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Side by side

American Crew Heavy Hold Pomade vs American Crew Light Hold Styling Gel - 13.1 oz

67% function match · 6 of the 13 functions we compared match Formula overlap 23%. American Crew Heavy Hold Pomade and American Crew Light Hold Styling Gel - 13.1 oz share 1 ingredient among each other's most prominent.

Based on your consultation

Which of these fits your hair?

We check your pattern, moisture need, scalp, fragrance tolerance, weight sensitivity and more against each formula — and say which one lines up.

Your profile at a glance

  • Your answers appear here
  • Your answers appear here
  • Your answers appear here
  • Your answers appear here

When each one is the right call

What each formula is built for, from its own ingredient list.

  • Heavy Hold Pomade — protein-sensitive hair
  • Light Hold Styling Gel - 13.1 oz — protein-sensitive hair

Side by side

Every trait, aligned

One row per trait, read from each product’s own ingredient list and record. A dash means we have not researched that field for that product — it is not a “no”.

Trait
American Crew Heavy Hold Pomade — container, alternate view American Crew

Heavy Hold Pomade

  • Styler
  • Masstige
  • Protein-free
  • Strong hold
American Crew Light Hold Styling Gel - 13.1 oz — brand photograph American Crew

Light Hold Styling Gel - 13.1 oz

  • Styler
  • Salon
  • Sulfate-free
  • Silicone-free
Price, size & price per ounce
$23–28 3 oz · $7.83/oz
$13.44 8.4 oz · $1.99/oz

Compared at different sizes — 8.4 oz against 3 oz. Per-ounce prices favour the larger bottle.

Value / price positioning
Priced with its peers $$$$$ Masstige tier · costs less than 51% of the 90 pastes we’ve priced
Priced with its peers $$$$$ Salon tier · costs less than 53% of the 157 gels we’ve priced
Best for hair types
All types Nothing in the formula or the claims narrows this to one pattern. Your hair
Wavy–Coily Co-washes, curl creams, and gels are built around wave and curl. Your hair
Moisture level Differs
High Humectants near the top — water-binding is a headline mechanism here. Your hair
Moderate Humectants in the working part of the formula. Your hair
Hold (as stated)
Maximum A strong hold, as stated by the brand. Your hair
Light A light hold, as stated by the brand. Your hair
Slip / detangling Differs
Some Some slip, mostly from esters or silicones rather than conditioners. Your hair
Little Nothing here is built to reduce combing force. Your hair
Weight on hair Differs
Light Water-first and light: unlikely to flatten fine hair. Your hair
Medium Middle of the range — noticeable on fine hair, light on coarse hair. Your hair
Fragrance
Present Fragrance is listed; it sits below the working ingredients. Your hair
Present Fragrance is listed; it sits below the working ingredients. Your hair
Protein Same
None No protein or amino acids in the list. Your hair
None No protein or amino acids in the list. Your hair
Silicone / wax buildup Differs
Low The silicones here are the water-soluble kind. Your hair
None Nothing here needs a detergent wash to remove. Your hair
Clarifying wash needed
Low Your hair
Low Your hair
Hold system Same
Synthetic polymer Synthetic hold polymers — the firmest of the hold systems. Your hair
Synthetic polymer Synthetic hold polymers — the firmest of the hold systems. Your hair
Cast risk Differs
Likely Film formers without much softening them — expect a cast to scrunch out. Your hair
Unlikely Softening ingredients sit alongside the film formers, so a hard shell is unlikely. Your hair
Oil absorption Same
None No absorbent powders or starches. Your hair
None No absorbent powders or starches. Your hair
Oils and butters Differs
None No oils or butters in the list. Your hair
Present, lower down Oils are present, but low enough to be a finishing touch. Your hair
Fast-drying alcohol Same
None No fast-drying alcohol in the list. Your hair
None No fast-drying alcohol in the list. Your hair
Formula completeness
out of 10
Complete for its job
out of 10
Complete for its job
Who should choose this
  • Protein-sensitive hairthat stiffens when protein is added
  • Dry, thirsty hairhumectants and emollients both sit up front
  • Curl definitionfilm formers hold a clump together
  • Fine hairthat flattens under most products
  • Protein-sensitive hairthat stiffens when protein is added
  • Curly-method routinesno sulfates and no water-insoluble silicones
  • Curl definitionfilm formers hold a clump together
  • Silicone-free routinesno silicones appear in the list
Why you might skip it
  • Scents bother youthis product carries a scent
  • Sulfate-free routinesit uses a sulfate detergent
  • Anyone who dislikes a castthe film formers here can set firm
  • Scents bother youthis product carries a scent
  • Styles that must holdthe brand states a light hold at most
  • Tight budgetsit sits in the upper price tiers
from the formula stated by the brand reported by reviewers Scale: 1 dot low · 5 dots high, within this product type.
More facts about each one
Type
Stylerpaste
Stylergel
Where to buy
Brand website · Target · Ulta
Ulta · Brand website
Free of
  • protein-free
  • sulfate-free
  • silicone-free
  • protein-free
  • curly-method compatible
Scent
Scented, not described
Scented, not described
Hold
maxUse for styles that require maximum hold and shine.
lightLight hold
Finish
high-shine
high-shine
How often
as needed
as needed

