Brand comparison
Curlsmith vs Not Your Mother's: Is the Salon Brand Worth the Extra?
Two of the most reviewed brands we track, rated almost the same. Their curl creams tie; Curlsmith has the better gel, and Not Your Mother's the better price.
| Compared | Curlsmith | Not Your Mother’s |
|---|---|---|
| What reviewers think | Divides opinion: Standout products. Divisive brand. | Mostly positive: Great value. Stylers hit and miss. |
| Curl Score | 3.7 Good | 3.8 Good |
| People with an opinion | 183 | 203 |
| Best-liked product | Weightless Air Dry Cream | Curl Talk Curl Cream |
| More promising for | Waves and curls that want light, humidity-resistant hold, starting with the Flexi Jelly in a travel size. | Waves and loose curls on a budget, especially as cream plus foam, or anyone avoiding shea butter and heavy oils. |
| 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 builds up easily, you're sensitive to strong scents, or mousses tend to leave you sticky. |
Curlsmith and Not Your Mother's are two of the most discussed curl brands on the forums, and reviewers rate them almost identically overall. The difference is price. Curlsmith is a premium brand, and Not Your Mother's Curl Talk is a drugstore line. Some reviewers do move up. One switched from the Not Your Mother's gel to Curlsmith's Flexi Jelly and says that, although it's more expensive, their hair likes it.
The main difference
Curl cream: this is a dead heat. Curlsmith's Weightless Air Dry Cream and Curl Talk Curl Cream have the same number of fans and critics. Both give soft, defined curls, and both are too heavy for some fine hair if overused.
Gel: Curlsmith wins. The Hydro Style Flexi Jelly is its best-liked product, a light, humidity-resistant gel that fine-haired reviewers love. The Curl Talk Sculpting Gel is the most divisive product in its range. We compare the two in detail in Flexi Jelly vs Curl Talk Gel.
Foam and mousse: Not Your Mother's wins. Its Refreshing Curl Foam is well liked for refresh days, while Curlsmith's Bouncy Strength Volume Foam has more critics than fans. The famous Curl Talk mousse has turned sticky for many reviewers.
Problems: Curlsmith's complaints are about price, strong scents and scalp reactions. Not Your Mother's are about residue, reformulation and products being discontinued.
Which to choose
Choose Curlsmith if you want the best light gel of the two, your curls are damaged (try the Bond Curl Rehab Salve), or you need a strong hold.
Choose Not Your Mother's if you're on a budget, want a cream and foam routine for waves and loose curls, or want to avoid shea butter and heavy oils.
Think twice about Curlsmith if your scalp reacts easily. Its Fragrance Free line is the way round it for several reviewers.
The verdict
Start with Not Your Mother's Curl Cream. It costs less and is just as well liked as Curlsmith's cream. If you need a better gel, Curlsmith's Flexi Jelly is the upgrade worth paying for.
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
Not Your Mother’s
Naturals Gardenia & Mango Butter Shampoo & Conditioner
4 positive·1 mixed·1 negativeA well-liked budget wash day, now hard to find, though one reviewer found the conditioner left a film.
Best for Waves and curls after an affordable, sulfate-free wash day
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
Not Your Mother’s
Curl Talk Leave-In Conditioner
7 positive·1 mixed·1 negativeA soft, moisturising leave-in that most reviewers like, though it's become hard to find.
Best for A light leave-in under Curl Talk stylers
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
Not Your Mother’s
23 positive·5 mixed·4 negativeThe best-liked Curl Talk styler: defined, juicy curls from a small amount, at a drugstore price.
Best for Waves and curls that want soft definition on a budget
Mousse
Curlsmith
2 positive·3 mixed·3 negativeLukewarm reviews: as many critics as fans, with complaints of a tacky or hard finish.
Best for Root volume on fine hair, used sparingly
Not Your Mother’s
Curl Talk Refreshing Curl Foam
12 positive·2 mixed·1 negativeA light, water-based foam that's well liked for refresh days, with a softer hold than the mousse.
Best for Refreshing waves and loose curls between washes
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
Not Your Mother’s
Curl Talk Frizz Control Sculpting Gel
10 positive·3 mixed·8 negativeThe most divisive Curl Talk product: some reviewers can’t live without it, others found it heavy, frizzy or too hard.
Best for Medium-density waves and curls, or as one gel in a mix
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.
Not Your Mother’s
The Curl Cream works on fine hair in small amounts: one reviewer emulsifies a little with water, and another says a quarter-size amount covers their whole head. The Refreshing Foam is lighter and water-based, and reviewers with low-porosity 2B hair say it works really well.
Thick, dense or coily hair
Curlsmith
Reviewers don't single out Curlsmith for this.
Not Your Mother’s
Reviewers with dense or coarse hair are less impressed. Samples didn’t condition enough for one with dense, medium-coarse hair, and another found the gel heavy and frizzy even in a tiny amount.
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.
Not Your Mother’s
Reviewers don't single out Not Your Mother’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.
Not Your Mother’s
Reviewers don't single out Not Your Mother’s 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.
Not Your Mother’s
Reviewers don't single out Not Your Mother’s 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.
Not Your Mother’s
Reviewers don't single out Not Your Mother’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.
Not Your Mother’s
Reviewers don't single out Not Your Mother’s for this.
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
Not Your Mother’s
- Praised: Cheap and easy to find
- Praised: Juicy, defined curls from the Curl Cream
- Praised: A light, water-based refresh foam
- Praised: Free of shea butter and heavy oils
- Praised: A protein-free, fragrance-free line
- Complaint: A mousse that has turned sticky for many
- Complaint: A film or residue on some hair
- Complaint: Strong scents, for some
- Complaint: Constant reformulating and discontinuing
- Complaint: A gel that splits reviewers
From people who tried both
Comments about one brand in discussions of the other.
Curlsmith, mentioned in Not Your Mother’s discussions
PositiveHydro Style Flexi JellyReddit comment
I switched from the NYM gel; it's more expensive, but my hair likes it.
u/yourbreathmintFiner/curlyhair, 2026Original comment
PositiveCurl Defining Styling SouffléReddit comment
My styling product of choice.
u/misty_girlFine 2C/3A/3B curls that love moisturer/curlyhair, 2023Original comment