Hair mousse that isn't sticky

Pantene Pro-V Anti-Frizz Mousse has the best record for a soft, non-sticky feel: 15 of 16 said it left hair soft rather than sticky or stiff. That rests on a small group (16 shoppers), as does Aussie Miracle Curls Mousse at 12 of 13, so read both with some caution. Not Your Mother's Curl Talk Curl Activating Mousse has the weakest record here at 7 of 33, with 52% of its reviews saying crunchy or stiff and 30% saying sticky.

  • 222 store reviews counted
  • Target shoppers
  • Jun 2010 to Oct 2026

Updated . How we count

Did it leave hair soft, not sticky? What shoppers said
  1. Pantene Pro-V Anti-Frizz Mousse 16 said either way
  2. Aussie Miracle Curls Mousse 13 said either way
  3. Cantu Wave Whip Curling Mousse 22 said either way
  4. TRESemmé Extra Hold Mousse 28 said either way
  5. OGX Locking + Coconut Curls Mousse 29 said either way
  6. Herbal Essences Volumizing Mousse 10 said either way
  7. Not Your Mother's Curl Talk Curl Activating Mousse 33 said either way

Share of reviewers who stated an outcome for stickiness. Ranked by the lower bound of a 90% confidence interval, so a product needs both a good share and enough reports to rank high.

Best record Pantene Pro-V Anti-Frizz Mousse 15 of 16 say it left their hair soft, not sticky or crunchy See price & reviews on Amazon
What stands out

Crunch and stickiness pile up on one mousse: 52% of Not Your Mother's Curl Talk Curl Activating Mousse reviews say crunchy or stiff and 30% say sticky, far above OGX Locking + Coconut Curls Mousse (25% and 15%) and TRESemmé Extra Hold Mousse (22% and 8%). Flakes are a second repeat complaint, at 62% of Herbal Essences reviews and 23% of Aussie reviews.

The ranking, product by product

Praise and complaints are the points reviewers repeat most, shown as a share of each product's counted store reviews.

1

Pantene

Pro-V Anti-Frizz Mousse

Best for soft hold

15/16 say it left their hair soft, not sticky or crunchy

Soft hold is the draw: 43% of reviews say it leaves hair soft and 36% say it holds a style. 21% say no crunch. A small group stated an outcome (16), so the record is thin.

What buyers praise

  • Good hold 36%
  • Defines curls 21%
  • Smells good 11%
  • Lightweight 11%
  • Good value 7%

What buyers complain about

  • Dries hair 11%
  • Frizzy 11%
  • Weak hold 11%
Where buyers said it
  • Target 15 of 16
  • Brand site 4 of 5 shown, not counted
2

Aussie

Miracle Curls Mousse

Best for curls without crunch

12/13 say it left their hair soft, not sticky or crunchy

Shoppers praise curls without the crunch: 41% say no crunch and 36% say it defined curls. Flakes are the complaint (23%), and 18% say the hold is weak. A small group weighed in (13), so the record is thin.

What buyers praise

  • Defines curls 36%
  • Good hold 23%
  • Good value 18%
  • Smells good 9%

What buyers complain about

  • Flakes 23%
  • Weak hold 18%
Where buyers said it
  • Target 12 of 13
  • Brand site 1 of 1 shown, not counted
3

Cantu

Wave Whip Curling Mousse

Best for no crunch, lightweight feel

18/22 say it left their hair soft, not sticky or crunchy

Shoppers like the feel: 30% say no crunch, 27% say it leaves hair soft and 23% call it lightweight. Complaints are small, including 7% who found it sticky and 13% who saw frizz.

What buyers praise

  • Smells good 27%
  • Lightweight 23%
  • Good hold 13%
  • Defines curls 10%

What buyers complain about

  • Frizzy 13%
  • Weak hold 10%
  • No volume 7%
Where buyers said it
  • Target 18 of 22
  • Brand site 6 of 7 shown, not counted
4

TRESemmé

Extra Hold Mousse

20/28 say it left their hair soft, not sticky or crunchy

Hold is the draw, with 31% praising it and 14% calling it good value. Results are mixed on feel: 20 of 28 said it left hair soft and not sticky, but 22% say crunchy or stiff and 8% say sticky.

What buyers praise

  • Good hold 31%
  • Good value 14%
  • Defines curls 11%
  • Adds volume 8%
  • Smells good 8%

What buyers complain about

  • Weak hold 11%
  • Dries hair 6%
Where buyers said it
  • Target 20 of 28
  • Brand site 6 of 7 shown, not counted
5 OGX Locking + Coconut Curls Mousse

OGX

Locking + Coconut Curls Mousse

Best for defined curls

18/29 say it left their hair soft, not sticky or crunchy

Curl definition is the strength, with 35% saying it defined curls and 28% saying it left hair soft. The catch is feel: 25% say crunchy or stiff, 15% say sticky and 10% mention flakes. Reviews first posted on the brand's site are more positive at 7 of 7, which we show but don't count.

