How Redken’s Stay High Mousse Helped Me Love My New Haircut

Traditional haircare wisdom says that cutting your hair shorter can help boost volume. The idea is that with shorter locks, you'll no longer have a lot of length weighing down your roots. But with my shorter ‘do, my eyes were drawn upward, and my flat roots seemed more pronounced. This had me questioning the cut and whether I made a mistake, but I was determined to make it work.

I thought about what my hair needed and the type of product that could get me there. This led me to what felt like an obvious conclusion: volumizing mousse. And as is life’s way, things aligned perfectly—just a few days later, Redken reached out, offering me the chance to try their recently relaunched Stay High Mousse. Ahead, I’m sharing all about my experience adding the mousse to my routine. Keep reading for the body-boosting scoop.

What Is Redken Stay High Mousse?

Redken’s Stay High Mousse is a lightweight mousse that thickens, volumizes, and bodifies the look and feel of your hair. It’s formulated with gel-to-mousse technology and volumizing polymers for max fullness. With this product, Redken has also accounted for strands that tend to lose volume quickly—the pro-styler infuses hair with lift memory and provides a long-lasting, 24-hour hold.

This mousse is a great option for anyone with normal to fine, thin or flat hair seeking a voluminous mane. It’s also safe for color-treated strands, so it can slot easily into many haircare routines.

Is Redken Stay High Mousse Discontinued?

Redken Stay High Mousse was unavailable for a few years, but much to the Hair.com team’s delight, it’s back now.

We’ve probably all had a favorite beauty product get discontinued. What’s less common is a formula that’s so beloved it gets brought back. But that’s exactly what happened with Redken’s volume-building mousse. In 2022, the brand discontinued the formula, but it wasn’t long before stylists started requesting it be brought back. The experts at Redken listened to their stylists (and consumers!) and decided to relaunch the mousse after a two-year drought. Now, you can buy the same much-loved mousse (it hasn’t undergone any changes or reformulations) once again.

How To Use Redken Stay High Mousse

Using mousse should be as easy as 1, 2, 3.

• Emulsify the formula between your hands. The clear gel will quickly transform into a rich, cushiony mousse.
• Work the mousse through damp hair section by section. Focus on the roots, where you want to create the most lift.
• Comb through your hair to help distribute the product evenly. Then, blow-dry and style your tresses however you like. (Check out our guide to cute hairstyles if you’re in need of some inspiration.)

My Redken Stay High Mousse Review

As a beauty editor, I’ve known about Redken’s Stay High Mousse for years. But, before my haircut, mousse was never part of my standard haircare routine. There were a few attempts as a teen, involving crunchy formulas that didn’t do anything for my mane, but that’s about where my mousse experience ended. That is to say, when I received the Stay High Mousse courtesy of the brand post-relaunch, it was less of a reunion and more of a first-date situation.

For a bit of background about my hair, I have loosely wavy, fine to normal strands but a lot of them. That’s part of what had me in a stylist’s chair in the first place. It was nearing the end of summer, and I was finished dealing with the weight of my longer locks. Plus, I had started to rely on messy buns and claw clips a little too much (if there is such a thing). I thought a shorter hairstyle might inspire me to actually wear my hair down. The only obstacle, as I came to realize, was how flat my hair looked after the cut.

Enter: mousse. Once I got my hands on the product, I was excited to put it to the test. I hopped in the shower, lathered up as usual, and rinsed. When I got out, I gently towel-dried my strands a tad, leaving them damp, and dispensed a generous amount of product into my hands. I rubbed it between my palms and watched it make the change from gel to mousse. The texture reminded me of an extra lightweight shaving cream.

I worked the mousse through my hair, scrunching from roots to ends. Then I broke out my blow-dry brush and got to work. As my hair dried, I quickly realized I had made a mistake—I used way too much product. Sure enough, when I looked back at the bottle, it plainly said to use a “small amount.” I also clearly hadn’t factored in my new length—a bob requires much less product than a longer style.

My hair definitely looked fuller, but I could really feel the product when I touched it. I recognized my user error and knew exactly what to do the next time I washed and styled my hair. Repeating most of the process, I simply used about half the amount of mousse I originally had, and that proved much more successful.

When I blew out my hair the second time, I was left with a voluminous mane, and my hair didn’t feel full of product. I added a few curling wand waves and immediately felt more confident about my new cut. And thankfully, this wasn’t short-lived. Even hours later, my hair had more visible body and felt thicker than normal. I also found myself feeling less inclined to pull my hair back—I actually wanted to wear it down, just as I had hoped.

Final Thoughts

After just a little trial and error, Redken’s Stay High Mousse easily fit right into my regular routine. I love the volume it gives me, and it’s fast become a staple for me and my bob. I’m also crediting the mousse with helping me love my short haircut.

Even when I inevitably grow out my hair again, I’ve decided I won’t be dropping mousse from my routine. You just can’t beat the volume boost this formula gives. Now, I can really see why Stay High has garnered so much fanfare. It’s a well-deserved revival.

Next Up: Hair to Stay: Why Mousse Is the OG Styler Your Haircare Routine Needs

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