Fine-to-medium-thickness hair that falls flat or needs volume; also suits wavy or curly textures wanting lift without added weight. Usable by anyone regardless of gender. AG is a professional salon brand distributed through professional channels and specialty retailers (Ulta, CosmoProf), but this particular product — a mousse applied before blow-drying — is straightforward enough for at-home use by consumers doing their own blowouts; it isn't restricted to in-salon application.

The case for this one is the combination it offers in a single step: it's simultaneously a root-lifting volumizer and a blow-dry heat protectant, so fine or thinning hair that would otherwise need two separate products can go through the whole blow-dry with just this one. Skipping alcohol — common in other volumizing foams and a known culprit in leaving fine hair dry and static-prone — makes it a more considered choice for hair that's already fragile from fine texture or repeated heat styling.

Shake the can well before each use. Work through clean, damp (not dripping) hair from roots to ends before blow-drying, concentrating extra product at the roots for lift. Blow-dry as usual with a round brush for maximum volume; the formula also protects hair from dryer heat up to 160°C/320°F.

Pros: the alcohol-free base won't dry out already-fine, damage-prone hair the way some volumizing mousses can; it doubles as a heat protectant to 320°F, so it can replace a separate heat-protection step before blow-drying; formula is vegan and cruelty-free.

Cons: hold is rated a moderate 3/5 by AG itself, so it's built for lift and texture rather than a stiff, all-day-hold style; like most foam mousses it needs to go on damp (not soaking) hair and be distributed evenly or it can build up unevenly at the roots; contains fragrance (parfum) and several botanical extracts, worth noting for anyone with fragrance or plant-extract sensitivities.