Hair Gel, Mousse, or Cream: What’s Best for Shaping Your Style?

With so many different styling products out there these days, it can be difficult to know which type of hair product is best for your needs. Should you stick with a gel, a mousse, a cream, or something else entirely? Read on to learn about the advantages and potential drawbacks of each.

Hair Gel

When you're trying to achieve a sleek hairstyle or hold hair in place, then gel is your go-to product. Gels are great for slicking hair back (such as for a sleek bun) or even scrunching hair in place to create long-lasting curls or waves. However, due to its high hold, gel can also leave your hair feeling a bit stiff, so it's not ideal for styles that require movement, such as bouncy waves or flowing locks.

Hair Mousse

If you want to achieve a style that creates the appearance of more fullness and thickness, reach for a bottle of your favorite mousse. Because mousse is foamy in consistency, it does a great job of surrounding the hair and giving it a needed boost. It can hold just as well as hair gel while still leaving less of the crunchiness and stiffness. Just be careful not to use too much; a little goes a long way, and too much mousse will have the opposite effect and can weigh your hair down.

Hair Cream

For those who just can't stand the feel of crunchy locks, hair cream is probably your best bet for achieving a hair style that'll hold while remaining fluid and smooth at the same time. Hair cream is amazing for adding shine, and it's much more moisturizing and nourishing on your hair than gel and mousse.

Mousse vs Gel for Curly Hair

Assuming you condition regularly to prevent frizz, both of these hair styling products will work well depending on your hair type and the style you want to achieve. Hair gel will weigh down your hair and give it a wet look for most of the day (typically best for thick hair). It can be applied to dry or wet hair. You can use mousse on wet or damp hair to give it a thicker look without the extra weight (typically best for fine hair). You can also blow dry your hair after to maintain the look for longer.

Now that you have a better idea of the different uses of hair products, you can make a better informed decision on which is best for achieving any given style.

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