Best affordable shampoo and conditioner for curly hair

Anyone with curly hair knows that it is a damn JOB trying to figure out what the heck your hair needs to look...good? Decent? Fine, okay to leave the house? And because finding the best shampoo for your curl type and texture is...a task, we've spent our days decoding ingredient labels, understanding the war on sulfates, interrogating fellow curly-haired editors, and enduring a zillion bad-hair days in the pursuit of the best curl shampoo and conditioner for every curl need. And now, we're bringing all that knowledge to you so you can have moisturized, clumped, and healthy curls every single day.

If you're currently losing your mind trying to find a moisturizing curl shampoo and conditioner that doesn't make your fine hair lank and oily or a lightweight cleanser that doesn't strip the heck out of your curls, allow us and a few experts—curly hair specialists, Daisy "Daze" Henson, and April Story—to help you out of your Goldilocks situation. Below, here are the best shampoos and conditioners for curly hair. Let's get started, shall we?

Our top curly hair shampoo and conditioner picks of 2022

Check out this quick lil breakdown, then keep scrolling to find the full list of curly hair shampoos for every hair need.

• 

  Best No-Poo Curl Shampoo

  Hair Rules No Suds Cleansing Cream

  Read More

• 

  Best Curl Shampoo for Fine Hair

  LUS Gentle & Moisturizing Shampoo

  Read More

• 

  Best Curl Shampoo for Irritated Scalps

  Rizos Curls Hydrating Shampoo

  Read More

• 

  Best Shampoo for Chemically Treated Curls

  Briogeo Curl Charisma Rice Amino + Avocado Hydrating Shampoo

  Read More

• 

  Best Curl Shampoo for Thin Hair

  Playa Every Day Shampoo

  Read More

And on to the good stuff...

Best No-Poo Curl Shampoo

Hair Rules No Suds Cleansing Cream

Best Curl Shampoo for Fine Hair

LUS Gentle & Moisturizing Shampoo

Best Curl Shampoo for Irritated Scalps

Rizos Curls Hydrating Shampoo

Best Shampoo for Chemically Treated Curls

Briogeo Curl Charisma Rice Amino + Avocado Hydrating Shampoo

Best Curl Shampoo for Thin Hair

Playa Every Day Shampoo

Best Curl Shampoo for Oily Hair

Creme of Nature Clay & Charcoal Shampoo

Best Clarifying Shampoo for Coils

Pattern Hydration Shampoo

Best Shampoo for Repairing Curls

Olaplex No. 4 Bond Maintenance Shampoo

Best Shampoo for Wavy Hair

TPH By Taraji Serene Queen

Best Shampoo for Oily Scalps

Bouclème Hydrating Hair Cleanser

Best Shampoo for Thick, Frizz-Prone Curls

Ouidad Advanced Climate Control Defrizzing Shampoo

Best Shampoo for Reviving Curls

Malibu C Un-Do-Goo > pH 9 Shampoo

Best Curl Shampoo for Dense Hair

Carol's Daughter Wash Day Delight Water-to-Foam Shampoo

Best Cleansing Conditioner for Type-4 Hair

Curlsmith Curl Quenching Conditioning Wash

Best Clarifying Shampoo for Waves and Curls

Eden BodyWorks Peppermint Tea Tree Clarifying Shampoo

Best Drugstore Curl Shampoo and Conditioner

Not Your Mother's Naturals Sicilian Blood Orange Smooth and Soften Shampoo + Conditioner Set

Best Volumizing Curl Shampoo and Conditioner

Vernon François Shampoo & Conditioner Set For Curly Hair

What shampoo and conditioner is best for curly hair?

There's no right answer here because everyone's curls are different. In fact, hairstylist April Story's favorite quote is, "every head of curls is different, and every curl is different on every head.” So, you should customize your routine based on your hair’s characteristics, she explains. But in general, "if you have a looser curl pattern, low density, or fine hair, opt for a lightweight combo. If you have tighter, more dense, or thick hair, opt for a heavier, more nourishing combo," says Story.

If you're not sure if you should swap your current product for a new one, here are a few tips to help you troubleshoot:

• If your roots feel "squeaky"/tangled/stripped after rinsing...your shampoo is too harsh. Swap it for a sulfate-free formula (always!) with a mix of oils in it.
• If your curls feel dry...try loading your hair with conditioner before shampooing, then rinse and condition your ends like usual. Or, you know, try out a more moisturizing formula.
• If your hair is coily, color-treated, and/or damaged...it'll likely be happier with a rich, hydrating cleansing conditioner rather than a curl shampoo.

