Skip to main content

Side by side

Redken Hydrating Curl Cream vs Redken Volume Maximizer Thickening Spray

52% function match · 6 of the 13 functions we compared match Formula overlap 0%. Redken Hydrating Curl Cream and Redken Volume Maximizer Thickening Spray 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.

  • Hydrating Curl Cream — protein-sensitive hair
  • Volume Maximizer Thickening Spray — 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
Redken Hydrating Curl Cream — 6.8 oz container Redken

Hydrating Curl Cream

  • Styler
  • Salon
  • Sulfate-free
  • Silicone-free
Redken Volume Maximizer Thickening Spray — 8.5 oz container Redken

Volume Maximizer Thickening Spray

  • Styler
  • Salon
  • Sulfate-free
  • Silicone-free
Price, size & price per ounce
$34–35 6.8 oz · $5.00/oz
$30–35 8.45 oz · $4.08/oz
Value / price positioning
Same job for less elsewhere $$$$$ Salon tier · costs more than 88% of the 105 curl creams we’ve priced
Priced with its peers $$$$$ Salon tier · costs less than 56% of the 64 volumizers we’ve priced
Best for hair types
Wavy–Coily Co-washes, curl creams, and gels are built around wave and curl. Your hair
Straight–Wavy A light volumising formula — the lift it adds matters most on straighter 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
Hold system Differs
Moderate Gums and synthetic polymers together. Your hair
Synthetic polymer 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
Little Nothing here is built to reduce combing force. 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 Same
None No protein or amino acids in the list. Your hair
None No protein or amino acids in the list. 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 (as stated)
—
Light A light hold, as stated by the brand. Your hair
Cast risk Differs
Unlikely Softening ingredients sit alongside the film formers, so a hard shell is unlikely. Your hair
Likely Film formers without much softening them — expect a cast to scrunch out. Your hair
Humidity resistance
Claimed The brand claims humidity resistance; the ingredient list cannot confirm it. 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
None No oils or butters in the list. Your hair
Fast-drying alcohol Differs
Present Fast-drying alcohol is present — it speeds drying and can read dry on the hair. Your hair
High in the list Fast-drying alcohol in the first three ingredients. Your hair
Formula completeness
out of 10
Complete for its job
out of 10
Covers the core
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
  • Curly-method routinesno sulfates and no water-insoluble silicones
  • Protein-sensitive hairthat stiffens when protein is added
  • Curly-method routinesno sulfates and no water-insoluble silicones
  • Curl definitionfilm formers hold a clump together
  • Fine hairthat flattens under most products
Why you might skip it
  • Scents bother youthis product carries a strong scent
  • Very dry or damaged hairit contains fast-drying alcohol
  • 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
  • Anyone who dislikes a castthe film formers here can set firm
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
Stylercream
Stylerspray
Where to buy
Ulta
Ulta
Free of
  • sulfate-free
  • silicone-free
  • protein-free
  • curly-method compatible
  • sulfate-free
  • silicone-free
  • protein-free
  • curly-method compatible
Cruelty-free
Not cruelty-free · PETA-listed
Not cruelty-free · PETA-listed
Scent
Scented, not described
Scented, not described
Hold
—
lightweightless, flexible volume with a crunch-free finish
Finish
natural
—
Humidity claim
Yes
—
How often
every wash
every wash

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

IngredientHydrating Curl CreamVolume Maximizer Thickening Spray
Water
Neutral
#1Leading
#1Leading
Phenoxyethanol
Stabilizes
#9Below the 1% line
#7Below the 1% line
Fragrance
Fragrance
#13Below the 1% line
#9Below the 1% line
Hexyl Cinnamal
Fragrance
#19Below the 1% line
#15Below the 1% line
Linalool
Fragrance
#25Below the 1% line
#14Below the 1% line

What only one of them carries

Hydrating Curl Cream

Volume Maximizer Thickening Spray

Full ingredient list — Hydrating Curl Cream (28)
Full ingredient list — Volume Maximizer Thickening Spray (20)

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.

