Conditioner for curly hair

We count reviewers who said they have curly, coily or wavy hair, and two Aussie conditioners come out ahead. Aussie Miracle Curls 3 Minute Miracle Conditioner leads at 25 of 27, has the highest share and is the best pick sold on Amazon, while Aussie Miracle Curls Conditioner follows at 27 of 31 with more reviewers weighing in than on any other conditioner here. Kristin Ess Moisture Rich Curl Conditioner has the weakest record here at 11 of 21.

  • 348 store reviews counted
  • Target shoppers
  • Apr 2018 to Sep 2026

Updated . How we count

Did curls come out soft and defined? What reviewers said
  1. Aussie Miracle Curls 3 Minute Miracle Conditioner 27 said either way
  2. Aussie Miracle Curls Conditioner 31 said either way
  3. OGX Quenching + Coconut Curls Conditioner 25 said either way
  4. Odele Curl Defining Conditioner 24 said either way
  5. Maui Moisture Lightweight Curls + Flaxseed Conditioner 24 said either way
  6. Kristin Ess Moisture Rich Curl Conditioner 21 said either way
  7. Raw Sugar Mighty Curl Conditioner 8 said either way

Share of reviewers who stated an outcome for dry curls. Ranked by the lower bound of a 90% confidence interval, so a product needs both a good share and enough reports to rank high.

Best record Aussie Miracle Curls 3 Minute Miracle Conditioner 25 of 27 say it left their curls soft and defined See price & reviews on Amazon
What stands out

Not enough moisture is the common complaint below the Aussie pair, in 42% of Maui Moisture reviews, 38% of Kristin Ess reviews and 28% of OGX reviews. The two Aussie conditioners hear it far less often, in 5% and 8% of their reviews.

The ranking, product by product

Praise and complaints are the points reviewers repeat most, shown as a share of each product's counted store reviews.

1

Aussie

Miracle Curls 3 Minute Miracle Conditioner

Best for detangling

25/27 say it left their curls soft and defined

Detangling is what reviewers bring up again and again: 32% say combing got easier, and 24% call it good value. Complaints are rare, and reviews copied from Aussie's site agree at 8 of 8, which we show but don't count.

What buyers praise

  • Detangles 32%
  • Good value 24%
  • Soft hair 24%
  • Nice scent 24%
  • Curls defined 8%

What buyers complain about

No repeated complaints yet.

Where buyers said it
  • Target 25 of 27
  • Brand site 8 of 8 shown, not counted
2 Aussie Miracle Curls Conditioner

Aussie

Miracle Curls Conditioner

Best for soft, defined curls

27/31 say it left their curls soft and defined

Soft hair is the big praise, in 35% of its reviews, and 18% say their curls came out defined. More curly and wavy reviewers weighed in on it than on any other conditioner here, and 27 of 31 said it left their curls soft and defined.

What buyers praise

  • Soft hair 35%
  • Nice scent 33%
  • Good value 23%
  • Curls defined 18%
  • Tames frizz 10%

What buyers complain about

No repeated complaints yet.

Where buyers said it
  • Target 27 of 31
  • Brand site 7 of 7 shown, not counted
3

OGX

Quenching + Coconut Curls Conditioner

18/25 say it left their curls soft and defined

18 of 25 said it left their curls soft and defined, and 20% of its reviews mention soft hair. Still, 28% say it wasn't moisturizing enough for their curls.

What buyers praise

  • Soft hair 20%
  • Nice scent 18%
  • Curls defined 15%
  • Doesn't weigh hair down 10%
  • Tames frizz 8%

What buyers complain about

  • Bad or strong scent 10%
  • Greasy 5%
  • Weighs hair down 5%
Where buyers said it
  • Target 18 of 25
  • Brand site 3 of 3 shown, not counted
4

Odele

Curl Defining Conditioner

13/24 say it left their curls soft and defined

A split result: 15% say it tamed frizz, but 15% say it weighed their hair down and 21% say it wasn't moisturizing enough. 11 of 24 reviewers with curly or wavy hair said it let them down.

What buyers praise

  • Nice scent 15%
  • Tames frizz 15%
  • Soft hair 13%
  • Doesn't weigh hair down 10%
  • Curls defined 10%

What buyers complain about

  • Weighs hair down 15%
  • Bad or strong scent 13%
  • Build-up 5%
  • Greasy 5%
Where buyers said it
  • Target 13 of 24
  • Brand site 4 of 4 shown, not counted

Share of 39 store reviews that mention each point. A full bar is 50%.

5

Maui Moisture

Lightweight Curls + Flaxseed Conditioner

Best for a lightweight feel

13/24 say it left their curls soft and defined

Light is the appeal, with 26% saying it doesn't weigh hair down. The trade-off is moisture: 42% say it wasn't moisturizing enough.

What buyers praise

  • Nice scent 29%
  • Doesn't weigh hair down 26%
  • Curls defined 13%
  • Soft hair 11%
  • Detangles 11%

What buyers complain about

  • Still frizzy 5%
Where buyers said it
  • Target 13 of 24
  • Brand site 6 of 6 shown, not counted

Share of 38 store reviews that mention each point. A full bar is 50%.

