My hair is flat and fine, this one product brought it back to life (and it’s under £5) | Tech Radar

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My hair is flat and fine, this one product brought it back to life (and it’s under £5)

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The Wella Shockwaves Volume mousse (pictured) is an affordable and surprising hack for getting volume into fine hair (Image credit: Future)

The Wella Shockwaves mousse is an affordable way to add volume to fine and flat hair

A pump added to wet hair adds body and creates a style that lasts

Volumising products work by adding film-forming polymers to the hair – so make sure to wash them off properly

If you’ve got fine or flat hair, you’ll know the drill: it feels light and bouncy for about half an hour after washing and then it collapses. By day two, it looks greasy and by day three you’re sticking it up in a ponytail.

In an attempt to get any kind of long-lasting volume and bounce into my fine hair, I’ve tried volumizing shampoos, I’ve spent upwards of £50 for spray-in treatments from the likes of K18, I even tried to teach myself professional blow-drying techniques via You Tube, to little avail.

That was until I happened upon the Wella Shockwaves Volume Mousse while visiting my sister. I hadn’t intended to use it as a styling product; I’d borrowed it in place of my regular heat protectant I’d left at home but the result was beyond surprising.

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After running the mousse through my hair while wet. not only did it create a bouncy blow-dry (pictured) but the style held for days without falling flat (Image credit: Future)

After running the mousse through my hair while wet – and brushing it through gently — not only did it create a bouncy blow-dry, but the style held for days without falling flat. There was lift at the roots and structure through the lengths. Fine hair often lacks that, which is why it can look flat even when it’s clean and styled.

It doesn’t turn your hair stiff or crunchy, which is usually where mousses go wrong, and you don’t need to be precise or skilled. In fact, using too much is the only real mistake you can make.

It’s not a high-shine product. If you’re after that glossy, glassy finish, this isn’t really the point of it but at this price it really has brought my hair back to life.

How to use the Wella mousse for volume and bounce

A pump of the Wella Shockwaves Volume mousse (pictured) added to wet hair adds body and creates a style that lasts (Image credit: Future)

Run a single pump of mousse through each side of your hair using your fingertips, focusing on the lengths.

With any remaining mousse left on your hands, run it through your roots.

Gently brush your hair to evenly distribute the mousse.

Blow dry as normal. I divided my hair into sections and dried it using the Revlon One-Step brush.

Most volumizing products work through a combination of film-forming polymers and conditioning agents.

Polymers are flexible molecules that coat the hair in a very thin layer. When the hair dries, that layer tightens slightly and creates structure. Think of it as scaffolding rather than glue: it helps hair hold a shape – which in this case is lifted at the root or fuller through the lengths — without stiffness.

In a mousse format, those polymers are dispersed in a foam. Foam spreads the product evenly and lightly, which is why mousses are often better suited to fine hair than creams or serums: you get coverage without concentrated weight in one area.

There’s also a mechanical element. When you apply mousse to wet hair and then blow-dry, you’re setting the hair into a new shape while those polymers are forming their structure. That’s why heat styling enhances volume by locking in the lift.

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Ingredients like PVP or VP/VA copolymer high up in the ingredients list (pictured) are good indicators that the product will hold shape rather than just coat the hair (Image credit: Future)

Look for polymers near the top of the list. Ingredients like PVP or VP/VA Copolymer are good indicators that the product will hold shape rather than just coat the hair.

Avoid heavy oils and butters. Ingredients like coconut oil, shea butter or thick silicones, such as dimethicone high up the list, can weigh fine hair down, even if they make it feel smooth.

A small amount of alcohol isn’t necessarily a bad thing in volumizing products. In fact, for fine hair, it often improves performance because it reduces drying time and prevents collapse at the roots.

Texture also matters. Mousses and lightweight sprays tend to outperform creams and thick lotions for volume, simply because they distribute more evenly and don’t concentrate weight.

If even a mousse is too heavy for your fine hair, I also highly recommend the mdlondon THE 2 Volume & Shine Blow Out Spray.

It’s three times the price, at £15, but for the extra money you get slightly more polished results. Where the mousse gives body and lift, this spray gives you a proper blow-dry finish: smooth and glossy without looking overstyled.

Used on damp hair, sprayed at the roots and through the lengths, it creates a slightly fuller, smoother shape that usually requires a salon-level blow-dry. It’s especially good if your fine hair also leans frizzy or fluffy, like mine, which can happen when you try to add volume without enough control, or if your fine hair also has a natural curl.

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Victoria Woollaston is a freelance science and technology journalist with more than a decade’s experience writing for Wired UK, Alphr, Expert Reviews, Tech Radar, Shortlist and the Sunday Times. She has a keen interest in next-generation technology and its potential to revolutionise how we live and work.

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Get full access to premium articles, exclusive features and a growing list of member rewards