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Side by side

Design Essentials Milk & Honey Neutralizing Conditioning Shampoo vs Design Essentials STS Express Cleansing Sulfate-Free Shampoo Step 1

72% function match · 8 of the 13 functions we compared match Formula overlap 33%. Design Essentials Milk & Honey Neutralizing Conditioning Shampoo and Design Essentials STS Express Cleansing Sulfate-Free Shampoo Step 1 share 4 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
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When each one is the right call

What each formula is built for, from its own ingredient list.

  • Milk & Honey Neutralizing Conditioning Shampoo — fast-oiling scalps
  • STS Express Cleansing Sulfate-Free Shampoo Step 1 — colour-treated 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
Design Essentials Milk & Honey Neutralizing Conditioning Shampoo — 32 oz container Design Essentials

Milk & Honey Neutralizing Conditioning Shampoo

  • Shampoo
  • Salon
Design Essentials

STS Express Cleansing Sulfate-Free Shampoo Step 1

  • Shampoo
  • Salon
  • Sulfate-free
  • Curly-method
Price, size & price per ounce
$19.99 32 oz · $0.63/oz
$29.95 16 oz · $1.87/oz
Value / price positioning
Lower cost than most shampoos $$$$$ Salon tier · costs less than 83% of the 817 shampoos we’ve priced
Upper-mid price for a shampoo $$$$$ Salon tier · costs more than 60% of the 817 shampoos we’ve priced
Best for hair types
All types Nothing in the formula or the claims narrows this to one pattern. Your hair
All types Nothing in the formula or the claims narrows this to one pattern. 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
Cleansing strength Same
Strong Removes oil, buildup, and most residue — a reset wash. Your hair
Strong Removes oil, buildup, and most residue — a reset wash. Your hair
Slip / detangling Same
High Conditioning agents sit high in the list — this is a detangling formula. Your hair
High Conditioning agents sit high in the list — this is a detangling formula. Your hair
Weight on hair
Medium Middle of the range — noticeable on fine hair, light on coarse hair. Your hair
Light Water-first and light: unlikely to flatten fine hair. Your hair
Fragrance
Present Fragrance is listed; it sits below the working ingredients. Your hair
Present Fragrance is listed; it sits below the working ingredients. Your hair
Protein Differs
Prominent Protein high in the list — a strengthening formula, not a moisture one. Your hair
Minor Protein appears, low enough to be a supporting ingredient. Your hair
Silicone / wax buildup Same
Low The silicones here are the water-soluble kind. Your hair
Low The silicones here are the water-soluble kind. Your hair
Clarifying wash needed
Low Your hair
Low Your hair
Expected lather Differs
High Thick foam that spreads quickly through the hair. Your hair
Moderate An ordinary shampoo lather. Your hair
Scalp active Same
None No over-the-counter scalp active. Your hair
None No over-the-counter scalp active. Your hair
Hard-water defence Differs
Chelators present Chelators are present — they bind hard-water and pool minerals. Your hair
None No chelating agent 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
  • Fast-oiling scalpsthat need a real reset wash
  • Protein-hungry hairthat stretches and stays stretched when wet
  • Maximum slipfor hair that tangles the moment it is wet
  • Hard waterand swimmers dealing with mineral deposit
  • Colour-treated hairthat fades faster in a sulfate wash
  • Fast-oiling scalpsthat need a real reset wash
  • Maximum slipfor hair that tangles the moment it is wet
  • Curly-method routinesno sulfates and no water-insoluble silicones
Why you might skip it
  • Scents bother youthis product carries a scent
  • Sulfate-free routinesit uses a sulfate detergent
  • Protein-sensitive hairthat goes stiff or straw-like on protein
  • Scents bother youthis product carries a scent
  • Dry or damaged haira strong detergent system strips as it cleans
  • Dry or very humid airwhere heavy humectants work against you
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
Shampoo
Shampoo
Line
Milk & Honey
—
Where to buy
Brand website · Salons
Salons · Grocery / mass
Free of
—
  • sulfate-free
  • curly-method compatible
Vegan
Not vegan · ingredient list
—
Cruelty-free
Cruelty-free · PETA-listed
Cruelty-free · PETA-listed
Scent
Sweet & vanilla
Scented, not described

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

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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

