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Side by side

Paul Mitchell Awapuhi Conditioner vs Paul Mitchell Color Protect Conditioner

35% function match · 3 of the 10 functions we compared match Formula overlap 0%. Paul Mitchell Awapuhi Conditioner and Paul Mitchell Color Protect Conditioner 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
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When each one is the right call

What each formula is built for, from its own ingredient list.

  • Awapuhi Conditioner — protein-sensitive hair
  • Color Protect Conditioner — 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
Paul Mitchell Awapuhi Conditioner — 2.5 oz container Paul Mitchell

Awapuhi Conditioner

  • Conditioner
  • Salon
  • Sulfate-free
  • Protein-free
Paul Mitchell Color Protect Conditioner — 10.14 oz container Paul Mitchell

Color Protect Conditioner

  • Conditioner
  • Salon
  • Sulfate-free
  • Silicone-free
Price, size & price per ounce
$8 25 oz · $0.32/oz
$16 10.14 oz · $1.63/oz

Compared at different sizes — 25 oz against 10.14 oz. Per-ounce prices favour the larger bottle.

Value / price positioning
Lower cost than most conditioners $$$$$ Salon tier · costs less than 96% of the 689 conditioners we’ve priced
Upper-mid price for a conditioner $$$$$ Salon tier · costs more than 52% of the 689 conditioners we’ve priced
Best for hair types
All types Nothing in the formula or the claims narrows this to one pattern. Your hair
All types Nothing in the formula or the claims narrows this to one pattern. 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
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
Medium Middle of the range — noticeable on fine hair, light on coarse 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 Differs
None No protein or amino acids in the list. Your hair
Prominent Protein high in the list — a strengthening formula, not a moisture one. Your hair
Silicone / wax buildup Differs
High Water-insoluble silicones or waxes: a detergent wash is what removes them. Your hair
None Nothing here needs a detergent wash to remove. Your hair
Clarifying wash needed
High Your hair
Moderate Your hair
Oils and butters Differs
Present, high in the list Oils sit high in the list — a softening, coating formula. Your hair
None No oils or butters in the list. Your hair
Hard-water defence Same
Chelators present Chelators are present — they bind hard-water and pool minerals. Your hair
Chelators present Chelators are present — they bind hard-water and pool minerals. Your hair
Formula completeness
out of 10
Complete for its job
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
  • Very dry hairno fast-drying alcohol in the list
  • Cuticle-smoothing pHa pH adjuster brings it to the acidic range hair prefers
  • 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 scent
  • Curly-method routinesthese silicones need a detergent to remove
  • Hair that needs proteinthere is none in this list
  • Scents bother youthis product carries a scent
  • Protein-sensitive hairthat goes stiff or straw-like on protein
  • Very dry or damaged hairit contains fast-drying alcohol
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
Conditioner
Conditioner
Line
Awapuhi
Color Protect
Where to buy
Manufacturer · Salons
Manufacturer · Ulta
Free of
  • sulfate-free
  • protein-free
  • sulfate-free
  • silicone-free
  • curly-method compatible
Cruelty-free
Cruelty-free · PETA-listed
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

IngredientAwapuhi ConditionerColor Protect Conditioner
Water
Neutral
#1Leading
#1Leading
Fragrance
Fragrance
#14Below the 1% line
#26Below the 1% line
Hydroxycitronellal
Fragrance
#17Below the 1% line
#31Below the 1% line

What only one of them carries

Full ingredient list — Awapuhi Conditioner (17)
Full ingredient list — Color Protect Conditioner (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.

VerdictsAwapuhi ConditionerColor Protect Conditioner
Supported
1
1
Partly supported
0
0
Stated by brand
1
0
Potential conflict
0
0

Awapuhi Conditioner

  • Lightweight conditioner for all hair types delivers the optimal dose of moisture for soft, shiny, manageable strandsSupportedHelps hair feel hydrated.
  • Contains awapuhi extract harvested from the company's Hawaiian farm since 1983Stated by brandCan’t be confirmed from label.

Color Protect Conditioner

  • Help extend the life of hair color with Paul Mitchell Color Protect ConditionerSupportedLess fade per wash.

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 the scent and shine.

Awapuhi Conditioner

Multiple reviewers report using it daily as part of their regular routine

Scent is repeatedly called out as a favorite/best-in-class attribute

Reviewers with fine or wavy hair say it leaves hair soft, shiny, and frizz-free even in sun/wind exposure

fine, wavy hair

Long-time repeat buyers describe it as a reliable, unchanged staple they trust

long-time users

Color Protect Conditioner

Reviewers cite trust in the Paul Mitchell brand from their salon stylist's use of the product line

salon clients

Praised for pleasant fragrance, nice texture, and good value relative to price

value-conscious buyers

Reported to help hair color last noticeably longer between salon visits

Leaves hair feeling clean and lightweight without over-drying

Used as a daily conditioner on color-treated hair per stylist recommendation; reviewers say it keeps color fresh and adds shine

color-treated hair, salon-recommended

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.

$0.32/oz vs $1.63/oz — Paul Mitchell Color Protect Conditioner costs about 5.1× more per ounce than Paul Mitchell Awapuhi Conditioner.

$0.09/oz median $1.60/oz $56.25/oz $0.32/oz Awapuhi Conditioner $1.63/oz Color Protect Conditioner

Every mark sits on one distribution because these are compared against the same set: 689 conditioners with a computable unit price.

Value readAwapuhi ConditionerColor Protect Conditioner
Label
Lower cost than most conditionersCosts less per ounce than most conditioners we have researched.
Upper-mid price for a conditionerSits in the middle of the range for conditioners 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.

Awapuhi Conditioner · Color Protect Conditioner · All conditioners 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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