Brand comparison
Cantu vs Aunt Jackie's: Which Budget Curl Brand Is Better?
Two cheap brands for thick curls and coils. Aunt Jackie's rates higher, with a gel and leave-in that Cantu can't match.
| Compared | Cantu | Aunt Jackie’s |
|---|---|---|
| What reviewers think | Divides opinion: Great value. Heavy for fine hair. | Mostly positive: Big results. Small price. |
| Curl Score | 3.7 Good | 4.2 Great |
| People with an opinion | 68 | 51 |
| Best-liked product | Moisturizing Curl Activator Cream | Curl La La Defining Curl Custard |
| More promising for | Thick, dense or coily hair, children's curls, and anyone starting out on a budget. | Medium to coarse curls and coils, children's detangling, and anyone who wants reliable results on a budget. |
| Think twice if | Your hair is fine, wavy or low porosity, or you're sensitive to strong fragrance. | Your hair is fine and easily weighed down, or your scalp reacts to rich creams. |
Cantu and Aunt Jackie's are two of the cheapest curl brands you can buy, both suit thick curls and coils, and reviewers with fine hair find both too heavy. Parents use both on children's curls. Aunt Jackie's has a clearly higher Curl Score.
The main difference
Curl cream: both are well liked. Aunt Jackie's Curl La La has more fans and gives soft, defined, bouncy curls, and also works for refresh days. Cantu's Moisturizing Curl Activator Cream is a long-time favorite for soft, shiny definition.
Gel: Aunt Jackie's Don't Shrink Flaxseed Gel is a cheap gel that many say rivals pricier ones. Cantu doesn't have a gel reviewers single out.
Leave-in: Aunt Jackie's Quench is its best-liked product. Cantu's best-liked products are its creams.
Children's hair: both brands work for kids. Parents rave about Aunt Jackie's Knot On My Watch detangler, and use Cantu happily on 3A and 4A hair.
Problems: both brands have long-time users who say products stopped working. Both have spray bottles with a single straight stream, and both get some scent complaints.
Which to choose
Choose Aunt Jackie's if you want a complete budget routine (leave-in, cream and gel) for medium to coarse curls.
Choose Cantu if you want a cheap, easy-to-find cream for softness and shine, or it's the brand your local shop stocks. In parts of Europe it's one of the few curl brands on shelves.
Skip both if your hair is fine, wavy or low porosity.
The verdict
Aunt Jackie's is the better budget brand overall, especially for its gel. Cantu's Curl Activator Cream is still a good, cheap cream if it's what you can find.
Head to head
Each brand's strongest product of each type, by what reviewers say.
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Curl cream
Cantu
Moisturizing Curl Activator Cream
7 positive·2 negativeA long-time favourite for soft, shiny, defined curls, though too heavy for some fine hair.
Best for Softness and definition on curly to coily hair
Aunt Jackie’s
Curl La La Defining Curl Custard
13 positive·1 mixed·1 negativeA well-liked custard for soft, defined, bouncy curls and refresh days, though too heavy for some.
Best for Soft definition on medium-length curls, alone or under a gel
Which suits your hair
What reviewers with each kind of hair report.
Fine or wavy hair
Cantu
This is where Cantu gets most of its bad reviews. Reviewers with fine 2C to 3A hair say every product is way too heavy, or that it left their hair looking wet.
Aunt Jackie’s
Go carefully. A reviewer with fine 3A/3B hair found the Flaxseed gel gummy on sopping wet hair, a reviewer with fine, long hair says the whole line left it straw-like and greasy, and Curl La La was too heavy for another.
Thick, dense or coily hair
Cantu
This is what the brand suits best. Reviewers say it's very good for hair that needs heavier products, a parent's 4A child thrives on it, and a reviewer with dense curls says it keeps their hair looking good for a whole week.
Try Curl Cream
Aunt Jackie’s
Reviewers don't single out Aunt Jackie’s for this.
Children's hair
Cantu
Reviewers don't single out Cantu for this.
Aunt Jackie’s
Parents are some of the most enthusiastic reviewers. The Knot On My Watch detangler is described as a miracle on a son's matted neck curls and the best detangler for a curly 'nest', and Curl La La worked wonders for one reviewer and their daughter.
Starting out or on a budget
Cantu
Reviewers call it a great introduction to curly care at an amazing price. Start with the Curl Activator Cream, the most-reviewed product, or the Curl Cream under a gel.
Aunt Jackie’s
This is the brand's strength. Reviewers say the Flaxseed gel gives results very similar to Kinky-Curly Curling Custard for a fraction of the price, and one reviewer with coarse 3B hair uses only the gel for a cast that lasts up to a week.
Based on what commenters with similar hair reported. Hair varies.
What reviewers like and dislike
Cantu
- Praised: Cheap and easy to find
- Praised: Soft, shiny, defined curls on thicker hair
- Praised: Works on children's curls
- Praised: A refresh spray that keeps curls going between washes
- Praised: A nice smell, for many
- Complaint: Too heavy for fine or wavy hair
- Complaint: Stopped working for some long-time users
- Complaint: Flakes or dryness, for a few
- Complaint: Strong added fragrance
- Complaint: A refresh spray with a single-stream nozzle
Aunt Jackie’s
- Praised: Very cheap for the amount
- Praised: The Quench leave-in
- Praised: Soft, defined, bouncy curls from Curl La La
- Praised: A Flaxseed gel that rivals pricier gels
- Praised: Detanglers that work on children's knots
- Complaint: Gummy, sticky or drying gel, for a few
- Complaint: Heavy on fine hair
- Complaint: Stopped working for some long-time users
- Complaint: Spray bottles with a straight stream
- Complaint: Scents some can't stand