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Side by side

Paul Mitchell Full Circle Leave-In Cream vs Paul Mitchell Super Skinny Relaxing Balm

43% function match · 4 of the 10 functions we compared match Formula overlap 0%. Paul Mitchell Full Circle Leave-In Cream and Paul Mitchell Super Skinny Relaxing Balm 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.

  • Full Circle Leave-In Cream — protein-sensitive hair
  • Super Skinny Relaxing Balm — 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 Full Circle Leave-In Cream — 5.1 oz container Paul Mitchell

Full Circle Leave-In Cream

  • Leave-in
  • Salon
  • Sulfate-free
  • Protein-free
Paul Mitchell Super Skinny Relaxing Balm — 5.1 oz container Paul Mitchell

Super Skinny Relaxing Balm

  • Leave-in
  • Salon
  • Sulfate-free
  • Silicone-free
Price, size & price per ounce
$26 5.1 oz · $5.10/oz
about $26 5.1 oz · $5.10/oz
Value / price positioning
Upper-mid price for a leave-in $$$$$ Salon tier · costs more than 71% of the 491 leave-ins we’ve priced
Upper-mid price for a leave-in $$$$$ Salon tier · costs more than 71% of the 491 leave-ins we’ve priced
Best for hair types
Wavy–Coily The brand’s own claims name curly or textured hair. Your hair
Wavy–Coily The brand’s own claims name curly or textured hair. 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
Oils and butters Differs
Moderate Oils sit high in the list — a softening, coating formula. Your hair
None No oils or butters in the list. 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
Moderate Your hair
Low 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
  • Dry, thirsty hairhumectants and emollients both sit up front
  • A wide range of haira middle-of-the-range weight
  • 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
  • Very dry or damaged hairit contains fast-drying alcohol
  • 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
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-incream
Where to buy
Brand website
Brand website
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
Fresh & airy

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

IngredientFull Circle Leave-In CreamSuper Skinny Relaxing Balm
Water
Neutral
#1Leading
#1Leading
Propylene Glycol
Moisturizes
#7Supporting
#2Leading
Fragrance
Fragrance
#20Below the 1% line
#15Below the 1% line
Limonene
Fragrance
#21Below the 1% line
#20Below the 1% line
Hexyl Cinnamal
Fragrance
#22Below the 1% line
#17Below the 1% line
Hexamethylindanopyran
Fragrance
#28Below the 1% line
#16Below the 1% line
Linalool
Fragrance
#29Below the 1% line
#18Below the 1% line

What only one of them carries

Full Circle Leave-In Cream

Super Skinny Relaxing Balm

Full ingredient list — Full Circle Leave-In Cream (32)
Full ingredient list — Super Skinny Relaxing Balm (26)

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.

VerdictsFull Circle Leave-In CreamSuper Skinny Relaxing Balm
Supported
1
3
Partly supported
1
0
Stated by brand
0
2
Potential conflict
0
0

Full Circle Leave-In Cream

  • Lightweight, leave-in conditioning cream replenishes every curl without weighing hair downPartly supportedDepends how fine your hair is.
  • Hydrates, detangles, minimizes frizz and helps protect against damage without weighing curls downSupportedHelps hair feel hydrated.

Super Skinny Relaxing Balm

  • Smooths wavy, curly hair, coarse or textured hair while helping to protect from heat stylingSupportedSmoother strands, less frizz.
  • Leaves hair shiny and manageableSupportedEasier detangling, less breakage.
  • Helps lock out frizzSupportedSmoother strands, less frizz.
  • Humidity-resistant styling agents provide memory in any weatherStated by brandMay help, but not measurable here.
  • Contains exclusive Super Skinny Complex that displaces water and constricts hair to speed up dryingStated by brandCheck the position, not the name.

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 frizz control. Paul Mitchell Full Circle Leave-In Cream draws complaints about the scent and the price; Paul Mitchell Super Skinny Relaxing Balm draws complaints about frizz.

Full Circle Leave-In Cream

Curly users report frizz control without weighing down curls and soft natural feel.

Repeat Customer and most-helpful Ulta reviewers

Some reviewers report a skunky smell.

Dee, Ulta reviewer

Multiple users report packaging shrinkage with less product at the same price.

kj and Curlsoncurls, Ulta reviewers

Super Skinny Relaxing Balm

Softens thick, dry, or frizzy hair and improves bounce

Ulta reviewers with thick, dry, or frizzy hair

Users praise smoother, shinier results after blow-drying

Ulta reviewers

Some wavy-hair reviewers report puffiness or little frizz control

Ulta reviewers with coarse or wavy hair

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

$0.01/oz median $2.25/oz $76.00/oz $5.10/oz Full Circle Leave-In Cream $5.10/oz Super Skinny Relaxing Balm

Every mark sits on one distribution because these are compared against the same set: 491 leave-ins with a computable unit price.

Value readFull Circle Leave-In CreamSuper Skinny Relaxing Balm
Label
Upper-mid price for a leave-inSits in the middle of the range for leave-ins per ounce.
Upper-mid price for a leave-inSits 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.

Full Circle Leave-In Cream vs All Eyes On Me Glossy Shine + Protect SprayNot Your Mother's · 100% function matchSuper Skinny Relaxing Balm vs HYDR-8 Leave-In ConditionerVegamour · 95% function matchFull Circle Leave-In Cream vs Olive Oil Formula Leave-In ConditionerPalmer's · 95% function matchSuper Skinny Relaxing Balm vs Advanced Hydration Leave-In ConditionerAcure · 90% function matchFull Circle Leave-In Cream vs Humectress Leave-In Conditioner Spray 20-In-1 Perfector for Dry With Biotin Hyaluronic AcidNexxus · 93% function matchSuper Skinny Relaxing Balm vs Rice Water Strengthening Spray for Curls & CoilsAs I Am · 90% function matchFull Circle Leave-In Cream vs Strictly Curls 7-in-1 Leave-in Treatment FoamMarc Anthony · 90% function matchSuper Skinny Relaxing Balm vs Scent-Sational! Hair Perfume & DeodorizerAunt Jackie's · 90% function match

Full Circle Leave-In Cream · Super Skinny Relaxing Balm · 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.
  • 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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