Side by side
Design Essentials Agave & Lavender Blow-Dry & Style Primer - Lavender vs Design Essentials Almond & Avocado Curl Stretching Crème
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.
- Agave & Lavender Blow-Dry & Style Primer - Lavender — protein-sensitive hair
- Almond & Avocado Curl Stretching Crème — dry, thirsty 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”.
Design Essentials
Agave & Lavender Blow-Dry & Style Primer - Lavender
- Styler
- Drugstore
- Sulfate-free
- Protein-free
- Protein-sensitive hairthat stiffens when protein is added
- Maximum slipfor hair that tangles the moment it is wet
- Dry, thirsty hairhumectants and emollients both sit up front
- Curl definitionfilm formers hold a clump together
- Dry, thirsty hairhumectants and emollients both sit up front
- Curl definitionfilm formers hold a clump together
- Scents bother youthis product carries a scent
- Curly-method routinesthese silicones need a detergent to remove
- Dry or very humid airwhere heavy humectants work against you
- Scents bother youthis product carries a scent
- Stretching wash dayswaxes stay until a detergent wash removes them
- Dry or very humid airwhere heavy humectants work against you
More facts about each one
- sulfate-free
- protein-free
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.
$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
What only one of them carries
Agave & Lavender Blow-Dry & Style Primer - Lavender
Almond & Avocado Curl Stretching Crème
Full ingredient list — Agave & Lavender Blow-Dry & Style Primer - Lavender (18)
-
1
Water
- solvent
-
2
Isopropyl Myristate
- light ester
- emollient
-
3
Polysorbate 20
- solubilizer
- emulsifier
-
4
Glycerin
- humectant
-
5
Cetrimonium Chloride
- conditioning agent
- cleanser
-
6
Propylene Glycol
- humectant
- solvent
-
7
Hydrogenated Castor Oil/Sebacic Acid Copolymer
- wax
- film former
- emollient
-
8
Polyquaternium-11
- film former
- polymer
- conditioning agent
-
9
Phenyl Trimethicone
- silicone
- emollient
-
10
Simethicone
- silicone
- conditioning agent
- Below about this point, order stops being meaningful — these are typically used at 1% or less.
-
11
Fragrance
- fragrance
- declared fragrance
-
12
Agave Americana (Agave) Leaf Extract
- botanical extract
-
13
Lavandula Angustifolia (Lavender) Flower Extract
- botanical extract
-
14
Phenoxyethanol
- preservative
-
15
Benzoic Acid
- preservative
-
16
Ethylhexylglycerin
- preservative
- emollient
-
17
Glycereth-2 Cocoate
- emulsifier
- emollient
-
18
Violet 2 (CI 60725)
- colourant
- direct dye
- violet dye
Full ingredient list — Almond & Avocado Curl Stretching Crème (24)
-
1
Water
- solvent
-
2
Glycerin
- humectant
-
3
Glyceryl Stearate
- emulsifier
- emollient
-
4
PEG-100 Stearate
- emulsifier
-
5
Olea Europaea (Olive) Fruit Oil
- oil
- emollient
- 6 Polyvinylpyrrolidone/Vinylacetate
-
7
Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (Sweet Almond) Oil
- oil
- emollient
-
8
Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil
- wax
- emollient
-
9
Acetylated Lanolin
- emollient
- sealant
- Below about this point, order stops being meaningful — these are typically used at 1% or less.
-
10
Caprylyl Glycol
- preservative
- humectant
-
11
Phenoxyethanol
- preservative
-
12
Ethylhexylglycerin
- preservative
- emollient
-
13
Carbomer
- thickener
- polymer
- film former
-
14
Aminomethyl Propanol
- pH adjuster
-
15
Tocopheryl Acetate
- antioxidant
- vitamin
-
16
Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter
- butter
- emollient
- sealant
-
17
Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil
- emollient
- light ester
- oil
- wax
-
18
Citric Acid
- pH adjuster
- hard-water chelator
-
19
Glycine Soja (Soybean) Oil
- oil
- emollient
-
20
Persea Gratissima (Avocado) Fruit Extract
- botanical extract
-
21
Theobroma Cacao (Cocoa) Extract
- botanical extract
-
22
Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Fruit Extract
- botanical extract
-
23
Aleuriteus Moluccanus (Kukui) Seed Extract
- botanical extract
-
24
Fragrance
- fragrance
- declared fragrance
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.
Agave & Lavender Blow-Dry & Style Primer - Lavender
Cuts drying time in half
Stated by brandCan’t be confirmed from label.Protects hair from damage by heat styling tools
Stated by brandCan’t be confirmed from label.Provides UVA/UVB protection for color-treated hair
SupportedLess fade per wash.Conditions and smooths hair, minimizes breakage
Stated by brandCan’t be confirmed from label.Free from sulfates, alcohol, parabens, paraffin, mineral oil, petrolatum, and DEA
SupportedGentler on colour and coils.
Almond & Avocado Curl Stretching Crème
soft, moisturized, and frizz-free with flexible hold
SupportedHelps hair feel hydrated.
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 moisture.
Agave & Lavender Blow-Dry & Style Primer - Lavender
Works well as a heat protectant before blow-drying on natural 4C hair
reviewer with 4C hairLeaves hair soft with a silky finish after use
reviewer describing texture resultsNoticeably speeds up drying time and helps hair get straighter
reviewer noting drying speed and straightening effectUsed as a heat protectant on kinky-curly hair before blow-drying
reviewer with kinky curly hairWould rate 5 stars for how soft it leaves hair, despite a packaging complaint
reviewer praising softness but noting a packaging issueAlmond & Avocado Curl Stretching Crème
Several customers mention enjoying a pleasant sweet fragrance that smells good and complements the product line experience
customers noting sensory experienceMultiple reviewers praise the product for defining and elongating curls, creating stretch for two-strand twists and styles, and delivering results after just one application
customers describing styling performance with curls and twistsCustomers report the product leaves hair soft, silky, manageable, and moisturized without feeling overly oily or weighing hair down
customers describing texture and feel after applicationMultiple reviewers report the formula has changed, making the product drier, flakier, or less effective than the original version they used for years
long-time customers comparing current formula to originalSome reviewers note the product feels sticky, overly sweet-scented, or too heavy, and does not actually stretch curls as promised, leaving hair shorter rather than elongated
customers reporting product limitations or contradictions to marketing claimsPrice 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.
$1.44/oz vs $1.50/oz — within about the same cost per ounce.
Agave & Lavender Blow-Dry & Style Primer - Lavender
Against 101 hairsprays with a computable unit price.
Almond & Avocado Curl Stretching Crème
Against 106 curl creams 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.
Agave & Lavender Blow-Dry & Style Primer - Lavender · Almond & Avocado Curl Stretching Crème · 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.
- 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.
Still unsure? Take your consultation or browse more products.
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