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Side by side

PATTERN Curl Gel - 9.8 oz vs PATTERN Strong Hold Gel - 15.0 oz

59% function match · 8 of the 13 functions we compared match Formula overlap 22%. PATTERN Curl Gel - 9.8 oz and PATTERN Strong Hold Gel - 15.0 oz share 3 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.

  • Curl Gel - 9.8 oz — protein-hungry hair
  • Strong Hold Gel - 15.0 oz — 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
PATTERN Curl Gel - 9.8 oz — 9.8 oz container PATTERN

Curl Gel - 9.8 oz

  • Styler
  • Salon
  • Sulfate-free
  • Silicone-free
PATTERN Strong Hold Gel - 15.0 oz — container, alternate view PATTERN

Strong Hold Gel - 15.0 oz

  • Styler
  • Salon
  • Sulfate-free
  • Silicone-free
Price, size & price per ounce
about $29 9.8 oz · $2.96/oz
$29 15 oz · $1.93/oz
Value / price positioning
Upper-mid price for a gel $$$$$ Salon tier · costs more than 62% of the 157 gels we’ve priced
Priced with its peers $$$$$ Salon tier · costs less than 54% of the 157 gels we’ve priced
Best for hair types
Wavy–Coily Co-washes, curl creams, and gels are built around wave and curl. 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 (as stated)
Medium A medium hold, as stated by the brand. Your hair
Strong 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 Same
Medium Middle of the range — noticeable on fine hair, light on coarse hair. Your hair
Medium Middle of the range — noticeable on fine hair, light on coarse 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 Differs
Prominent Protein high in the list — a strengthening formula, not a moisture one. 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 Differs
Natural gum Natural gums do the holding — softer, and it re-wets more easily. Your hair
Synthetic polymer Synthetic hold polymers — the firmest of the hold systems. Your hair
Cast risk Same
Unlikely Softening ingredients sit alongside the film formers, so a hard shell is unlikely. Your hair
Unlikely Softening ingredients sit alongside the film formers, so a hard shell is unlikely. Your hair
Oil absorption Same
None No absorbent powders or starches. Your hair
None No absorbent powders or starches. Your hair
Oils and butters Differs
Present, high in the list Oils sit high in the list — a softening, coating formula. Your hair
Present, lower down Oils are present, but low enough to be a finishing touch. Your hair
Fast-drying alcohol Differs
None No fast-drying alcohol in the list. Your hair
Present Fast-drying alcohol is present — it speeds drying and can read dry on the hair. Your hair
Formula completeness
out of 10
Complete for its job
out of 10
Complete for its job
Who should choose this
  • 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
  • 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
  • Silicone-free routinesno silicones appear in the list
Why you might skip it
  • 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
  • Scents bother youthis product carries a scent
  • Very dry or damaged hairit contains fast-drying alcohol
  • 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
Stylergel
Stylergel
Where to buy
Ulta · Brand website
Ulta · Brand website
Free of
  • sulfate-free
  • silicone-free
  • curly-method compatible
  • sulfate-free
  • silicone-free
  • curly-method compatible
Vegan
Vegan · label states
Vegan · label states
Cruelty-free
Cruelty-free · PETA-listed
Cruelty-free · PETA-listed
Scent
Scented, not described
Scented, not described
Hold
mediumMedium hold
strongProduct line name 'Strong Hold Gel'; described as providing 'long-lasting hold without breaking hair or edges'
Finish
natural
—
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

IngredientCurl Gel - 9.8 ozStrong Hold Gel - 15.0 oz
Water
Neutral
#1Leading
#1Leading
Glycerin
Moisturizes
#2Leading
#5Supporting
Fragrance
Fragrance
#31Below the 1% line
#21Below the 1% line
Benzyl Benzoate
Fragrance
#32Below the 1% line
#29Below the 1% line

What only one of them carries

Curl Gel - 9.8 oz

Strong Hold Gel - 15.0 oz

Full ingredient list — Curl Gel - 9.8 oz (38)
Full ingredient list — Strong Hold Gel - 15.0 oz (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.

