Brand comparison
Curlsmith vs Camille Rose: Which Curl Brand Suits Your Hair?
Curlsmith's best products are light and suit fine curls; Camille Rose's are rich and suit thick, coily hair. Camille Rose is the better liked overall.
| Compared | Curlsmith | Camille Rose |
|---|---|---|
| What reviewers think | Divides opinion: Standout products. Divisive brand. | Mostly positive: Well liked and consistent, but pricey. |
| Curl Score | 3.7 Good | 4.1 Great |
| People with an opinion | 183 | 45 |
| Best-liked product | Weightless Air Dry Cream | Curl Maker |
| More promising for | Waves and curls that want light, humidity-resistant hold, starting with the Flexi Jelly in a travel size. | Thick, dry, low-porosity or coily hair that wants hydration and soft definition. |
| Think twice if | Your scalp reacts easily, you dislike strong scents, your fine hair turns greasy with creams, or you are paying full price. | Your hair is fine and easily weighed down, you want a firm cast, or you live somewhere humid and want hold that lasts. |
Curlsmith and Camille Rose are both priced above the drugstore, but they're built for different hair. Curlsmith's best-liked products are light gels and creams for waves and curls. Camille Rose leans into hydration and softness for thick, dry and coily hair.
Camille Rose has the higher Curl Score and fewer complaints about the brand as a whole. Curlsmith has more reviews and more standout products.
The main difference
Gel: Curlsmith's Hydro Style Flexi Jelly is a light, humidity-resistant gel that fine-haired reviewers love. Camille Rose's Curl Maker is hydrating, with a silky finish and medium hold, but some find it flakes or loses hold in humidity.
Moisture: Camille Rose's Moisture Milk is wonderfully soft on coils. It's thick enough that some reviewers dilute it. Curlsmith's moisture pick is the Curl Conditioning Oil-in-Cream. It has few reviews, but every one is positive.
Damaged hair: Curlsmith has the Bond Curl Rehab Salve, which brought damaged curls back for many reviewers. Camille Rose has nothing that does the same job.
Scent and scalp: most reviewers enjoy Camille Rose's smells. Curlsmith's strong scents and occasional scalp reactions are among its most common complaints.
Which to choose
Choose Curlsmith if your waves or curls are fine to medium, you live somewhere humid, or your curls are damaged.
Choose Camille Rose if your hair is thick, dry, low porosity or coily, and you want soft, hydrated definition rather than a firm cast.
Skip Camille Rose if your hair is fine and easily weighed down. Skip Curlsmith if your scalp reacts easily and you don't want to use its Fragrance Free line.
The verdict
Match the brand to your hair. Curlsmith's Flexi Jelly is the better choice for fine curls and humid weather. Camille Rose is the more consistent brand for thirsty, coily hair.
Head to head
Each brand's strongest product of each type, by what reviewers say.
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Shampoo
Curlsmith
Curl Quenching Conditioning Wash
5 positive·1 mixed·2 negativeA well-liked, non-stripping co-wash, though it builds up and the pump can fail.
Best for Gentle wash days on dry or wavy-to-curly hair
Camille Rose
2 positive·2 mixed·1 negativeA gentle between-washes cleanser that some love and others find too weak, with one report of it turning smelly.
Best for Gentle mid-week cleansing on dry or coily hair
Conditioner and leave-in
Curlsmith
11 positive·2 negativeOne of the best-liked Curlsmith products: a bond repair treatment that brought damaged curls back for many.
Best for Damaged or heat-styled curls that have lost their pattern
Camille Rose
6 positive·3 mixedWonderfully soft on coils and well smelling, but thick enough that several reviewers dilute it.
Best for Thick or coily hair that wants softness
Gel
Curlsmith
20 positive·1 mixed·7 negativeThe best liked Curlsmith product: a light, humidity-resistant gel that fine-haired reviewers love, though some found the hold too soft.
Best for Fine to medium waves and curls that want light, flexible hold
Camille Rose
8 positive·4 mixed·1 negativeThe favourite: a hydrating, silky gel that most reviewers like, whose medium hold gives out in humidity for some.
