Choosing the Best Shampoo For Frizz-Free Curly Hair – Our Top 15 Picks

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Finding the best shampoo for curly hair can be a huge chore, especially if you’ve been using poor-quality shampoos that don’t give your curls the volume and healthy feeling you need. Most people with tight curls need more attention than a simple pharmacy shampoo can provide, and it’s important to find something that prevents your curls from fading or weighing heavily on your scalp.

Thankfully, there are tons of shampoo options for any of your curly hair needs. Whether your hair has natural curls or if you just want to keep your new and sudden curls healthy, several products can give you exactly the kind of support you need in your hair care routine.

If you’re looking for a major change or just want to try something different, here’s a huge selection of options that are perfectly suited for your hair and scalp.

Best Shampoos For Curly Hair

1. Puff.Me Volumizing Shampoo – Best Overall

Most curly hair shampoos strive to provide as much volume and bounce as possible without sacrificing the health of your hair. Puff.me has a volumizing shampoo that might be the perfect product.

Their sulfate-free shampoo helps your hair feel weightless, giving a huge amount of bounce and lightness to your curls while giving an effective clean.

It’s suggested to give an extra rich lather with this product, but in return, you’ll feel extremely refreshed as it clears your hair of buildup and creates a weightless feeling throughout your hair from your curls to your roots.

Features

• Gives extreme volume and bounce to your roots and curls
• Moisturizes hair enough to not need intense drying afterward

Pros

• Perfect for both dry and oily curly hair
• Gorgeous product packaging

Cons

• Requires a large amount while showering
• Does not come with a matching conditioner

2. Shea Moisture Curl and Shine Coconut Shampoo – Best For Wavy Hair

Finding the best shampoo for wavy hair is essential, but finding one with natural ingredients that won’t harm your scalp is just as important.

Shea Moisture’s Coconut & Hibiscus shampoo is a spectacular option for anyone who wants defined curls and a bright shine, using cruelty-free ingredients that won’t risk any long-term damage to your hair.

The hibiscus flower is the key ingredient in this hair product, as it improves the elasticity of your hair to avoid growing too stiff.

Otherwise, the shampoo prevents frizz on thick curly hair to ensure your hair won’t be out of control, making it a great and reliable shampoo if you need something to give perfect security.

Features

• Hibiscus flower ingredient to prevent breakage and keep hair strong
• Ethically-sourced and cruelty-free ingredients

Pros

• Natural floral and coconut scent
• Prevents hair from frizzing while drying hair
• Improves the volume and waviness of your curls

Cons

• Doesn’t come with a matching conditioner
• Less effective with thinner curls

3. Maui Moisture Curl Quench & Coconut Oil Curl-Defining Anti-Frizz Shampoo – Best Vegan Product

For those who want an even healthier list of ingredients, there are tons of vegan-friendly options available. Maui Moisture is one of these companies, specializing in using natural fruit and flower extracts with a base of coconut milk in this spectacular curl quenching shampoo.

This product is all about the health of thicker hair, with a key ingredient of aloe vera to add moisture to your hair and let it accept the other plumeria and papaya extracts to satisfy its needs. Afterward, you get extremely shiny and bouncy curls with a wonderful natural scent.

Features

• Loosens coarse and thick hair to give a more lightweight feeling
• Improves shine of your curls to make a brighter look
• Aloe vera blend helps hair remain healthy and nourished

Pros

• Great at preventing your curls from becoming frizzy
• Safe for color-treated hair
• Made with entirely vegan ingredients

Cons

• Small container volume
• Possible allergens due to natural ingredients

4. Pure Nature Moroccan Argan Oil Shampoo – Best UV Protection

Moroccan oil shows up frequently when looking for hair products for those with curly hair, particularly with thicker and waiver curls.

It’s a wonderful ingredient that can rejuvenate dry or weaker hair, and with the right vitamins and antioxidants, it can improve the overall health of your hair substantially in just a few washes.

The Pure Nature Moroccan Oil Shampoo is one of these products. It has an additional UV and thermal protectant to help keep your hair safe from getting dried or damaged from too much sunlight, which makes it a great summer product and leaves you with soft and breathable hair while maintaining the bounce of your curls.

Features

• Greatly softens and lightens thick or heavy curly hair
• Clears dandruff and moisturizes dry hair easily
• Made with natural ingredients to improve your hair’s long-term health

Pros

• No sulfates, parabens, or other heavy chemicals that risk damaging your skin
• UV and thermal protection from intense sunlight
• Reasonable price for a generous 16.9 fluid ounce size

Cons

• Requires an effective blow dryer after use to maintain softness
• Built for all kinds of thick hair, rather than specifically curly hair

5. Luseta Curl Enhancing Coconut Oil Shampoo & Conditioner Set – Best Vitamin Source

Besides natural ingredients, it’s also important that your curly hair is getting enough vitamins to help it remain healthy, as very few hair products can often provide enough to encourage long-term health.

