Headstrong is for anyone who needs a style to hold firm and resist humidity — think updos, structured blowouts, or styles worn through a long day or event — rather than someone after a soft, touchable, flexible hold. It's formulated to be safe for color-treated, keratin-treated, and Brazilian-treated hair, and amika markets it across hair types and textures. It's an at-home finishing spray, not a professional in-salon-only product.

The formula's real differentiator is the solvent it's built on: triethyl citrate, which amika uses specifically so the strong hold sets without the hard, brittle, or tacky feel that many maximum-hold sprays leave behind. That means an intense, humidity-resistant hold for structured styles or updos without hair feeling stiff to the touch, and the color-safe, keratin-safe formulation means it won't compromise a recent color or smoothing service.

• Finish styling hair as desired
• Spray evenly over the styled, dry hair
• Layer lightly in sections to build additional hold where needed, such as for updos

Pros:

• Delivers a genuinely firm, humidity-resistant hold without the brittle or tacky feel typical of strong-hold sprays, thanks to its triethyl citrate solvent base
• Formulated to be safe for color-treated, keratin-treated, and Brazilian-treated hair
• Vegan, cruelty-free, and free of sulfates, parabens, phthalates, and mineral oil
• Packaging is accepted through amika's TerraCycle recycling program

Cons:

• An intense, firm hold isn't the right choice for anyone wanting soft, flexible, touchable movement — it's built for structure, not a natural feel
• Contains alcohol denat. high on the ingredient list, which can be drying to hair with frequent heavy use
• Firm-hold sprays like this are generally harder to brush out cleanly than a light-hold or flexible finishing spray