Brand comparison
Curlsmith vs SheaMoisture: Which Curl Brand Suits Your Hair?
SheaMoisture is rich, cheap and made for thick, coily hair. Curlsmith is light, premium and better reviewed, especially on fine curls.
| Compared | Curlsmith | SheaMoisture |
|---|---|---|
| What reviewers think | Divides opinion: Standout products. Divisive brand. | Mixed opinions: One cult classic. Mostly heavy. |
| Curl Score | 3.7 Good | 3.4 Mixed |
| People with an opinion | 183 | 67 |
| Best-liked product | Weightless Air Dry Cream | Coconut & Hibiscus Curl Enhancing Smoothie |
| More promising for | Waves and curls that want light, humidity-resistant hold, starting with the Flexi Jelly in a travel size. | Thick, coarse or coily hair that likes rich products, children's detangling, and the Smoothie as a leave-in. |
| 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 loved the old formulas and expect them unchanged. |
Curlsmith and SheaMoisture are aimed at different hair. SheaMoisture's shea-butter products are made for thick, coarse and coily hair. Curlsmith's best-liked products are light stylers for waves and curls. Curlsmith has a higher Curl Score and far more reviews. SheaMoisture is in the mixed range, with one product holding up its reputation.
The main difference
Curl cream: SheaMoisture's Coconut & Hibiscus Curl Enhancing Smoothie is a decade-long staple, used as a leave-in or one-step styler on medium to thick curls. Curlsmith's Weightless Air Dry Cream is lighter and better suited to waves and curls, though it's still too heavy for some fine hair.
Weight: most reviewers with fine or wavy hair say SheaMoisture's range is too heavy. Curlsmith's Flexi Jelly is one of the best-liked products we track for fine hair.
Consistency: long-time SheaMoisture users say its formulas changed after the 2017 Unilever buyout, and some products stopped working. Curlsmith's complaints are price, strong scents and scalp reactions.
Damaged hair: Curlsmith's Bond Curl Rehab Salve is the stronger option. SheaMoisture's JBCO leave-in is aimed at strengthening thick hair, but has few reviews.
Which to choose
Choose SheaMoisture if your hair is thick, coarse or coily and likes rich products, you want to spend little, or you're detangling children's hair.
Choose Curlsmith if your hair is fine to medium, wavy or curly, you need hold in humidity, or your curls are damaged.
Skip SheaMoisture if your hair is fine, wavy or low porosity. Skip Curlsmith if your scalp reacts easily.
The verdict
SheaMoisture's Smoothie is still a good, cheap cream for thick, dry curls. For everything else, and especially fine hair, Curlsmith is the better-reviewed brand.
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
SheaMoisture
Jamaican Black Castor Oil Strengthen & Restore Leave-In Conditioner
2 positive·1 mixed·1 negativeDense, softening and effective on thick hair, but too heavy for thinner hair, and changed since restocking for some.
Best for Thick or coarse hair that needs a rich 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
SheaMoisture
Coconut & Hibiscus Curl Enhancing Smoothie
9 positive·2 negativeA decade-long staple for many, giving shine and bounce, though too heavy for some.
Best for A moisturising leave-in or one-step styler on medium to thick curls
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.
SheaMoisture
Most reviewers with fine or wavy hair say the range is too heavy. The exceptions are small and specific: one reviewer applies a little Smoothie before wringing out so it doesn't weigh their hair down, another uses it as a single styler in a small amount, and a reviewer with fine 2C/3A curls loves the Frizz-Free Curl Mousse as a last step.
Thick, dense or coily hair
Curlsmith
Reviewers don't single out Curlsmith for this.
SheaMoisture
This is who the brand suits. Reviewers say the JBCO leave-in does wonders for average or thick hair, a reviewer with very thick 4c hair says it works pretty well, and one with coarse corkscrew curls loves the whole set.
Try Jamaican Black Castor Oil Strengthen & Restore Leave-In Conditioner
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.
SheaMoisture
Reviewers don't single out SheaMoisture 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.
SheaMoisture
Reviewers don't single out SheaMoisture 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.
SheaMoisture
Reviewers don't single out SheaMoisture 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.
SheaMoisture
Reviewers don't single out SheaMoisture for this.
Children's hair
Curlsmith
Reviewers don't single out Curlsmith for this.
SheaMoisture
Parents are some of the warmest reviewers. The leave-in is the only thing that worked on one daughter's worst knots, and another calls the kids' detangler the best on the market.
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.
SheaMoisture
Reviewers don't single out SheaMoisture 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
SheaMoisture
- Praised: The Curl Enhancing Smoothie
- Praised: Rich moisture for thick and coily hair
- Praised: Smells reviewers love
- Praised: Cheap and easy to find
- Praised: Good kids' detanglers
- Complaint: Too heavy for fine, wavy or low-porosity hair
- Complaint: Formulas that changed after the buyout
- Complaint: Residue and buildup
- Complaint: Lighter lines that get discontinued
- Complaint: Protein overload, for one reviewer