Shampoo for curly hair

We count reviewers who said they have curly, coily or wavy hair, and among them Aussie Miracle Curls Shampoo leads at 23 of 28 and is the best pick sold on Amazon. Raw Sugar Mighty Curl Shampoo has the highest share at 7 of 8, but that rests on a small group. The other five land between about half and two thirds, with Kristin Ess Moisture Rich Curl Shampoo the weakest record here at 14 of 26.

  • 350 store reviews counted
  • Target shoppers
  • Nov 2014 to Sep 2026

Updated . How we count

Did curls stay soft and defined? What reviewers said
  1. Aussie Miracle Curls Shampoo 28 said either way
  2. Raw Sugar Mighty Curl Shampoo 8 said either way
  3. OGX Quenching + Coconut Curls Shampoo 23 said either way
  4. Maui Moisture Lightweight Curls + Flaxseed Shampoo 27 said either way
  5. Function of Beauty Wavy Hair Shampoo 16 said either way
  6. Kristin Ess Moisture Rich Curl Shampoo 26 said either way
  7. SheaMoisture Coconut & Hibiscus Curl & Shine Shampoo 16 said either way

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

Aussie Miracle Curls Shampoo Best record Aussie Miracle Curls Shampoo 23 of 28 say it cleaned without stripping their curls See price & reviews on Amazon
What stands out

Dry, stripped curls are the common complaint, in 41% of Function of Beauty reviews, 38% of Kristin Ess reviews and 36% of Maui Moisture reviews. SheaMoisture Coconut & Hibiscus Curl & Shine Shampoo draws the opposite problem, with 20% mentioning build-up and 20% saying hair got greasy fast.

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 Shampoo

Aussie

Miracle Curls Shampoo

Best for soft hair at a good price

23/28 say it cleaned without stripping their curls

More curly and wavy reviewers weighed in on this shampoo than on any other here, and 23 of 28 said it cleaned without stripping their curls. 22% say it left hair soft and 15% call it good value, though 15% still found it drying. Reviews copied from Aussie's site are a little more mixed at 6 of 8, which we show but don't count.

What buyers praise

  • Nice scent 38%
  • Leaves hair soft 23%
  • Good value 15%
  • Curls defined 10%
  • Gentle on scalp 8%

What buyers complain about

  • Itchy or irritated scalp 8%
  • Frizzy 5%
Where buyers said it
  • Target 23 of 28
  • Brand site 6 of 8 shown, not counted
2

Raw Sugar

Mighty Curl Shampoo

7/8 say it cleaned without stripping their curls

Just 8 reviewers with curly or wavy hair said how it worked, and 7 of 8 said it cleaned without stripping their curls, so treat this record as thin. 15% praise the scent. Raw Sugar's own site also comes in at 7 of 8, which we show but don't count.

What buyers praise

  • Nice scent 15%
  • Hair looks fuller 5%

What buyers complain about

  • Frizzy 5%
Where buyers said it
  • Target 7 of 8
  • Brand site 7 of 8 shown, not counted
3 OGX Quenching + Coconut Curls Shampoo

OGX

Quenching + Coconut Curls Shampoo

15/23 say it cleaned without stripping their curls

Soft hair is the main praise, in 22% of its reviews, and 12% say their curls looked defined. The complaints are spread out: 18% found it drying, 10% say hair got greasy fast and 8% mention build-up.

What buyers praise

  • Nice scent 33%
  • Leaves hair soft 23%
  • Curls defined 13%
  • Good value 5%

What buyers complain about

  • Bad or strong scent 13%
  • Frizzy 10%
  • Hair gets greasy fast 10%
  • Build-up 8%
  • Tangles hair 8%
Where buyers said it
  • Target 15 of 23
  • Brand site 6 of 6 shown, not counted
4

Maui Moisture

Lightweight Curls + Flaxseed Shampoo

16/27 say it cleaned without stripping their curls

Scent is the draw, praised in 46% of its reviews. Dryness is the catch: 36% say it left hair dry or stripped, and 11 of 27 reviewers with curly or wavy hair said it let their curls down.

What buyers praise

  • Nice scent 46%
  • Curls defined 13%
  • Good value 8%
  • Gentle on scalp 5%

What buyers complain about

  • No difference 10%
  • Tangles hair 8%
  • Frizzy 8%
Where buyers said it
  • Target 16 of 27
  • Brand site 3 of 4 shown, not counted

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

5

Function of Beauty

Wavy Hair Shampoo

10/16 say it cleaned without stripping their curls

Made for wavy hair, it gets definition praise in 21% of its reviews. It also draws a long list of complaints: 41% found it drying, 15% say hair got greasy fast and 13% mention an itchy scalp.

