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Side by side

American Crew Light Hold Texture Lotion vs OGX Locking + Coconut Curls Air Dry Cream

85% function match · 7 of the 9 functions we compared match Formula overlap 29%. American Crew Light Hold Texture Lotion and OGX Locking + Coconut Curls Air Dry Cream share 3 ingredients among each other's most prominent.

These sit in different steps of a routine — American Crew Light Hold Texture Lotion is a styler and OGX Locking + Coconut Curls Air Dry Cream is a leave-in. Comparing their formulas is fair; treating one as a replacement for the other is not.

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.

  • Light Hold Texture Lotion — maximum slip
  • Locking + Coconut Curls Air Dry Cream — 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 Light Hold Texture Lotion — 8.4 oz container American Crew

Light Hold Texture Lotion

  • Styler
  • Masstige
  • Sulfate-free
  • Silicone-free
OGX Locking + Coconut Curls Air Dry Cream — 6 oz container OGX

Locking + Coconut Curls Air Dry Cream

  • Leave-in
  • Drugstore
  • Sulfate-free
  • Silicone-free
Price, size & price per ounce
$20.95 8.45 oz · $2.48/oz
$9–10 6 oz · $1.58/oz
Value / price positioning
Priced above most lotions $$$$$ Masstige tier · costs more than 82% of the 12 lotions we’ve priced
Priced with its peers $$$$$ Drugstore tier · costs less than 72% of the 1285 leave-ins we’ve priced
Best for hair types
Curly–Coily A heavy formula: coarse, curlier strands carry it without flattening. Your hair
Curly–Coily A heavy formula: coarse, curlier strands carry it without flattening. Your hair
Moisture level Same
Moderate Humectants in the working part of the formula. Your hair
High Humectants near the top — water-binding is a headline mechanism here. Your hair
Hold (as stated)
Light A light hold, as stated by the brand. Your hair
—
Slip / detangling Same
High Conditioning agents sit high in the list — this is a detangling formula. Your hair
High Conditioning agents sit high in the list — this is a detangling formula. Your hair
Weight on hair Same
Rich Heavy butters and waxes in the first eight ingredients. Your hair
Rich Heavy butters and waxes in the first eight ingredients. 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 Differs
Minor Protein appears, low enough to be a supporting ingredient. Your hair
None No protein or amino acids in the list. Your hair
Silicone / wax buildup Same
None Nothing here needs a detergent wash to remove. Your hair
None Nothing here needs a detergent wash to remove. Your hair
Clarifying wash needed
Low Your hair
Low Your hair
Hold system
Mixed Gums and synthetic polymers together. Your hair
—
Cast risk
Unlikely Softening ingredients sit alongside the film formers, so a hard shell is unlikely. Your hair
—
Oil absorption
Some Absorbents appear, low in the list. Your hair
—
Oils and butters Differs
Present, lower down Oils are present, but low enough to be a finishing touch. Your hair
Rich Butters near the top: a heavy, softening formula. Your hair
Fast-drying alcohol Same
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
  • Maximum slipfor hair that tangles the moment it is wet
  • Curly-method routinesno sulfates and no water-insoluble silicones
  • Curl definitionfilm formers hold a clump together
  • Coarse or dry hairthat absorbs everything you give it
  • Protein-sensitive hairthat stiffens when protein is added
  • Maximum slipfor hair that tangles the moment it is wet
  • Dry, thirsty hairhumectants and emollients both sit up front
  • Curly-method routinesno sulfates and no water-insoluble silicones
Why you might skip it
  • Scents bother youthis product carries a light scent
  • Oily scalp or fine hairthat gets weighed down
  • Styles that must holdthe brand states a light hold at most
  • Scents bother youthis product carries a scent
  • Oily scalp or fine hairthat gets weighed down
  • Hair that needs proteinthere is none in this list
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
Stylerlotion
Leave-incream
Where to buy
Ulta · Brand website
Target
Free of
  • sulfate-free
  • silicone-free
  • curly-method compatible
  • sulfate-free
  • silicone-free
  • protein-free
  • curly-method compatible
Cruelty-free
—
Not cruelty-free · PETA-listed
Scent
Scented, not described
Sweet & vanilla
Hold
lightLight hold
—
Finish
matte
—
How often
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

$49.00 once, for your consultation and hair profile. No subscription, no required purchases.

