Side by side
American Crew Medium Hold Spray Gel vs Nexxus Sleek Polish Anti-Humidity Spray
87% function match · 11 of the 13 functions we compared match Formula overlap 23%. American Crew Medium Hold Spray Gel and Nexxus Sleek Polish Anti-Humidity Spray share 2 ingredients among each other's most prominent.
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
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When each one is the right call
What each formula is built for, from its own ingredient list.
- Medium Hold Spray Gel — dry, thirsty hair
- Sleek Polish Anti-Humidity 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”.
- 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
- Very dry hairno fast-drying alcohol in the list
- 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
- Scents bother youthis product carries a scent
- Dry or very humid airwhere heavy humectants work against you
- Silicone-free routinesit does contain silicones — the water-soluble kind
- Scents bother youthis product carries a scent
- Protein-sensitive hairthat goes stiff or straw-like on protein
- Dry or very humid airwhere heavy humectants work against you
More facts about each one
- sulfate-free
- curly-method compatible
- sulfate-free
- curly-method compatible
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.
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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
What only one of them carries
Medium Hold Spray Gel
Sleek Polish Anti-Humidity Spray
Full ingredient list — Medium Hold Spray Gel (39)
-
1
Water
- solvent
-
2
PVP
- film former
- polymer
-
3
VP/VA Copolymer
- film former
- polymer
-
4
Polysorbate 20
- solubilizer
- emulsifier
-
5
Propylene Glycol
- humectant
- solvent
-
6
Allantoin
- conditioning agent
-
7
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
- humectant
- botanical extract
- gum
-
8
Carthamus Tinctorius (Safflower) Seed Oil
- oil
- emollient
- Below about this point, order stops being meaningful — these are typically used at 1% or less.
-
9
Citric Acid
- pH adjuster
- hard-water chelator
-
10
Keratin Amino Acids
- protein
- amino acid
-
11
Panax Ginseng Root Extract
- botanical extract
-
12
PEG-12 Dimethicone
- emollient
- silicone
- water-soluble silicone
-
13
Polyquaternium-4
- conditioning agent
- film former
- polymer
-
14
Quillaja Saponaria Bark Extract
- botanical extract
-
15
Salvia Officinalis (Sage) Leaf Extract
- botanical extract
-
16
Sodium Chloride
- salt
- thickener
-
17
Tetrasodium EDTA
- hard-water chelator
-
18
Benzophenone-4
- UV filter
-
19
Fragrance
- fragrance
- declared fragrance
-
20
Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone
- fragrance
- named fragrance allergen
-
21
Benzyl Salicylate
- fragrance
- named fragrance allergen
-
22
Citronellol
- fragrance
- named fragrance allergen
-
23
Citrus Aurantium Peel Oil
- botanical extract
- essential oil
- fragrance
-
24
Citrus Limon (Lemon) Peel Oil
- botanical extract
- essential oil
- fragrance
-
25
Geraniol
- fragrance
- named fragrance allergen
-
26
Geranyl Acetate
- fragrance
- named fragrance allergen
-
27
Hexyl Cinnamal
- fragrance
- named fragrance allergen
-
28
Hydroxycitronellal
- fragrance
- named fragrance allergen
-
29
Limonene
- fragrance
- named fragrance allergen
-
30
Linalool
- fragrance
- named fragrance allergen
-
31
Linalyl Acetate
- fragrance
- named fragrance allergen
-
32
Menthol
- fragrance
- active
-
33
Pinene
- fragrance
-
34
Terpineol
- fragrance
-
35
Tetramethyl Acetyloctahydronaphthalenes
- fragrance
-
36
Methylparaben
- paraben
- preservative
-
37
Phenoxyethanol
- preservative
- 38 Sodium Glycolate
-
39
Sodium Hydroxide
- pH adjuster
Full ingredient list — Sleek Polish Anti-Humidity Spray (27)
-
1
Water
- solvent
-
2
Glycerin
- humectant
-
3
PEG-10 Dimethicone
- emulsifier
- silicone
- water-soluble silicone
-
4
VP/VA Copolymer
- film former
- polymer
-
5
Hydrolyzed Pearl
- amino acid
- protein
- hydrolysed protein
-
6
Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil
- oil
- emollient
- Below about this point, order stops being meaningful — these are typically used at 1% or less.
