Brand comparison
Curlsmith vs Cantu: Premium Curl Care vs the Budget Classic
Cantu is for thick, dense curls and coils on a budget; Curlsmith is for fine to medium curls that want light hold. Reviewers rate them equally.
| Compared | Curlsmith | Cantu |
|---|---|---|
| What reviewers think | Divides opinion: Standout products. Divisive brand. | Divides opinion: Great value. Heavy for fine hair. |
| Curl Score | 3.7 Good | 3.7 Good |
| People with an opinion | 183 | 68 |
| Best-liked product | Weightless Air Dry Cream | Moisturizing Curl Activator Cream |
| More promising for | Waves and curls that want light, humidity-resistant hold, starting with the Flexi Jelly in a travel size. | Thick, dense or coily hair, children's curls, and anyone starting out on a budget. |
| 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, wavy or low porosity, or you're sensitive to strong fragrance. |
Curlsmith and Cantu have the same Curl Score, but they're very different brands. Cantu is one of the cheapest curl ranges on the shelf, built on shea butter and loved on thick curls and coils. Curlsmith is a premium brand whose best products are light stylers for waves and curls.
The two rarely suit the same hair, which makes the choice simpler.
The main difference
Curl cream: Curlsmith's Weightless Air Dry Cream is its most-reviewed product, a leave-in cream for soft, defined curls. Cantu's Moisturizing Curl Activator Cream is a long-time favorite for soft, shiny definition on thicker curls. Both can be too heavy for fine hair, Cantu's more so.
Weight: the clearest split. Reviewer after reviewer with fine or low-porosity hair says Cantu's range is too heavy. Curlsmith's lightest products, the Flexi Jelly and Feather Light Protein Cream, are among the best liked we track for fine hair.
Price: Cantu is very cheap and easy to find. Curlsmith is expensive, though often discounted at TJ Maxx and Marshalls.
Problems: some long-time Cantu users say it suddenly stopped working. Curlsmith's critics mention scents and scalp reactions.
Which to choose
Choose Cantu if your hair is thick, dense or coily, you're buying for children's curls, or you're starting out and want to spend little.
Choose Curlsmith if your waves or curls are fine to medium, you need hold that survives humidity, or your curls are damaged and you want the Bond Curl Rehab Salve.
Skip Cantu if your hair is fine, wavy or low porosity. Skip Curlsmith if you're paying full price for a whole routine. Start with one product instead.
The verdict
Choose by hair type, not price. For thick curls and coils, Cantu does the job cheaply. For fine waves and curls, Curlsmith's light stylers are worth the extra.
Head to head
Each brand's strongest product of each type, by what reviewers say.
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Curl cream
Curlsmith
23 positive·1 mixed·8 negativeThe most-reviewed Curlsmith product: a leave-in most reviewers like for soft, defined curls, though too heavy on some fine hair.
Best for Waves and curls that want softness and definition; fine hair if used sparingly or diluted
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
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.
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.
Thick, dense or coily hair
Curlsmith
Reviewers don't single out Curlsmith for this.
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
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.
Cantu
Reviewers don't single out Cantu 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.
Cantu
Reviewers don't single out Cantu for this.
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.
Cantu
Reviewers don't single out Cantu 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.
Cantu
Reviewers don't single out Cantu 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.
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.
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
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