Brand comparison
Only Curls vs SheaMoisture: Which Is Better for Thick, Dry Curls?
Two rich ranges for thick, dry hair, at very different prices. Some reviewers use both, pairing SheaMoisture's mousse with Only Curls' cream.
| Compared | Only Curls | SheaMoisture |
|---|---|---|
| What reviewers think | Mixed opinions: Good on thick, dry curls. Heavy on fine hair. | Mixed opinions: One cult classic. Mostly heavy. |
| Curl Score | 3.2 Mixed | 3.4 Mixed |
| People with an opinion | 41 | 67 |
| Best-liked product | All Curl Conditioner | Coconut & Hibiscus Curl Enhancing Smoothie |
| More promising for | Thick, dry or coarse curls that need moisture, slip and definition. | Thick, coarse or coily hair that likes rich products, children's detangling, and the Smoothie as a leave-in. |
| 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, wavy or low porosity, or you loved the old formulas and expect them unchanged. |
Only Curls and SheaMoisture both make rich, moisturizing products for thick, dry curls, and reviewers say both are too heavy for fine or wavy hair. SheaMoisture costs much less. In Only Curls discussions, reviewers bring it up as the cheaper option. One pairs SheaMoisture's mousse with Only Curls' curl cream to add a bit more oil.
The two brands have similar Curl Scores. Both are in the mixed range.
The main difference
Curl cream: SheaMoisture's Coconut & Hibiscus Curl Enhancing Smoothie is the product its fans stand by, a decade-long staple used as a leave-in or one-step styler. Only Curls' Hydrating Curl Creme is loved on thick, dry hair, and reviewers with fine hair find it heavy and greasy.
Conditioner: Only Curls' All Curl Conditioner is its best-liked product, for slip. SheaMoisture's JBCO leave-in has fewer reviews, but is said to do wonders for thick hair.
Consistency: long-time SheaMoisture users say the formulas changed after the 2017 Unilever buyout, with more residue and less moisture. Only Curls' complaints are about price and its sweet scent, not reformulation.
Which to choose
Choose SheaMoisture if you want a rich cream that doubles as a leave-in at a budget price, or you're detangling children's hair. Reviewers praise its kids' detanglers.
Choose Only Curls if you want a conditioner with lots of slip, or fragrance-free versions of the core products.
Skip both if your hair is fine, wavy or low porosity. That's the most common complaint about both.
The verdict
For a rich curl cream on a budget, start with SheaMoisture's Smoothie. Only Curls costs more, and the extra is mainly worth it for its conditioner. Using one brand's cream with the other's products is a combination reviewers already use.
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
SheaMoisture
Jamaican Black Castor Oil Strengthen & Restore Leave-In Conditioner
2 positive·1 mixed·1 negativeDense, softening and effective on thick hair, but too heavy for thinner hair, and changed since restocking for some.
Best for Thick or coarse hair that needs a rich 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
SheaMoisture
Coconut & Hibiscus Curl Enhancing Smoothie
9 positive·2 negativeA decade-long staple for many, giving shine and bounce, though too heavy for some.
Best for A moisturising leave-in or one-step styler on medium to thick 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”.
SheaMoisture
Most reviewers with fine or wavy hair say the range is too heavy. The exceptions are small and specific: one reviewer applies a little Smoothie before wringing out so it doesn't weigh their hair down, another uses it as a single styler in a small amount, and a reviewer with fine 2C/3A curls loves the Frizz-Free Curl Mousse as a last step.
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.
SheaMoisture
This is who the brand suits. Reviewers say the JBCO leave-in does wonders for average or thick hair, a reviewer with very thick 4c hair says it works pretty well, and one with coarse corkscrew curls loves the whole set.
Try Jamaican Black Castor Oil Strengthen & Restore Leave-In Conditioner
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.
SheaMoisture
Reviewers don't single out SheaMoisture 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.
SheaMoisture
Reviewers don't single out SheaMoisture for this.
Children's hair
Only Curls
Reviewers don't single out Only Curls for this.
SheaMoisture
Parents are some of the warmest reviewers. The leave-in is the only thing that worked on one daughter's worst knots, and another calls the kids' detangler the best on the market.
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
SheaMoisture
Reviewers don't single out SheaMoisture for this.
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
SheaMoisture
- Praised: The Curl Enhancing Smoothie
- Praised: Rich moisture for thick and coily hair
- Praised: Smells reviewers love
- Praised: Cheap and easy to find
- Praised: Good kids' detanglers
- Complaint: Too heavy for fine, wavy or low-porosity hair
- Complaint: Formulas that changed after the buyout
- Complaint: Residue and buildup
- Complaint: Lighter lines that get discontinued
- Complaint: Protein overload, for one reviewer
From people who tried both
Comments about one brand in discussions of the other.
SheaMoisture, mentioned in Only Curls discussions
PositiveRangeReddit comment
I definitely love it, but I find it a bit pricey.
u/Irishkitty1994r/CurlyHairUK, 2026Original comment
PositiveRangeReddit comment
I use it; it's cheaper than Only Curls.
u/CommonpixelsFine hair, low porosityr/CurlyHairUK, 2026Original comment
PositiveHibiscus MousseReddit comment
I pair it with OC curl crème to add a bit more oil.
A deleted accountMale, 46; wild curls and coils; very thickr/CurlyHairUK, 2022Original comment