6

Kristin Ess

Moisture Rich Curl Conditioner

11/21 say it left their curls soft and defined

10 of 21 reviewers with curly or wavy hair said their curls stayed dry or frizzy or felt weighed down, the weakest record here. 38% say it wasn't moisturizing enough and 10% mention build-up. Reviews copied from Kristin Ess's site are kinder at 6 of 6, which we show but don't count.

What buyers praise

  • Nice scent 20%
  • Soft hair 15%
  • Doesn't weigh hair down 10%
  • Tames frizz 8%
  • Curls defined 5%

What buyers complain about

  • Build-up 10%
  • Still frizzy 10%
  • Weighs hair down 8%
  • Bad or strong scent 8%
  • Greasy 8%
Where buyers said it
  • Target 11 of 21
  • Brand site 6 of 6 shown, not counted

Share of 40 store reviews that mention each point. A full bar is 50%.

7

Raw Sugar

Mighty Curl Conditioner

5/8 say it left their curls soft and defined

Just 8 reviewers with curly or wavy hair said how it worked, and 5 of 8 said it left their curls soft and defined, so this record is thin. 12% say it left hair soft while 12% say it wasn't moisturizing enough. Raw Sugar's own site is all positive at 7 of 7, which we show but don't count.

What buyers praise

  • Soft hair 13%
  • Nice scent 10%
  • Curls defined 5%

What buyers complain about

  • Still frizzy 8%
  • Weighs hair down 5%
Where buyers said it
  • Target 5 of 8
  • Brand site 7 of 7 shown, not counted

Share of 40 store reviews that mention each point. A full bar is 50%.

Where these numbers come from

The 7 products ranked here carry 4,367 reviews at Target. We read the newest reviews of each product (up to a thousand per listing), kept the ones that talk about dry curls, and counted up to 40 per product, posted between Apr 2018 and Sep 2026.

A review counts only when the reviewer used the product themselves. We drop reviews written in exchange for a free product or a sweepstakes entry (7 on this page), and products that are no longer sold.

Target also shows reviews first posted on brands' own websites. We show them on product cards but never count them, because brand-site reviews run more positive than store reviews of the same products.

Because we searched for the problem, people who had it are overrepresented. Compare products with each other rather than reading a share as your own odds.

Skin type, skin tone and age splits use what reviewers chose on Sephora's review form (and age on Ulta's when given). We only show a split when enough reviewers fall on each side.

Amazon buttons appear only on products that most reviewers here say fix the problem (at least 60%, with enough reviews to trust it). Everything else gets no buy link.

An AI model labels each review against a fixed list of points, and we spot-check the labels before publishing. We publish counts, never the reviews themselves.

Read the full method

Product pages we read

  1. Aussie Miracle Curls 3 Minute Miracle Conditioner Target (37 reviews counted)
  2. Aussie Miracle Curls Conditioner Target (40 reviews counted)
  3. OGX Quenching + Coconut Curls Conditioner Target (40 reviews counted)
  4. Odele Curl Defining Conditioner Target (39 reviews counted)
  5. Maui Moisture Lightweight Curls + Flaxseed Conditioner Target (38 reviews counted)
  6. Kristin Ess Moisture Rich Curl Conditioner Target (40 reviews counted)
  7. Raw Sugar Mighty Curl Conditioner Target (40 reviews counted)

Questions buyers ask

Which conditioner works for curly hair?

Aussie Miracle Curls 3 Minute Miracle Conditioner leads at 25 of 27 among reviewers with curly, coily or wavy hair, and Aussie Miracle Curls Conditioner follows at 27 of 31. OGX Quenching + Coconut Curls Conditioner comes next at 18 of 25.

Which curly hair conditioner helps with detangling?

Aussie Miracle Curls 3 Minute Miracle Conditioner gets detangling praise in 32% of its reviews, against 11% for Maui Moisture Lightweight Curls + Flaxseed Conditioner. Work it through with your fingers or a wide-tooth comb while it's in, starting at the ends.

Is a lightweight conditioner enough for curly hair?

It depends on your curls. Maui Moisture Lightweight Curls + Flaxseed Conditioner is praised as lightweight in 26% of its reviews, yet 42% say it wasn't moisturizing enough. If your curls run dry, a richer conditioner or a leave-in afterward may suit you better.

Should I use the same brand of shampoo and conditioner?

You don't have to. Reviewers judged each bottle on its own, and our curly shampoo page ranks shampoos the same way. Aussie, OGX, Maui Moisture, Kristin Ess and Raw Sugar appear on both pages if you like to match.

Related problems

Conditioner Conditioner for frizz Top pick: Pureology Hydrate Conditioner 267 buyer reports Shampoo Shampoo for curly hair Top pick: Aussie Miracle Curls Shampoo 350 buyer reports Curl cream Curl cream that defines curls without crunch Top pick: Fenty Beauty Homecurl Curl-Defining Cream 146 buyer reports Leave-in conditioner Leave-in conditioner for frizz Top pick: Mizani 25 Miracle Milk Leave-In 247 buyer reports

HiveTried earns a commission when you buy through the "See price & reviews on Amazon" buttons. It never changes the ranking: the order comes from buyer reports only, and a product gets an Amazon button only when buyers here say it works.