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Hey Curl-friends! If you can’t tell from my instagram, I’m still fresh off the information I gathered while researching the @iamblackgirlcurls #30dayhairdetox that I shared in my No Oils, No Butter post. In that post, I mentioned that I planned to try their suggestions of using mousse to refresh my hair instead of water. Well I gave The Doux Mos Def Mousse a try and I’m kinda hooked and now want to try all the mousse. So if you want to hear my thoughts on refreshing with the Mos Def mousse and which mousse I plan to try next, keep reading!
As far as I’m concerned, The Doux Mos Def Mousse is a definite Doux! (See what I did there?) I’ve been using the Mos Def Mousse for about a month now and I’ve pretty much emptied one of the two bottles I purchased. And while my chronic habit of “more is more” often backfires on me, I am pretty happy that I purchased two bottles so I can continue to use The Doux while I decide which other brands of mousse to try next.
So what did I like about the Mos Def Mousse? Let me start by saying I think my hair responds really well to these type of water based foaming mousse, however, I’ve never used them specifically for refreshing. I realized pretty quickly that this product works best with a little water. I got much better results after lightly spritzing my hair with water than I did just applying the mousse to my dry hair. But because the mousse is water based, I don’t need to fully saturate my hair with water to refresh, the water in the mouse does most of the work of making my hair pliable, allowing me to reshape and remove shed hair. But I am most impressed with the way my curls bounce back after applying this mousse. Side note, this mousse does make your hair a bit crunchy, but I don’t mind a good, strong hold. But I suspect if I were to diffuse as @iamblackgirlcurls recommends, there might not be any crunch. This mousse also works well for smoothing my hair up into a ponytail or bun.
Of course this product is not without it’s faults. The main one being the ingredient list. The Mousse Def texture foam is rated an 8 on the Think Dirty app with the worst of that score being the fragrance. This could be an issue for you if you have any type of sensitivities to scents. However, this mousse also contains PVP, polyvinylprrolidone, which is what coats the hair and contributes to the hold. But from what I can tell PVP is water soluble, which makes sense because I don’t have any difficulty washing this product out of my hair unlike the Bounce Curl Define Cream whose ingredients include PVP/VA Copolymer. Is there a difference between PVP and PVP/VA Copolymer? I’m honestly not sure. Here is what I found on NaturallyCurly.com.
PVP (poly N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone) is an excellent film-former that is substantive to hair, forms clear films, and is completely water soluble. However, it absorbs water readily, which in humid weather makes it sticky or tacky to the touch, can cause frizz, and give a dull appearance to the hair. In dry weather, it can become brittle and flaky.
PVA (polyvinyl acetate) resists absorption of water in high humidity (which leads to better hold in damp weather conditions) and is more flexible in dry weather so it doesn’t flake, but is not as substantive to hair.
PVP/VA copolymer provides an excellent compromise between the properties of each of these polymers individually.
So with all of that said, let’s get into what other brands of mousse I’m planning to try.
- Camille Rose Spiked Honey Mousse 4-n-1 Styler – The Spiked Honey Mousse along with the Honey Dew Moisture Refresher have been on my “to try” list for a while now. Not sure why I’ve waited so long to add these to my stash.
- Kinky-Curly Seriously Smooth Fast Dry Foam – To be honest, I had no idea Kinky Curly even made a foam. You already know that my favorite leave-in is Kinky-Curly Knot Today. From what I can tell, it’s only available on Kinky-Curly.com and Amazon.
- Not Your Mother’s Curl Talk Curl Activating Mousse – This mousse looks more like the traditional mousse that would be used for styling which I might be down to try.
- Not Your Mother’s Curl Talk Refreshing Foam – However the refreshing foam looks exactly like what I’m looking for, even has “refreshing” in the name! Definitely have to give this one a try.
- Silk Elements Strength ‘n Silk Foaming Styling Lotion with Silk Protein – You might be surprised to see this one on the list but Silk Elements is the only brand I trust for thermal protection when straightening my hair. So when I saw they had a foam styling lotion, I thought why not! (*Disclaimer, I only gave the ingredients a quick glance and will definitely look a little deeper before actually purchasing.)
- SheaMoisture Coconut & Hibiscus Frizz-Free Curl Mousse – I’ve used this one in the past but more for styling. I’d be willing to give this mousse another try as a refresher only, but it’s not high on my list.
- Curls Blueberry Bliss Repair and Grow Curl Sculpting Mousse – Yet another line that I didn’t know had a mousse. Their Blueberry Bliss Curl Control Paste is another go to product I reach for when my hair is straight.
- Curlsmith Bouncy Strength Volume Foam – CurlSmith is a brand that has only recently been on my radar since the release of their strength line. Because I use so many moisturizing products I sometimes wonder if I should try products that introduce a protein balance to the hair. Just my luck the volume foam is a part of the strength line. Maybe I should give all the products in Strength Superfood Protein Kit a try?
Knowing how large my product stash is already, the plan is to only try one or two of these at a time. Well let’s just say I’ll do my best! Let me know if you know of any mousse that’s not on my list but you think I should try. Just drop it in a comment below!
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