Brand comparison
Only Curls vs Kinky-Curly: Which Curl Brand Is Better?
Kinky-Curly has two cult classics and one of the best-loved leave-ins we track. Only Curls offers more choice but less consensus.
| Compared | Only Curls | Kinky-Curly |
|---|---|---|
| What reviewers think | Mixed opinions: Good on thick, dry curls. Heavy on fine hair. | Mostly positive: Cult classics. Rising prices. |
| Curl Score | 3.2 Mixed | 4.3 Great |
| People with an opinion | 41 | 97 |
| Best-liked product | All Curl Conditioner | Knot Today Leave-In Conditioner |
| More promising for | Thick, dry or coarse curls that need moisture, slip and definition. | Fine or tangle-prone curls that need slip without weight, and anyone who wants a short, simple ingredient list. |
| Think twice if | Your strands are fine and easily weighed down, you are sensitive to fragrance, or you are on a tight budget. | You live somewhere humid and need firm hold, your hair is fine and wavy, or you're sensitive to aloe vera or scent. |
Kinky-Curly is a small line with fiercely loyal fans. Many have used it for 10, 15 or 20 years. Only Curls is a broader British range with gels, creams, a mousse, wash-day products and starter packs. Kinky-Curly has the highest Curl Score of any brand we track. Only Curls is in the mixed range.
The main difference
Leave-in: Kinky-Curly's Knot Today is a near-universal favorite: a light leave-in with exceptional slip that detangles without weighing hair down. Only Curls' best product does a similar job in the rinse-out step. Its All Curl Conditioner is praised for slip and frizz control, but has far fewer reviews and more doubts about the price.
Gel: Kinky-Curly's Curling Custard gives clumpy, shiny, hydrated curls, but it's thick, needs diffusing, and frizzes in humidity for some. Only Curls' Enhancing Curl Gel is softer. Its Mega Hold Curl Gel is the firmer option.
Price and availability: both brands are expensive. Kinky-Curly's prices keep rising, and it's hard to find outside the US. Only Curls is the easier of the two to buy in the UK.
Which to choose
Choose Kinky-Curly if your curls are fine or tangle-prone and need slip without weight, or you want clumpy, defined curls from the Custard and are willing to diffuse.
Choose Only Curls if you're in the UK, your curls are thick and dry, or you want fragrance-free versions of core products.
Skip both if you live somewhere humid and need firm hold. Neither brand's gel is reliable in humid weather.
The verdict
Kinky-Curly is the better-loved brand. If you only buy one product, make it Knot Today. Only Curls makes more sense if Kinky-Curly is hard to find where you live, or if your hair needs a richer, thicker routine.
Head to head
Each brand's strongest product of each type, by what reviewers say.
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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
Kinky-Curly
Knot Today Leave-In Conditioner
34 positive·4 mixedA near-universal favourite: a light leave-in with elite slip that detangles without weighing hair down.
Best for Detangling fine or tangle-prone curls without weight
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
Kinky-Curly
22 positive·8 mixed·4 negativeA decade-long holy grail for many, with clumpy, shiny curls, but too heavy or frizzy for some, and pricier every year.
Best for Clumped, shiny definition on curly to coily hair, diffused
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”.
Kinky-Curly
Knot Today is the safe pick: several reviewers with fine, low-porosity hair call it the only leave-in that doesn't weigh their hair down, and the only conditioner that has ever detangled it. The Custard is riskier.
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.
Kinky-Curly
Reviewers don't single out Kinky-Curly 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.
Kinky-Curly
Reviewers don't single out Kinky-Curly for this.
Humid weather
Only Curls
Reviewers don't single out Only Curls for this.
Kinky-Curly
The Custard's moisture is a mixed blessing. One reviewer prefers it for holding through humidity, but others got major halo frizz and curls that lasted a couple of hours, or found it doesn't work in high humidity.
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.
Kinky-Curly
Reviewers don't single out Kinky-Curly 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
Kinky-Curly
Start with Knot Today, the most-reviewed product and the one with almost no complaints beyond its scent. If you want hold, the Custard is the brand's styler: use very little, diffuse rather than air-dry, and know that a few reviewers say recent tubs flake.
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
Kinky-Curly
- Praised: Slip and detangling from Knot Today
- Praised: Light enough for fine hair
- Praised: Clumpy, shiny, hydrated curls from the Custard
- Praised: A little goes a long way
- Praised: Short, simple ingredient lists
- Complaint: The price, which keeps rising
- Complaint: Hard to find in shops and outside the US
- Complaint: Custard frizz or weak hold in humidity
- Complaint: Flaking from recent Custard tubs, for a few
- Complaint: Scents some find too strong