Brand comparison
Only Curls vs Miss Jessie's: Which Curl Brand Suits Your Hair?
Both brands divide people on scent. Miss Jessie's has the more loved stylers; Only Curls is the better choice for thick, dry hair.
| Compared | Only Curls | Miss Jessie’s |
|---|---|---|
| What reviewers think | Mixed opinions: Good on thick, dry curls. Heavy on fine hair. | Loved, with a catch: Soft definition. Divisive scent. |
| Curl Score | 3.2 Mixed | 3.9 Good |
| People with an opinion | 41 | 70 |
| Best-liked product | All Curl Conditioner | Pillow Soft Curls |
| More promising for | Thick, dry or coarse curls that need moisture, slip and definition. | Waves, curls and coils that want soft definition without crunch, if you can live with the fragrance. |
| Think twice if | Your strands are fine and easily weighed down, you are sensitive to fragrance, or you are on a tight budget. | You are sensitive to fragrance, you avoid silicones, or your fine hair is quickly weighed down by creams. |
Only Curls and Miss Jessie's are both mid-to-premium curl brands, and both lose reviewers for the same reason: their fragrance. Only Curls' standard scent is described as sickly sweet, and Miss Jessie's as a strong laundry or fabric-softener smell. If you can get past that, the two suit different needs.
Miss Jessie's has the higher Curl Score, and its stylers are among the most repurchased we track. Only Curls is more mixed, with its best reviews for moisture and slip on thick, dry curls.
The main difference
Stylers: Miss Jessie's Jelly Soft Curls has almost no critics, and Pillow Soft Curls is the brand's most recommended product, for soft definition without crunch. Only Curls' Hydrating Curl Creme divides reviewers by hair type, and its Enhancing gel holds softly.
Leave-in: Miss Jessie's Leave In Condish is a long-time first step that reviewers love for detangling. Only Curls' strength is its rinse-out All Curl Conditioner, for slip.
Scent-free options: both brands have them. Only Curls makes fragrance-free versions of its core products. Miss Jessie's Feather Soft Curls is the product reviewers who dislike the brand's stronger scents point to, and it is also the one for fine hair.
Which to choose
Choose Miss Jessie's if you want soft, uncrunchy definition and second-day hair that still looks good, on anything from fine waves to coils. Be aware that many of its products contain silicones.
Choose Only Curls if your curls are thick, dry or coarse and you want a conditioner with real slip, or you would rather use a fragrance-free line.
Skip both if your fine hair is easily weighed down by creams. Both brands' richer products get that complaint.
The verdict
Miss Jessie's is the better-loved brand. Its gel and Pillow Soft cream are the safer buys if you can live with the scent. Only Curls is the choice for thick, dry curls that need slip, and the more reliable option if you need to avoid fragrance altogether.
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
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
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
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
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
Miss Jessie’s
15 positive·1 negativeThe best liked gel in the range: reviewers repurchase it for years, with one clear exception on fine hair.
Best for Anyone after soft, lasting definition
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”.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
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
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.
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
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