Brand comparison
Only Curls vs Curlsmith: Which Premium Curl Brand Is Worth It?
Two pricey, curl-specialist brands. Curlsmith has more products reviewers love; Only Curls is better for thick, dry hair that needs slip.
| Compared | Only Curls | Curlsmith |
|---|---|---|
| What reviewers think | Mixed opinions: Good on thick, dry curls. Heavy on fine hair. | Divides opinion: Standout products. Divisive brand. |
| Curl Score | 3.2 Mixed | 3.7 Good |
| People with an opinion | 41 | 183 |
| Best-liked product | All Curl Conditioner | Weightless Air Dry Cream |
| More promising for | Thick, dry or coarse curls that need moisture, slip and definition. | Waves and curls that want light, humidity-resistant hold, starting with the Flexi Jelly in a travel size. |
| Think twice if | Your strands are fine and easily weighed down, you are sensitive to fragrance, or you are on a tight budget. | Your scalp reacts easily, you dislike strong scents, your fine hair turns greasy with creams, or you are paying full price. |
Only Curls and Curlsmith are both premium brands sold specifically for curls, both cost well over drugstore prices, and both offer ways to try them before committing: Only Curls with starter packs, and Curlsmith with travel sizes and a free online curl quiz. Some reviewers move between the two, and one calls them both "top tier."
From what reviewers say, Curlsmith is the safer bet for most hair. It has far more reviews, a higher Curl Score, and a run of well-liked stylers. Only Curls makes more sense if your curls are thick and dry and you want a conditioner with plenty of slip.
The main difference
Curlsmith wins on stylers. Its Weightless Air Dry Cream and Hydro Style Flexi Jelly are among the best-liked products we track, each with more than twice as many fans as critics. Only Curls' stylers are more divisive. Its Hydrating Curl Creme is loved on thick, dry hair but too heavy on fine hair. Its Enhancing Curl Gel is pleasant to use, but the hold is soft.
Only Curls wins on wash day for thick hair. The All Curl Conditioner is the brand's best-liked product, praised for slip and frizz control. Fans say a little of the cleanser goes a long way.
Both have the same weak points: price and fragrance. Only Curls' standard scent is described as cloying and sickly sweet. Curlsmith's scents are strong, and some reviewers report itchy or burning scalps. Both brands offer fragrance-free versions, and scent-sensitive reviewers point to them.
Which to choose
Choose Curlsmith if your waves or curls are fine to medium, you want a light gel that holds up in humidity, or your curls are damaged. Its Bond Curl Rehab Salve is one of the best-liked treatments we track.
Choose Only Curls if your curls are thick, dry or coarse and you want moisture, slip and definition, or you want a fragrance-free wash day. For fine hair within the range, reviewers point to the Volumising Curl Mousse.
Skip both if budget is tight. Critics of both brands say cheaper products gave them the same results.
The verdict
For most people, Curlsmith is the better first buy. Start with the Flexi Jelly or Air Dry Cream in a travel size. Only Curls is the better fit for thick, dry curls that need slip from the conditioner, but it is the bigger gamble on fine hair and on scent.
Head to head
Each brand's strongest product of each type, by what reviewers say.
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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
Curlsmith
Curl Quenching Conditioning Wash
5 positive·1 mixed·2 negativeA well-liked, non-stripping co-wash, though it builds up and the pump can fail.
Best for Gentle wash days on dry or wavy-to-curly 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
Curlsmith
11 positive·2 negativeOne of the best-liked Curlsmith products: a bond repair treatment that brought damaged curls back for many.
Best for Damaged or heat-styled curls that have lost their pattern
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
Curlsmith
23 positive·1 mixed·8 negativeThe most-reviewed Curlsmith product: a leave-in most reviewers like for soft, defined curls, though too heavy on some fine hair.
Best for Waves and curls that want softness and definition; fine hair if used sparingly or diluted
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
Curlsmith
20 positive·1 mixed·7 negativeThe best liked Curlsmith product: a light, humidity-resistant gel that fine-haired reviewers love, though some found the hold too soft.
Best for Fine to medium waves and curls that want light, flexible hold
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”.
Curlsmith
Start with the Hydro Style Flexi Jelly: several reviewers with fine waves and curls call it their favourite, and say it is light. Fine-haired reviewers were also the ones most likely to find the brand greasy, stringy or flat, and the Air Dry Cream and Curl Soufflé were too heavy for some.
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.
Curlsmith
Reviewers don't single out Curlsmith for this.
Dry hair
Only Curls
Reviewers don't single out Only Curls for this.
Curlsmith
The Oil-in-Cream has only a few reviews, but all of them are positive: reviewers say it leaves hair moisturised and works well under a gel. The Air Dry Cream is the lighter choice, and fans say it softens and defines.
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.
Curlsmith
The In-Shower Style Fixer and the Curl Soufflé are the firmer options, and fans describe a strong hold that, for the Style Fixer, lasts several days. Neither is a sure thing: the Style Fixer left several reviewers’ hair tacky, and one who needs high hold says the brand’s strongest gel hadn’t lasted by the time their hair was dry.
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.
Curlsmith
Scalp trouble is the most common complaint that isn’t about styling: itching, burning, redness, and pain from the protein line. Reviewers name the In-Shower Style Fixer and Effortless Waves Spray, and one guesses the fragrance.
Damaged hair
Only Curls
Reviewers don't single out Only Curls for this.
Curlsmith
The Bond Rehab Salve is one of the best-liked Curlsmith products. A reviewer with fine hair who was considering a pixie cut says it brought their curls back to life within about 20 minutes and made them tangle less, others call it a must-have, and one says it's the only product their hair likes.
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
Curlsmith
Several reviewers say to start with travel or sample sizes, and the brand’s free curl quiz recommends a routine. Many buy Curlsmith at TJ Maxx or Marshalls for about half price, and some say it isn’t worth paying more.
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
Curlsmith
- Praised: The Air Dry Cream and Flexi Jelly, its most-loved stylers
- Praised: A Bond Rehab Salve that revives damaged curls
- Praised: Gels that hold up in humidity, according to fans
- Praised: Travel and sample sizes for trying products
- Praised: The free online curl quiz
- Praised: A Fragrance Free line
- Complaint: The price, for results that cheaper products can match
- Complaint: Greasy, heavy or stringy results, often on fine hair
- Complaint: The scent
- Complaint: Itchy or burning scalps and reactions
- Complaint: Hold that fades after the first day
- Complaint: Stylers that leave hair tacky
From people who tried both
Comments about one brand in discussions of the other.
Curlsmith, mentioned in Only Curls discussions
PositiveStrong HoldReddit comment
Worked well for me (I went for strong hold); one of the other pricier ranges.
u/Key-Bar-3460r/CurlyHairUK, 2026Original comment
PositiveCurlsmithReddit comment
I've used either Only Curls or Curlsmith and they're top tier in my opinion.
u/BooeySchmooeyr/CurlyHairUK, 2022Original comment
PositiveCurlsmith ConditionerReddit comment
I switched to a Curlsmith conditioner, which suited my hair's protein needs.
u/KikiVee87Hard water area; hair needed proteinr/CurlyHairUK, 2022Original comment