Brand comparison
Curlsmith vs Miss Jessie's: Which Curl Brand Is Better?
Miss Jessie's has the better-liked gel and fewer complaints overall. Curlsmith has more products, plus a treatment for damaged curls.
| Compared | Curlsmith | Miss Jessie’s |
|---|---|---|
| What reviewers think | Divides opinion: Standout products. Divisive brand. | Loved, with a catch: Soft definition. Divisive scent. |
| Curl Score | 3.7 Good | 3.9 Good |
| People with an opinion | 183 | 70 |
| Best-liked product | Weightless Air Dry Cream | Pillow Soft Curls |
| More promising for | Waves and curls that want light, humidity-resistant hold, starting with the Flexi Jelly in a travel size. | Waves, curls and coils that want soft definition without crunch, if you can live with the fragrance. |
| Think twice if | Your scalp reacts easily, you dislike strong scents, your fine hair turns greasy with creams, or you are paying full price. | You are sensitive to fragrance, you avoid silicones, or your fine hair is quickly weighed down by creams. |
Curlsmith and Miss Jessie's both make creams and gels for soft, defined curls, and both have products reviewers repurchase for years. Miss Jessie's has the slightly higher Curl Score. Curlsmith has more reviewers and a bigger range, along with more complaints about the brand as a whole.
Both have a scent problem. Miss Jessie's is known for a strong laundry or fabric-softener smell. Curlsmith's scents are strong too, and some reviewers report itchy or burning scalps.
The main difference
Gel: Miss Jessie's Jelly Soft Curls has almost no critics. Reviewers repurchase it for years for soft, lasting definition. Curlsmith's Hydro Style Flexi Jelly is lighter and better in humidity, but some find its hold too soft.
Curl cream: both are well liked. Curlsmith's Weightless Air Dry Cream is slightly better reviewed than Miss Jessie's Pillow Soft Curls, and both give soft definition without crunch. Pillow Soft's main drawback is its scent.
What only Curlsmith has: the Bond Curl Rehab Salve, one of the best-liked treatments we track for damaged curls, and a Fragrance Free line.
What only Miss Jessie's has: Feather Soft Curls, a lighter cream for fine hair that everyone who mentions it likes, and that avoids the brand's stronger scents.
Which to choose
Choose Miss Jessie's if you want soft, lasting definition and second-day hair that still looks good, and you can live with the fragrance. Its Leave In Condish is a well-liked detangler.
Choose Curlsmith if your curls are damaged or heat-styled, you want a gel that holds up in humidity, or you need fragrance-free products.
Skip Miss Jessie's if you avoid silicones. Many of its products contain them.
The verdict
For a reliable gel, Miss Jessie's Jelly Soft Curls is the safer buy. For damaged curls, humidity or a scent-free routine, Curlsmith has more to offer.
Head to head
Each brand's strongest product of each type, by what reviewers say.
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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
Miss Jessie’s
9 positive·1 mixed·1 negativeA leave-in that reviewers use as a first step for years, loved for detangling and a light feel, with the fabric-softener scent as the catch.
Best for Tangle-prone hair, and fine curls that need a light leave-in
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
Miss Jessie’s
18 positive·6 mixed·3 negativeThe most reviewed and most recommended product in the range: soft, uncrunchy definition, for anyone who can bear the smell.
Best for Fine to medium waves and curls that want soft definition without crunch
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
Miss Jessie’s
15 positive·1 negativeThe best liked gel in the range: reviewers repurchase it for years, with one clear exception on fine hair.
Best for Anyone after soft, lasting definition
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.
Miss Jessie’s
Feather Soft Curls is the one reviewers with fine hair pick over Pillow Soft, and all five who mention it like it. The Leave In Condish is another that fine-haired reviewers say doesn’t weigh curls down.
Thick, dense or coily hair
Curlsmith
Reviewers don't single out Curlsmith for this.
Miss Jessie’s
Multicultural Curls is the one reviewers with thicker hair name most: a reviewer with low-porosity 3B-4A curls highly recommends it, and another rates it above Pillow Soft on 3B-3C hair. Opinion isn’t unanimous.
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.
Miss Jessie’s
Reviewers don't single out Miss Jessie’s 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.
Miss Jessie’s
Jelly Soft Curls is the gel, and the best liked product in the range. Reviewers say the curls stay soft and intact all day, even when dancing and sweating, and that it avoids the scrunchy feel of other gels.
Try Jelly Soft Curls
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.
Miss Jessie’s
This is the brand’s weak spot. Feather Soft Curls is the one reviewers call mild, and a reviewer who is very sensitive to scents says the Leave In Condish has been good to her.
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.
Miss Jessie’s
Reviewers don't single out Miss Jessie’s 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.
Miss Jessie’s
Pillow Soft Curls is the most reviewed and the most recommended, and paired with Jelly Soft Curls it is the routine reviewers call their daily go-to. Because the scent is such a deal-breaker, try it in a shop or a small size before you commit.
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
Miss Jessie’s
- Praised: Soft definition without crunch or a stiff cast
- Praised: Second-day hair that still looks good
- Praised: Staples that reviewers have repurchased for years
- Praised: Lightweight options for fine hair, such as Feather Soft Curls
- Praised: A range made for many textures, from fine waves to coils
- Complaint: A fabric-softener scent that some find nauseating
- Complaint: Heavy or greasy results on fine hair, for a few
- Complaint: Silicones in many of the products
- Complaint: Skin or scalp reactions, for a handful of reviewers
- Complaint: Price and availability, especially outside the US