Brand comparison
Only Curls vs Aunt Jackie's: Premium Curl Care vs a Budget Favorite
Aunt Jackie's costs a fraction as much and reviewers rate it much higher. Only Curls' advantages are its conditioner and fragrance-free products.
| Compared | Only Curls | Aunt Jackie’s |
|---|---|---|
| What reviewers think | Mixed opinions: Good on thick, dry curls. Heavy on fine hair. | Mostly positive: Big results. Small price. |
| Curl Score | 3.2 Mixed | 4.2 Great |
| People with an opinion | 41 | 51 |
| Best-liked product | All Curl Conditioner | Curl La La Defining Curl Custard |
| More promising for | Thick, dry or coarse curls that need moisture, slip and definition. | Medium to coarse curls and coils, children's detangling, and anyone who wants reliable results on a budget. |
| Think twice if | Your strands are fine and easily weighed down, you are sensitive to fragrance, or you are on a tight budget. | Your hair is fine and easily weighed down, or your scalp reacts to rich creams. |
Aunt Jackie's is one of the best-value brands we track. A big tub of its gel costs about $7, and reviewers call several of its products holy grail. Only Curls is a premium British brand at several times the price. Both suit medium to coarse curls, and both get complaints about weight on fine hair.
Aunt Jackie's has one of the highest Curl Scores we track. Only Curls is in the mixed range.
The main difference
Curl cream: Aunt Jackie's Curl La La Defining Curl Custard gives soft, defined, bouncy curls and works for refresh days. Only Curls' Hydrating Curl Creme is the most divisive product in its range: loved on thick, dry hair and heavy on fine hair.
Gel: Aunt Jackie's Don't Shrink Flaxseed Gel is a cheap, long-lasting gel that many say rivals pricier ones, though it turns gummy or sticky for a few. Only Curls' Enhancing Curl Gel is pleasant to use, with a soft hold.
Where Only Curls leads: its All Curl Conditioner is praised for slip, and it sells fragrance-free versions of its core products. Aunt Jackie's scents are a sticking point for some reviewers too.
Which to choose
Choose Aunt Jackie's if you want reliable results on medium to coarse curls without spending much, or you're detangling children's hair. Parents rave about its Knot On My Watch detangler.
Choose Only Curls if you need fragrance-free products, or you want a premium conditioner with lots of slip.
Skip both if your hair is fine and easily weighed down.
The verdict
Aunt Jackie's is the better buy for most people with medium to coarse curls. It's cheaper and better reviewed. Only Curls is the pick if fragrance is a problem for you.
Head to head
Each brand's strongest product of each type, by what reviewers say.
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Curl cream
Only Curls
5 positive·6 negativeThe most divisive product in the range: loved on thick, dry hair, too heavy and greasy on fine hair.
Best for Thick, dry, coarse curls and coils
Aunt Jackie’s
Curl La La Defining Curl Custard
13 positive·1 mixed·1 negativeA well-liked custard for soft, defined, bouncy curls and refresh days, though too heavy for some.
Best for Soft definition on medium-length curls, alone or under a gel
Gel
Only Curls
6 positive·3 mixed·4 negativePleasant to apply with a good finish, but the hold is soft. Anyone after a firm cast found it too weak.
Best for Soft definition, or as a finishing layer
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
Only Curls
Start with the mousse, the one product fine-haired reviewers keep using. The curl creme was the most common source of “heavy” and “greasy by day two”.
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.
Thick, dense or coily hair
Only Curls
This is where the range does best. Reviewers with thick, dry curls and coils rate the conditioner and curl creme, and one with thick, dry 2C waves calls the cleanser and conditioner the only pair that has ever worked.
Aunt Jackie’s
Reviewers don't single out Aunt Jackie’s for this.
Strong hold
Only Curls
The Enhancing gel is soft, and that is its most common complaint. The Mega Hold gel is the firmer option, though there are only two opinions on it so far and its scent is strong.
Aunt Jackie’s
Reviewers don't single out Aunt Jackie’s for this.
Sensitive scalp or scent-sensitive
Only Curls
Buy the fragrance-free cleanser and conditioner, which are sold online only. The Mega Hold gel has no fragrance-free version, and a few reviewers suspect the coconut in the formulas.
Aunt Jackie’s
Reviewers don't single out Aunt Jackie’s for this.
Children's hair
Only Curls
Reviewers don't single out Only Curls 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
Only Curls
Try the Starter Pack before full sizes; results vary so much that even critics recommend it. Several reviewers also found technique made more difference than any one range.
Try Starter Pack
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
Only Curls
- Praised: Frizz control and definition, when it suits your hair
- Praised: Plenty of slip in the conditioner
- Praised: A little shampoo goes a long way
- Praised: Fragrance-free versions of the core products
- Praised: Sample and starter kits for trying the range
- Complaint: Too heavy for fine hair and loose waves
- Complaint: A cloying, sickly sweet standard fragrance
- Complaint: The price, especially next to drugstore curl ranges
- Complaint: A soft hold from the Enhancing gel
- Complaint: Coconut in the formulas, for those it doesn't agree with
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