Side by side
As I Am Smoothing Gel vs Blind Barber 40 Proof Sea Salt Textured Hold Spray
13 of 13 functions match Formula overlap 6%. As I Am Smoothing Gel and Blind Barber 40 Proof Sea Salt Textured Hold Spray share 1 ingredient 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
- 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.
- Smoothing Gel — protein-sensitive hair
- 40 Proof Sea Salt Textured Hold Spray — 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”.
- Protein-sensitive hairthat stiffens when protein is added
- Curly-method routinesno sulfates and no water-insoluble silicones
- 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
- Fine hairthat flattens under most products
- Scents bother youthis product carries a scent
- Anyone who dislikes a castthe film formers here can set firm
- Dry or very humid airwhere heavy humectants work against you
- Scents bother youthis product carries a scent
- Anyone who dislikes a castthe film formers here can set firm
- Styles that must holdthe brand states a light hold at most
More facts about each one
- sulfate-free
- silicone-free
- protein-free
- curly-method compatible
- sulfate-free
- silicone-free
- protein-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
Smoothing Gel
40 Proof Sea Salt Textured Hold Spray
Full ingredient list — Smoothing Gel (15)
-
1
Water
- solvent
-
2
Betaine
- humectant
-
3
Glycerin
- humectant
-
4
Laureth-23
- emulsifier
- solubilizer
-
5
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
- humectant
- botanical extract
- gum
-
6
Carbomer
- thickener
- polymer
- film former
- Below about this point, order stops being meaningful — these are typically used at 1% or less.
-
7
Aminomethyl Propanol
- pH adjuster
-
8
Beta Vulgaris (Beet) Root Extract
- botanical extract
- humectant
-
9
Phenoxyethanol
- preservative
-
10
Caprylyl Glycol
- preservative
- humectant
-
11
Sodium Benzoate
- preservative
-
12
Fragrance
- fragrance
- declared fragrance
-
13
Anise Alcohol
- fragrance
- named fragrance allergen
-
14
Coumarin
- fragrance
- named fragrance allergen
-
15
Limonene
- fragrance
- named fragrance allergen
Full ingredient list — 40 Proof Sea Salt Textured Hold Spray (15)
-
1
Water
- solvent
-
2
Magnesium Sulfate
- salt
-
3
Polysorbate 20
- solubilizer
- emulsifier
-
4
PVP
- film former
- polymer
-
5
Sucrose
- humectant
-
6
PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil
- solubilizer
- emulsifier
- Below about this point, order stops being meaningful — these are typically used at 1% or less.
-
7
Phenoxyethanol
- preservative
-
8
Fragrance
- fragrance
- declared fragrance
-
9
Sorbitol
- humectant
-
10
Panthenol
- humectant
- conditioning agent
- vitamin
-
11
Laureth-4
- emulsifier
-
12
Citric Acid
- pH adjuster
- hard-water chelator
-
13
Glycerin
- humectant
-
14
Humulus Lupulus (Hops) Extract
- botanical extract
-
15
Ethylhexylglycerin
- preservative
- emollient
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.
Smoothing Gel
secure hold
SupportedStructure that lasts the day.moisturizes
SupportedHelps hair feel hydrated.adds shine
Stated by brandCan’t be confirmed from label.rinses easily
SupportedComes out in a normal wash.non-drying formula
SupportedNothing in it flashes off dry.
40 Proof Sea Salt Textured Hold Spray
Light to medium hold
SupportedStructure that lasts the day.Textured, beachy waves
Stated by brandCan’t be confirmed from label.Water-soluble, easy rinse-out
SupportedComes out in a normal wash.
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 the scent, hold, and a clean rinse-out. As I Am Smoothing Gel draws complaints about frizz and irritation; Blind Barber 40 Proof Sea Salt Textured Hold Spray draws complaints about residue or cast.
Smoothing Gel
A slick-back and edge-styling reviewer says it left hair very smooth and shiny without product buildup.
slick-back and edge stylingA reviewer with 4B coils reports that it kept a slick-back bun in place all day without troublesome flaking.
4B hair; slick-back bunA 3C/4A-haired purchaser says it laid their hair down beautifully and had a pleasant scent.
3C/4A hair; smoothing useOne purchaser reports that the gel increased frizz and did not give the finished look they wanted.
frizz-sensitive user40 Proof Sea Salt Textured Hold Spray
Keeps thinning hair in place all day and smells nice
brand-site reviewer with thinning hair ('John L.'), 5-starCreates a beachy-wave look even on thin hair
brand-site reviewer with thin hair ('Tyler B.'), 5-starGives beachy texture without stickiness or greasy residue, described as a favorite
brand-site reviewer describing their son's use ('Amanda H.'), 5-starA reformulation made the product harder to rinse out and left hair feeling sticky
brand-site reviewer citing the new formula ('Daniel'), 1-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.
$0.82/oz vs $4.00/oz — Blind Barber 40 Proof Sea Salt Textured Hold Spray costs about 4.9× more per ounce than As I Am Smoothing Gel.
Smoothing Gel
Against 157 gels with a computable unit price.
40 Proof Sea Salt Textured Hold Spray
Against 58 texture sprays 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.
Smoothing Gel · 40 Proof Sea Salt Textured Hold 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.
- 4 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.
- This particular combination is not listed in our sitemap: we only submit pairs of comparable products that our similarity data says people would actually weigh against each other.
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