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Side by side

Andalou Naturals Sunflower & Citrus Brilliant Shine Hair Spray vs Giovanni L.A. HOLD Styling Gel

83% function match · 6 of the 8 functions we compared match Formula overlap 47%. Andalou Naturals Sunflower & Citrus Brilliant Shine Hair Spray and Giovanni L.A. HOLD Styling Gel share 3 ingredients 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.

  • Sunflower & Citrus Brilliant Shine Hair Spray — curl definition
  • L.A. HOLD Styling Gel — 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
Andalou Naturals

Sunflower & Citrus Brilliant Shine Hair Spray

  • Styler
  • Drugstore
Giovanni L.A. HOLD Styling Gel — 6.8 oz container Giovanni

L.A. HOLD Styling Gel

  • Styler
  • Drugstore
  • Sulfate-free
  • Silicone-free
Price, size & price per ounce
$10.99 8.2 oz · $1.34/oz
$12–13 6.8 oz · $1.73/oz
Value / price positioning
Lower cost than most hairsprays $$$$$ Drugstore tier · costs less than 80% of the 97 hairsprays we’ve priced
Priced with its peers $$$$$ Drugstore tier · costs less than 60% 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)
Light A light hold, as stated by the brand. Your hair
Maximum A strong hold, as stated by the brand. Your hair
Slip / detangling Same
Little Nothing here is built to reduce combing force. Your hair
Little Nothing here is built to reduce combing force. Your hair
Fragrance
Present Fragrance is listed; it sits below the working ingredients. Your hair
Prominent Fragrance sits in the first eight ingredients — a larger share of the formula. 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
—
Medium Middle of the range — noticeable on fine hair, light on coarse hair. Your hair
Protein
—
None No protein or amino acids in the list. Your hair
Hold system Same
Mixed Gums and synthetic polymers together. Your hair
Mixed Gums and synthetic polymers together. 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
Present, lower down Oils are present, but low enough to be a finishing touch. Your hair
Present, lower down Oils are present, but low enough to be a finishing touch. Your hair
Fast-drying alcohol Differs
High in the list Fast-drying alcohol in the first three ingredients. Your hair
None No fast-drying alcohol in the list. Your hair
Cast risk
—
Unlikely Softening ingredients sit alongside the film formers, so a hard shell is unlikely. Your hair
Formula completeness
out of 10
Covers the core
out of 10
Complete for its job
Who should choose this
  • Curl definitionfilm formers hold a clump together
  • Tight budgetsit sits in the lower price tiers
  • 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
  • Very dry or damaged hairit contains fast-drying alcohol
  • Styles that must holdthe brand states a light hold at most
  • Scents bother youthis product carries a scent
  • Soft, touchable finishesthe brand states a firm hold
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
Stylerspray
Stylergel
Where to buy
Brand website · Grocery / mass
Brand website · Target · Grocery / mass
Free of
—
  • sulfate-free
  • silicone-free
  • protein-free
  • curly-method compatible
Vegan
—
Vegan · label states
Cruelty-free
Cruelty-free · label states
Cruelty-free · PETA-listed
Scent
Scented, not described
Scented, not described
Hold
light
maxBrand PDP bullet 'Secures shape with extreme hold'; bottle label reads 'strong hold'.
Finish
shine
shine
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

IngredientSunflower & Citrus Brilliant Shine Hair SprayL.A. HOLD Styling Gel
Water
Neutral
#1Leading
#1Leading
VP/VA Copolymer
Holds
#3Leading
#2Leading
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Moisturizes
#4Supporting
#9Below the 1% line
Fragrance
Fragrance
#28Below the 1% line
#8Below the 1% line

What only one of them carries

Sunflower & Citrus Brilliant Shine Hair Spray

L.A. HOLD Styling Gel

Full ingredient list — Sunflower & Citrus Brilliant Shine Hair Spray (31)
Full ingredient list — L.A. HOLD Styling Gel (22)

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.

