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Side by side

Herbal Essences Texturing Hair Styling Spray Gel for Wavy Hair vs Not Your Mother's Curl Talk Defining Spray Gel Strong Hold

94% function match · 7 of the 8 functions we compared match Formula overlap 19%. Herbal Essences Texturing Hair Styling Spray Gel for Wavy Hair and Not Your Mother's Curl Talk Defining Spray Gel Strong Hold share 1 ingredient 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.

  • Texturing Hair Styling Spray Gel for Wavy Hair — curl definition
  • Curl Talk Defining Spray Gel Strong Hold — protein-hungry 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
Herbal Essences

Texturing Hair Styling Spray Gel for Wavy Hair

  • Styler
  • Drugstore
Not Your Mother's Curl Talk Defining Spray Gel Strong Hold — 6 oz container Not Your Mother's

Curl Talk Defining Spray Gel Strong Hold

  • Styler
  • Drugstore
  • Sulfate-free
  • Silicone-free
Price, size & price per ounce
$5.99 5.7 oz · $1.05/oz
$10–11 6 oz · $1.76/oz
Value / price positioning
Lower cost than most texture sprays $$$$$ Drugstore tier · costs less than 98% of the 58 texture sprays we’ve priced
Priced with its peers $$$$$ Drugstore tier · costs less than 58% 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 system Same
High Synthetic hold polymers — the firmest of the hold systems. Your hair
Synthetic polymer Synthetic hold polymers — the firmest of the hold systems. 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
Prominent Fragrance sits in the first eight ingredients — a larger share of the formula. Your hair
Present Fragrance is listed; it sits below the working ingredients. 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)
—
Strong A strong hold, as stated by the brand. Your hair
Weight on hair
—
Light Water-first and light: unlikely to flatten fine hair. Your hair
Protein
—
Prominent Protein high in the list — a strengthening formula, not a moisture one. 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
Covers the core
out of 10
Complete for its job
Who should choose this
  • Curl definitionfilm formers hold a clump together
  • Short ingredient listsfifteen ingredients or fewer
  • Tight budgetsit sits in the lower price tiers
  • Protein-hungry hairthat stretches and stays stretched when wet
  • Curly-method routinesno sulfates and no water-insoluble silicones
  • Curl definitionfilm formers hold a clump together
  • Fine hairthat flattens under most products
Why you might skip it
  • 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
  • Protein-sensitive hairthat goes stiff or straw-like on protein
  • Anyone who dislikes a castthe film formers here can set firm
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
Styler
Stylerspray
Where to buy
Grocery / mass
Brand website · Grocery / mass
Free of
—
  • sulfate-free
  • silicone-free
  • curly-method compatible
Cruelty-free
Cruelty-free · label states
—
Scent
Scented, not described
Scented, not described
Hold
—
strong
Finish
—
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

IngredientTexturing Hair Styling Spray Gel for Wavy HairCurl Talk Defining Spray Gel Strong Hold
Water
Neutral
#1Leading
#1Leading
PVP
Holds
#7Supporting
#2Leading
Fragrance
Fragrance
#8Below the 1% line
#14Below the 1% line

What only one of them carries

Texturing Hair Styling Spray Gel for Wavy Hair

Curl Talk Defining Spray Gel Strong Hold

Full ingredient list — Texturing Hair Styling Spray Gel for Wavy Hair (9)
Full ingredient list — Curl Talk Defining Spray Gel Strong Hold (18)

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.

VerdictsTexturing Hair Styling Spray Gel for Wavy HairCurl Talk Defining Spray Gel Strong Hold
Supported
3
6
Partly supported
0
0
Stated by brand
4
1
Potential conflict
0
0

Texturing Hair Styling Spray Gel for Wavy Hair

  • PETA cruelty-freeSupportedMatches our researched record.
  • paraben-freeSupportedPreserved without parabens.
  • mineral-oil-freeStated by brandCan’t be confirmed from label.
  • silicone-freeStated by brandCan’t be confirmed from label.
  • color-safeStated by brandCan’t be confirmed from label.
  • dye-freeStated by brandCan’t be confirmed from label.
  • pH-balancedSupportedBrought to an acidic pH.