Every wash should give your hair a relieving feeling, and Luseta has a coconut oil shampoo that can provide it.

This shampoo has a much greater volume than many of the earlier products because it contains a healthy blend of vitamins and beneficial fats to prevent your hair from becoming dry in the first place. It also includes rosemary leaf oil that can help with growth and maintain the fullness of your hair.

Features

• Encourages hair growth thanks to rosemary leaf oil
• Moisturizes your curls to detangle them and improve their bounce
• Full of various vitamins and healthy fats to properly nourish your hair

Pros

• Designed to moisturize all kinds of curly hair
• Comes with a matching conditioner

Cons

• Strong scent from the essential oils
• Large containers, but also slightly more expensive

6. OGX Quenching+ Coconut Curls Shampoo – Best Hydration

Organix Quenching Plus (or OGX Quenching+) is a much more familiar brand to many people and its quality is still unmatched compared to many curly hair shampoo products.

This shampoo has a mixed scent of citrus, honey, and coconut for a sweet and refreshing wash that lets water flow easily through thick hair.

It’s not as natural as many other products, but it’s still a safe product that comes in a massive quantity. Ordering this will give you a reliable amount of care for your curls with every wash, and being able to rely on a product so easily is always important.

Features

• Huge quantity with nearly 20 fluid ounces in each container
• Mixed with citrus oil to improve the softness of your hair

Pros

• Nourishing coconut oil and honey mix for an easy clean and refreshing scent
• Comes with a matching conditioner to help prevent frizz

Cons

• Heavy product
• Less natural than products from smaller businesses

7. SoCozy Curl Shampoo – Best For Kids And Teens

For younger teens and kids with curly hair, it’s also important that their hair care products aren’t too heavy, as their hair is still growing and requires them to take extra care of their scalp.

SoCozy has a great option for younger curls, with their curl shampoo restoring hair to its natural state to help it grow healthily and easily.

One of the great ingredients included in this product is the watermelon seed oil, which can help encourage hair to naturally shine and soothes the user’s scalp. It’s a great introductory product for anyone who’s just getting into hair at an early age, but even adults can likely get used to it thanks to its healthy and sensitive ingredient list.

Features

• Watermelon seed oil to help encourage natural shine
• Designed specifically for children and natural curls
• Free of common children’s allergens like gluten, wheat, or nuts

Pros

• Reasonable price for the product size
• Designed specifically for children’s hair
• Free of synthetic colors and dyes that could harm the skin

Cons

• Not as effective for artificial curls
• Less certain results for adults wanting a sensitive shampoo

8. Royal Locks Clean Curls Shampoo – Best pH Balancer

The Clean Curls Shampoo from Royal Locks might seem formal and built for salons, but this shampoo is a wonderful product that can give strong support to your wavy and curly hair.

This pH balancing shampoo prides itself on its ability to restore its pH balance, eliminating harsh acidic traits with natural oils for nourishment.

The result is a salon-tier softness that you can do yourself, and it helps improve your curls, so they’re healthy and bouncy. It’s a great way to maintain your waves and curls just before special occasions but also a wonderful addition to your regular shower routine.

Features

• Improves pH balance using natural essential oils
• Botanical and cruelty-free ingredients
• Greatly softens hair to make curling easier

Pros

• Helps heal and soften wavy hair, as well as curly hair
• Only requires small amounts for use, extending its use
• Slick salon-style packaging

Cons

• Cruelty-free, but not fully vegan
• Doesn’t come with a matching conditioner

9. True Curl Shampoo and Conditioner Set – Best All-Purpose Shampoo

One of the great benefits of curl shampoo is that it can often be incredibly versatile, and even if you have light curls or moderately straight hair, you can use these products. True Curl Shampoo is a True Haircare product most notable as a hydrating shampoo to prevent tangling.

This product is also one of the much more scent-heavy products thanks to its great vegan and cruelty-free ingredients, which give your hair a much safer boost of softness without risking long-term skincare.

Regardless of your hair type, this product is almost surely going to provide what you need.

Features

• Hydrating shampoo to help clean hair, as well as defrizz
• Extremely creamy and easy to apply

Pros

• Cruelty-free and vegan ingredients
• Thick chamomile and rosemary scent
• Salon-equivalent product with a much more reasonable price

Cons

• Takes 3-5 minutes to properly apply
• Slightly small 12-ounce container

10. Tibolli Hydrating Shampoo – Best For Dry Hair

On a much more defensive and health-focused side of curly hair care products, Tibolli provides a hydrating shampoo that targets many common problems that those with curly hair can experience.

This product hydrates hair directly at the roots, letting it absorb essential nutrients and vitamins easier and improving the health of your overall hair, alongside your curls.