-
7
Citric Acid
- pH adjuster
- hard-water chelator
-
8
Peg/Ppg-25/25 Dimethicone
- emulsifier
- silicone
- water-soluble silicone
-
9
Sodium Benzoate
- preservative
-
10
Laureth-7
- emulsifier
- solubilizer
- 11 Coceth-7
-
12
Ppg-1-Peg-9 Lauryl Glycol Ether
- emulsifier
-
13
Fragrance
- fragrance
- declared fragrance
-
14
Polysorbate 20
- solubilizer
- emulsifier
-
15
PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil
- solubilizer
- emulsifier
-
16
Sodium Gluconate
- hard-water chelator
-
17
Cetrimonium Chloride
- conditioning agent
- cleanser
-
18
Disodium EDTA
- hard-water chelator
-
19
Sodium Citrate
- pH adjuster
- hard-water chelator
-
20
Benzyl Alcohol
- preservative
- solvent
-
21
Benzyl Salicylate
- fragrance
- named fragrance allergen
-
22
Citronellol
- fragrance
- named fragrance allergen
-
23
Eugenol
- fragrance
- named fragrance allergen
-
24
Geraniol
- fragrance
- named fragrance allergen
-
25
Hexyl Cinnamal
- fragrance
- named fragrance allergen
-
26
Limonene
- fragrance
- named fragrance allergen
-
27
Linalool
- fragrance
- named fragrance allergen
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.
Medium Hold Spray Gel
Provides medium hold with a natural look and feel
SupportedStructure that lasts the day.Excellent for blow drying, suitable for hair of all lengths
Stated by brandSee the fit panel instead.Alcohol-free formula, contains UV protection
SupportedNothing that flashes off dry.
Sleek Polish Anti-Humidity Spray
2-hour humidity shield
SupportedSmoother strands, less frizz.48-hour frizz control
SupportedSmoother strands, less frizz.450F heat protection
Stated by brandOnly lab testing can show this.prevents static
Stated by brandMay help, but not a primary focus.color-safe
SupportedLess fade per wash.STYLEPROTECT Technology
Stated by brandCan’t be confirmed from label.
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.
Nexxus Sleek Polish Anti-Humidity Spray draws complaints about dullness and residue or cast.
Medium Hold Spray Gel
Multiple long-time customers say they have used the product for over a decade for daily styling.
Several reviewers say the strong hold does not hold up well against sweat and can feel expensive relative to how long a bottle lasts.
Reviewers describe the spray as giving a naturally matte finish without stiffness or shine.
Sleek Polish Anti-Humidity Spray
Hair held up against humidity for two days and looked shinier than before
most-helpful positive reviewer, 5-starCuts down frizz noticeably even in a humid climate on wavy hair
reviewer 'Danielle', AZ, wavy hair, 5-starLeft hair looking dull, coarse like burlap, with an audible crunchy texture
reviewer 'Marmah', MD, fine thin hair, 1-starGave no shine and felt like ordinary hairspray on fine curly hair
reviewer 'Moon29', Livonia MI, fine curly hair, 1-starHumidity protection falls short and styles still lose their shape over the day
most-helpful critical reviewer, 3-starPrice 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.
$2.44/oz vs $2.50/oz — within about the same cost per ounce.
Medium Hold Spray Gel
Against 155 gels with a computable unit price.
Sleek Polish Anti-Humidity Spray
Against 95 hairsprays with a computable unit price.
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.
Medium Hold Spray Gel · Sleek Polish Anti-Humidity 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.
- 6 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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