The Contenders:
Serge Normant Dream Big Instant Volumizing Spray, $25, vs. Schwarzkopf Essence Ultime Biotin + Volume & Vitality Root Lift Spray, $6.97

The Breakdown:
The luxury Serge Normant and Walmart-exclusive Schwarzkopf volumizers have some of the same differences as the aforementioned texture sprays. The Schwarzkopf is a liquid spritz that can be used on wet or dry hair, depending on how much body you're going for. That makes the product versatile, which is nice, but I'm all for instant results, and ultimately, the Schwarzkopf doesn't give the same instantaneous volume as the Serge Normant.

Like the Oribe texture spray, the Serge is an aerosol product — and sprayed on dry roots, it instantly jeuged my limp, slept-on hair, resulting in a dose of frizz-free volume that stayed put. The spray's texture is dry and lightweight, and the scent rich and musky, which I preferred to the fruity, but slightly chemically smell of the Schwarzkopf.

The Winner:
Serge Normant Dream Big Instant Volumizing Spray

The Contenders:
Kérastase Masque Force Architecte, $62.50, vs.. Neutrogena Triple Moisture Deep Recovery Hair Mask, $6.29

The Breakdown:
I am a total Kérastase junkie -- their Elixir Ultime changed my hair texture forever — and this decadent, crisply scented hair mask lives up to the brand's usual luxury. After shampooing, I left this in my hair for three minutes, and my strands felt immediately deeply conditioned.

However, the Neutrogena produced almost identical results. I used it the same way as the Kérastase, and noticed the same instant silkiness. The scent is subtle, not quite as special as the Kérastase, but with hair masks, it's all about the texture and the outcome. With this Neutrogena mask, you get both for a tenth of the price.

The Winner:
Neutrogena Triple Moisture Deep Recovery Hair Mask

The Contenders:
Redken Iron Shape 11 Finishing Thermal Spray, $17, vs. Tresemmé Thermal Creations Heat Tamer Spray, $5.79

The Breakdown:

Every time I curl or flat iron my hair without first using Tresemmé Thermal Creations Heat Tamer Spray, I feel liked I've missed an important step. The convenient spritz bottle makes distributing this stuff throughout my hair easy, and I my hair is shinier and softer after heat styling every time I prep with Tresemmé.

Redken's Iron Shape 11 does a similar job of protecting my hair from frying under the heat of so many styling tools. Even the smell is almost the same. But the bottle doesn't have Tresemmé's clever design, so the product doesn't distribute quite as nicely as you spray. The formula itself is comparable, but for the spray mechanism alone, the drugstore dupe gains an edge.

The Winner:
Tresemmé Thermal Creations Heat Tamer Spray

The Contenders:
Show Beauty Lux Volume Mousse, $47, vs. OGX Renewing Argan Oil of Morocco Voluminous Mousse, $9.99

The Breakdown:
Show Beauty's packaging is so gorgeous, it's hard to believe it's disposable. But if anyone can resist being hypnotized by a pretty bottle, I can. (I tend to root for the underdog). Still, when applied to the roots, the bombshell volume this mousse gives otherwise dry, blah hair lives up to its fancy exterior.

OGX hair products typically impress me — they don't seem like typical drugstore fare — and their volumizing mousse with argan oil offers more shine than the Show. But the OGX has that manufactured beach smell that instantly rings drugstore (unlike Show's decadent fragrance), and the volume isn't quite at Show's level. If you're passionate about your mousse, this one might be worth the extra dough.

The Winner:
Show Beauty Lux Volume Mousse

The Contenders:
Moroccanoil Treatment, $43, vs.. Suave Professional Moroccan Infusion Styling Oil, $7.29

The Breakdown:
I figured it'd be hard to compete with the original Moroccanoil, which was really the first multi-purpose argan oil treatment of its kind. This stuff is famous for its silky, golden texture, musky smell and ability to infuse dry or wet hair with instant moisture. Everyone who knows anything about hair care swears by it.

So you'll have to trust me when I say I was veritably scandalized when I actually liked the Suave version more. First of all, the smell is like the Moroccanoil, but better — sweeter, muskier. I applied this to dry ends in the office and couldn't stop smelling them. The product's color, texture and ingredients are very similar to the Moroccanoil, but I actually prefer that it's slightly less greasy. Both products are great, but for a sixth of the price, I might just be a Suave convert.

The Winner:
Suave Professional Moroccan Infusion Styling Oil