Is Hair Mousse In Its Comeback Era? I Tried RŌZ’s Latest Launch To Find Out

In our series Trial Run, TZR editors and writers put the buzziest new beauty products to the test and share their honest reviews. This week, deputy beauty editor Erin Lukas is testing the buzzy RŌZ Milk Styling Mousse.

No hair product is in need of a complete rebrand more than mousse. The foamy styler was initially deemed revolutionary in the ‘80s because it provided unparalleled volume and curl definition, but it fell out of fashion once it became synonymous with crunchy, stiff hair as the decade closed. Today, mousse might be considered dated, but that’s about to change. Celebrity hairstylist Mara Roszak, who counts Emma Stone, Cara Delevingne, and Zoe Saldaña among her A-list clients, is giving the product a makeover with the launch of RŌZ’s Milk Styling Mousse.

Unlike the mousse you might be familiar with from your youth, this one from Roszak’s line is lightweight and hydrates hair in addition to enhancing curls, defining air-dried strands, providing hold, and adding body to smooth blowouts. As someone with straight, slightly coarse hair, mousse has never been in my adult hair care repertoire (my mom did put it in my hair when I was little because it was the product everyone used in the late ‘80s-early ‘90s). However, Roszak convinced me to give it another shot when she revealed on Instagram this launch was the secret product behind many of Stone’s hairstyles this past awards season, including her Oscars flippy bob.

So will mousse become a staple in my hairstyling routine? Ahead, I share my experience trying RŌZ’s Milk Styling Mousse ahead of its official July 28 launch.

Fast Facts

• Price: $40
• Size: 5 fl oz/150 mL
• Best For: Voluminous blowouts, hold and definition for curls
• Ingredient Highlights: Hyaluronic acid, red algae extract, BotaniComplex
• What We Like: Adds volume, doesn’t leave hair crunchy, subtle scent
• What We Don’t Like: Can leave residue if you use too much on the roots
• Rating: 4/5

How TZR Keeps Score: 1/5: Making a return; 2/5: Keeping as a backup; 3/5: Finishing to the last drop; 4/5: Recommending to my group texts; 5/5: Already on auto-replenish

The Formula

Mousse’s redemption arc wouldn’t be possible without a formula that’s the complete opposite of traditional ones. When developing Milk Styling Mousse, Roszak set out to create a versatile, lightweight foam that delivers heat protection, hydration, curl definition, and extra volume so it can be used by a range of hair types to achieve an array of styles. “As a hairstylist of over 20+ years, I've tried every mousse formula, and they all often felt crunchy, stiff, heavy, and hard to work with. RŌZ Milk Styling Mousse is so lightweight, hydrating, while also strengthening and volumizing with a hold that allows your hair to move. It has a soft strength. All the hold, none of the weight,” Roszak said in a press release for the product.

Key ingredients that make the aforementioned benefits possible include a soft memory complex consisting of polymers for shape, movement and hold, and pea peptide for hydration. The formula also contains ingredients from the brand’s best-selling Milk Hair Serum, such as, hyaluronic acid for weightless hydration, red algae extract for smoothness, and the brand’s proprietary BotaniComplex that soothes and nourishes the hair and scalp.

The mousse is also lightly scented with the brand’s signature fresh, woody scent inspired by California’s Big Sur mountains.

My Experience & Results

My hair is thick, a little coarse, and prone to frizz so air-drying it is always out of the question for me — even in the height of summer. I’m also extremely lazy, so I typically run a flat iron over my strands post blow-dry for a smooth finish. However, I’m left with little movement and body, which is where the Milk Styling Mousse can help.

After washing and towel-drying my hair, I raked two pumps of the mousse through my mid-lengths to ends, then up towards my roots. I didn’t start at my roots when applying it because I had a failed first attempt. I initially applied three pumps, which left my roots feeling filmy once dry, so I recommend a less-is-more approach first to see how your hair fares with it. Next, I used the Dyson Airwrap Coanda2x Multi-Styler And Dryer with the jumbo round brush attachment to give myself a smooth blowout with body and movement at the ends. I finished off by running a bit of RŌZ’s Hair Milk Serum through my ends for extra hydration. Thanks to the added hold from the mousse, I was able to shape the ends of my hair so they flipped the way I wanted them to, The result had an overall ‘90s vibe and really highlighted my recently-cut face-framing layers.

Despite the humidity that day, my hair stayed smooth, and the next morning, my ends still had some of the movement from the day before. What’s more, my strands felt soft and not weighed-down by styling products.

Is RŌZ’s Milk Styling Mousse Worth It?

Did I anticipate I’d become a mousse fan this year? No, but it’s become an unexpected, albeit welcome addition to my hair-styling sessions. While I’ve always visualized big, fluffy ‘80s hair at the mention of mousse, RŌZ’s has proven that using it can result in a more subtle, modern styles. So if you prefer your hair-styling sessions to be low-key and consist of minimal products, this one is a true multitasker that offers maximum payoff.