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Side by side

Pureology Style + Protect Levitation Mist vs Sexy Hair Style Protect Me 450F Hot Tool Protection Spray

76% function match · 6 of the 10 functions we compared match Formula overlap 3%. Pureology Style + Protect Levitation Mist and Sexy Hair Style Protect Me 450F Hot Tool Protection Spray share 1 ingredient among each other's most prominent.

These sit in different steps of a routine — Pureology Style + Protect Levitation Mist is a leave-in and Sexy Hair Style Protect Me 450F Hot Tool Protection Spray is a heat protectant. Comparing their formulas is fair; treating one as a replacement for the other is not.

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.

  • Style + Protect Levitation Mist — heat styling
  • Style Protect Me 450F Hot Tool Protection Spray — heat styling

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
Pureology Style + Protect Levitation Mist — 5.1 oz container Pureology

Style + Protect Levitation Mist

  • Leave-in
  • Salon
  • Sulfate-free
  • Curly-method
Sexy Hair Style Protect Me 450F Hot Tool Protection Spray — 4.2 oz container Sexy Hair

Style Protect Me 450F Hot Tool Protection Spray

  • Heat protectant
  • Salon
  • Sulfate-free
  • Moisture-rich
Price, size & price per ounce
$34–35 5.1 oz · $6.67/oz
$17.99 4.2 oz · $4.53/oz
Value / price positioning
Priced above most leave-ins $$$$$ Salon tier · costs more than 81% of the 549 leave-ins we’ve priced
Priced with its peers $$$$$ Salon tier · costs less than 56% of the 223 heat protectants we’ve priced
Best for hair types
All types Nothing in the formula or the claims narrows this to one pattern. Your hair
Straight–Curly Smoothing and thermal products span straight through curly hair. Your hair
Moisture level Differs
High Humectants near the top — water-binding is a headline mechanism here. Your hair
Moderate Humectants in the working part of the formula. Your hair
Oils and butters Differs
Low Oils are present, but low enough to be a finishing touch. 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
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
Prominent Fragrance sits in the first eight ingredients — a larger share of the formula. 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 Same
Low The silicones here are the water-soluble kind. Your hair
Low The silicones here are the water-soluble kind. Your hair
Clarifying wash needed
Low Your hair
Low Your hair
Heat protection
Claimed, no temperature given Sold as a heat protectant; no temperature is stated. Your hair
High The brand states a protection temperature — a label claim, not a measurement. Your hair
Fast-drying alcohol Differs
—
High in the list Fast-drying alcohol in the first three ingredients. Your hair
Formula completeness
out of 10
Covers the core
out of 10
Complete for its job
Who should choose this
  • Heat stylingthe brand positions this as a heat protectant
  • Curly-method routinesno sulfates and no water-insoluble silicones
  • Curl definitionfilm formers hold a clump together
  • Very dry hairno fast-drying alcohol in the list
  • Heat stylingthe brand states protection to 450°F
  • Dry, thirsty hairhumectants and emollients both sit up front
  • A wide range of haira middle-of-the-range weight
Why you might skip it
  • Scents bother youthis product carries a scent
  • Dry or very humid airwhere heavy humectants work against you
  • Silicone-free routinesit does contain silicones — the water-soluble kind
  • Scents bother youthis product carries a scent
  • Very dry or damaged hairit contains fast-drying alcohol
  • Silicone-free routinesit does contain silicones — the water-soluble kind
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-inspray
Heat protectantspray
Where to buy
Amazon
Amazon
Free of
  • sulfate-free
  • curly-method compatible
  • sulfate-free
  • curly-method compatible
Cruelty-free
Cruelty-free · PETA-listed
Cruelty-free · PETA-listed
Scent
Scented, not described
Scented, not described
Heat protection
Claimed, no temperature stated
up to 450°F

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

IngredientStyle + Protect Levitation MistStyle Protect Me 450F Hot Tool Protection Spray
Water
Neutral
#1Leading
#9Secondary
Fragrance
Fragrance
#8Below the 1% line
#12Below the 1% line
Linalool
Fragrance
#22Below the 1% line
#20Below the 1% line
Panthenol
Detangles
#13Below the 1% line
#8Supporting

What only one of them carries

Style + Protect Levitation Mist

Style Protect Me 450F Hot Tool Protection Spray

Full ingredient list — Style + Protect Levitation Mist (33)
Full ingredient list — Style Protect Me 450F Hot Tool Protection Spray (25)

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.