Facts as we recorded them. A dash means we have not researched that field for that product — it is not a "no".

The bottom line

The bottom line depends on your hair

Which of these two suits you is a question about your hair, not about them. The consultation answers it — and tells you what your routine needs around it.

Take the consultation

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The detail behind the table

Where the readings above come from: the ingredient lists themselves, each brand’s claims checked against them, what owners report, and cost per ounce in context.

Shared and distinct ingredients

Shared and distinct ingredients

Computed from the ingredient lists as printed. "Shared" means both lists carry it; where it sits on each label is stated, because position is what tells you how much.

What both formulas carry

IngredientHeavy Hold PomadeLight Hold Styling Gel - 13.1 oz
Water
Neutral
#1Leading
#1Leading
PVP
Holds
#3Leading
#3Leading
Propylene Glycol
Moisturizes
#6Supporting
#11Below the 1% line
Fragrance
Fragrance
#14Below the 1% line
#16Below the 1% line
Linalool
Fragrance
#15Below the 1% line
#19Below the 1% line
Limonene
Fragrance
#16Below the 1% line
#18Below the 1% line
Benzyl Salicylate
Fragrance
#18Below the 1% line
#17Below the 1% line

What only one of them carries

Heavy Hold Pomade

Light Hold Styling Gel - 13.1 oz

Full ingredient list — Heavy Hold Pomade (26)
Full ingredient list — Light Hold Styling Gel - 13.1 oz (20)

Claims check

What each brand says, against what each formula shows

Claims are quoted from each brand. We only mark one supported, partly supported, or conflicting when that product’s ingredient list actually speaks to it.

VerdictsHeavy Hold PomadeLight Hold Styling Gel - 13.1 oz
Supported
3
4
Partly supported
0
0
Stated by brand
1
1
Potential conflict
0
0
high shine
SupportedReflects light for visible shine.
SupportedReflects light for visible shine.

Heavy Hold Pomade

  • maximum holdSupportedStructure that lasts the day.
  • water basedSupportedComes out in a normal wash.
  • easy removalStated by brandCan’t be confirmed from label.

Light Hold Styling Gel - 13.1 oz

  • Light holdSupportedStructure that lasts the day.
  • Non-flaking formulaStated by brandSoothing, not an active treatment.
  • Alcohol-freeSupportedNothing that flashes off dry.
  • Non-drying to scalpSupportedNothing in it flashes off dry.

What owners say

What people report

Recurring themes our researchers wrote in their own words from sourced reviews. We do not store or scrape star ratings, and we never balance one product’s themes against another’s by inventing them.

Both praised for a light feel and a clean rinse-out. American Crew Heavy Hold Pomade draws complaints about dullness.

