Brand comparison
Innersense vs Kinky-Curly: Which Curl Brand Is Better?
Two of the best-rated brands we track. Innersense's stylers give light, lasting definition; Kinky-Curly has the best-loved leave-in and a richer gel.
| Compared | Innersense | Kinky-Curly |
|---|---|---|
| What reviewers think | Mostly positive: Loved and long-lasting. Pricey. | Mostly positive: Cult classics. Rising prices. |
| Curl Score | 4.1 Great | 4.3 Great |
| People with an opinion | 106 | 97 |
| Best-liked product | I Create Volume | Knot Today Leave-In Conditioner |
| More promising for | Fine to medium curls that want light, lasting definition, and anyone who values clean ingredients and refills. | Fine or tangle-prone curls that need slip without weight, and anyone who wants a short, simple ingredient list. |
| Think twice if | Your scalp is easily irritated, you're on a tight budget, or you want a hold you can't overdo. | You live somewhere humid and need firm hold, your hair is fine and wavy, or you're sensitive to aloe vera or scent. |
Innersense and Kinky-Curly are both near the top of our Curl Scores. Kinky-Curly is the highest-rated brand we track, and Innersense is close behind. Both are pricey, both have reviewers who have stayed loyal for years, and both suit fine curls better than most brands. They're strongest in different parts of a routine, though.
The main difference
Leave-in: Kinky-Curly wins. Knot Today is a near-universal favorite for exceptional slip and detangling without weight. Innersense's Sweet Spirit leave-in is a favorite too, but its conditioners have little slip for some reviewers.
Gel: these two are opposites. Innersense's I Create Volume is thin and light, and gives touchable definition that lasts for days. Almost every reviewer liked it. Kinky-Curly's Curling Custard is thick and gives clumpy, shiny, hydrated curls, but needs diffusing and can frizz in humidity.
Range: Innersense has more stylers. Its foams, I Create Definition and I Create Lift, are praised on fine hair, and I Create Hold gives multi-day hold. Kinky-Curly is essentially two products plus a shampoo.
Price: both are expensive. Innersense's products are concentrated enough that a bottle can last close to a year. Kinky-Curly's prices keep rising, and it's hard to find outside the US.
Which to choose
Choose Innersense if your curls are fine to medium and you want light definition that lasts, or you want foams and gels at different strengths.
Choose Kinky-Curly if your curls tangle easily, or you want clumpy, shiny definition on curly to coily hair.
Combine them: Knot Today under I Create Volume pairs two of the best-liked products we track.
The verdict
You don't have to choose. Knot Today is the leave-in to buy, and Innersense's I Create Volume is one of the best light gels to put over it.
Head to head
Each brand's strongest product of each type, by what reviewers say.
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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
Kinky-Curly
22 positive·8 mixed·4 negativeA decade-long holy grail for many, with clumpy, shiny curls, but too heavy or frizzy for some, and pricier every year.
Best for Clumped, shiny definition on curly to coily hair, diffused
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
Kinky-Curly
Knot Today is the safe pick: several reviewers with fine, low-porosity hair call it the only leave-in that doesn't weigh their hair down, and the only conditioner that has ever detangled it. The Custard is riskier.
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
Kinky-Curly
Reviewers don't single out Kinky-Curly 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
Kinky-Curly
Reviewers don't single out Kinky-Curly for this.
Humid weather
Innersense
Reviewers don't single out Innersense for this.
Kinky-Curly
The Custard's moisture is a mixed blessing. One reviewer prefers it for holding through humidity, but others got major halo frizz and curls that lasted a couple of hours, or found it doesn't work in high humidity.
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.
Kinky-Curly
Reviewers don't single out Kinky-Curly for this.
Starting out or on a budget
Innersense
Reviewers don't single out Innersense for this.
Kinky-Curly
Start with Knot Today, the most-reviewed product and the one with almost no complaints beyond its scent. If you want hold, the Custard is the brand's styler: use very little, diffuse rather than air-dry, and know that a few reviewers say recent tubs flake.
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
Kinky-Curly
- Praised: Slip and detangling from Knot Today
- Praised: Light enough for fine hair
- Praised: Clumpy, shiny, hydrated curls from the Custard
- Praised: A little goes a long way
- Praised: Short, simple ingredient lists
- Complaint: The price, which keeps rising
- Complaint: Hard to find in shops and outside the US
- Complaint: Custard frizz or weak hold in humidity
- Complaint: Flaking from recent Custard tubs, for a few
- Complaint: Scents some find too strong