Curly Hair Society
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Leave-in · Curlsmith

Feather Light Protein Cream

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Not enough opinions for a Curl Score yet

8 opinions from 8 people

Positive
7
Mixed
0
Negative
1
How is the Curl Score calculated?

We read 3 public Reddit discussions and logged each person's opinion of each product as positive, mixed or negative, and members add theirs when they review a product here. The Curl Score puts those on a scale of 1 to 5: every opinion positive would be 5, every one negative 1, and an even split 3, with a mixed opinion counting as half positive. Passing mentions aren't opinions, so they don't count, and each person counts once per product. Every brand is scored the same way, but these are comments, not verified purchases or a survey. Sources and method

The verdict

A light protein leave-in that most reviewers like, alone or under a gel.

The full verdict

Reviewers call it the best leave-in: not too heavy, it locks curls in and is lighter than a gel. One calls it their holy grail curl cream, and several layer gels over it, including one who pairs it with the Flexi Jelly for a good protein and moisture balance. Two reviewers wish it came in a fragrance-free version, and one didn’t get on with it.

Best for
Fine to medium curls that like a little protein
Skip it if
Your hair is protein-sensitive

Reviewer experiences

A representative mix, good and bad, from the commenters.

See all 10 reviews

  1. PositiveReddit comment

    I pair it with the hydro jelly for a good protein and moisture balance.

    u/TheChocolateWarOf74r/curlyhair, 2026Original comment

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    The Shine and Hydro-Style Jelly’s are direct dupes for each other. They discontinued the Shine Jelly when they changed the name of the line to Fragrance Free because it was essentially the exact same product. I liked the FF version just a bit more because I usually use the feather light protein cream with the hydro jelly to get the perfect protein/moisture balance and both lines have different fragrances, but it’s not a deal breaker.

  2. NegativeReddit comment

    I didn't get on with it.

    u/MonArchie66r/curlyhair, 2026Original comment

  3. PositiveReddit comment

    I like it.

    u/dymphna76r/curlyhair, 2026Original comment

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    I like the Weightless Air Dry Cream and the Feather-Light Protein Cream but the In-Shower Style Fixer is one of my holy grails

  4. PositiveReddit comment

    It works great as a single product or with a stronger-hold gel.

    u/Granite_0681r/curlyhair, 2026Original comment

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    The air dry cream just made my frizz worse. But I really like their featherlight protein cream. It works great as a single product for me or with a stronger hold gel.

  5. PositiveReddit comment

    The best leave-in: not too heavy, it locks my curls in, and it's lighter than a gel.

    u/lightning-figr/curlyhair, 2026Original comment

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    The protein cream is the best leave in. Not too heavy and locks the curls in. Lighter than gel

  6. PositiveReddit comment

    One of my daily products.

    u/Nostalgia882B waves and curlsr/curlyhair, 2026Original comment

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    This brand is my go-to for my 2B waves & curls. Feather Light Protein Cream, Fragrance Free line (formerly their “Shine” line I think?), and Hydro Style Flexi Jelly are the daily products. BUT The HAIR MAKEUP line is so freaking fun! I use their hair makeup in place of gel for special occasions where I can add some shimmer to my hair. Washes cleanly and gives me a fun way to experiment with blue, rose gold, and copper highlights while also supporting my curls.

  7. PositiveReddit comment

    I like the Feather Light Protein Cream.

    u/super_vegan_alicer/curlyhair, 2026Original comment

  8. MentionReddit comment

    I wish the protein cream came fragrance-free too.

    u/raeseruVery fine, thinning hair that usually likes proteinr/curlyhair, 2026Original comment

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    Wish they’d make the protein cream frag free too…

  9. MentionReddit comment

    I usually layer gels over Curlsmith's Feather Light Protein Cream.

    u/lydiamartinfreemanFine, virgin, medium density 3A/B, low-med porosityr/curlyhair, 2025Original comment

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    oh my god!!! for the curling soufflé i was always wondering what was up with that and i could never get my head around it! that exact thing happens to me- i live somewhere with low humidity and my hair always ends up limp and flat and whenever i go somewhere a little more humid i get much better results and i never understood why! this makes so much sense 😭 i have fine virgin medium density 3A/B hair that’s low to medium porosity, do you have any gel or gel ingredient recs for lower humidity? for reference i usually layer gels over curlsmith’s feather light protein cream

  10. PositiveReddit comment

    My holy grail curl cream; I've repurchased it more than twice.

    u/Ok-Personality9616Wavy, bleach blonder/curlyhair, 2023Original comment

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    I have wavy bleach blonde hair and these are my HG products purchased more than twice: Conditioner: Eva NYC hair mask Curl Cream: Curlsmith Protein Cream Gel: Miss Jessie Jelly Soft Curls

What reviewers say

  • Light, and locks curls in
  • Works alone or under gel
  • No fragrance-free version
  • Didn’t suit one reviewer

More from Curlsmith

The brand review
  1. Weightless Air Dry CreamBest likedLeave-in23 positive·1 mixed·8 negative
  2. Hydro Style Flexi JellyBest likedGel20 positive·1 mixed·7 negative
  3. Curl Defining Styling SouffléBest likedStyler16 positive·2 mixed·3 negative
Show all
  1. In-Shower Style FixerBest likedGel15 positive·4 mixed·7 negative
  2. Bond Curl Rehab SalveBest likedTreatment11 positive·2 negative
  3. Curl Conditioning Oil-in-CreamBest likedLeave-in6 positive
  4. Hold Me Softly Style BalmBest likedCurl cream5 positive·1 mixed·1 negative
  5. Curl Quenching Conditioning WashBest likedCo-wash5 positive·1 mixed·2 negative
  6. Fragrance Free Strong Hold GelBest likedGel4 positive·1 negative
  7. Bouncy Strength Volume FoamMousse2 positive·3 mixed·3 negative
  8. Effortless Waves SpraySpray gel1 positive·2 mixed·3 negative
  9. Multi-Tasking ConditionerConditioner2 positive·1 mixed·1 negative

Best liked: rated by at least 4 people, more than half of them positive.

How we collated these reviews

Drawn from 10 comments in 3 Reddit discussions below. We read every comment in each, logged each product a commenter had an opinion on, and classified each opinion as positive, mixed or negative. This is public commentary, not verified purchases or customer ratings. Our full method

Sources