VerdictsStyle + Protect Levitation MistStyle Protect Me 450F Hot Tool Protection Spray
Supported
2
0
Partly supported
2
0
Stated by brand
1
2
Potential conflict
0
0

Style + Protect Levitation Mist

  • Instant Levitation Mist is a weightless volumizing spray that provides all-day lift at the rootPartly supportedNeutral on lift.
  • Provides all day volume and lift from the rootPartly supportedNeutral on lift.
  • Maintains hair's movement and adds textureStated by brandCan’t be confirmed from label.
  • Maintains soft, touchable feel and never gets stiffSupportedNatural movement without stiffness.
  • Color-safeSupportedLess fade per wash.

Style Protect Me 450F Hot Tool Protection Spray

  • Escape the heat with Protect Me 450F Hot Tool Protection SprayStated by brandCan’t be confirmed from label.
  • Ideal for all hair types, this versatile heat protector also delivers a light hold and style memory for long lasting results while reducing breakage by 53% (sexyhair.com) / up to 78% (Amazon listing, unreconciled)Stated 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.

Pureology Style + Protect Levitation Mist draws complaints about dryness; Sexy Hair Style Protect Me 450F Hot Tool Protection Spray draws complaints about the scent and irritation.

Style + Protect Levitation Mist

Adds volume and root lift to fine hair without oily weight

Favorite, Melissa, and Deb, Ulta reviewers

Provides light texture and volume with a clean feel

LovelySkin verified reviewers

Can become sticky, greasy, or dry on some hair

Dot and LovelySkin reviewers

Style Protect Me 450F Hot Tool Protection Spray

Heat styling leaves hair shiny and healthy for some reviewers

Flat-iron and blow-dry users

good for silk presses, hydrating without heaviness, good shine

Good for silk presses, hydrating yet dry, good shine.

Current spray is described as light and non-sticky by some reviewers

Fine-to-medium hair reviewers

leaves hair greasy/oily-looking

Multiple reviewers (Angie A., Natalie, Maria) reported the product leaves hair looking greasy, oily, or unwashed, with some explicitly warning "don't waste your money."

Other reviewers report greasy residue or a heavier, changed scent versus the former formula

Formula-change and scent-sensitive reviewers

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.

$4.53/oz vs $6.67/oz — Pureology Style + Protect Levitation Mist costs about 1.5× more per ounce than Sexy Hair Style Protect Me 450F Hot Tool Protection Spray.

Style + Protect Levitation Mist

Against 549 leave-ins with a computable unit price.

Style Protect Me 450F Hot Tool Protection Spray

Against 223 heat protectants with a computable unit price.

Value readStyle + Protect Levitation MistStyle Protect Me 450F Hot Tool Protection Spray
Label
Priced above most leave-insCosts more per ounce than most leave-ins; nothing in our library matches it closely for less.
Priced with its peersSits in the middle of the range for heat protectants 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.

Style + Protect Levitation Mist vs Thermal Setting SprayBiolage · 81% function matchStyle Protect Me 450F Hot Tool Protection Spray vs Straight & Smooth Sprayghd · 83% function matchStyle + Protect Levitation Mist vs Brooklyn Bombshell Blowout + Blow Dry Sprayamika · 81% function matchStyle Protect Me 450F Hot Tool Protection Spray vs Style Sleek & Shine Flat Iron Perfector Flexible Hold Straightening MistGarnier Fructis · 79% function matchStyle + Protect Levitation Mist vs 2% Squalane Anti-Frizz Leave In ConditionerAct+Acre · 75% function matchStyle Protect Me 450F Hot Tool Protection Spray vs Big Weather Proof Frizz ControlSexy Hair · 76% function matchStyle + Protect Levitation Mist vs Royal Treatment Royal Guard Heat Protecting SprayCHI · 67% function matchStyle Protect Me 450F Hot Tool Protection Spray vs Thermal Setting SprayBiolage · 76% function match

Style + Protect Levitation Mist · Style Protect Me 450F Hot Tool Protection Spray · 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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