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Side by side

Living Proof Perfect hair Day Style Refresh Mist vs Paul Mitchell Super Skinny Relaxing Balm

86% function match · 8 of the 10 functions we compared match Formula overlap 0%. Living Proof Perfect hair Day Style Refresh Mist and Paul Mitchell Super Skinny Relaxing Balm share no ingredient among each other's most prominent — which does not stop them doing the same job.

These sit in different steps of a routine — Living Proof Perfect hair Day Style Refresh Mist is a heat protectant and Paul Mitchell Super Skinny Relaxing Balm is a leave-in. Comparing their formulas is fair; treating one as a replacement for the other is not.

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.

  • Perfect hair Day Style Refresh Mist — heat styling
  • Super Skinny Relaxing Balm — 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
Living Proof Perfect hair Day Style Refresh Mist — 1.7 oz container Living Proof

Perfect hair Day Style Refresh Mist

  • Heat protectant
  • Prestige
  • Sulfate-free
  • Silicone-free
Paul Mitchell Super Skinny Relaxing Balm — 5.1 oz container Paul Mitchell

Super Skinny Relaxing Balm

  • Leave-in
  • Salon
  • Sulfate-free
  • Silicone-free
Price, size & price per ounce
$32 5 oz · $6.40/oz
about $26 5.1 oz · $5.10/oz
Value / price positioning
Same job for less elsewhere $$$$$ Prestige tier · costs more than 79% of the 553 heat protectants we’ve priced
Upper-mid price for a leave-in $$$$$ Salon tier · costs more than 72% of the 481 leave-ins we’ve priced
Best for hair types
Straight–Curly Smoothing and thermal products span straight through curly hair. Your hair
Wavy–Coily The brand’s own claims name curly or textured hair. Your hair
Moisture level Differs
Moderate Humectants in the working part of the formula. Your hair
High Humectants near the top — water-binding is a headline mechanism here. Your hair
Heat protection
High The brand states a protection temperature — a label claim, not a measurement. Your hair
—
Slip / detangling Differs
Some Some slip, mostly from esters or silicones rather than conditioners. Your hair
High Conditioning agents sit high in the list — this is a detangling formula. Your hair
Weight on hair Same
Light Water-first and light: unlikely to flatten fine 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 Same
Prominent Protein high in the list — a strengthening formula, not a moisture one. Your hair
Prominent Protein high in the list — a strengthening formula, not a moisture one. 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
Oils and butters Same
—
None No oils or butters in the list. Your hair
Fast-drying alcohol Same
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
  • Heat stylingthe brand states protection to 450°F
  • Protein-hungry hairthat stretches and stays stretched when wet
  • Dry, thirsty hairhumectants and emollients both sit up front
  • Fine hairthat flattens under most products
  • Protein-hungry hairthat stretches and stays stretched when wet
  • Maximum slipfor hair that tangles the moment it is wet
  • Dry, thirsty hairhumectants and emollients both sit up front
  • Curly-method routinesno sulfates and no water-insoluble silicones
Why you might skip it
  • Scents bother youthis product carries a light scent
  • Protein-sensitive hairthat goes stiff or straw-like on protein
  • 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
  • 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
Heat protectantmist
Leave-incream
Where to buy
Brand website
Brand website
Free of
  • sulfate-free
  • silicone-free
  • curly-method compatible
  • sulfate-free
  • silicone-free
  • curly-method compatible
Cruelty-free
Cruelty-free · PETA-listed
Cruelty-free · PETA-listed
Scent
Light
Fresh & airy
Heat protection
up to 450°F
—

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

IngredientPerfect hair Day Style Refresh MistSuper Skinny Relaxing Balm
Water
Neutral
#1Leading
#1Leading
Fragrance
Fragrance
#15Below the 1% line
#15Below the 1% line
Hexyl Cinnamal
Fragrance
#34Below the 1% line
#17Below the 1% line
Linalool
Fragrance
#30Below the 1% line
#18Below the 1% line

What only one of them carries

Perfect hair Day Style Refresh Mist

Super Skinny Relaxing Balm

Full ingredient list — Perfect hair Day Style Refresh Mist (35)
Full ingredient list — Super Skinny Relaxing Balm (26)

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.

