean. Tomorrow, I thought, would be the true test.
Day 3: Saturday
The homestretch of the bachelorette party (and my wash day) was finally here. After several hours of late-night dancing—plus a few squished against my pillow while I slept—I woke up Saturday pleased to see that my hair's volume remained 72 hours later (though I did need some dry shampoo for my roots). While my curls had fallen into more of a loose wave, it was still much fuller than my usual ‘do. Normally, my day three hair would be straggly and flat against my head, requiring a curling iron refresh. Again, not this weekend. I couldn’t believe I didn’t need to borrow a hot tool once the entire trip. It was a gamble leaving them at home, for sure, but fortunately, I didn’t miss them.
Hair mousse and I may have had troubled beginnings, but I am now officially a fan. If you’ve searched high and low for answers on how to get more volume in your hair for an extended period of time, Redken’s Full Volume Mousse delivers. I'm so glad I've finally found something that I can use to keep my hair intact on weekend trips (and being able to pack light is certainly a welcome bonus).
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