Best for Soft, hydrated definition on fine to coily hair, alone or under a stronger gel
Which suits your hair
What reviewers with each kind of hair report.
Fine or wavy hair
Curlsmith
Start with the Hydro Style Flexi Jelly: several reviewers with fine waves and curls call it their favourite, and say it is light. Fine-haired reviewers were also the ones most likely to find the brand greasy, stringy or flat, and the Air Dry Cream and Curl Soufflé were too heavy for some.
Camille Rose
The Curl Maker is the safest bet: a reviewer with fine 2B/3A hair is on her fifth bottle and says one lasts six months or more. The thick, creamy products are riskier.
Try Curl Maker
Thick, dense or coily hair
Curlsmith
Reviewers don't single out Curlsmith for this.
Camille Rose
This is where the range gets its warmest reviews. A reviewer with type 4 coils says nothing leaves her hair as soft as the Moisture Milk, and a reviewer with 3C/4A hair loves the Curl Maker alone or under a stronger gel, though it flakes on her.
Try Moisture Milk
Dry hair
Curlsmith
The Oil-in-Cream has only a few reviews, but all of them are positive: reviewers say it leaves hair moisturised and works well under a gel. The Air Dry Cream is the lighter choice, and fans say it softens and defines.
Camille Rose
Reviewers don't single out Camille Rose for this.
Strong hold
Curlsmith
The In-Shower Style Fixer and the Curl Soufflé are the firmer options, and fans describe a strong hold that, for the Style Fixer, lasts several days. Neither is a sure thing: the Style Fixer left several reviewers’ hair tacky, and one who needs high hold says the brand’s strongest gel hadn’t lasted by the time their hair was dry.
Camille Rose
The Curl Maker is a medium-hold gel, and reviewers who wanted a crunchy cast or hold through humid weather found it too soft. Its humectants can keep curls flexible or even swollen in humid air.
Sensitive scalp or scent-sensitive
Curlsmith
Scalp trouble is the most common complaint that isn’t about styling: itching, burning, redness, and pain from the protein line. Reviewers name the In-Shower Style Fixer and Effortless Waves Spray, and one guesses the fragrance.
Camille Rose
Reviewers don't single out Camille Rose for this.
Damaged hair
Curlsmith
The Bond Rehab Salve is one of the best-liked Curlsmith products. A reviewer with fine hair who was considering a pixie cut says it brought their curls back to life within about 20 minutes and made them tangle less, others call it a must-have, and one says it's the only product their hair likes.
Camille Rose
Reviewers don't single out Camille Rose for this.
Starting out or on a budget
Curlsmith
Several reviewers say to start with travel or sample sizes, and the brand’s free curl quiz recommends a routine. Many buy Curlsmith at TJ Maxx or Marshalls for about half price, and some say it isn’t worth paying more.
Camille Rose
Start with the Curl Maker, the most reviewed product and the one most reviewers like. One buys it on sale, and another says it is cheaper than a similar gel depending where you buy it.
Try Curl Maker
Based on what commenters with similar hair reported. Hair varies.
What reviewers like and dislike
Curlsmith
- Praised: The Air Dry Cream and Flexi Jelly, its most-loved stylers
- Praised: A Bond Rehab Salve that revives damaged curls
- Praised: Gels that hold up in humidity, according to fans
- Praised: Travel and sample sizes for trying products
- Praised: The free online curl quiz
- Praised: A Fragrance Free line
- Complaint: The price, for results that cheaper products can match
- Complaint: Greasy, heavy or stringy results, often on fine hair
- Complaint: The scent
- Complaint: Itchy or burning scalps and reactions
- Complaint: Hold that fades after the first day
- Complaint: Stylers that leave hair tacky
Camille Rose
- Praised: Smells that most reviewers enjoy
- Praised: Hydration and a silky finish from the Curl Maker
- Praised: Deep softness on thick and coily hair
- Praised: A solid, consistent brand
- Praised: Thick formulas that can be diluted to last longer
- Complaint: The price, and trouble finding it cheaper
- Complaint: Medium hold that gives out in humidity
- Complaint: Flakes from the Curl Maker, for a few
- Complaint: Hair that felt dry or like straw, for a few
- Complaint: Thick, heavy formulas on fine hair