Brand comparison
Kinky-Curly vs SheaMoisture: Which Curl Brand Is Better?
Kinky-Curly's Knot Today is one of the best-loved leave-ins we track. SheaMoisture is cheaper and richer, and much more mixed.
| Compared | Kinky-Curly | SheaMoisture |
|---|---|---|
| What reviewers think | Mostly positive: Cult classics. Rising prices. | Mixed opinions: One cult classic. Mostly heavy. |
| Curl Score | 4.3 Great | 3.4 Mixed |
| People with an opinion | 97 | 67 |
| Best-liked product | Knot Today Leave-In Conditioner | Coconut & Hibiscus Curl Enhancing Smoothie |
| More promising for | Fine or tangle-prone curls that need slip without weight, and anyone who wants a short, simple ingredient list. | Thick, coarse or coily hair that likes rich products, children's detangling, and the Smoothie as a leave-in. |
| 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, wavy or low porosity, or you loved the old formulas and expect them unchanged. |
Kinky-Curly and SheaMoisture both have fans who have used them for a decade, and both were built for curly and coily hair. They've gone in different directions since. Kinky-Curly has kept a short, simple range and the highest Curl Score we track. SheaMoisture's long-time users say its formulas changed after the 2017 Unilever buyout, and its Curl Score is mixed.
The main difference
Leave-in: Kinky-Curly wins clearly. Knot Today is a near-universal favorite for slip and detangling without weight. SheaMoisture's JBCO leave-in is said to do wonders for thick hair, but has few reviews.
Styling: these are different products for different jobs. Kinky-Curly's Curling Custard is a gel for clumpy, shiny, hydrated curls. SheaMoisture's Curl Enhancing Smoothie is a rich cream, used as a leave-in or one-step styler on medium to thick curls. A Smoothie and Custard routine pairs moisture with hold.
Fine hair: Knot Today suits fine curls. Most reviewers with fine or wavy hair find SheaMoisture's range too heavy.
Price: SheaMoisture is cheap and easy to find. Kinky-Curly is pricey and getting more so, and it's hard to find outside the US.
Which to choose
Choose Kinky-Curly if you need a leave-in that detangles without weight, or you want clumpy definition from a gel.
Choose SheaMoisture if your hair is thick, coarse or coily and likes rich creams, you want to spend little, or you're detangling children's hair.
Skip SheaMoisture if your hair is fine, wavy or low porosity.
The verdict
Kinky-Curly is the more consistent, better-loved brand. Its Knot Today is the product to buy. SheaMoisture's Smoothie is still worth having for thick, dry curls.
Head to head
Each brand's strongest product of each type, by what reviewers say.
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Conditioner and leave-in
Kinky-Curly
Knot Today Leave-In Conditioner
34 positive·4 mixedA near-universal favourite: a light leave-in with elite slip that detangles without weighing hair down.
Best for Detangling fine or tangle-prone curls without weight
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
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.
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
Kinky-Curly
Reviewers don't single out Kinky-Curly 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
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.
SheaMoisture
Reviewers don't single out SheaMoisture for this.
Children's hair
Kinky-Curly
Reviewers don't single out Kinky-Curly 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
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.
SheaMoisture
Reviewers don't single out SheaMoisture for this.
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
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