This product also features keratin, so your hair is shiny and silky, something that can be challenging for those with thicker natural hair. It’s wonderful for any form of damaged hair, and its strong keratin infusion also helps prevent general frizz and heat damage for any user.

Features

• Provides a deeper clean than most other curly hair shampoos
• Heavy keratin treatment to improve shine and provide an anti-aging effect

Pros

• Alcohol and cruelty-free ingredients
• Extremely effective for those with damaged or aged hair

Cons

• The larger shampoo and conditioner set is a significantly better deal than the 10-ounce container, although much more expensive

11. LuxeOrganix Sulfate Free Shampoo and Conditioner – Best For Fragile Hair

For those who want the benefits of Moroccan oil and the effects of keratin, check out this shampoo. LuxeOrganix has a wonderful product that combines these vitamins to create a strong healing and hydrating shampoo and conditioner pair.

This product is extremely safe to use, with extra caution put into ensuring there’s no risk to your health in your anti-aging keratin treatments.

This product is also fairly premium in price compared to the other ones mentioned, but you get your money’s worth thanks to the premium and cruelty-free ingredients.

Features

• Paraben and salt-free, and all cruelty-free ingredients
• Thick and full product despite the small 8 and 16 ounce sizes

Pros

• Especially effective at nourishing curly hair that’s frizzy or dry or
• Comes with a matching conditioner

Cons

• Far more expensive than many products

12. Carol’s Daughter Coco Creme Curl Quenching Shampoo – Best For Short Hair

While not as oriented to aging hair, Carol’s Daughter provides an extremely effective Coco cream that does wonders for dry curly hair, regardless of the form your curls take.

Whether you have loose natural curls or extremely tight coils, this shampoo provides moisture with a great combination of coconut and mango ingredients.

It’s also a great item to get as a package, with many other products from conditioners to hair masks providing just as much powerful support to a diverse variety of curly hairstyles.

Features

• Moisturizing shampoo that helps make hair additionally soft and prevent dryness
• Great for all kinds of loose and tight curly hair

Pros

• Extremely heavy moisturizing effect for dry hair
• Sulfate-free ingredient list

Cons

• Strong fruity scent due to the product’s natural ingredients
• Additional products like conditioners and masks are suggested to get the full effect

13. VERB Curl Shampoo – Best For Beginners

Verb provides another wonderful moisturizing shampoo that’s exceptionally easy to apply and simple in ingredients.

It’s not as unusual in its scent or ingredients compared to the earlier products but does a wonderfully effective job that will always leave you satisfied with each shower.

It’s not going to break your expectations of a curl-friendly shampoo, but it’ll do exactly what you need and quickly become a valuable part of your routine whether you have heavy curls with tons of color or just short and natural coils.

Features

• Less-scented than many premium products
• Color-safe and great for keeping a balanced scalp

Pros

• Safe and basic ingredients
• Efficient cost and size

Cons

• Not as ethically sourced as other independent hair products
• Unexpectedly fragrant

14. Majestic Pure Apple Cider Vinegar Shampoo – Best For Oily Hair

Much attention has been given to hydrating shampoos because it’s far more common that thick and curly hair ends up growing dry rather than becoming oily.

Nonetheless, different lifestyles and hair can often result in much slicker hair that needs rejuvenating, and Majestic Pure has a wonderful clarifying shampoo that can restore shine and hydrate oily hair, as well as dry.

It’s also made with extra natural fruit ingredients, including the titular apple cider vinegar, traditional coconut oil, and even some avocado oil to add extra hydration and nutrients to heal all sorts of hair and scalp concerns.

Features

• Natural and fruit-based ingredients
• Helps take care of oily hair, as well as dry and normal curls

Pros

• No sulfates and cruelty-free
• No animal testing in its production

Cons

• Heavy and prominent fruit scent

15. Cantu Sulfate-Free Cleansing Cream Shampoo – Best Clean

While many curly hair shampoos aim to add moisture and minerals, there’s a lot to be said for cleansing shampoos for hair that needs more deep cleaning than most typical straight hair.

Cantu’s Cleansing Cream Shampoo is a great way to treat your curly, wavy, and coily hair when it takes in a lot of sweat and grime through the day, cleaning it with a shea butter mixture that glides smoothly through your curls.

This shampoo has an added benefit for those with wavy, coily, and curly hair to strengthen it, making it much more resistant to breakage with future cleaning and when putting pressure on it while sleeping at night.

Features

• Breakage prevention thanks to removing heavy grime buildup
• Pure shea butter mixture

Pros

• Wonderful and relaxing soft mixture
• Extremely affordable cost

Cons

• Mostly better for natural hair
• Certain ingredients like sodium chloride

So, these shampoos are our top picks for curly hair, chosen for their ability to nourish and define curls. Finding the right one for your hair can make a noticeable difference in your hair care routine.