Brand comparison
Kinky-Curly vs Aunt Jackie's: Is Curling Custard Worth the Price?
Reviewers often compare Aunt Jackie's Flaxseed gel with Kinky-Curly's Curling Custard, and say it holds up for a fraction of the price.
| Compared | Kinky-Curly | Aunt Jackie’s |
|---|---|---|
| What reviewers think | Mostly positive: Cult classics. Rising prices. | Mostly positive: Big results. Small price. |
| Curl Score | 4.3 Great | 4.2 Great |
| People with an opinion | 97 | 51 |
| Best-liked product | Knot Today Leave-In Conditioner | Curl La La Defining Curl Custard |
| More promising for | Fine or tangle-prone curls that need slip without weight, and anyone who wants a short, simple ingredient list. | Medium to coarse curls and coils, children's detangling, and anyone who wants reliable results on a budget. |
| Think twice if | You live somewhere humid and need firm hold, your hair is fine and wavy, or you're sensitive to aloe vera or scent. | Your hair is fine and easily weighed down, or your scalp reacts to rich creams. |
Kinky-Curly and Aunt Jackie's are the two highest-rated brands we track. Reviewers often compare them directly, because Aunt Jackie's Don't Shrink Flaxseed gel is pitched by fans as a budget alternative to Kinky-Curly's much pricier Curling Custard. Kinky-Curly has the slightly higher Curl Score and about twice as many reviewers.
The main difference
Gel: Kinky-Curly's Curling Custard is a decade-long holy grail for many, with clumpy, shiny, hydrated curls, but it's thick, needs diffusing, and gets pricier every year. Aunt Jackie's Don't Shrink Flaxseed Gel costs about $7 for 18 ounces, and several reviewers compare it favorably with the Custard. A few found it gummy, sticky or drying.
Leave-in: both brands have a standout. Kinky-Curly's Knot Today is one of the best-loved leave-ins we track, for slip and detangling without weight. Aunt Jackie's Quench is its best-liked product, called a godsend and a holy grail.
Cream: only Aunt Jackie's makes one among the products we track. Curl La La gives soft, defined, bouncy curls.
Fine hair: Knot Today is light enough for fine curls. Aunt Jackie's gets complaints about weight on fine hair.
Which to choose
Choose Kinky-Curly if your curls tangle easily or are fine, or the Custard has worked for you and you don't want to switch.
Choose Aunt Jackie's if you want Custard-style results on medium to coarse curls for far less, or you're detangling children's hair.
Skip both gels if you live somewhere very humid. Both get complaints about frizz or stickiness from some reviewers.
The verdict
Try Aunt Jackie's Flaxseed gel before paying for Curling Custard. Many reviewers say it holds its own. Knot Today is still worth buying for detangling.
Head to head
Each brand's strongest product of each type, by what reviewers say.
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Gel
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
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
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.
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.
Humid weather
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.
Aunt Jackie’s
Reviewers don't single out Aunt Jackie’s for this.
Children's hair
Kinky-Curly
Reviewers don't single out Kinky-Curly 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
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.
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
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
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