VerdictsCurl Gel - 9.8 ozStrong Hold Gel - 15.0 oz
Supported
2
2
Partly supported
1
1
Stated by brand
1
2
Potential conflict
0
0

Curl Gel - 9.8 oz

  • Medium holdPartly supportedSoft structure, not firm hold.
  • Flake and crunch-free finishSupportedNatural movement without stiffness.
  • 92% agreed this gel did not flake in their hairStated by brandOnly the brand’s testing shows this.
  • Touchable hold & definitionSupportedNatural movement without stiffness.

Strong Hold Gel - 15.0 oz

  • Long-lasting hold without breakagePartly supportedSupports the surface, not a treatment.
  • Nourishing and fortifyingSupportedHelps hair feel hydrated.
  • Built-in slippage for easy distributionSupportedEasier detangling, less breakage.
  • Formulated for hair types 3B-4CStated by brandCan’t be confirmed from label.
  • Clinically proven to hold without damaging or drying hairStated by brandOnly the brand’s testing shows 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.

Both praised for a clean rinse-out. PATTERN Curl Gel - 9.8 oz draws complaints about dryness and frizz; PATTERN Strong Hold Gel - 15.0 oz draws complaints about hold.

Curl Gel - 9.8 oz

Gave good volume and curl definition after untwisting a twist-out

4-star Ulta reviewer

Unlike other curl gels that leave hair stiff and crunchy, this one felt soft while still holding curl

5-star Ulta reviewer

Small amount goes a long way on tight curls, delivering strong results without using much product

5-star Ulta reviewer with tight curls

Part of a product line the reviewer considers excellent overall, singling out the curl gel as fabulous

5-star Ulta reviewer

Consistency felt more like a leave-in than a gel and left hair dry with no curl definition, all frizz

3-star Ulta reviewer

Strong Hold Gel - 15.0 oz

No flaking, leaves a nice gel cast

3A hair reviewer, New York

Hold lasted a long time and gave a crunchy-but-not-drying cast

reviewer with very curly hair, Vermont

Perfect holding gel with no flakes for their hair type

very curly hair reviewer, Houston

Product did not hold for their hair and was returned

very curly hair reviewer, Missouri

Shine and hold were decent but curl definition was lacking for dense thick coils, flaking when layered with styling cream

reviewer with dense thick coils

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.

$1.93/oz vs $2.96/oz — PATTERN Curl Gel - 9.8 oz costs about 1.5× more per ounce than PATTERN Strong Hold Gel - 15.0 oz.

$0.31/oz median $2.12/oz $10.59/oz $2.96/oz Curl Gel - 9.8 oz $1.93/oz Strong Hold Gel - 15.0 oz

Every mark sits on one distribution because these are compared against the same set: 157 gels with a computable unit price.

Value readCurl Gel - 9.8 ozStrong Hold Gel - 15.0 oz
Label
Upper-mid price for a gelSits in the middle of the range for gels per ounce.
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.

Curl Gel - 9.8 oz vs Curl GelPATTERN · 100% function matchStrong Hold Gel - 15.0 oz vs Get Set Hair Jelly GelWondercurl · 89% function matchCurl Gel - 9.8 oz vs Palo Santo Curl GelPATTERN · 100% function matchStrong Hold Gel - 15.0 oz vs Curl Enhancing Hair StylerWondercurl · 89% function matchCurl Gel - 9.8 oz vs The Texturizing Air Dry MousseCrown Affair · 96% function matchStrong Hold Gel - 15.0 oz vs Almond & Avocado Anti-Frizz Curl Defining GelDesign Essentials · 89% function matchCurl Gel - 9.8 oz vs Guava Slip Heavy On Hold Extreme GelCamille Rose · 85% function matchStrong Hold Gel - 15.0 oz vs Strong Hold Gel - 8.0 ozRizos Curls · 89% function match

Curl Gel - 9.8 oz · Strong Hold Gel - 15.0 oz · All gels 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.
  • 4 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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