What buyers praise

  • Nice scent 28%
  • Curls defined 21%
  • Leaves hair soft 10%
  • Good value 5%

What buyers complain about

  • Hair gets greasy fast 15%
  • Itchy or irritated scalp 13%
  • Tangles hair 10%
  • Frizzy 8%
Where buyers said it
  • Target 10 of 16

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

6

Kristin Ess

Moisture Rich Curl Shampoo

14/26 say it cleaned without stripping their curls

12 of 26 reviewers with curly or wavy hair said it left their curls dry, frizzy or weighed down. Dryness comes up in 38% of its reviews and frizz in 20%, while 15% say it left hair soft. Reviews copied from Kristin Ess's site are kinder at 7 of 8, which we show but don't count.

What buyers praise

  • Nice scent 25%
  • Leaves hair soft 15%
  • Curls defined 10%
  • Good value 8%

What buyers complain about

  • Frizzy 20%
  • Hair gets greasy fast 13%
  • Itchy or irritated scalp 10%
  • Build-up 5%
  • Tangles hair 5%
Where buyers said it
  • Target 14 of 26
  • Brand site 7 of 8 shown, not counted

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

7

SheaMoisture

Coconut & Hibiscus Curl & Shine Shampoo

9/16 say it cleaned without stripping their curls

Build-up, not dryness, is the issue here: 20% mention build-up and 20% say hair got greasy fast. On the plus side, 31% like the scent and 14% say it left hair soft.

What buyers praise

  • Nice scent 31%
  • Leaves hair soft 14%
  • Curls defined 11%

What buyers complain about

  • Build-up 20%
  • Hair gets greasy fast 20%
  • Tangles hair 6%
  • Frizzy 6%
Where buyers said it
  • Target 9 of 16
  • Brand site 6 of 6 shown, not counted

Share of 35 store reviews that mention each point. A full bar is 50%.

Where these numbers come from

The 7 products ranked here carry 4,887 reviews at Target. We read the newest reviews of each product (up to a thousand per listing), kept the ones that talk about stripping, and counted up to 40 per product, posted between Nov 2014 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 (5 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 Shampoo Target (40 reviews counted)
  2. Raw Sugar Mighty Curl Shampoo Target (40 reviews counted)
  3. OGX Quenching + Coconut Curls Shampoo Target (40 reviews counted)
  4. Maui Moisture Lightweight Curls + Flaxseed Shampoo Target (39 reviews counted)
  5. Function of Beauty Wavy Hair Shampoo Target (39 reviews counted)
  6. Kristin Ess Moisture Rich Curl Shampoo Target (40 reviews counted)
  7. SheaMoisture Coconut & Hibiscus Curl & Shine Shampoo Target (35 reviews counted)

Questions buyers ask

Which shampoo works for curly hair?

Aussie Miracle Curls Shampoo leads at 23 of 28 among reviewers with curly, coily or wavy hair. Raw Sugar Mighty Curl Shampoo follows at 7 of 8 from a much smaller group, and OGX Quenching + Coconut Curls Shampoo comes next at 15 of 23.

Is Aussie Miracle Curls Shampoo good for curly hair?

Reviewers mostly say yes: 23 of 28 with curly or wavy hair said it cleaned without stripping their curls, and 15% of its reviews call it good value. 15% still found it drying, so watch how your ends feel after a few washes.

Does a sulfate-free label mean my curls won't dry out?

Not going by these reviews. Kristin Ess Moisture Rich Curl Shampoo and Function of Beauty Wavy Hair Shampoo are both sold as sulfate-free, yet dryness comes up in 38% and 41% of their reviews. Give a new shampoo a few washes before you judge it, and follow it with a conditioner.

How often should I shampoo curly hair?

Many people with curls wash a few times a week rather than every day, and focus the shampoo on the scalp. If hair feels greasy or coated between washes, as 20% of SheaMoisture Coconut & Hibiscus Curl & Shine Shampoo reviews say, a lighter shampoo may suit you better.

Related problems

Conditioner Conditioner for curly hair Top pick: Aussie Miracle Curls 3 Minute Miracle Conditioner 348 buyer reports Hair mousse Mousse that defines curls without crunch Top pick: OGX Locking + Coconut Curls Mousse 320 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.