VerdictsPerfect hair Day Style Refresh MistSuper Skinny Relaxing Balm
Supported
1
3
Partly supported
2
0
Stated by brand
3
2
Potential conflict
0
0

Perfect hair Day Style Refresh Mist

  • Thermal protection up to 450FPartly supportedSold for hot tools; untestable here.
  • Smooths frizz and flyawaysStated by brandMay help, but not a primary focus.
  • Adds softness and shinePartly supportedA hint of gloss.
  • Neutralizes odor and provides all-day freshnessStated by brandCan’t be confirmed from label.
  • Refreshes curls and reduces frizzSupportedSmoother strands, less frizz.
  • Ultra-fine restyling mist that reshapes hair to bring back day-1 lookStated by brandCan’t be confirmed from label.

Super Skinny Relaxing Balm

  • Smooths wavy, curly hair, coarse or textured hair while helping to protect from heat stylingSupportedSmoother strands, less frizz.
  • Leaves hair shiny and manageableSupportedEasier detangling, less breakage.
  • Helps lock out frizzSupportedSmoother strands, less frizz.
  • Humidity-resistant styling agents provide memory in any weatherStated by brandMay help, but not measurable here.
  • Contains exclusive Super Skinny Complex that displaces water and constricts hair to speed up dryingStated by brandCheck the position, not the name.

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.

Paul Mitchell Super Skinny Relaxing Balm draws complaints about frizz.

Perfect hair Day Style Refresh Mist

Effectively refreshes day 2-3 hair between washes, brings hair 'back to life'

Pleasant, light scent that leaves hair feeling refreshed

Adds body/volume and shine while keeping hair soft and manageable, including on curls

Super Skinny Relaxing Balm

Softens thick, dry, or frizzy hair and improves bounce

Ulta reviewers with thick, dry, or frizzy hair

Users praise smoother, shinier results after blow-drying

Ulta reviewers

Some wavy-hair reviewers report puffiness or little frizz control

Ulta reviewers with coarse or wavy hair

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.

$5.10/oz vs $6.40/oz — Living Proof Perfect hair Day Style Refresh Mist costs about 1.3× more per ounce than Paul Mitchell Super Skinny Relaxing Balm.

Perfect hair Day Style Refresh Mist

Against 553 heat protectants with a computable unit price.

Super Skinny Relaxing Balm

Against 481 leave-ins with a computable unit price.

Value readPerfect hair Day Style Refresh MistSuper Skinny Relaxing Balm
Label
Same job for less elsewhereYou are paying above the range for a formula close to several lower-priced options.
Upper-mid price for a leave-inSits in the middle of the range for leave-ins 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.

Perfect hair Day Style Refresh Mist vs Rice Water Strengthening Spray for Curls & CoilsAs I Am · 86% function matchSuper Skinny Relaxing Balm vs HYDR-8 Leave-In ConditionerVegamour · 95% function matchPerfect hair Day Style Refresh Mist vs Heat Shield Curl ProtectorCurl Keeper · 86% function matchSuper Skinny Relaxing Balm vs Advanced Hydration Leave-In ConditionerAcure · 90% function matchPerfect hair Day Style Refresh Mist vs HYDR-8 Leave-In ConditionerVegamour · 81% function matchSuper Skinny Relaxing Balm vs Rice Water Strengthening Spray for Curls & CoilsAs I Am · 90% function matchPerfect hair Day Style Refresh Mist vs Tonic Lotion Tea Tree Oil Hair PrimerBumble and bumble · 81% function matchSuper Skinny Relaxing Balm vs Scent-Sational! Hair Perfume & DeodorizerAunt Jackie's · 90% function match

Perfect hair Day Style Refresh Mist · Super Skinny Relaxing Balm · All heat protectants 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.
  • 8 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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