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Side by side

OGX Locking + Coconut Curls Air Dry Cream vs OGX Smooth Emulsion + Argan Oil Conditioning Hair Mist

38% function match · 3 of the 10 functions we compared match Formula overlap 0%. OGX Locking + Coconut Curls Air Dry Cream and OGX Smooth Emulsion + Argan Oil Conditioning Hair Mist share no ingredient among each other's most prominent — which does not stop them doing the same job.

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.

  • Locking + Coconut Curls Air Dry Cream — protein-sensitive hair
  • Smooth Emulsion + Argan Oil Conditioning Hair Mist — protein-sensitive 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
OGX Locking + Coconut Curls Air Dry Cream — 6 oz container OGX

Locking + Coconut Curls Air Dry Cream

  • Leave-in
  • Drugstore
  • Sulfate-free
  • Silicone-free
OGX Smooth Emulsion + Argan Oil Conditioning Hair Mist — 6.5 oz container OGX

Smooth Emulsion + Argan Oil Conditioning Hair Mist

  • Leave-in
  • Drugstore
  • Sulfate-free
  • Protein-free
Price, size & price per ounce
$9–10 6 oz · $1.58/oz
about $11 6.5 oz · $1.69/oz
Value / price positioning
Priced with its peers $$$$$ Drugstore tier · costs less than 72% of the 1319 leave-ins we’ve priced
Priced with its peers $$$$$ Drugstore tier · costs less than 61% of the 494 leave-ins we’ve priced
Best for hair types
Curly–Coily A heavy formula: coarse, curlier strands carry it without flattening. Your hair
Wavy–Coily The brand’s own claims name curly or textured hair. Your hair
Moisture level Differs
High Humectants near the top — water-binding is a headline mechanism here. Your hair
High Humectants near the top — water-binding is a headline mechanism here. Your hair
Slip / detangling Differs
High Conditioning agents sit high in the list — this is a detangling formula. Your hair
Moderate Conditioning agents are present, lower in the list. Your hair
Weight on hair Differs
Rich Heavy butters and waxes in the first eight ingredients. 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
None No protein or amino acids in the list. Your hair
None No protein or amino acids in the list. Your hair
Silicone / wax buildup Differs
None Nothing here needs a detergent wash to remove. Your hair
High Water-insoluble silicones or waxes: a detergent wash is what removes them. Your hair
Clarifying wash needed
Low Your hair
Moderate Your hair
Oils and butters Differs
Rich Butters near the top: a heavy, softening formula. Your hair
Moderate Oils sit high in the list — a softening, coating formula. Your hair
Formula completeness
out of 10
Complete for its job
out of 10
Covers the core
Who should choose this
  • 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
  • Curly-method routinesno sulfates and no water-insoluble silicones
  • Protein-sensitive hairthat stiffens when protein is added
  • Dry, thirsty hairhumectants and emollients both sit up front
  • 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
  • Oily scalp or fine hairthat gets weighed down
  • Hair that needs proteinthere is none in this list
  • Scents bother youthis product carries a scent
  • Curly-method routinesthese silicones need a detergent to remove
  • Hair that needs proteinthere is none in this list
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
Leave-incream
Leave-in
Where to buy
Target
Grocery / mass · Drugstore
Free of
  • sulfate-free
  • silicone-free
  • protein-free
  • curly-method compatible
  • sulfate-free
  • protein-free
Cruelty-free
Not cruelty-free · PETA-listed
Not 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

$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

IngredientLocking + Coconut Curls Air Dry CreamSmooth Emulsion + Argan Oil Conditioning Hair Mist
Water
Neutral
#1Leading
#1Leading
Fragrance
Fragrance
#16Below the 1% line
#18Below the 1% line

What only one of them carries

Locking + Coconut Curls Air Dry Cream

Smooth Emulsion + Argan Oil Conditioning Hair Mist

Full ingredient list — Locking + Coconut Curls Air Dry Cream (16)
Full ingredient list — Smooth Emulsion + Argan Oil Conditioning Hair Mist (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.

VerdictsLocking + Coconut Curls Air Dry CreamSmooth Emulsion + Argan Oil Conditioning Hair Mist
Supported
2
1
Partly supported
0
0
Stated by brand
1
1
Potential conflict
0
0

Locking + Coconut Curls Air Dry Cream

  • Define and de-frizz curls, infused with coconut oil and shea butterSupportedSmoother strands, less frizz.
  • Keep curls soft without heatStated by brandSubjective feel varies by hair.
  • Formulated to hold curl bounce without crunchinessSupportedNatural movement without stiffness.

Smooth Emulsion + Argan Oil Conditioning Hair Mist

  • Smooths hair for up to 48 hours (per review-cited claim, not directly quoted on Ulta PDP text captured)SupportedSmoother strands, less frizz.
  • Doubles as heat protectant before blow-drying, curling or flat ironingStated by brandOnly lab testing can show this.

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.

Locking + Coconut Curls Air Dry Cream

Effective when applied only to the top layer of hair per instructions

Leaves hair feeling thicker, smoother, and more voluminous

Pleasant scent but some report it does not hold or define curls well

Smooth Emulsion + Argan Oil Conditioning Hair Mist

Some reviewers say the mist alone was not enough of a leave-in and they still needed a separate leave-in conditioner to detangle.

Several reviewers note they used it as a heat protectant before blow-drying or straightening and did not experience heat damage.

A recurring subset of reviewers with fine or thin hair say the product feels heavy and turns their hair greasy by later in the day.

Many reviewers report the mist leaves hair smoother, shinier and softer without weighing it down or feeling greasy.

Reviewers consistently describe the fine, continuous spray mechanism as the standout feature, applying an even mist rather than large droplets.

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.

$1.58/oz vs $1.69/oz — within about the same cost per ounce.

$0.01/oz median $3.06/oz $107.14/oz $1.58/oz Locking + Coconut Curls Ai $1.69/oz Smooth Emulsion + Argan Oi

Every mark sits on one distribution because these are compared against the same set: 1319 leave-ins with a computable unit price.

Value readLocking + Coconut Curls Air Dry CreamSmooth Emulsion + Argan Oil Conditioning Hair Mist
Label
Priced with its peersSits in the middle of the range for leave-ins per ounce.
Priced with its peersSits 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.

Locking + Coconut Curls Air Dry Cream vs Avocado & Tamanu Anti-Frizz Curl PerfectorMielle Organics · 90% function matchSmooth Emulsion + Argan Oil Conditioning Hair Mist vs Pure Honey Scalp Refresh Invigorating Leave-InCreme of Nature · 95% function matchLocking + Coconut Curls Air Dry Cream vs Curl Conditioning Oil-In-CreamCurlsmith · 86% function matchSmooth Emulsion + Argan Oil Conditioning Hair Mist vs Prep Primer for Ultra Fine HairBumble and bumble · 95% function matchLocking + Coconut Curls Air Dry Cream vs Curly Hair Leave-In Conditioner Base with Mango ButterFunction of Beauty · 86% function matchSmooth Emulsion + Argan Oil Conditioning Hair Mist vs Prep Rally Prime & Prep DetanglerDrybar · 95% function matchLocking + Coconut Curls Air Dry Cream vs Curls + Coconut Oil 5-in-1 Leave-In SprayHask · 86% function matchSmooth Emulsion + Argan Oil Conditioning Hair Mist vs Prep Detangling Hair PrimerBumble and bumble · 93% function match

Locking + Coconut Curls Air Dry Cream · Smooth Emulsion + Argan Oil Conditioning Hair Mist · All leave-ins 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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