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Side by side

American Crew Liquid Wax vs Drybar Big Swig Thickening Spray

89% function match · 7 of the 9 functions we compared match Formula overlap 0%. American Crew Liquid Wax and Drybar Big Swig Thickening Spray share no ingredient among each other's most prominent — which does not stop them doing the same job.

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.

  • Liquid Wax — curl definition
  • Big Swig Thickening Spray — protein-hungry 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 Liquid Wax — 5.1 oz container American Crew

Liquid Wax

  • Styler
  • Masstige
Drybar Big Swig Thickening Spray — 5 oz container Drybar

Big Swig Thickening Spray

  • Styler
  • Salon
  • Sulfate-free
  • Silicone-free
Price, size & price per ounce
$3.74 5.1 oz · $0.75/oz
about $30 5 oz · $6.00/oz
Value / price positioning
Lower cost than most gels $$$$$ Masstige tier · costs less than 89% of the 155 gels we’ve priced
Upper-mid price for a volumizer $$$$$ Salon tier · costs more than 65% of the 64 volumizers we’ve priced
Best for hair types
Wavy–Coily Co-washes, curl creams, and gels are built around wave and curl. Your hair
Straight–Wavy A light volumising formula — the lift it adds matters most on straighter hair. Your hair
Moisture level Same
High Humectants near the top — water-binding is a headline mechanism here. Your hair
High Humectants near the top — water-binding is a headline mechanism here. Your hair
Hold system Same
High Synthetic hold polymers — the firmest of the hold systems. Your hair
High Synthetic hold polymers — the firmest of the hold systems. Your hair
Slip / detangling Differs
Little Nothing here is built to reduce combing force. Your hair
Some Some slip, mostly from esters or silicones rather than conditioners. 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
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
Weight on hair
—
Light Water-first and light: unlikely to flatten fine hair. Your hair
Protein
—
Prominent Protein high in the list — a strengthening formula, not a moisture one. 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 Same
None No oils or butters in the list. Your hair
None No oils or butters in the list. Your hair
Fast-drying alcohol Same
Present Fast-drying alcohol is present — it speeds drying and can read dry on the hair. Your hair
Present Fast-drying alcohol is present — it speeds drying and can read dry on the hair. Your hair
Formula completeness
out of 10
Complete for its job
out of 10
Complete for its job
Who should choose this
  • Curl definitionfilm formers hold a clump together
  • Protein-hungry hairthat stretches and stays stretched when wet
  • Dry, thirsty hairhumectants and emollients both sit up front
  • Curly-method routinesno sulfates and no water-insoluble silicones
  • Curl definitionfilm formers hold a clump together
Why you might skip it
  • Scents bother youthis product carries a scent
  • Very dry or damaged hairit contains fast-drying alcohol
  • Anyone who dislikes a castthe film formers here can set firm
  • Scents bother youthis product carries a scent
  • Protein-sensitive hairthat goes stiff or straw-like on protein
  • Very dry or damaged hairit contains fast-drying alcohol
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
Styler
Stylerspray
Where to buy
Brand website
Ulta
Free of
—
  • sulfate-free
  • silicone-free
  • curly-method compatible
Scent
Scented, not described
Scented, not described

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

IngredientLiquid WaxBig Swig Thickening Spray
Water
Neutral
#1Leading
#1Leading
Butylene Glycol
Moisturizes
#5Supporting
#11Below the 1% line
Alcohol Denat.
Drying
#10Below the 1% line
#22Below the 1% line
Fragrance
Fragrance
#15Below the 1% line
#13Below the 1% line
Ethylhexylglycerin
Softens
#9Below the 1% line
#12Below the 1% line
Phenoxyethanol
Stabilizes
#25Below the 1% line
#16Below the 1% line

What only one of them carries

Liquid Wax

  • Peg-75
  • Peg-32
  • PEG-6
  • AMP-Acrylates/C1-18 Alkyl Acrylate/C1-8 Alkyl Acrylamide Copolymer
  • Dimethyl Acrylamide/Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Methoxyethyl Acrylate Copolymer
  • Menthol
  • Benzyl Salicylate

Big Swig Thickening Spray

Full ingredient list — Liquid Wax (26)
Full ingredient list — Big Swig Thickening Spray (23)

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.

VerdictsLiquid WaxBig Swig Thickening Spray
Supported
1
2
Partly supported
0
1
Stated by brand
2
1
Potential conflict
0
0

Liquid Wax

  • Delivers medium hold with shineSupportedStructure that lasts the day.
  • Controls like a gel, finishes like a waxStated by brandCan’t be confirmed from label.
  • Allows easy re-styling without tackiness; washes out with shampooStated by brandCan’t be confirmed from label.

Big Swig Thickening Spray

  • Peptide proteins thicken and plump hair strands up to 10 hours (clinically tested)Stated by brandOnly the brand’s testing shows this.
  • Bilberry extract adds fullness and body with a soft finishSupportedLeaves room for lift.
  • Rice bran protects from UVA/UVB rays that cause dryness and color fadingPartly supportedIndirect help, not a filter.
  • Free of parabens, sulfates, phthalates, keratin, gluten, nuts/nut oils, and honeySupportedGentler on colour and coils.

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.

Drybar Big Swig Thickening Spray draws complaints about residue or cast and irritation.

Liquid Wax

Several reviewers describe the product as slightly sticky but appreciate that it lasts throughout the day.

Reviewers say only a small amount is needed for effective medium hold that lasts a long time.

Some long-time users say a reformulation changed the scent to an artificial lemon and reduced how well it holds.

Big Swig Thickening Spray

One reviewer calls it 'the most amazing root lifter' and uses it daily for volume.

daily-use reviewer

Reviewers say it leaves hair feeling soft and full without stiffness or stickiness.

general reviewers

Some reviewers report scalp irritation or itchiness after use.

reviewers with sensitive scalps

Other reviewers mention sticky residue on hands and hair, and call out the high price.

general reviewers

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.

$0.75/oz vs $6.00/oz — Drybar Big Swig Thickening Spray costs about 8× more per ounce than American Crew Liquid Wax.

Liquid Wax

Against 155 gels with a computable unit price.

Big Swig Thickening Spray

Against 64 volumizers with a computable unit price.

Value readLiquid WaxBig Swig Thickening Spray
Label
Lower cost than most gelsCosts less per ounce than most gels we have researched.
Upper-mid price for a volumizerSits in the middle of the range for volumizers 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.

Liquid Wax vs BOOSTA Volumizing SprayUNITE Hair · 99% function matchBig Swig Thickening Spray vs BOOSTA Volumizing SprayUNITE Hair · 93% function matchLiquid Wax vs Guava Beach Waves Texturizing SprayCeremonia · 99% function matchBig Swig Thickening Spray vs Sea Salt SprayMurdock London · 88% function matchLiquid Wax vs Texturing Hair Styling Spray Gel for Wavy HairHerbal Essences · 99% function matchBig Swig Thickening Spray vs Texturing Hair Styling Spray Gel for Wavy HairHerbal Essences · 88% function matchLiquid Wax vs Sea Salt SprayMurdock London · 99% function matchBig Swig Thickening Spray vs Guava Beach Waves Texturizing SprayCeremonia · 88% function match

Liquid Wax · Big Swig Thickening Spray · All gels 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.
  • 7 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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