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Side by side

Ouai Thickening Spray vs Sexy Hair Big Blow Dry Volumizing Gel

85% function match · 11 of the 13 functions we compared match Formula overlap 52%. Ouai Thickening Spray and Sexy Hair Big Blow Dry Volumizing Gel share 2 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
  • 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.

  • Thickening Spray — curly-method routines
  • Big Blow Dry Volumizing Gel — dry, thirsty 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
Ouai Thickening Spray — 6 oz container Ouai

Thickening Spray

  • Styler
  • Salon
  • Sulfate-free
  • Silicone-free
Sexy Hair Big Blow Dry Volumizing Gel — 8.5 oz container Sexy Hair

Big Blow Dry Volumizing Gel

  • Styler
  • Masstige
  • Sulfate-free
  • Moisture-rich
Price, size & price per ounce
about $30 6 oz · $5.00/oz
$20–22 8.5 oz · $2.53/oz
Value / price positioning
Upper-mid price for a volumizer $$$$$ Salon tier · costs more than 59% of the 64 volumizers we’ve priced
Upper-mid price for a gel $$$$$ Masstige tier · costs more than 55% of the 155 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
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
Hold system Same
Moderate Gums and synthetic polymers together. Your hair
Moderate Gums and synthetic polymers together. Your hair
Slip / detangling Same
Moderate Conditioning agents are present, lower in the list. Your hair
Moderate Conditioning agents are present, lower in the list. 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
Minor Protein appears, low enough to be a supporting ingredient. Your hair
Minor Protein appears, low enough to be a supporting ingredient. Your hair
Silicone / wax buildup Differs
None Nothing here needs a detergent wash to remove. Your hair
Low The silicones here are the water-soluble kind. Your hair
Clarifying wash needed
Low Your hair
Low 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
Some Absorbents appear, low in the list. Your hair
Some Absorbents appear, low in the list. 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
Complete for its job
out of 10
Complete for its job
Who should choose this
  • Curly-method routinesno sulfates and no water-insoluble silicones
  • Curl definitionfilm formers hold a clump together
  • Fine hairthat flattens under most products
  • Silicone-free routinesno silicones appear in the list
  • Dry, thirsty hairhumectants and emollients both sit up front
  • 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
  • Anyone who dislikes a castthe film formers here can set firm
  • 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
Stylerspray
Stylergel
Where to buy
Brand website
Brand website · Grocery / mass · Specialty beauty
Free of
  • sulfate-free
  • silicone-free
  • curly-method compatible
  • sulfate-free
  • curly-method compatible
Cruelty-free
Cruelty-free · brand states
Cruelty-free · PETA-listed
Scent
Scented, not described
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

IngredientThickening SprayBig Blow Dry Volumizing Gel
Water
Neutral
#1Leading
#1Leading
Polysorbate 20
Stabilizes
#2Leading
#6Below the 1% line
VP/VA Copolymer
Holds
#3Leading
#3Leading
Fragrance
Fragrance
#25Below the 1% line
#10Below the 1% line
Linalool
Fragrance
#28Below the 1% line
#15Below the 1% line
Phenoxyethanol
Stabilizes
#21Below the 1% line
#4Below the 1% line
Ethylhexylglycerin
Softens
#16Below the 1% line
#8Below the 1% line

What only one of them carries

Thickening Spray

Big Blow Dry Volumizing Gel

Full ingredient list — Thickening Spray (39)
Full ingredient list — Big Blow Dry Volumizing Gel (34)

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.

VerdictsThickening SprayBig Blow Dry Volumizing Gel
Supported
0
2
Partly supported
0
1
Stated by brand
3
3
Potential conflict
1
0

Thickening Spray

  • Instantly thicker, fuller-looking hairStated by brandNot something a label can show.
  • Fuller-looking hair with no sticky or crunchy feelPotential conflictExpect a cast you have to scrunch out.
  • Helps protect hair from heat damage up to 450°F/232°CStated by brandOnly lab testing can show this.
  • Up to 1.7x more volume that lasts all dayStated by brandOnly the brand’s testing shows this.

Big Blow Dry Volumizing Gel

  • Creates 94% more volume and liftStated by brandOnly the brand’s testing shows this.
  • Medium hold with 48-hour style memorySupportedStructure that lasts the day.
  • Thermal protection up to 450 degrees FStated by brandOnly lab testing can show this.
  • Improves manageability and smoothnessPartly supportedA little slip, not a lot.
  • Tames frizz and flyawaysStated by brandMay help, but not a primary focus.
  • Humidity protection up to 72 hoursSupportedSmoother strands, less frizz.

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.

Both praised for a clean rinse-out and volume. Ouai Thickening Spray draws complaints about dullness and residue or cast; Sexy Hair Big Blow Dry Volumizing Gel draws complaints about dryness.

Thickening Spray

Many reviewers say it adds noticeable thickness, body and lasting volume, several naming their fine hair specifically.

reviewers on OUAI's own Yotpo widget for the correct product id

Multiple reviewers emphasize it doesn't leave a sticky, gummy or crunchy residue despite adding volume.

reviewers on OUAI's own Yotpo widget for the correct product id

A recurring complaint is that it leaves hair feeling sticky, dull or weighed down when more than a light amount is used.

reviewers on OUAI's own Yotpo widget for the correct product id

Big Blow Dry Volumizing Gel

Many reviewers say it delivers real volume and lift on fine or thinning hair without leaving the hair stiff or crunchy

buyers with fine or thinning hair using it as a blow-dry volumizer

A recurring group of reviewers reports the opposite outcome: the gel weighs hair down and leaves it limp instead of voluminous

buyers expecting a volumizing effect

Some reviewers with permed or textured hair describe the finish as dry, crispy, or straw-like rather than soft

reviewers with permed or coarser textures

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.

$2.53/oz vs $5.00/oz — Ouai Thickening Spray costs about 2× more per ounce than Sexy Hair Big Blow Dry Volumizing Gel.

Thickening Spray

Against 64 volumizers with a computable unit price.

Big Blow Dry Volumizing Gel

Against 155 gels with a computable unit price.

Value readThickening SprayBig Blow Dry Volumizing Gel
Label
Upper-mid price for a volumizerSits in the middle of the range for volumizers per ounce.
Upper-mid price for a gelSits 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.

Thickening Spray vs It's a 10 Clear Miracle GelIt's a 10 · 94% function matchBig Blow Dry Volumizing Gel vs Wave Rider Versatile Styling CreamBed Head · 94% function matchThickening Spray vs Curlshow Wash-N-Show Curl MousseORS · 89% function matchBig Blow Dry Volumizing Gel vs Fiber GelAmerican Crew · 82% function matchThickening Spray vs Texturizing + Thickening SprayOars + Alps · 89% function matchBig Blow Dry Volumizing Gel vs Back It Up Texturizing Cream For Shape And TextureBed Head · 81% function matchThickening Spray vs HY-VOLUME Lift Cloud FoamNexxus · 89% function matchBig Blow Dry Volumizing Gel vs It's a 10 Clear Miracle GelIt's a 10 · 80% function match

Thickening Spray · Big Blow Dry Volumizing 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.
  • 9 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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