The 15 Best Shampoos for Curly Hair of 2023

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Shampoo for curly hair

Apply to wet hair and massage into a lather. Rinse thoroughly and repeat. If you don’t achieve a rich, foamy lather, your hair has a lot of buildup and you may require a third shampoo application.

Best for Hair Types

Curly, Coily Hair (Type 3a – 4c curls)

Ingredients

WATER/AQUA, SODIUM METHYL 2-SULFOLAURATE, COCAMIDOPROPYL HYDROXYSULTAINE, SODIUM COCOYL ISETHIONATE, SODIUM LAURYL SULFOACETATE, SODIUM LAUROAMPHOACETATE, SODIUM METHYL COCOYL TAURATE, GLYCERIN, PHENOXYETHANOL, DISODIUM 2-SULFOLAURATE, FRAGRANCE/PARFUM, SODIUM COCOYL GLYCINATE, SODIUM PCA, PEG-150 DISTEARATE, HYDROLYZED WHEAT STARCH, ALOE BARBADENSIS LEAF EXTRACT, CHLORPHENESIN, PPG-2 HYDROXYETHYL COCAMIDE, BENZOIC ACID, TRISODIUM ETHYLENEDIAMINE DISUCCINATE, DEHYDROACETIC ACID, CITRIC ACID, POLYQUATERNIUM-22, HYDROLYZED WHEAT PROTEIN, APIGENIN, OLEANOLIC ACID, BUTYLENE GLYCOL, PEG-40 HYDROGENATED CASTOR OIL, TOCOPHERYL ACETATE, BIOTINOYL TRIPEPTIDE-1, BHA, PPG-26-BUTETH-26, POTASSIUM SORBATE. F# 102-0

Although we strive to be as accurate as possible, we do not warrant that product descriptions or other content on our websites or Platforms are free from error, complete or current.

Procapil® is a registered trademark of Sederma.

The 15 Best Shampoos for Curly Hair of 2023

Melanie Rud is a Chicago-based writer with 10 years of experience covering beauty. She covers all things skincare for Byrdie, from ingredients to acne advice.

Shab Caspara is a certified trichologist and hair stylist with over 15 years of experience. Currently, Caspara is the host of the Hair Like Hers podcast, as well as the founder of a soon-to-launch hair health platform, Leona.

Sabrina Crews is a copy editor and fact checker. She received a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism from the University of Minnesota.

As any curly-haired girl will tell you, this type of texture requires an entirely different set of products and styling techniques than straight hair. At the risk of getting overly complex, straight hair has hair follicles that are symmetrical, while curly hair follicles are asymmetrical. The number of bonds between the keratin (protein) within the hair shaft affects exactly what type of curl pattern you end up with. All of this is a fancy way of saying that curly hair is different—and, as such, it also has different issues and needs.

“Due to the shape of the strands, curly hair tends to be much drier than straight hair,” explains Emily Burns, a Product Development Haircare Specialist for Hask Beauty. Essentially, she explains that natural oils from the scalp cannot travel throughout the hair strand and evenly distribute moisture, resulting in dry and fragile hair. For this reason, it’s a good idea to go a few days in between washes—and, when it is time to wash, using a gentle, hydrating, and non-stripping shampoo is paramount.

To find the best shampoos for all curl types and hair concerns, we tried out a few top-rated products. Our testers used them for weeks, rating each formula’s texture and feel, ingredient list, and how well it defined (and, of course, cleaned) their curls. We then combined these results along with our research and tapped a handful of curly hair experts for their recommendations to compile this list.