How bad is mousse?

[MissAlida]

Is mousse bad for hair? I mean, I know it has alcohol, which dries hair out, and I read that it has cones too. Truth is, I can't reach BSL. I grow my hair, and by the time it reaches the top of my bra strap, I hate the ends, and cut them (I cut my own hair). Also, the curls eat up much of my lenght anyways. I'm thinking about staying at APL-BSL for now. I just trimmed yesterday, and now my ends look so thick and healthy, and my curls are huge, which I like.

So, my point is, I choose shorter, but good looking hair, over long and limp. Would using mousse twice a week, after I wash my hair, damage it? Did any of you notice any damage from using it? I like the texture and volume mousse gives my curls. Oils don't clump my strands together well enough, and gel doesen't give me any volume.

Of course, if my hair will decide to grow long and thick, I don't have any objection to that.:D But for now, I'd rather spend less time on shorter, but nice looking hair, than alot of time pampering the thin and tangly mess it turns into when longer. Sorry for the rant.:rolleyes:

[lmfbs]

I have wavy hair and I really try to avoid anything drying as it really messes with my hair. I've not used mousse, but things that dry my hair lead to damage for me, so it could be the same for you.

Do you co-wash/use the curly girl method? That will help your clumping/volume issues, I bet.

[DarkCurls]

Not all alcohol dries out hair. It depends on which alcohol. Also, I wasn't aware that mousse necessarily contained alcohol. :confused: I mean, does it?
And cones aren't necessarily bad, either; if your hair likes them, go for it. :D

[MissAlida]

lmfbs I use the CW method, but only put shampoo on my roots, so my lenght is pretty much CO. I always do a 30 min deep conditioning with conditioner, then without rinsing it out, I apply shampoo to the roots. Then I rinse first with water, then white vinegar, then water again. I scrunch my curls, sometimes with oil, but today I tried mousse, and it turned out really nice.
DarkCurls I read the label of my garnier fructise mousse (it says it's for curly hair), and it has water as first ingredient and alcohol as second. It also has dymethicone. My conditioner is cone free, but my hair likes it both ways.

[caiti42]

I don't think I've had a great deal of damage from mousse, not that I use it often. I suggest washing it out rather than combing it out though so you don't rip the strands apart.

[DarkCurls]

DarkCurls I read the label of my garnier fructise mousse (it says it's for curly hair), and it has water as first ingredient and alcohol as second. It also has dymethicone. My conditioner is cone free, but my hair likes it both ways.
My hair likes fructis. What alcohol is it? Or does it just say "alcohol"?

[MissAlida]

caiti42 Good tip, thank you.:) I don't really comb my hair when it's curly, but sometimes I do get tempted to try.
DarkCurls It says ALCOHOL DENAT.

[wooliswonderful]

DH uses mousse daily. His hair is 3b/3c and as long as I've known him (nearly 20 years) his hair has looked good and grown well. He lets it grow to MBL and then whenever he feels the urge cuts it back to APL. I can't remember what brand of mousse he used back in the day, now he uses Tresemme.

[DarkCurls]

Yeeouch. Alcohol denat is not the nice kind of alcohol. ^^ Too bad.
I personally wouldn't use it because my hair doesn't like alcohol denat. But if it works for you, then sure.
I just wanted to say that using mousse is a good idea for curly hair, usually, and if you're unsure about this one, you may want to try another one with different ingredients.

[curlsgalore]

There are a few mousses (?) that I use on and off. I try to alternate as to not get dry...plus use richer conditioners and DT. They are Sally's generic value Paul Mitchell sculpting foam (not the volumizing one), which has water soluble silicones, clairol 3-in-1 mousse (purple can), and joico joiwhip. I've never had any problems with either of these. They actually feel very moisturizing.

[MissAlida]

Thank you all for your input.:D I guess I'm going to experiment with mousse, just to see if it works better than gel for me.
DarkCurls What kind of alcohol should I look for in the description box?:)

[Hollyfire3]

Thank you all for your input.:D I guess I'm going to experiment with mousse, just to see if it works better than gel for me.
DarkCurls What kind of alcohol should I look for in the description box?:)

IMO, gell seems to damage my hair more. It makes it crunchy, dry, brittle and all sorts of icky for me. Mousse, ont he other hand, dries nearly undetectable, soft, touchable and defined, I don't have any damage from mousse and use a very good amount after each wash.

