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Side by side

Curl Junkie Pattern Pusha Hair Styling Gel vs JVN Air Dry Volumizing Wave Spray - 5.0 oz

88% function match · 7 of the 8 functions we compared match Formula overlap 0%. Curl Junkie Pattern Pusha Hair Styling Gel and JVN Air Dry Volumizing Wave Spray - 5.0 oz 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.

  • Pattern Pusha Hair Styling Gel — curl definition
  • Air Dry Volumizing Wave Spray - 5.0 oz — fragrance-free

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
JVN Air Dry Volumizing Wave Spray - 5.0 oz — 5 oz container JVN

Air Dry Volumizing Wave Spray - 5.0 oz

  • Styler
  • Salon
  • Sulfate-free
  • Silicone-free
Price, size & price per ounce
$26 16 oz · $1.75/oz
$28 5 oz · $5.60/oz

Compared at different sizes — 16 oz against 5 oz. Per-ounce prices favour the larger bottle.

Value / price positioning
Priced with its peers $$$$$ Salon tier · costs less than 59% of the 159 gels we’ve priced
Upper-mid price for a texture spray $$$$$ Salon tier · costs more than 68% of the 58 texture sprays 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 Differs
Moderate Humectants in the working part of the formula. Your hair
None found No humectants found — nothing here pulls water into the hair. Your hair
Hold system Same
Low Natural gums do the holding — softer, and it re-wets more easily. Your hair
Natural gum Natural gums do the holding — softer, and it re-wets more easily. 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
None listed No fragrance is listed. 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 (as stated)
Medium A medium hold, as stated by the brand. Your hair
Weight on hair
Light Water-first and light: unlikely to flatten fine hair. Your hair
Protein
None No protein or amino acids in the list. Your hair
Cast risk Same
Likely Film formers without much softening them — expect a cast to scrunch out. Your hair
Likely Film formers without much softening them — expect a cast to scrunch out. 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
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
  • Curl definitionfilm formers hold a clump together
  • Fragrance-freeno fragrance (parfum) on the label
  • Unscentedfree of strong smells
  • Protein-sensitive hairthat stiffens when protein is added
  • Curly-method routinesno sulfates and no water-insoluble silicones
Why you might skip it
  • Scents bother youthis product carries a scent
  • Anyone who dislikes a castthe film formers here can set firm
  • Tight budgetsit sits in the upper price tiers
  • Anyone who dislikes a castthe film formers here can set firm
  • Tight budgetsit sits in the upper price tiers
  • If scent matters to younothing is added here
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
Stylergel
Stylerspray
Where to buy
Brand website
Ulta
Free of
  • sulfate-free
  • silicone-free
  • fragrance-free
  • protein-free
  • curly-method compatible
Scent
Scented, not described
Unscented
Hold
mediummedium, buildable hold (brand product description)
Finish
natural
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

IngredientPattern Pusha Hair Styling GelAir Dry Volumizing Wave Spray - 5.0 oz
Water
Neutral
#1Leading
#1Leading

What only one of them carries

Full ingredient list — Pattern Pusha Hair Styling Gel (19)
Full ingredient list — Air Dry Volumizing Wave Spray - 5.0 oz (6)

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.

VerdictsPattern Pusha Hair Styling GelAir Dry Volumizing Wave Spray - 5.0 oz
Supported
1
3
Partly supported
1
0
Stated by brand
0
2
Potential conflict
1
0

Pattern Pusha Hair Styling Gel

  • Defines your pattern with touchable definition and shinePotential conflictExpect a cast you have to scrunch out.
  • Light-to-medium hold, naturally derived formula, without stiffness or crunchPartly supportedSoft structure, not firm hold.
  • Phthalate-free and paraben-freeSupportedPreserved without parabens.

Air Dry Volumizing Wave Spray - 5.0 oz

  • 12-hour volume & natural-looking wavesSupportedLeaves room for lift.
  • lightweight, salt-free textureSupportedLess likely to weigh hair down.
  • medium, buildable holdStated by brandCan’t be confirmed from label.
  • nourishing & hydratingStated by brandCan’t be confirmed from label.
  • UV protection against color fadeSupportedLess fade per 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.

Pattern Pusha Hair Styling Gel

No review themes researched for this product yet.

Air Dry Volumizing Wave Spray - 5.0 oz

Adds volume without leaving hair feeling weighed down

Ulta reviewer

Described as 'a true game changer' for adding volume to fine, thinning hair

fine/thinning-hair Ulta reviewer

Produces good wave definition on wavy (2A-2C) hair whether air-dried or blow-dried

wavy-hair Ulta reviewer

Felt sticky and too firm-holding when used on very fine hair

very-fine-hair Ulta reviewer

Took some trial and error with amount used to fit into an existing styling routine

Ulta reviewer

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.

$1.75/oz vs $5.60/oz — JVN Air Dry Volumizing Wave Spray - 5.0 oz costs about 3.2× more per ounce than Curl Junkie Pattern Pusha Hair Styling Gel.

Pattern Pusha Hair Styling Gel

Against 159 gels with a computable unit price.

Air Dry Volumizing Wave Spray - 5.0 oz

Against 58 texture sprays with a computable unit price.

Value readPattern Pusha Hair Styling GelAir Dry Volumizing Wave Spray - 5.0 oz
Label
Priced with its peersSits in the middle of the range for gels per ounce.
Upper-mid price for a texture spraySits in the middle of the range for texture sprays 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.

Pattern Pusha Hair Styling Gel · Air Dry Volumizing Wave Spray - 5.0 oz · 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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