What buyers praise

  • Defines curls 35%
  • Good hold 25%
  • Smells good 23%
  • Lightweight 15%
  • Good value 13%

What buyers complain about

  • Flakes 10%
  • Dries hair 8%
  • No volume 5%
  • Weak hold 5%
Where buyers said it
  • Target 18 of 29
  • Brand site 7 of 7 shown, not counted
6

Herbal Essences

Volumizing Mousse

6/10 say it left their hair soft, not sticky or crunchy

Flakes dominate the complaints, at 62% of reviews, and 15% say sticky. A small group stated an outcome (10), and 6 of 10 said it left hair soft and not sticky. Praise goes to the smell (27%) and the volume (15%).

What buyers praise

  • Smells good 27%
  • Adds volume 15%
  • Good hold 12%
  • Good value 8%

What buyers complain about

  • Flakes 62%
Where buyers said it
  • Target 6 of 10
  • Brand site 0 of 3 shown, not counted

Share of 26 store reviews that mention each point. A full bar is 50%.

7

Not Your Mother's

Curl Talk Curl Activating Mousse

7/33 say it left their hair soft, not sticky or crunchy

More reviewers weighed in on this mousse than on any other here (33 in all), and the record is poor: 7 of 33 said it left hair soft and not sticky. 52% of its reviews say crunchy or stiff and 30% say sticky, far more than for any other mousse on this page. Fans praise curl definition (22%), and the brand's own site is kinder at 4 of 6, which we show but don't count.

What buyers praise

  • Defines curls 23%
  • Good hold 13%
  • Adds volume 10%
  • Smells good 8%

What buyers complain about

  • Dries hair 5%
  • Frizzy 5%
Where buyers said it
  • Target 7 of 33
  • Brand site 4 of 6 shown, not counted

Share of 40 store reviews that mention each point. A full bar is 50%.

Where these numbers come from

The 7 products ranked here carry 4,777 reviews at Target. We read the newest reviews of each product (up to a thousand per listing), kept the ones that talk about stickiness, and counted up to 40 per product, posted between Jun 2010 and Oct 2026.

A review counts only when the reviewer used the product themselves. We drop reviews written in exchange for a free product or a sweepstakes entry (40 on this page), and products that are no longer sold.

Target also shows reviews first posted on brands' own websites. We show them on product cards but never count them, because brand-site reviews run more positive than store reviews of the same products.

Because we searched for the problem, people who had it are overrepresented. Compare products with each other rather than reading a share as your own odds.

Skin type, skin tone and age splits use what reviewers chose on Sephora's review form (and age on Ulta's when given). We only show a split when enough reviewers fall on each side.

Amazon buttons appear only on products that most reviewers here say fix the problem (at least 60%, with enough reviews to trust it). Everything else gets no buy link.

An AI model labels each review against a fixed list of points, and we spot-check the labels before publishing. We publish counts, never the reviews themselves.

Read the full method

Product pages we read

  1. Pantene Pro-V Anti-Frizz Mousse Target (28 reviews counted)
  2. Aussie Miracle Curls Mousse Target (22 reviews counted)
  3. Cantu Wave Whip Curling Mousse Target (30 reviews counted)
  4. TRESemmé Extra Hold Mousse Target (36 reviews counted)
  5. OGX Locking + Coconut Curls Mousse Target (40 reviews counted)
  6. Herbal Essences Volumizing Mousse Target (26 reviews counted)
  7. Not Your Mother's Curl Talk Curl Activating Mousse Target (40 reviews counted)

Questions buyers ask

Which hair mousse isn't sticky?

Pantene Pro-V Anti-Frizz Mousse has the best record (15 of 16), followed by Aussie Miracle Curls Mousse (12 of 13) and Cantu Wave Whip Curling Mousse (18 of 22). The first two rest on smaller groups of reviewers, while Cantu Wave Whip Curling Mousse rests on 22 shoppers. People tend to write about stickiness when something went wrong, so read the shares as a way to compare these mousses.

Which mousse feels crunchy or sticky?

Not Your Mother's Curl Talk Curl Activating Mousse draws far more of both than the rest: 52% of its reviews say crunchy or stiff and 30% say sticky. OGX Locking + Coconut Curls Mousse also gets mixed reports, with 25% saying crunchy or stiff and 15% saying sticky.

Can a curl mousse define curls without a crunch?

Some can, going by reviews. For Aussie Miracle Curls Mousse, 36% say it defined curls and 41% say no crunch. OGX Locking + Coconut Curls Mousse defines curls too, at 35%, but 25% say it felt crunchy or stiff.

Is Herbal Essences Volumizing Mousse sticky?

Among the few who stated an outcome, 6 of 10 said it left hair soft and not sticky. Flakes are the bigger issue, with 62% of reviews mentioning them against 15% saying sticky.

Related problems

Hair mousse Mousse that defines curls without crunch Top pick: OGX Locking + Coconut Curls Mousse 320 buyer reports Hair mousse Hair mousse that adds volume Top pick: TRESemmé Extra Hold Mousse 250 buyer reports Curl cream Curl cream that defines curls without crunch Top pick: Fenty Beauty Homecurl Curl-Defining Cream 146 buyer reports Hair gel Hair gel that doesn't flake Top pick: Garnier Fructis Pure Clean Extra Strong Hold Gel 299 buyer reports

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