I’ve never loved hair products. As a young child, I remember smothering my strands with those big, whipped cream-like bottles of mousse that left behind a stiff, sticky finish. I never liked the crisp feeling or the way my hair looked after I accidentally ran my fingers through it, much less waking up the next morning with a crunchy bedhead. Luckily, thirty-something years later, I found a product that manages to keep my hair in place for hours on-end without the negative side effects: the Giovanni 2chic Ultra Volume Foam Styling Mousse.
I discovered the product thanks to my go-to stylist, Sean James of The Matthew Preece Salon in Santa Monica, California, when he shared photos of his more-famous client, Jamie Lee Curtis, at the Academy Awards. Per usual, her hair looked on-point. “How did you keep her hair looking so perfect for hours upon hours?” I asked him, and he revealed that the $10 Giovanni mousse is his secret red carpet weapon.
Amazon
“It’s the only mousse I trust,” he confided in me, calling the product a “game-changer” in creating a “bouncy and full blowout” and also volumizing shorter locks. And, while it offers enough hold to withstand hours on the red carpet—including through the show and after party—it doesn’t weigh down the hair and allows for “effortless styling and movement.” “It allows you to transform flat hair into voluminous locks without any residue build-up,” he adds.
Amazon/ InStyle
Since I am incredibly picky when it comes to hair care products, I immediately Googled the mousse. I was pleased to learn that the color-safe product features botanical, easy to pronounce ingredients, including papaya and tangerine butter. (It’s so natural that Whole Foods stocks it on their shelves.) James has never let me down with his product recommendations, so I figured I’d give the Giovanni 2chic Ultra Volume Foam Styling Mousse a shot—especially since it cost just $10 at Amazon.
The first item on my checklist? Smell. I found the scent delightful, a fresh, citrusy aroma—nothing like the mouse of my youth. As for hold, it keeps my long locks in place for hours on end, leaving a satiny soft and shiny finish instead of that dread-worthy, crispy feeling. Plus, there is no sticky residue left behind.
More than 1,000 Amazon shoppers are fans, too. A shopper with “fine hair” raved that it gives their hair “volume and body without weighing it down.” Other customers agree that it’s the “perfect mousse for thin hair” and that it holds hair styles better than other products. “I can even style my hair with a curling iron and the curls/waves stay all day…that NEVER happens,” another reviewer said.
I have since added a few other Giovanni products to my haircare routine, and my strands couldn’t be happier. My advice? Grab the Giovanni 2chic Ultra Volume Foam Styling Mousse before it sells out, and shop more products from the brand’s volumizing collection, below.
Giovanni 2chic Ultra-Volume Shampoo
Amazon
Giovanni 2chic Ultra-Volume Conditioner
Amazon