Curl Talk Defining Spray Gel Strong Hold

  • Lightweight spray enhances definition without weighing curls downSupportedLess likely to weigh hair down.
  • Controls frizzSupportedSmoother strands, less frizz.
  • Boosts volumeSupportedLeaves room for lift.
  • Strong hold without a gel castSupportedStructure that lasts the day.
  • Never sticky, no buildupStated by brandCan’t be confirmed from label.
  • Formulated with Rice Curl Complex – a blend of rice, keratin amino acids, and enzymesSupportedThe named ingredient is really there.
  • Infused with a Superfood Oil Blend to hydrate curls and add shineSupportedHelps 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.

Texturing Hair Styling Spray Gel for Wavy Hair

A minority of reviewers found it needed a lot of product for only slight hold, leaving residue, or found a reformulated version tacky and crunchy compared to what they remembered.

Reviewers with wavy or curly hair say it enhances and holds their natural texture without weighing hair down, drying to a light touch rather than a stiff cast.

Multiple loyal users report the product frequently out of stock or hard to find in stores and worry it has been discontinued.

The scent is widely praised as pleasant, though a couple of long-time users say a past reformulation changed it from the original fragrance to a less-liked one.

Curl Talk Defining Spray Gel Strong Hold

Multiple reviewers say the spray gel holds curls without the stiff, crunchy cast typical of gels, keeping curls feeling natural.

Several reviewers report the spray/pump mechanism sticking, clogging, or dispensing unevenly, making it hard to apply enough product for a real hold.

A recurring complaint, especially from reviewers with thicker or very curly/coily hair, is that the hold is too weak or short-lived and curls fall flat within hours.

Reviewers with looser wave or curl patterns (2C-3A) more often report the strong-hold claim holds up, with curls springing up nicely without added stiffness.

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.

$1.05/oz vs $1.76/oz — Not Your Mother's Curl Talk Defining Spray Gel Strong Hold costs about 1.7× more per ounce than Herbal Essences Texturing Hair Styling Spray Gel for Wavy Hair.

Texturing Hair Styling Spray Gel for Wavy Hair

Against 58 texture sprays with a computable unit price.

Curl Talk Defining Spray Gel Strong Hold

Against 157 gels with a computable unit price.

Value readTexturing Hair Styling Spray Gel for Wavy HairCurl Talk Defining Spray Gel Strong Hold
Label
Lower cost than most texture spraysCosts less per ounce than most texture sprays 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.

Texturing Hair Styling Spray Gel for Wavy Hair vs 40 Proof Sea Salt Textured Hold SprayBlind Barber · 99% function matchCurl Talk Defining Spray Gel Strong Hold vs Firm Hold Styling CreamAmerican Crew · 99% function matchTexturing Hair Styling Spray Gel for Wavy Hair vs EIMI Pearl Styler Styling Hair GelWella Professionals · 99% function matchCurl Talk Defining Spray Gel Strong Hold vs Texturizing Sea Salt Spray for Tousled StylesOdele · 96% function matchTexturing Hair Styling Spray Gel for Wavy Hair vs Hydro Style Flexi Defining Curl Gel - 8.0 ozCurlsmith · 99% function matchCurl Talk Defining Spray Gel Strong Hold vs Lavender Aloe Smoothing GelEden BodyWorks · 96% function matchTexturing Hair Styling Spray Gel for Wavy Hair vs Hydro Style Flexi JellyCurlsmith · 99% function matchCurl Talk Defining Spray Gel Strong Hold vs Kids Sensitive Hair Style FoamSoCozy · 96% function match

Texturing Hair Styling Spray Gel for Wavy Hair · Curl Talk Defining Spray Gel Strong Hold · All texture sprays 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.
  • 7 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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