[BrownEyedBeauty]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I was always under the belief that mousse works best when used in conjunction with a hair dryer. If this is the case, then I would skip the application of mousse.

[DarkCurls]

Honestly I'm not even sure what mousse is. :p But then, I spent days pondering what kind of gel curlies (CG method) put in their hair (I still don't know, but I've decided I don't need gel). I can see cream, but mousse?

OP => I'm not good at the whole chemistry stuff. Cetearyl alcohol and Stearyl alcohol I believe to be nice fatty alcohols. If I remember correctly, isopropyl alcohol and alcohol denat are drying. Those are the only alcohols I've ever found in hair products, but there are probably a lot more.
I wouldn't want to enable. If a product works for you, then there's no point in looking for another.

[Cania]

Aloe Vera Gel!
When my hair was shorter, it was wavy. Scrunching with AVG is (as far as I know) not damaging. I also still use it to give my hair more volume. It works a treat, without drying out the hair. Definitely something to consider :)

ETA: AVG doesn't leave your hair dry, sticky or crunchy at all. In fact, it was less crunchy than mousse for me. Worth a shot on wet hair - it's rather cheap and a little goes a long way :)

[MrsGuther]

I've never had any damage from using mousse.

[Hollyfire3]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I was always under the belief that mousse works best when used in conjunction with a hair dryer. If this is the case, then I would skip the application of mousse.

Mousse doesn't need a hair dryer, most are best air dried. I use mine without heat every time I wash.

[earthnut]

Not all mousses contain "drying alcohols" and not all people believe drying alcohols are bad. Is alcohol really bad? (http://www.zaega.com/beauty-myth-alcohol-dries-out-and-damages-your-hair-and-your-skin.html) Decide for yourself.

[Shicurls]

I have been currently using mousse almost everyday since December and my hair has never looked so good and moisturized. :shrug: I use Paul Mitchell Sculpting Foam. Love it. And, I've tried just about every method and this works wonderfully well for me! I say, if your hair likes it, then you're good!

[MissAlida]

Not all mousses contain "drying alcohols" and not all people believe drying alcohols are bad. Is alcohol really bad? (http://www.zaega.com/beauty-myth-alcohol-dries-out-and-damages-your-hair-and-your-skin.html) Decide for yourself.
The link is great, I read it. Thank you for your help. I guess I'm going to stick with it, even if it has alcohol.:)

Cania I tried AVG in the past, without very good results. It clumped my hair together, and made it look wet. Altough, it might be worth another try.:)

[MintChocChip]

I used to love mousse for getting a little bit of oomph into my hair (I have relatively thin hair but it can get a lot of volume, when I gave up the hairdryer I went onto mousse for a while...)

But personally I don't think mousse is really a great idea. I've noticed my hair is a lot less dry on my ends since giving it up. Just something to consider at least.

I suppose it depends on the mousse, like other people have said not all mousse's contain the drying alcholol. I was using pretty cheap, standard mousse so if you shopped around I'm sure it might not be as bad for your hair. I'm personally not a fan, but that's just me and my hair. :)

[MissAlida]

MintChocChip I appreciate your advice. I asked, because I was curious to hear opinions, and I know that with wavy and curly hair, dry ends tend to be a problem. I have experienced this many times, and always ended up doing a 1-2 inch trim. This is why I am a bit reluctant to start using mousse on a weekly basis. But I've decided to give it a try. I have a half full can, I'm going to use that up, and if I like it, then I'll buy some more, maybe a different brand, just to experiment a bit. If not, well, then back to oils.:o

[CurlyCurves]

From what I've learnt, mousse tends to stick your hairs together, which then rip off cuticles when pulled apart (ultimately causing damage and/or exposing the cortex).

[vanillabones]

Oh my gosh goodbye mousse for me. I know it isn't great, and I don't notice that much of a difference when using it anyway. Why do I keep it around? Be gone!

[Hollyfire3]

From what I've learnt, mousse tends to stick your hairs together, which then rip off cuticles when pulled apart (ultimately causing damage and/or exposing the cortex).

It does this?! Oh my...scared now! I use mousse alot! Its a bit sticky but I hadn't really thought of this....:(

[earthnut]

From what I've learnt, mousse tends to stick your hairs together, which then rip off cuticles when pulled apart (ultimately causing damage and/or exposing the cortex).
You're talking about this kind of damage? (http://www.pgbeautygroomingscience.com/hair-spray-accumulation.php) The damage shown there was caused by hairspray being left on too long. The styler is washable, but if pulled apart before washing, it can cause damage. That site doesn't say what ingredient is causing the hairs to glue together like that. Some people think that drying alcohol is to blame, but I haven't found any reference to a study that says that, yet.

