Brand comparison
Innersense vs SheaMoisture: Which Curl Brand Is Better?
Innersense is light, premium and highly rated; SheaMoisture is rich, cheap and mixed. They suit different hair.
| Compared | Innersense | SheaMoisture |
|---|---|---|
| What reviewers think | Mostly positive: Loved and long-lasting. Pricey. | Mixed opinions: One cult classic. Mostly heavy. |
| Curl Score | 4.1 Great | 3.4 Mixed |
| People with an opinion | 106 | 67 |
| Best-liked product | I Create Volume | Coconut & Hibiscus Curl Enhancing Smoothie |
| More promising for | Fine to medium curls that want light, lasting definition, and anyone who values clean ingredients and refills. | Thick, coarse or coily hair that likes rich products, children's detangling, and the Smoothie as a leave-in. |
| 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, wavy or low porosity, or you loved the old formulas and expect them unchanged. |
Innersense and SheaMoisture are both sold on natural-sounding ingredients, but the similarity ends there. Innersense is a premium brand whose best products are light stylers for fine to medium curls. SheaMoisture is a budget brand of rich shea-butter products for thick, coily hair. Innersense has one of the highest Curl Scores we track. SheaMoisture's is mixed.
The main difference
Curl cream: SheaMoisture's Curl Enhancing Smoothie is a decade-long staple, rich enough to work as a leave-in on medium to thick curls. Innersense's Air Dry Styling Cream is a light one-product styler for fine hair, with few reviews.
Styling: Innersense wins. I Create Volume is one of the best-liked light gels we track, and its foams and stronger gels give definition that lasts for days. SheaMoisture's reviews center on the Smoothie, and the rest of its range draws more complaints.
Fine hair: most reviewers with fine, wavy or low-porosity hair say SheaMoisture is too heavy. Innersense is often recommended for exactly that hair.
Consistency: long-time SheaMoisture users say formulas changed after the 2017 Unilever buyout. Innersense fans describe staying loyal for years.
Which to choose
Choose Innersense if your curls are fine to medium and you want light definition that lasts, and you're willing to pay for it.
Choose SheaMoisture if your hair is thick, coarse or coily and likes rich products, or you want to spend little.
Skip SheaMoisture if your hair is fine or wavy. Skip Innersense if your scalp is easily irritated.
The verdict
For fine curls, Innersense is the far better choice. For thick, dry curls, SheaMoisture's Smoothie is a proven, cheap cream, but skip the rest of the range.
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
SheaMoisture
Reviewers don't single out SheaMoisture 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.
SheaMoisture
Reviewers don't single out SheaMoisture for this.
Children's hair
Innersense
Reviewers don't single out Innersense 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.
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
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