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

IngredientLight Hold Texture LotionLocking + Coconut Curls Air Dry Cream
Water
Neutral
#1Leading
#1Leading
Propylene Glycol Dicaprylate/Dicaprate
Softens
#2Leading
#7Supporting
Polyquaternium-37
Detangles
#4Supporting
#4Supporting
Fragrance
Fragrance
#21Below the 1% line
#16Below the 1% line
Caprylyl Glycol
Moisturizes
#11Below the 1% line
#8Below the 1% line

What only one of them carries

Light Hold Texture Lotion

Locking + Coconut Curls Air Dry Cream

Full ingredient list — Light Hold Texture Lotion (29)
Full ingredient list — Locking + Coconut Curls Air Dry Cream (16)

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.

VerdictsLight Hold Texture LotionLocking + Coconut Curls Air Dry Cream
Supported
3
2
Partly supported
0
0
Stated by brand
1
1
Potential conflict
0
0

Light Hold Texture Lotion

  • Light holdSupportedStructure that lasts the day.
  • Low shineSupportedReflects light for visible shine.
  • Natural look with slight definitionSupportedHolds a clump together.
  • Matte finishStated by brandCan’t be confirmed from label.

Locking + Coconut Curls Air Dry Cream

  • Define and de-frizz curls, infused with coconut oil and shea butterSupportedSmoother strands, less frizz.
  • Keep curls soft without heatStated by brandSubjective feel varies by hair.
  • Formulated to hold curl bounce without crunchinessSupportedNatural movement without stiffness.

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.

Light Hold Texture Lotion

Doesn't leave hands feeling greasy or gooey after application

Ulta reviewer

Controls hair without leaving a visible product look

Ulta reviewer

Long-time users report reaching for this product for 2 to 20+ years

repeat Ulta buyers

A dime-sized amount is enough and it's easy to apply

Ulta reviewer

Scent opinions are split — some like the mild unisex fragrance, others don't

multiple Ulta reviewers

Locking + Coconut Curls Air Dry Cream

Effective when applied only to the top layer of hair per instructions

Leaves hair feeling thicker, smoother, and more voluminous

Pleasant scent but some report it does not hold or define curls well

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.

$1.58/oz vs $2.48/oz — American Crew Light Hold Texture Lotion costs about 1.6× more per ounce than OGX Locking + Coconut Curls Air Dry Cream.

Light Hold Texture Lotion

Against 12 lotions with a computable unit price.

Locking + Coconut Curls Air Dry Cream

Against 1285 leave-ins with a computable unit price.

Value readLight Hold Texture LotionLocking + Coconut Curls Air Dry Cream
Label
Priced above most lotionsCosts more per ounce than most lotions; nothing in our library matches it closely for less.
Priced with its peersSits in the middle of the range for leave-ins 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.

Light Hold Texture Lotion vs Blow-Out CremeSEEN · 85% function matchLocking + Coconut Curls Air Dry Cream vs Avocado & Tamanu Anti-Frizz Curl PerfectorMielle Organics · 90% function matchLight Hold Texture Lotion vs SEEN Blow-Out Creme, Fragrance FreeSEEN · 85% function matchLocking + Coconut Curls Air Dry Cream vs Curl Conditioning Oil-In-CreamCurlsmith · 86% function matchLight Hold Texture Lotion vs Liquid Gel HydrationProductos LATINA · 85% function matchLocking + Coconut Curls Air Dry Cream vs Curly Hair Leave-In Conditioner Base with Mango ButterFunction of Beauty · 86% function matchLight Hold Texture Lotion vs Curly CremeSEEN · 81% function matchLocking + Coconut Curls Air Dry Cream vs Curls + Coconut Oil 5-in-1 Leave-In SprayHask · 86% function match

Light Hold Texture Lotion · Locking + Coconut Curls Air Dry Cream · All lotions 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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