[akilina]

From what I've learnt, mousse tends to stick your hairs together, which then rip off cuticles when pulled apart (ultimately causing damage and/or exposing the cortex).
Nooo.. I could see this happening if you moussed then hairsprayed a ton, then moussed MORE. D:??? Guys, don't chuck your mousse out the window please! :]
Earthnut's link is legit. I could see cheapo mousses being more damaging because it is made with way cheaper ingredients.
Biolage's mousse is my favorite mousse in all the land :)
Maybe if you know a licensed professional you could convince them to go get you a bottle at a store like CosmoProf for half the price :D

[kidari]

They have mousse without drying alcohols in it. I read before that they tend to come in a pump dispenser instead of a can. Aveeno makes one that I love, but I'm not an expert on ingredients.

[akilina]

They have mousse without drying alcohols in it. I read before that they tend to come in a pump dispenser instead of a can. Aveeno makes one that I love, but I'm not an expert on ingredients.
That is a great suggestion. You just need to be aware of the ingredients. Know that there are different kinds of alcohols, some fatty, and some drying.

[BrownEyedBeauty]

Mousse doesn't need a hair dryer, most are best air dried. I use mine without heat every time I wash.

Good to know, thanks! I just might give it a try once I figure out which ones are the safest to use on my hair.

[OrganicJewel]

I always want to like mousse, and I talk myself into putting it in my hair, even though I really know I won't end up with the results I want. It never leaves my hair touchable and soft. I guess that's more important to me rather than defined waves. It makes my hair dry and dull, and that's with a good mousse, one without alcohol.

[earthnut]

Personally, I doubt that the drying alcohol is the bad guy here. After all, it evaporates and leaves your hair. One site I found suggested that it was the polymers in the mousse or hairspray that caused the glue effect that can damage hair. That makes more sense to me, though again, I have yet to find an actual study that backs up these claims.

[earthnut]

You're talking about this kind of damage? (http://www.pgbeautygroomingscience.com/hair-spray-accumulation.php) The damage shown there was caused by hairspray being left on too long. The styler is washable, but if pulled apart before washing, it can cause damage. That site doesn't say what ingredient is causing the hairs to glue together like that. Some people think that drying alcohol is to blame, but I haven't found any reference to a study that says that, yet.

I just want to clarify, that that big thing attached to the hair in the last picture is not a piece of the other hair's cuticle. It's a glob of hairspray that has the imprint ("replica") of the other hair's cuticle. The imprint might take individual scales or parts of scales with it, but the damage is not as severe as that picture looks at first glance. No hair was actually ripped apart.

[MissAlida]

Oh my. Those pictures look dreadful. But mousse is much more gentle, than hairspray, in MHO. Hairspray is nearly impossible to wash out for me, whereas mousse seems easy both to apply and wash out. But it could cause damage, if you try to detangle your hair, comb, brush, or finger comb. I find, that with my curls, and the garnier mousse I use, it is best to just flip the hair over, spray with water and scrunch. If you try to comb, you can hear the strands tearing apart, and it's not a pretty sound (I didn't try it, but my hair got tangled in my bag strap, even tough it's not very long now, and when I tried to untangle it, I broke some strands I think:mad:).

[earthnut]

This study (http://journal.scconline.org/pdf/cc1992/cc043n03/p00169-p00178.pdf) looked at the strength of hairspray resin. The resin is formed by the polymers and sometimes silicones in the hairspray.

As you would expect, the harder the hold of the styler, the harder the hairs were to pull apart. The harder the hairs are to pull apart, the more risk for damage to the hair's scales. However even for the hardest hold hairsprays, the hairspray resin broke long before the hair did.

So if you want to avoid this effect, avoid hard hold and super hold stylers (hairspray, mousse, gel). The alcohol is a carrier for the solution, so that there's not much drying time. While drying alcohols may have their own damaging effect on the hair, by hastening the evaporation of moisture from the hair, they're not a part of the resin that holds hairs together.

Water based polymer stylers can cause the same damage as hairspray, they'll just take longer to dry.

[spirals]

Denatured alcohol is changed so it doesn't dry. I have been using all kinds of mousse for months and my hair is not damaged. Before that I used gels for years, and all kinds of silicones. Products don't damage; heat and agressive brushing do.