I travel quite a bit, and am always looking for great travel-size hair and beauty products. So when I came across Dove’s Extra Hold travel-size hairspray at CVS, I just couldn’t resist the $1 price tag.
It quickly became my favorite hairspray. Then just last week I got the new Suave Professionals Touchable Finish hairspray in the mail and knew it was time for a showdown…
Scent: Dove has a stronger scent – its sweet, flowery fragrance definitely lasts a while. On the other hand, the Suave hairspray smells slightly like alcohol, if anything at all, and quickly dissipates into the air. Dove would be a good choice if you’re not wearing a competing fragrance, but Suave is a great option if you want your new perfume to stand out a bit more.
Spray: Suave definitely wins here. Maybe it’s because of the aerosol, but I just like how it sprays better. More targeted, easier to spray, less mess.
Stickiness: Both left my hands with hairspray residue after smoothing it into my hair. Ugh.
Hold: Dove wins! Suave’s “touchable finish” hairspray is definitely touchable – good for controlling flyaways, but won’t hold your hair in place as much Dove’s “extra hold”. Makes sense, huh?
Movement: Both claim to allow for natural, weightless hold. But neither offer a truly flexible hold – it wouldn’t be hairspray if it didn’t force your hair into place. But let me put it this way… Suave leaves my hair feeling a lot more like my hair, and a lot less like horse hair.
Price: This Suave hairspray will run you about $2.99 for 9.4 ounces, but Dove is about $4.50 for 9.25 ounces on drugstore.com.
So maybe this wasn’t a very fair showdown – extra hold vs. lightweight hold; aerosol vs. non-aerosol. Both brands sell all of the above, and I compared Dove’s extra hold non-aerosol with Suave’s lightweight hold aerosol.
I love the Dove brand – their campaign for real beauty was enough to hook me for life. But you can’t beat the Suave price tag. And you know what? Suave Professionals products really do work. I guess in this economy, great products at a low price really do win over brand loyalty.
Don’t worry, Dove. I’ll keep buying your deodorant.
Disclosure: I received full-size samples of Suave Professionals’ dry shampoo, cream mousse, and hairspray to facilitate this review.
About Jo-Lynne