Brand comparison
Only Curls vs Camille Rose: Which Curl Brand Is Better?
Two moisture-focused brands for thick, dry curls. Camille Rose is better liked; Only Curls has more scent-free options.
| Compared | Only Curls | Camille Rose |
|---|---|---|
| What reviewers think | Mixed opinions: Good on thick, dry curls. Heavy on fine hair. | Mostly positive: Well liked and consistent, but pricey. |
| Curl Score | 3.2 Mixed | 4.1 Great |
| People with an opinion | 41 | 45 |
| Best-liked product | All Curl Conditioner | Curl Maker |
| More promising for | Thick, dry or coarse curls that need moisture, slip and definition. | Thick, dry, low-porosity or coily hair that wants hydration and soft definition. |
| 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, you want a firm cast, or you live somewhere humid and want hold that lasts. |
Only Curls and Camille Rose are aimed at much the same hair: thick, dry curls that want moisture and soft definition. Both are priced above the drugstore, and price is a recurring complaint about both. Reviewers like Camille Rose more, though. It has one of the highest Curl Scores among the brands we track, while Only Curls sits in the mixed range.
The main difference
Gel: Camille Rose's Curl Maker is its favorite product, a hydrating gel with a silky finish. Only Curls' Enhancing Curl Gel is pleasant to use but holds softly. Neither gives a firm cast. If you need one, Only Curls' Mega Hold Curl Gel is the firmer of the two brands' options, though its scent is very sweet.
Leave-in and conditioner: Camille Rose's Moisture Milk is wonderfully soft on coils, but thick enough that several reviewers dilute it. Only Curls' All Curl Conditioner is praised for slip and frizz control.
Scent: this is the clearest split. Most reviewers enjoy Camille Rose's smells. Only Curls' standard fragrance is a common complaint, though fragrance-free versions of its core products exist.
Which to choose
Choose Camille Rose if your hair is thick, dry, low porosity or coily and you want hydration and soft definition, and you enjoy a fragrant product.
Choose Only Curls if you want a conditioner with plenty of slip, need a fragrance-free range, or want a firmer gel than Curl Maker.
Skip both if your hair is fine and easily weighed down, or you live somewhere humid and want hold that lasts. Both brands' products are rich, and Curl Maker's medium hold gives out in humidity for some.
The verdict
Camille Rose is the better-liked brand and the better choice for coily, thirsty hair. Only Curls is worth it mainly for its conditioner's slip and its fragrance-free line.
Head to head
Each brand's strongest product of each type, by what reviewers say.
Amazon links on this page are affiliate links: we may earn a commission if you buy, at no extra cost to you. How this works
Shampoo
Only Curls
6 positive·1 mixed·5 negativeFans say a little cleans a lot without stripping; critics found it heavy, strongly scented and no better than cheaper shampoos.
Best for Thick or dry waves and curls; the unscented version for sensitive scalps
Camille Rose
2 positive·2 mixed·1 negativeA gentle between-washes cleanser that some love and others find too weak, with one report of it turning smelly.
Best for Gentle mid-week cleansing on dry or coily hair
Conditioner and leave-in
Only Curls
6 positive·2 mixed·2 negativeThe best liked of the wash-day products, praised for slip and frizz control. The doubt is whether it is worth the premium.
Best for Thick, dry or coily hair that needs slip
Camille Rose
6 positive·3 mixedWonderfully soft on coils and well smelling, but thick enough that several reviewers dilute it.
Best for Thick or coily hair that wants softness
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
Camille Rose
8 positive·4 mixed·1 negativeThe favourite: a hydrating, silky gel that most reviewers like, whose medium hold gives out in humidity for some.
Best for Soft, hydrated definition on fine to coily hair, alone or under a stronger gel
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”.
Camille Rose
The Curl Maker is the safest bet: a reviewer with fine 2B/3A hair is on her fifth bottle and says one lasts six months or more. The thick, creamy products are riskier.
Try Curl Maker
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.
Camille Rose
This is where the range gets its warmest reviews. A reviewer with type 4 coils says nothing leaves her hair as soft as the Moisture Milk, and a reviewer with 3C/4A hair loves the Curl Maker alone or under a stronger gel, though it flakes on her.
Try Moisture Milk
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.
Camille Rose
The Curl Maker is a medium-hold gel, and reviewers who wanted a crunchy cast or hold through humid weather found it too soft. Its humectants can keep curls flexible or even swollen in humid air.
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.
Camille Rose
Reviewers don't single out Camille Rose for this.
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
Camille Rose
Start with the Curl Maker, the most reviewed product and the one most reviewers like. One buys it on sale, and another says it is cheaper than a similar gel depending where you buy it.
Try Curl Maker
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
Camille Rose
- Praised: Smells that most reviewers enjoy
- Praised: Hydration and a silky finish from the Curl Maker
- Praised: Deep softness on thick and coily hair
- Praised: A solid, consistent brand
- Praised: Thick formulas that can be diluted to last longer
- Complaint: The price, and trouble finding it cheaper
- Complaint: Medium hold that gives out in humidity
- Complaint: Flakes from the Curl Maker, for a few
- Complaint: Hair that felt dry or like straw, for a few
- Complaint: Thick, heavy formulas on fine hair