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Side by side

Paul Mitchell Fast Form Styling Cream Gel vs Paul Mitchell Wax Works Hair Gel

40% function match · 5 of the 13 functions we compared match Formula overlap 6%. Paul Mitchell Fast Form Styling Cream Gel and Paul Mitchell Wax Works Hair 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.

  • Fast Form Styling Cream Gel — maximum slip
  • Wax Works Hair Gel — 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
Paul Mitchell Fast Form Styling Cream Gel — 5.1 oz container Paul Mitchell

Fast Form Styling Cream Gel

  • Styler
  • Salon
  • Sulfate-free
  • Moisture-rich
Paul Mitchell Wax Works Hair Gel — size line-up Paul Mitchell

Wax Works Hair Gel

  • Styler
  • Salon
  • Sulfate-free
  • Silicone-free
Price, size & price per ounce
about $27 5.1 oz · $5.29/oz
$26 5.1 oz · $5.10/oz
Value / price positioning
Same job for less elsewhere $$$$$ Salon tier · costs more than 90% of the 105 curl creams we’ve priced
Same job for less elsewhere $$$$$ Salon tier · costs more than 93% 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 system Differs
Moderate Gums and synthetic polymers together. Your hair
High Synthetic hold polymers — the firmest of the hold systems. Your hair
Slip / detangling Differs
High Conditioning agents sit high in the list — this is a detangling formula. Your hair
Some Some slip, mostly from esters or silicones rather than conditioners. 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
Minor Protein appears, low enough to be a supporting ingredient. Your hair
None No protein or amino acids in the list. 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
Moderate Your hair
Low 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, lower down Oils are present, but low enough to be a finishing touch. Your hair
Present, high in the list Oils sit high in the list — a softening, coating formula. Your hair
Fast-drying alcohol Differs
Present Fast-drying alcohol is present — it speeds drying and can read dry on the hair. 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
  • Maximum slipfor hair that tangles the moment it is wet
  • Dry, thirsty hairhumectants and emollients both sit up front
  • Curl definitionfilm formers hold a clump together
  • Vegan and cruelty-freeour researched record has it as both
  • Protein-sensitive hairthat stiffens when protein is added
  • 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
Why you might skip it
  • Scents bother youthis product carries a scent
  • Curly-method routinesthese silicones need a detergent to remove
  • Very dry or damaged hairit contains fast-drying alcohol
  • Scents bother youthis product carries a scent
  • Dry or very humid airwhere heavy humectants work against you
  • Tight budgetsit sits in the upper price tiers
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
Styler
Where to buy
Brand website
Brand website
Free of
  • sulfate-free
  • sulfate-free
  • silicone-free
  • protein-free
  • curly-method compatible
Vegan
Vegan · label states
—
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

$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

IngredientFast Form Styling Cream GelWax Works Hair Gel
Water
Neutral
#1Leading
#1Leading
Glycerin
Moisturizes
#4Supporting
#11Below the 1% line
Propylene Glycol
Moisturizes
#27Below the 1% line
#3Leading
Fragrance
Fragrance
#35Below the 1% line
#16Below the 1% line

What only one of them carries

Fast Form Styling Cream Gel

Wax Works Hair Gel

Full ingredient list — Fast Form Styling Cream Gel (40)
Full ingredient list — Wax Works Hair 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.

VerdictsFast Form Styling Cream GelWax Works Hair Gel
Supported
2
3
Partly supported
0
0
Stated by brand
0
0
Potential conflict
0
0

Fast Form Styling Cream Gel

  • Versatile cream-gel styler helps reduce drying time, smooths and softensSupportedSmoother strands, less frizz.
  • Works wonders on curls with defined, frizz-free resultsSupportedSmoother strands, less frizz.

Wax Works Hair Gel

  • High-definition hair gel creates bold texture and definitionSupportedHolds a clump together.
  • Delivers extreme styles with shineSupportedReflects light for visible shine.
  • Enhances luminosity for super shiny stylesSupportedReflects light for visible shine.

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.

Fast Form Styling Cream Gel

Long-time favorite that defines and tames curls and frizz, with many customers reporting years of loyal repeat use.

customers with curly or wavy hair seeking frizz control and definition

Wax Works Hair Gel

Effective for taming and controlling unruly and curly hair types

Delivers lift texture shine and body to hair with an all-day hold

Light formula that does not weigh down hair while maintaining styling definition

Recent formula change makes the product feel greasier and lacks body compared to original

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.

$5.10/oz vs $5.29/oz — within about the same cost per ounce.

Fast Form Styling Cream Gel

Against 105 curl creams with a computable unit price.

Wax Works Hair Gel

Against 157 gels with a computable unit price.

Value readFast Form Styling Cream GelWax Works Hair Gel
Label
Same job for less elsewhereYou are paying above the range for a formula close to several lower-priced options.
Same job for less elsewhereYou are paying above the range for a formula close to several lower-priced options.

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.

Fast Form Styling Cream Gel vs Argan Oil Curl ActivatorCreme of Nature · 96% function matchWax Works Hair Gel vs Volumizing Hair SprayRizos Curls · 96% function matchFast Form Styling Cream Gel vs Caviar Anti-Aging Smoothing Anti-Frizz Multi-Styling Air Dry BalmAlterna · 94% function matchWax Works Hair Gel vs Moisture Lock Extreme Hold GelOuidad · 96% function matchFast Form Styling Cream Gel vs Clean Beauty Styling CreamPaul Mitchell · 90% function matchWax Works Hair Gel vs Pomegranate & Honey Maximum Hold Gel StylerMielle Organics · 96% function matchFast Form Styling Cream Gel vs Texture Maker SpraySebastian · 90% function matchWax Works Hair Gel vs Rosemary Mint Daily Styling CremeMielle · 96% function match

Fast Form Styling Cream Gel · Wax Works Hair Gel · All curl creams 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.
  • 10 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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