IngredientMilk & Honey Neutralizing Conditioning ShampooSTS Express Cleansing Sulfate-Free Shampoo Step 1
Water
Neutral
#1Leading
#1Leading
Cocamidopropyl Betaine
Cleanses
#3Leading
#3Leading
Glycerin
Moisturizes
#5Supporting
#6Supporting
Citric Acid
pH balancer
#7Below the 1% line
#15Below the 1% line
PEG-12 Dimethicone
Shine
#17Below the 1% line
#9Secondary
Fragrance
Fragrance
#23Below the 1% line
#14Below the 1% line
Polyquaternium-10
Detangles
#16Below the 1% line
#8Supporting
Limonene
Fragrance
#24Below the 1% line
#20Below the 1% line

What only one of them carries

Milk & Honey Neutralizing Conditioning Shampoo

STS Express Cleansing Sulfate-Free Shampoo Step 1

Full ingredient list — Milk & Honey Neutralizing Conditioning Shampoo (24)
Full ingredient list — STS Express Cleansing Sulfate-Free Shampoo Step 1 (21)

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.

VerdictsMilk & Honey Neutralizing Conditioning ShampooSTS Express Cleansing Sulfate-Free Shampoo Step 1
Supported
0
1
Partly supported
0
0
Stated by brand
1
1
Potential conflict
0
0

Milk & Honey Neutralizing Conditioning Shampoo

  • Cleanse, balance, and condition in one step with this professional-grade neutralizing shampoo made to protect hair after chemical services.Stated by brandCan’t be confirmed from label.

STS Express Cleansing Sulfate-Free Shampoo Step 1

  • Cleanses hair before the STS Express system.Stated by brandCan’t be confirmed from label.
  • Sulfate-free formula with biotin.SupportedGentler on colour and coils.

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.

Milk & Honey Neutralizing Conditioning Shampoo

Reviewers consistently describe hair as clean, soft, and moisturized after use, with several noting the product works well across multiple hair types within one household

Long-time users (some citing decades of use) report consistent satisfaction and repeat purchase, especially among stylists using it as a professional neutralizing step

professional/stylist reviewers noted repeat/long-term use

Efficient lather: reviewers note a little product goes a long way and it lathers easily

Fragrance/scent is repeatedly called out as a standout positive, often the first thing reviewers mention

STS Express Cleansing Sulfate-Free Shampoo Step 1

Reviewers describe the shampoo as effective and long-lasting

Walmart exact-product reviewers

A reviewer reports leakage/late delivery rather than product performance

Walmart exact-product 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.

$0.63/oz vs $1.87/oz — Design Essentials STS Express Cleansing Sulfate-Free Shampoo Step 1 costs about 3× more per ounce than Design Essentials Milk & Honey Neutralizing Conditioning Shampoo.

$0.00/oz median $1.47/oz $17.29/oz $0.63/oz Milk & Honey Neutralizing $1.87/oz STS Express Cleansing Sulf

Every mark sits on one distribution because these are compared against the same set: 817 shampoos with a computable unit price.

Value readMilk & Honey Neutralizing Conditioning ShampooSTS Express Cleansing Sulfate-Free Shampoo Step 1
Label
Lower cost than most shampoosCosts less per ounce than most shampoos we have researched.
Upper-mid price for a shampooSits in the middle of the range for shampoos 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.

Milk & Honey Neutralizing Conditioning Shampoo vs Anti-Dandruff + Sebum Control ShampooAmerican Crew · 93% function matchSTS Express Cleansing Sulfate-Free Shampoo Step 1 vs ACV Clarifying ShampooWondercurl · 89% function matchMilk & Honey Neutralizing Conditioning Shampoo vs Detox ShampooAmerican Crew · 89% function matchSTS Express Cleansing Sulfate-Free Shampoo Step 1 vs Clinically Formulated Biotin ShampooPura d'or · 84% function matchMilk & Honey Neutralizing Conditioning Shampoo vs Peppermint & Aloe Therapeutics Anti-Itch ShampooDesign Essentials · 86% function matchSTS Express Cleansing Sulfate-Free Shampoo Step 1 vs Renewable Difference Detox ShampooJane Carter Solution · 82% function matchMilk & Honey Neutralizing Conditioning Shampoo vs Radiant Red Boosting ShampooJohn Frieda · 85% function matchSTS Express Cleansing Sulfate-Free Shampoo Step 1 vs BARE Pure Clean 2in1 Dandruff Shampoo and Conditioner, Anti-Dandruff TreatmentHead & Shoulders · 82% function match

Milk & Honey Neutralizing Conditioning Shampoo · STS Express Cleansing Sulfate-Free Shampoo Step 1 · All shampoos 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.
  • 10 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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