In 2020, I believed I’d achieved twist-out heaven — a five-step, product-layering routine that left my curls springy, shiny, and hydrated. I evangelized my combination, but smoothing and raking product after product was a process that often stretched from one to two hours. I figured this was just how things went — to have natural hair is to lose large chunks of time to styling. I’m a lazy natural, so rather than twist outs as a routine styling staple, they became a special-occasion style. All this changed after a hair appointment in February with my longtime stylist, Daryce Tolliver, whom I’m often pestering with questions about how to make my wash days shorter or keep my hair detangled. (To have natural hair is to be in a constant state of optimization.) She recommended a mousse-only application, which she said gives hair a light, flexible hold and impressive definition. Abandoning my curl cream and gels was distressing, but I followed Reece’s advice. Her twist outs are the gold standard — what I aspire to at home.
I already had mousse in my twist-out routine, but I’d never thought to trust the light, foamy product on its own. My go-to was the Design Essentials almond-and-avocado mousse — a natural-hair YouTube favorite. I combined it with The Doux’s Big Poppa gel, but I hadn’t achieved noteworthy results. I knew The Doux had a mousse in its lineup, and as I was already a fan of the gel, I decided to give it a try. On my next wash day, I did my normal routine (Sienna Naturals shampoo followed by K18), then went in with The Doux’s mousse on sopping wet hair. I applied a few pumps of product to one section before brushing it smooth with my Tangle Teezer. I then twisted my detangled hair into a clockwise corkscrew twist. I wasn’t used to how light and springy my hair felt and worried that it wouldn’t hold its shape. My hair can be resistant to manipulation and is especially susceptible to frizz, but the mousse is designed specifically to address this. It contains a blend of natural humectants and glycerin to cut down on frizz and dial up shine.
After I twisted my hair, I put it in a scarf and bonnet, then sent a prayer up to the natural-hair god. The next day, I untwisted my hair with a bit of oil and examined it. It looked like a good twist out — the sections were uniform and detangled. I began to separate it and was impressed by the definition and hold. Over the next few hours, I realized it was actually a great one. Springy and shiny. It was ridiculously soft and touchable and different from my gel-based twist outs, which, even at their softest, don’t give my hair that cloudlike feel. My hair was a little fluffier than my normal twist out, giving me a bit more volume than I would naturally have. I loved this, because I’m always looking to get as much fluff as possible without losing the curl (think SZA and Solange). And it lasted. Typically, a twist out will stay for two or three days before devolving into a mess of knots. But on day four, while I’d lost lots of the curl definition, I still had volume and stretch, and my hair wasn’t dry.
Excited, I decided to use the mousse for a wash-and-go and was impressed with the results. My curls clumped together softly, and, as my hair dried, it continued to expand without becoming a ball of frizz. I stretched my roots using a blow-dryer and waited for it to fully dry. My curls maintained most of their definition while still delivering volume. The mousse’s ultralight hold made my hair easy to manipulate, so I could pull and shape it without completely ruining the style.
I’ve been using The Doux’s mousse for about four months now, and, in that time, it has become a wash-day staple. I pull it through my curls post-wash and let it go to work. Now I can be even lazier than I was before, which is a win in my book. I’ve started to experiment with using it with The Doux’s gel — a combo that works well for days when I want a more defined curl for a longer period of time.
The Doux’s mousse has become a go-to recommendation for all of my curly friends looking to cut down on their styling time or give their hair that extra boost of definition and shine. I’ve even gotten my sister, who is generally indifferent to my product obsessions, into it. On a recent trip home, she commented on how full and defined my hair looked. She asked me what I used, and I mentioned The Doux. Now she owns the mousse — and the gel too.
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