Brand comparison
Innersense vs Aunt Jackie's: Premium vs Budget Curl Care
Both brands rate highly. Innersense is light and suits fine curls; Aunt Jackie's costs a fraction as much and suits medium to coarse curls.
| Compared | Innersense | Aunt Jackie’s |
|---|---|---|
| What reviewers think | Mostly positive: Loved and long-lasting. Pricey. | Mostly positive: Big results. Small price. |
| Curl Score | 4.1 Great | 4.2 Great |
| People with an opinion | 106 | 51 |
| Best-liked product | I Create Volume | Curl La La Defining Curl Custard |
| More promising for | Fine to medium curls that want light, lasting definition, and anyone who values clean ingredients and refills. | Medium to coarse curls and coils, children's detangling, and anyone who wants reliable results on a budget. |
| Think twice if | Your scalp is easily irritated, you're on a tight budget, or you want a hold you can't overdo. | Your hair is fine and easily weighed down, or your scalp reacts to rich creams. |
Innersense and Aunt Jackie's have similar Curl Scores and very different prices. Innersense is a premium brand with clean ingredients and refill pouches. Aunt Jackie's sells large tubs at drugstore prices. The real difference is hair type, though. Innersense suits fine to medium curls, and Aunt Jackie's suits medium to coarse curls and coils.
The main difference
Gel: Innersense's I Create Volume is thin and light, and gives touchable definition that lasts for days. Almost every reviewer liked it. Aunt Jackie's Don't Shrink Flaxseed Gel is a cheap gel that rivals pricier ones for medium to coarse curls, though it turns gummy or sticky for a few.
Curl cream: Aunt Jackie's Curl La La is well liked for soft, defined, bouncy curls. Innersense's Air Dry Styling Cream is a light all-in-one styler for fine hair, with few reviews.
Fine hair: Innersense wins. Its gels and foams are among the best-liked products we track for fine curls. Aunt Jackie's gets complaints about weight on fine hair.
Price: Aunt Jackie's wins. Innersense is expensive, though concentrated enough that a bottle can last close to a year.
Children's hair: parents rave about Aunt Jackie's Knot On My Watch detangler.
Which to choose
Choose Innersense if your curls are fine to medium and you want light definition that lasts.
Choose Aunt Jackie's if your curls are medium to coarse or coily, you want reliable results on a budget, or you're detangling children's hair.
Skip Innersense if your scalp is easily irritated. Skip Aunt Jackie's if your scalp reacts to rich creams.
The verdict
Both are excellent for the right hair. Fine curls are worth the money for Innersense, and medium to coarse curls get similar results from Aunt Jackie's for much less.
Head to head
Each brand's strongest product of each type, by what reviewers say.
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Curl cream
Innersense
4 positive·1 mixedA light all-in-one styler with soft clumps that simplifies routines, though one reviewer dislikes its waxy texture.
Best for A simple one-product routine on fine hair
Aunt Jackie’s
Curl La La Defining Curl Custard
13 positive·1 mixed·1 negativeA well-liked custard for soft, defined, bouncy curls and refresh days, though too heavy for some.
Best for Soft definition on medium-length curls, alone or under a gel
Gel
Innersense
13 positive·1 mixedThe best-liked styler: a thin, lightweight gel that defines without crunch and lasts for days.
Best for Light, touchable definition on fine to medium curls
Aunt Jackie’s
Don’t Shrink Flaxseed Elongating Curling Gel
9 positive·1 mixed·3 negativeA cheap, long-lasting gel that rivals pricier ones for many, though gummy, sticky or drying for some.
Best for A budget gel for medium to coarse curls
Which suits your hair
What reviewers with each kind of hair report.
Fine or wavy hair
Innersense
This is where the range gets its warmest reviews. Reviewers with fine 2C and 3A hair say I Create Volume defines without stickiness or stiffness, and the Lift and Definition foams give lift and multi-day hold with a pump or two.
Try I Create Volume
Aunt Jackie’s
Go carefully. A reviewer with fine 3A/3B hair found the Flaxseed gel gummy on sopping wet hair, a reviewer with fine, long hair says the whole line left it straw-like and greasy, and Curl La La was too heavy for another.
Thick, dense or coily hair
Innersense
There are fewer reviewers here. A reviewer with thick, coarse 3c/4a hair loves I Create Hold but found Curl Memory didn't hold enough, and a reviewer with Black hair liked the hair bath and I Create Hold's week-long look but wasn't impressed by the conditioner.
Try I Create Hold
Aunt Jackie’s
Reviewers don't single out Aunt Jackie’s for this.
Strong hold
Innersense
I Create Hold and Curl Memory are the stronger stylers, and reviewers say their hair lasts four to seven days. Both are heavy-duty, and reviewers found them sticky if their hair wasn't wet enough, or so crunchy the cast wouldn't scrunch out.
Try I Create Hold
Aunt Jackie’s
Reviewers don't single out Aunt Jackie’s for this.
Sensitive scalp or scent-sensitive
Innersense
Some reviewers with sensitive skin call it great, but a handful had the opposite. I Create Hold made one reviewer's scalp itchy, flaky and red, and others report scalp irritation or hair shedding after starting the range.
Aunt Jackie’s
Reviewers don't single out Aunt Jackie’s for this.
Children's hair
Innersense
Reviewers don't single out Innersense for this.
Aunt Jackie’s
Parents are some of the most enthusiastic reviewers. The Knot On My Watch detangler is described as a miracle on a son's matted neck curls and the best detangler for a curly 'nest', and Curl La La worked wonders for one reviewer and their daughter.
Starting out or on a budget
Innersense
Reviewers don't single out Innersense for this.
Aunt Jackie’s
This is the brand's strength. Reviewers say the Flaxseed gel gives results very similar to Kinky-Curly Curling Custard for a fraction of the price, and one reviewer with coarse 3B hair uses only the gel for a cast that lasts up to a week.
Based on what commenters with similar hair reported. Hair varies.
What reviewers like and dislike
Innersense
- Praised: Concentrated: a bottle can last close to a year
- Praised: Light, touchable definition on fine hair
- Praised: Multi-day hold from the stronger stylers
- Praised: The Sweet Spirit leave-in
- Praised: Refill pouches and travel sizes
- Complaint: Expensive
- Complaint: Crunchy, sticky or matted if overdone
- Complaint: Conditioners with little slip, for some
- Complaint: Scalp irritation or shedding, for a few
- Complaint: Herbal or patchouli scents a few dislike
Aunt Jackie’s
- Praised: Very cheap for the amount
- Praised: The Quench leave-in
- Praised: Soft, defined, bouncy curls from Curl La La
- Praised: A Flaxseed gel that rivals pricier gels
- Praised: Detanglers that work on children's knots
- Complaint: Gummy, sticky or drying gel, for a few
- Complaint: Heavy on fine hair
- Complaint: Stopped working for some long-time users
- Complaint: Spray bottles with a straight stream
- Complaint: Scents some can't stand