Heavy Hold Pomade

A parent of a child with tight curls at the hairline said the pomade kept his chosen style for about a day and helped tame those small curls.

parent styling a son's curly hairline

A verified buyer said it worked without leaving an obvious goopy residue in the hair.

verified buyer

A reviewer buying for her husband said this was the first pomade that did not leave his hair looking greasy and hard like prior ones.

spouse purchasing for her husband

One reviewer found that it sets like a hard clear gel; trying to restyle it broke up the product and took away its shine.

reviewer seeking a reworkable pomade

Light Hold Styling Gel - 13.1 oz

Lightweight application that doesn't weigh hair down or feel heavy

repeat Ulta buyer

Non-flaking formula holds up to the claim, no white residue after it dries

Ulta reviewer

Fragrance is pleasant and not overpowering

Ulta reviewer

One reviewer described the gel as goopy and said it didn't work well for their hair

dissatisfied Ulta reviewer

Price check

Cost per ounce, in context

Cost per ounce against every product of this type we have priced, each at the size it is most often sold in. Value labels are computed from that percentile and from how many products that do the same job cost less; they are comparisons, not judgements about a brand.

$1.99/oz vs $7.83/oz — American Crew Heavy Hold Pomade costs about 3.9× more per ounce than American Crew Light Hold Styling Gel - 13.1 oz.

Heavy Hold Pomade

Against 90 pastes with a computable unit price.

Light Hold Styling Gel - 13.1 oz

Against 157 gels with a computable unit price.

Value readHeavy Hold PomadeLight Hold Styling Gel - 13.1 oz
Label
Priced with its peersSits in the middle of the range for pastes per ounce.
Priced with its peersSits in the middle of the range for gels per ounce.

Computed from cost per ounce against every product of this type we have priced, and from how many products that do the same job cost less. It is a comparison, not a judgement about the brand.

Compare with something else

Close formulas to each of these, as their own comparison pages.

Heavy Hold Pomade vs MITCH Original PomadePaul Mitchell · 100% function matchLight Hold Styling Gel - 13.1 oz vs American Crew Firm Hold Styling GelAmerican Crew · 100% function matchHeavy Hold Pomade vs Salty Not Sorry Texturizing Salt Spray For Natural Undone HairstylesBed Head · 100% function matchLight Hold Styling Gel - 13.1 oz vs 121 Proof Thickening Style GelBlind Barber · 93% function matchHeavy Hold Pomade vs Texturising Salt SprayBed Head · 99% function matchLight Hold Styling Gel - 13.1 oz vs Bananas Xtreme Hold Hair GelThe Doux · 93% function matchHeavy Hold Pomade vs Extra Hold Alcohol-Free Hair GelTRESemmé · 96% function matchLight Hold Styling Gel - 13.1 oz vs Rose Water Curl Defining Styling GelTGIN · 93% function match

Heavy Hold Pomade · Light Hold Styling Gel - 13.1 oz · All pastes in the library

How this page was made

  • This page is assembled from the same researched records the individual product pages render: identity, each ingredient list as printed, each brand's own claims, dated price observations, and review themes written in our researchers' own words. Nothing on it is written per comparison.
  • We do not rank these against each other. Which of them suits you depends on your hair, and that is what the consultation works out.
  • The formula similarity percentage is a stored, precomputed number: position-weighted overlap of the two ingredient lists blended with agreement on the attributes we derive. It measures how alike two formulas are, not how well either works.
  • The value band is a fixed label over two stored numbers: this product’s cost per ounce as a percentile of every product of this type we have priced, each at the size it is most often sold in, and how many products we score as doing the same job cost at least a quarter less per ounce.
  • The "Is this right for you?" panel reads only your own consultation answers, and it applies exactly the filters our recommendation engine applies. It is computed when you load the page and is never stored on it.
  • 5 sources were consulted across the products on this page.
  • Ingredient order tells you relative amount only above roughly 1%. Prices are observations on the dates shown and change without notice. We do not sell these products and take no placement fees.
  • This is cosmetic information, not medical advice, and nothing here diagnoses or treats a health condition.

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