VerdictsHydrating Curl CreamVolume Maximizer Thickening Spray
Supported
2
1
Partly supported
0
0
Stated by brand
3
0
Potential conflict
0
1

Hydrating Curl Cream

  • Defines and enhances curls for up to 72 hoursStated by brandCan’t be confirmed from label.
  • Hydrates curls for 72 hoursSupportedHelps hair feel hydrated.
  • Reduces frizz up to 81%Stated by brandOnly the brand’s testing shows this.
  • Heat protection up to 450FStated by brandOnly lab testing can show this.
  • Formulated without silicones, parabens, and mineral oilsSupportedNothing that needs a strong wash.

Volume Maximizer Thickening Spray

  • Weightless, flexible volumeSupportedLeaves room for lift.
  • Crunch-free finishPotential conflictExpect a cast you have to scrunch out.

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.

Redken Hydrating Curl Cream draws complaints about dryness and the scent; Redken Volume Maximizer Thickening Spray draws complaints about weight.

Hydrating Curl Cream

Curls stay soft and hydrated, and a small amount goes a long way without weighing hair down

curly-haired reviewer

Left 4a/4b coily hair dry and caused white flakes/clumping even when applied generously

reviewer with coily/textured hair (4a/4b)

Dislikes the strong fragrance, calling the scent unpleasant

reviewer sensitive to fragrance

Performs better on looser curl patterns than on tightly coiled textures

reviewer comparing across curl types

Volume Maximizer Thickening Spray

Makes hair look thicker and bouncier

general reviewer

Makes fine, straight hair look pretty and much easier to manage

reviewer with fine straight hair

Leaves hair feeling sticky and looking greasy after every use

reviewer dissatisfied with finish

Sprayer jets a stream instead of misting, forcing users to spray into hands first

reviewer describing application struggle

Works well but the streaming (non-misting) sprayer makes even coverage harder to achieve

reviewer noting both a good result and an application flaw

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.

$4.08/oz vs $5.00/oz — Redken Hydrating Curl Cream costs about 1.2× more per ounce than Redken Volume Maximizer Thickening Spray.

Hydrating Curl Cream

Against 105 curl creams with a computable unit price.

Volume Maximizer Thickening Spray

Against 64 volumizers with a computable unit price.

Value readHydrating Curl CreamVolume Maximizer Thickening Spray
Label
Same job for less elsewhereYou are paying above the range for a formula close to several lower-priced options.
Priced with its peersSits in the middle of the range for volumizers 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.

Hydrating Curl Cream vs Pure Honey Shrinkage Defense Curl ActivatorCreme of Nature · 93% function matchVolume Maximizer Thickening Spray vs Texturing Hair Styling Spray Gel for Wavy HairHerbal Essences · 99% function matchHydrating Curl Cream vs Frizz-Free Curl Cream - 2.5 ozOUAI · 93% function matchVolume Maximizer Thickening Spray vs Sea Salt SprayMurdock London · 99% function matchHydrating Curl Cream vs Frizz-Free Curl Cream - 8.0 ozOUAI · 93% function matchVolume Maximizer Thickening Spray vs Guava Beach Waves Texturizing SprayCeremonia · 99% function matchHydrating Curl Cream vs Defining Custard - 2.5 ozRizos Curls · 89% function matchVolume Maximizer Thickening Spray vs Liquid WaxAmerican Crew · 95% function match

Hydrating Curl Cream · Volume Maximizer Thickening Spray · 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.
  • 2 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.

Still unsure? Take your consultation or browse more products.

Your personalized hair plan

Tell us what’s going on with your hair, see what we understand, and get a plan built around it — with the reason behind every recommendation.

Free to start · $49.00 for your consultation and hair profile · No subscription · Nothing you must buy

Start your consultation