Brand comparison
Miss Jessie's vs Innersense: Which Curl Brand Is Better?
Both make light, soft-hold stylers with loyal fans. Innersense rates higher and suits fine curls; Miss Jessie's covers more textures.
| Compared | Miss Jessie’s | Innersense |
|---|---|---|
| What reviewers think | Loved, with a catch: Soft definition. Divisive scent. | Mostly positive: Loved and long-lasting. Pricey. |
| Curl Score | 3.9 Good | 4.1 Great |
| People with an opinion | 70 | 106 |
| Best-liked product | Pillow Soft Curls | I Create Volume |
| More promising for | Waves, curls and coils that want soft definition without crunch, if you can live with the fragrance. | Fine to medium curls that want light, lasting definition, and anyone who values clean ingredients and refills. |
| Think twice if | You are sensitive to fragrance, you avoid silicones, or your fine hair is quickly weighed down by creams. | Your scalp is easily irritated, you're on a tight budget, or you want a hold you can't overdo. |
Miss Jessie's and Innersense both make stylers that define without crunch. Both have fans who have used them for years, and both suit fine to medium curls. Innersense has the higher Curl Score. It's a premium brand with clean ingredients and refill pouches. Miss Jessie's is cheaper and covers a wider range of textures, up to coils.
The main difference
Light gel: both brands make one of the best-liked gels we track. Innersense's I Create Volume is thin, lightweight and lasts for days, and almost every reviewer liked it. Miss Jessie's Jelly Soft Curls is just as reliable, with soft, lasting definition.
Curl cream: Miss Jessie's Pillow Soft Curls is its most recommended product, with many reviews. Innersense's Air Dry Styling Cream is liked, but has few reviews.
Foam: only Innersense is strong here. I Create Definition Foam gives gel-like hold on fine curls.
Complaints: Miss Jessie's main one is a fabric-softener scent. Innersense's are price, some herbal scents, and a few reports of scalp irritation.
Which to choose
Choose Innersense if your curls are fine to medium, you want definition that lasts for days, or you prefer clean ingredients and are willing to pay for them.
Choose Miss Jessie's if you want soft definition from a cream, your hair is thicker or coily (Multicultural Curls covers 3B to 4A), or you want to spend less.
Skip Miss Jessie's if you avoid silicones. Skip Innersense if your scalp is easily irritated.
The verdict
For fine curls, both gels are excellent. Innersense edges ahead for long-lasting hold, and Miss Jessie's for price and range. If you want a cream, choose Miss Jessie's Pillow Soft Curls.
Head to head
Each brand's strongest product of each type, by what reviewers say.
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Curl cream
Miss Jessie’s
18 positive·6 mixed·3 negativeThe most reviewed and most recommended product in the range: soft, uncrunchy definition, for anyone who can bear the smell.
Best for Fine to medium waves and curls that want soft definition without crunch
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
Gel
Miss Jessie’s
15 positive·1 negativeThe best liked gel in the range: reviewers repurchase it for years, with one clear exception on fine hair.
Best for Anyone after soft, lasting definition
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
Which suits your hair
What reviewers with each kind of hair report.
Fine or wavy hair
Miss Jessie’s
Feather Soft Curls is the one reviewers with fine hair pick over Pillow Soft, and all five who mention it like it. The Leave In Condish is another that fine-haired reviewers say doesn’t weigh curls down.
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
Thick, dense or coily hair
Miss Jessie’s
Multicultural Curls is the one reviewers with thicker hair name most: a reviewer with low-porosity 3B-4A curls highly recommends it, and another rates it above Pillow Soft on 3B-3C hair. Opinion isn’t unanimous.
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
Strong hold
Miss Jessie’s
Jelly Soft Curls is the gel, and the best liked product in the range. Reviewers say the curls stay soft and intact all day, even when dancing and sweating, and that it avoids the scrunchy feel of other gels.
Try Jelly Soft Curls
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
Sensitive scalp or scent-sensitive
Miss Jessie’s
This is the brand’s weak spot. Feather Soft Curls is the one reviewers call mild, and a reviewer who is very sensitive to scents says the Leave In Condish has been good to her.
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.
Starting out or on a budget
Miss Jessie’s
Pillow Soft Curls is the most reviewed and the most recommended, and paired with Jelly Soft Curls it is the routine reviewers call their daily go-to. Because the scent is such a deal-breaker, try it in a shop or a small size before you commit.
Innersense
Reviewers don't single out Innersense for this.
Based on what commenters with similar hair reported. Hair varies.
What reviewers like and dislike
Miss Jessie’s
- Praised: Soft definition without crunch or a stiff cast
- Praised: Second-day hair that still looks good
- Praised: Staples that reviewers have repurchased for years
- Praised: Lightweight options for fine hair, such as Feather Soft Curls
- Praised: A range made for many textures, from fine waves to coils
- Complaint: A fabric-softener scent that some find nauseating
- Complaint: Heavy or greasy results on fine hair, for a few
- Complaint: Silicones in many of the products
- Complaint: Skin or scalp reactions, for a handful of reviewers
- Complaint: Price and availability, especially outside the US
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