What shampoo is bad for curly hair?

There's not necessarily a "bad" shampoo for curly hair—what makes your hair feel like straw may make another person's curls feel light and bouncy. Maybe your current curly hair shampoo and conditioner are filled with sulfates and silicones, but it seems to be working for you. Awesome—keep on keepin' on. However, generally speaking, "avoid sulfates because they actually strip your hair of its natural oils, which dehydrates your curls and causes dryness and frizz," says Story, and re-consider using shampoos that contain silicones, says Henson. Most silicones—i.e., polymers that coat your hair to give it slippery smoothness—can quickly build up on your strands, preventing water from penetrating your hair cuticle.

Unless the silicones in your shampoo are water-soluble (meaning they're easily washed away with a sulfate-free shampoo), you'll need to use harsh sulfates to remove them—thus putting you in a vicious build-up/strip-down cycle. Not ideal. I like to use this silicone list from Science-y Hair Blog to cross-check the soluble vs. non-soluble silicones, but if you're already super overwhelmed, I highly recommend copy/pasting the ingredients of your current shampoo into Is It CG?, which will tell you if your shampoo has "bad" sulfates or silicones in it.

What to look for in a shampoo and conditioner for curly hair:

Look for moisture

And more moisture, moisture, moisture. But don't think that just means heavy butters and oils (yup, even if you're working with dry 4a hair). According to Henson, you’re going to want to look for a curly hair shampoo that: (1) contains natural humectants, i.e., ingredients that help pull water into your hair (like glycerin, hyaluronic acid, and aloe vera), and (2) contains natural emollients, like fruit, nut, and vegetable oils, to soften curls and smooth your hair cuticle.

Evaluate the ingredients

You should also pay attention to what type of surfactants (cleansing agents) are in your shampoo, which can be found in the first 4-5 ingredients on the label. In general, unless your curls are in need of a clarifying rinse, you should avoid shampoos that contain harsh sulfates, like sodium lauryl sulfate, ammonium lauryl sulfate, and sodium laureth sulfate. If you need a handy-dandy list of good vs. "bad" surfactants to crosscheck your shampoos against, I personally use this cleaners list by Curlsbot.

Know your hair's porosity

"The porosity level, or the ability for your hair to retain and absorb through the cuticles of your hair shaft, is key when determining what products and routines to adopt for your curly hair," says Story. If you don't know what your hair porosity is, don't worry we gotchu, check out our guide, but in the meantime, here are some general tips:

• Low-porosity hair should stick to lightweight formulas and at most, use clarifying shampoo twice a month.
• Medium-porosity hair should be regularly conditioned—it's all about maintaining the hair and keeping it balanced.
• High-porosity hair should focus all attention on moisture. Before shampooing, you can even add a treatment oil or mask for ultra-moisture.

Meet the experts:

• Daisy "Daze" Hensonis a hairstylist, curl specialist, and founder of The Daze Studio, a curly hair salon in San Diego, CA.
• April Storyis ahairstylist and curl specialist at Fekkai Salon in New York, NY.

Why trust Cosmo?

Siena Gagliano is a contributing beauty editor at Cosmopolitan, and has two years of experience writing about beauty, fashion, and lifestyle news. She’s an expert at researching and writing hair and skin stories, like the best shampoos for thinning hair and the best purple shampoos. She regularly tests and analyzes curl shampoos and conditioners on her own hair for efficacy, while working with the industry’s top hairstylists to assess new formulas and brands.

Chloe Metzger is the deputy beauty director at Cosmopolitan with nearly 10 years of experience researching, writing, and editing skin, makeup, hair, and nail stories across print and digital, including how to determine your hair porosity and how to do the Curly Girl Method. Her shampoo and conditioner for curly hair picks were based on product reviews, ratings, and personal testing, along with information from experts.

Siena Gagliano Contributing Editor Siena Gagliano is a contributing editor at Cosmopolitan, where she primarily covers beauty in the makeup, skin, and hair spaces.

Chloe Metzger Deputy Beauty Director Chloe Metzger is the deputy beauty director at Cosmopolitan, overseeing the editorial content and growth strategy of the hair, makeup, and skin space on digital, while also obsessively writing about the best hair products for every hair type (curly girl here; whattup), and the skincare routines that really, truly work (follow her on Instagram to see behind-the-scenes pics of that magazine life).

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