Disclosed is a hair-styling cosmetic which exerts good hair-styling effect and hair-restyling effect, although being water-based and having a low viscosity, shows no stickiness and high smoothness and gives the sense of a favorable light finish. Specifically disclosed is a hair-styling cosmetic containing (a) 0.1-10 mass% of an adhesive resin, and (b) 3-30 mass% of one or more kinds of components selected from among a sugar alcohol, a polyalkylene glycol and derivatives thereof, characterized in that said adhesive resin (a) has such properties that a film of 0.1 mm in thickness that is formed of a composition containing said resin substantially at a ratio of 50 mass% has, after drying for 1 day at 25°C and humidity 50%, an adhesiveness of showing a ball number of 1-30 in the inclined ball tack test (inclination angle 30°, measured at 25°C, humidity 50%) . Thus, a hair-styling cosmetic, which exerts good hair-styling effect and hair-restyling effect, shows no stickiness and high smoothness, gives the sense of a favorable light finish, and is suitable for application by mist-spraying, can be obtained.