VerdictsSunflower & Citrus Brilliant Shine Hair SprayL.A. HOLD Styling Gel
Supported
0
4
Partly supported
0
0
Stated by brand
3
2
Potential conflict
0
0

Sunflower & Citrus Brilliant Shine Hair Spray

  • Weightless setting spray that shields hair from humidity for smooth, lustrous hair without a sticky or crunchy finishStated by brandCan’t be confirmed from label.
  • Apply on dry hair before hot tools or as a setting spray for flexible hold with volumeStated by brandHow to use it, not a claim.
  • Dries fast, benefits all hair typesStated by brandSee the fit panel instead.

L.A. HOLD Styling Gel

  • Secures shape with extreme holdStated by brandCan’t be confirmed from label.
  • Shines brilliantly with surface enhancersSupportedReflects light for visible shine.
  • Controls frizz with authoritySupportedSmoother strands, less frizz.
  • Color-SafeSupportedLess fade per wash.
  • Vegan FriendlySupportedMatches our researched record.
  • This styling gel will not dull, strip color, or damage your hair.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.

Both praised for hold and a clean rinse-out. Andalou Naturals Sunflower & Citrus Brilliant Shine Hair Spray draws complaints about the packaging; Giovanni L.A. HOLD Styling Gel draws complaints about residue or cast.

Sunflower & Citrus Brilliant Shine Hair Spray

Several long-time buyers with sensitive skin or allergies say this hairspray is gentler than other brands they have tried.

reviewers with skin sensitivity or allergies

Reviewers describe a light-to-medium hold that adds noticeable shine and body without making hair feel crunchy or stiff.

general reviewers

A repeated complaint is that the spray nozzle dispenses a wet stream rather than a fine mist, soaking part of the hair if not applied carefully.

reviewers commenting on the bottle mechanism

Fine-haired reviewers are split: some feel it weighs their hair down while others say it is too light to hold big curls in place.

fine-haired reviewers

L.A. HOLD Styling Gel

Curly reviewers on the brand's own page report hold that lasts for days from a small amount, with no greasy weight left on the curl.

curly hair, brand-site reviewers

Wavy and curly reviewers say the cast it forms stays soft and scrunches out easily once the hair is dry.

curly and wavy hair

A two-star reviewer with loose, fine waves got no cast at all and watched the wave drop the same day, even after using a lot of product.

fine, loosely wavy hair

Several reviewers call the gel very thick and report stickiness, frizz or stringy hair unless a small amount is worked between wet palms before it goes on.

naturally curly reviewers who changed technique

Reviewers disagree about the fragrance: one finds the smell strong enough that she dilutes the gel, another says it is not overly strong and does not linger.

fragrance-sensitive 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.

$1.34/oz vs $1.73/oz — Giovanni L.A. HOLD Styling Gel costs about 1.3× more per ounce than Andalou Naturals Sunflower & Citrus Brilliant Shine Hair Spray.

Sunflower & Citrus Brilliant Shine Hair Spray

Against 97 hairsprays with a computable unit price.

L.A. HOLD Styling Gel

Against 157 gels with a computable unit price.

Value readSunflower & Citrus Brilliant Shine Hair SprayL.A. HOLD Styling Gel
Label
Lower cost than most hairspraysCosts less per ounce than most hairsprays we have researched.
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.

Sunflower & Citrus Brilliant Shine Hair Spray vs Unapologetic Define, Style & Hold MousseORS · 89% function matchL.A. HOLD Styling Gel vs Curl Talk Defining Gel CustardNot Your Mother's · 96% function matchSunflower & Citrus Brilliant Shine Hair Spray vs Curl Defining Mousse - 6.8 ozRizos Curls · 89% function matchL.A. HOLD Styling Gel vs Custard For KidsCurlyKids · 93% function matchSunflower & Citrus Brilliant Shine Hair Spray vs Curl Talk Defining Gel CustardNot Your Mother's · 89% function matchL.A. HOLD Styling Gel vs Unapologetic Define, Style & Hold MousseORS · 93% function matchSunflower & Citrus Brilliant Shine Hair Spray vs Curl Talk Refreshing Curl FoamNot Your Mother's · 83% function matchL.A. HOLD Styling Gel vs Curl Defining Mousse - 6.8 ozRizos Curls · 93% function match

Sunflower & Citrus Brilliant Shine Hair Spray · L.A. HOLD Styling Gel · All hairsprays 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.
  • 9 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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