I’m not particularly defiant. But no matter how often I’ve heard that a hair mousse would change the game for my curls, I have simply refused to listen. I was sure I’d go through the pain of washing and drying my hair, only to be left with crunchy, immovable curls. Once, swayed by a tutorial, I bought the mousse being touted, but it sat collecting dust under my bathroom sink while my brain kept flashing to those nightmarish crispy coils. Retinols? Not scary. Microcurrent? Pfft. Mousse? Terrifying.
Everything changed when Crown Affair debuted their Texturizing Air Dry Mousse last spring. As a massive fan of the brand, I started to reconsider my mousse aversion. If the label behind the best hair towel ever created a mousse, surely it must be good. Reader, it’s fantastic. And don’t call me Shirley!
The Texturizing Air Dry Mousse is much lighter and airier than the average product: when dispensed, it looks more like soap suds than a dense shaving cream. The formula contains a blend of Bolivian pink salt, tsubaki meadow oil, and plant-driven proteins. The salt creates texture and hold, giving hair that coveted post-beach-swim vibe, while the meadow oil hydrates. The mousse has a pleasant, earthy scent that doesn’t linger, and it all comes packaged in a sleek black bottle.
Anyone with curls will tell you it’s tough out there. One day, your locks will look amazing, and the next, no matter how hard you try to recreate what you did that last time, you still end up with a frizzy mess. I like my hair to have some volume—but not too much—and I want my curls to be defined but still soft and romantic. Mostly, I’m battling frizz and dryness.
The day my mousse arrived, I was so curious to see the results I immediately stepped into a midday shower. I followed my typical routine of shampoo, deep conditioner, detangle, and leave-in. Then came the moment: I pumped three-ish dollops of Crown Affair’s mousse in my hands and ran it through my hair. It seemed to dissolve immediately on contact, so by the time I scrunched my curls into place, it didn’t feel like I’d done anything drastically different. Then came the waiting—I’m exclusively an air dry girly, so I wouldn’t know my fate for a few hours.
I peeked in the mirror. My hair looked good—very good. My curls seemed thick and lush, with lots of bouncy ringlets. Then I touched my hair. Was I going to be confronted by stiff, crunchy tresses? No—they were soft and more hydrated than after my typical routine. The next day, I wasn’t met with weird build-up, but I felt the same touchable curls I’d felt on wash day. I was a convert.
The Texturizing Air Dry Mousse is for all hair types, from curly to straight. I’ve seen my girlfriends with pin-straight hair use it to achieve that perfectly tousled beach look, and I know my curly girls are thriving. Me? Scared of a hair product? Never.
