This Product Will Nix Your Fear Of Mousse For Good

Certain beauty products — think NARS blush in Orgasm, Clinique's Black Honey lipstick — are so good, they're practically famous and have devoted, loyal followings. While we love many of these, we've been wondering why others have been quietly flying under the radar. With that in mind, meet our series,Cult Classics, in which we'll introduce you to the products you should really, truly know about (and try, like, right now). They're not brand-new, but trust us: They've got staying power. 

As a child of an Italian family from New Jersey, I have some serious memories when it comes to mousse. I can picture squirting it into my palms, watching it foam up, and then slathering it over my hair until it was so stiff I could bounce a quarter off of it. Huge curls, over-the-top blowouts, those slicked-back ponytails — my trusty mousse could handle it all. Finally, after some ridicule from those not plugged into the mousse revolution, I realized that "crunchy" was not a hair type. So, my bottle was banned to beneath the sink — and never returned.  That is, until a photo shoot for this very site — when hairstylist Sarah Potempa told me to incorporate mousse to help air-dry my hair. I almost laughed in her face. "Absolutely not," I said. "I don't want crunch-tastic curls." But, when my hair turned out brilliantly, thanks to a bottle of R+Co Aircraft Pomade Mousse, I decided to give my old foe a second shot at love (Tila Tequila-style).  R+Co has achieved cult status, rolling out products that treat your hair (and you!) incredibly. "Crispy" is not a hair-vocabulary word this brand is familiar with. So, it should come as no surprise that this mousse was not just fabulous, but extraordinary. 

First of all, it lathers out of the bottle into a creamy, seemingly hand-whipped confection that doesn't feel sticky at all. In fact, the stuff glided over my hair almost as if it were melting into the hair shaft. When rubbed between my palms, the mousse actually turned into a pomade-type consistency (hence the name). Sure, I needed to rinse my hands after application, but it didn't feel as if I needed to jackhammer the stuff off — like I felt with the mousse of my youth.  But, the real test came when my hair dried. Ladies and gentleman, I am happy to report that my curls came out soft and light — not weighed-down and crunchy like they used to. I was floored. I may or may not have stared at myself in the mirror in pure delight for 20 minutes. I also may or may not have called my mom to tell her how great this stuff was. (Spoiler: I did both). Aside from that, the mousse actually seemed to thicken my hair and when I tried it on my dry strands; it gave great texture that rivaled my go-to sprays. Aircraft Pomade Mousse is, I dare say, second-day hair in a bottle. I know.  Part of me wishes that I could go back in time and give baby Maria a bottle of this stuff, to save her from the humiliation of the huge, hard hair she fell victim to. But, I can at least take solace in the fact that the young girl in my Communion photos, with her slicked-down strands, grew up into a woman with a healthy relationship with mousse — and killer hair to boot. I may not have a time machine, but I have this stuff, and I think that's probably better.  R+Co Aircraft Pomade Mousse, $29, available at SpaceNK.