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Side by side

Nioxin Root Lifting Spray vs Not Your Mother's Curl Talk Lasting Definition Flash Freeze Gel

93% function match · 11 of the 13 functions we compared match Formula overlap 30%. Nioxin Root Lifting Spray and Not Your Mother's Curl Talk Lasting Definition Flash Freeze Gel 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.

  • Root Lifting Spray — protein-sensitive hair
  • Curl Talk Lasting Definition Flash Freeze Gel — maximum slip

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
Nioxin Root Lifting Spray — front of package Nioxin

Root Lifting Spray

  • Styler
  • Masstige
  • Sulfate-free
  • Silicone-free
Not Your Mother's Curl Talk Lasting Definition Flash Freeze Gel — 6 oz container Not Your Mother's

Curl Talk Lasting Definition Flash Freeze Gel

  • Styler
  • Drugstore
  • Silicone-free
  • Strong hold
Price, size & price per ounce
$9–12 5.07 oz · $2.04/oz
about $11 6 oz · $1.83/oz
Value / price positioning
Lower cost than most volumizers $$$$$ Masstige tier · costs less than 87% of the 64 volumizers we’ve priced
Priced with its peers $$$$$ Drugstore tier · costs less than 57% of the 157 gels we’ve priced
Best for hair types
Straight–Wavy A light volumising formula — the lift it adds matters most on straighter hair. Your hair
Wavy–Coily Co-washes, curl creams, and gels are built around wave and curl. Your hair
Moisture level Same
Moderate Humectants in the working part of the formula. Your hair
Moderate Humectants in the working part of the formula. Your hair
Hold (as stated)
Medium A medium hold, as stated by the brand. Your hair
Maximum A strong hold, as stated by the brand. 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 Differs
Light Water-first and light: unlikely to flatten fine hair. Your hair
Medium Middle of the range — noticeable on fine hair, light on coarse hair. 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
Protein Differs
None No protein or amino acids in the list. Your hair
Minor Protein appears, low enough to be a supporting ingredient. 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 system Same
Synthetic polymer Synthetic hold polymers — the firmest of the hold systems. Your hair
Synthetic polymer Synthetic hold polymers — the firmest of the hold systems. 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 Same
None No fast-drying alcohol in the list. Your hair
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
  • Protein-sensitive hairthat stiffens when protein is added
  • Maximum slipfor hair that tangles the moment it is wet
  • Curly-method routinesno sulfates and no water-insoluble silicones
  • Curl definitionfilm formers hold a clump together
  • Maximum slipfor hair that tangles the moment it is wet
  • Curl definitionfilm formers hold a clump together
  • Silicone-free routinesno silicones appear in the list
  • Stretching wash daysnothing here needs a detergent to remove
Why you might skip it
  • Scents bother youthis product carries a scent
  • Anyone who dislikes a castthe film formers here can set firm
  • Vegan and cruelty-freeour record does not support both claims here
  • Scents bother youthis product carries a scent
  • Sulfate-free routinesit uses a sulfate detergent
  • 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
Stylerspray
Stylergel
Where to buy
Ulta · Brand website · Amazon
Brand website · Grocery / mass
Free of
  • sulfate-free
  • silicone-free
  • protein-free
  • curly-method compatible
  • silicone-free
Cruelty-free
Not cruelty-free · PETA-listed
Scent
Scented, not described
Scented, not described
Hold
mediumlong-lasting hold, resulting in a fuller and lifted appearance
max
How often
every wash
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

IngredientRoot Lifting SprayCurl Talk Lasting Definition Flash Freeze Gel
Water
Neutral
#1Leading
#1Leading
PVP
Holds
#2Leading
#3Leading
Phenoxyethanol
Stabilizes
#6Below the 1% line
#5Below the 1% line
Fragrance
Fragrance
#7Below the 1% line
#12Below the 1% line

What only one of them carries

Full ingredient list — Root Lifting Spray (10)
Full ingredient list — Curl Talk Lasting Definition Flash Freeze Gel (24)

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.

VerdictsRoot Lifting SprayCurl Talk Lasting Definition Flash Freeze Gel
Supported
3
4
Partly supported
0
0
Stated by brand
1
0
Potential conflict
0
0

Root Lifting Spray

  • Long-lasting holdSupportedStructure that lasts the day.
  • Fuller, lifted appearanceSupportedLeaves room for lift.
  • Adds body and textureSupportedLeaves room for lift.
  • For all hair typesStated by brandSee the fit panel instead.

Curl Talk Lasting Definition Flash Freeze Gel

  • Extra strong hold for lasting definition and frizz controlSupportedStructure that lasts the day.
  • Hydrating formula leaves curls touchable, never crunchy or flakySupportedHelps hair feel hydrated.
  • Silicone free, paraben free, and phthalate freeSupportedNothing that needs a strong wash.
  • Drying alcohol freeSupportedNothing that flashes off dry.

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.

Nioxin Root Lifting Spray draws complaints about dryness.

Root Lifting Spray

Hair felt thicker after about a week of use and would repurchase

5-star reviewer

Injects fullness and lightness into hair with no stickiness or heaviness; self-described Nioxin convert

4-star reviewer

Using it alongside the nighttime serum, noticed much less hair falling out after just a few days

5-star reviewer using the broader Nioxin system

Found it too drying on the scalp even with only weekly use, would not repurchase

2-star reviewer

Curl Talk Lasting Definition Flash Freeze Gel

Several reviewers praise the pleasant scent and value, noting the bottle lasts a long time since a little product goes a long way.

A minority of reviewers say the hold is stronger than they wanted, leaving hair -- and sometimes the scalp -- feeling dry or stiff.

Many reviewers say this gel sets quickly into a strong, long-lasting hold that keeps curl definition for multiple days without redoing their 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.

$1.83/oz vs $2.04/oz — within about the same cost per ounce.

Root Lifting Spray

Against 64 volumizers with a computable unit price.

Curl Talk Lasting Definition Flash Freeze Gel

Against 157 gels with a computable unit price.

Value readRoot Lifting SprayCurl Talk Lasting Definition Flash Freeze Gel
Label
Lower cost than most volumizersCosts less per ounce than most volumizers 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.

Root Lifting Spray · Curl Talk Lasting Definition Flash Freeze Gel · All volumizers 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.

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