Brand comparison
Miss Jessie's vs SheaMoisture: Which Curl Brand Suits Your Hair?
Two famous curl creams. Pillow Soft Curls suits finer hair; the SheaMoisture Smoothie suits thick, dry hair. Miss Jessie's rates higher overall.
| Compared | Miss Jessie’s | SheaMoisture |
|---|---|---|
| What reviewers think | Loved, with a catch: Soft definition. Divisive scent. | Mixed opinions: One cult classic. Mostly heavy. |
| Curl Score | 3.9 Good | 3.4 Mixed |
| People with an opinion | 70 | 67 |
| Best-liked product | Pillow Soft Curls | Coconut & Hibiscus Curl Enhancing Smoothie |
| More promising for | Waves, curls and coils that want soft definition without crunch, if you can live with the fragrance. | Thick, coarse or coily hair that likes rich products, children's detangling, and the Smoothie as a leave-in. |
| Think twice if | You are sensitive to fragrance, you avoid silicones, or your fine hair is quickly weighed down by creams. | Your hair is fine, wavy or low porosity, or you loved the old formulas and expect them unchanged. |
Each of these brands has a famous curl cream. Miss Jessie's has Pillow Soft Curls, and SheaMoisture has the Curl Enhancing Smoothie. Both creams have devoted users, but they're made for different hair. Miss Jessie's has the higher Curl Score. SheaMoisture is cheaper, and its reputation rests mostly on the one product.
The main difference
Curl cream: Pillow Soft Curls gives soft, uncrunchy definition and is recommended most for fine to medium waves and curls. The Curl Enhancing Smoothie is rich and works as a leave-in or one-step styler on medium to thick curls. Most reviewers with fine or wavy hair find SheaMoisture's range too heavy.
Leave-in: Miss Jessie's Leave In Condish is light and well liked for detangling. SheaMoisture's JBCO leave-in is aimed at thick hair, and has few reviews.
Gel: Miss Jessie's Jelly Soft Curls is one of the best-liked gels we track. SheaMoisture has nothing reviewers rate as highly.
Problems: Miss Jessie's main complaint is its fabric-softener scent, and many of its products contain silicones. SheaMoisture's is that formulas changed after the 2017 Unilever buyout, though reviewers still like its smells.
Which to choose
Choose Miss Jessie's if your waves or curls are fine to medium, or you want a cream and gel routine for soft definition.
Choose SheaMoisture if your hair is thick, coarse or coily and likes rich products, you want to spend less, or you're detangling children's hair.
Skip Miss Jessie's if fragrance or silicones are a problem for you.
The verdict
On finer hair, Miss Jessie's is the better brand. On thick, dry curls, SheaMoisture's Smoothie is a cheap, proven cream, but buy that one product rather than the whole range.
Head to head
Each brand's strongest product of each type, by what reviewers say.
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Conditioner and leave-in
Miss Jessie’s
9 positive·1 mixed·1 negativeA leave-in that reviewers use as a first step for years, loved for detangling and a light feel, with the fabric-softener scent as the catch.
Best for Tangle-prone hair, and fine curls that need a light leave-in
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
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
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
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.
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
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.
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
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
SheaMoisture
Reviewers don't single out SheaMoisture for this.
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.
SheaMoisture
Reviewers don't single out SheaMoisture for this.
Children's hair
Miss Jessie’s
Reviewers don't single out Miss Jessie’s 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
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.
SheaMoisture
Reviewers don't single out SheaMoisture 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
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