The Best Shampoo For Curly Hair

For curly hair I would start with a moisturizing shampoo that leaves room for conditioner and styler, and keep a fresher-scalp wash for buildup. Here is where I would start, by what your curls need.

Best overall: Bumble and bumble Curl Moisturizing Shampoo. Avocado, coconut and jojoba oils with shea and cocoa butters, and free of SLS and SLES sulfates.

Best for thick, coily hair: Oribe Eternal Curls Moisturizing Shampoo. Made for medium and thick hair, with an amino acid blend and a smoothing system that bonds to the cuticle.

Best for tight, corkscrew curls: Ouidad Curl Quencher Moisturizing Shampoo. Chamomile and corn oil, and Ouidad says it is ideal for tight and corkscrew curls.

Best for definition: OLAPLEX N°4CURL Bond Shaper Hydrating Curl Shampoo. Patented 3D Bond Shaper technology, and the brand says it cuts frizz in half, even in high humidity.

Best weightless wash: Bounce Curl Weightless Hydrating Shampoo. Rosemary oil and a bio-actives blend for lightweight volume, and it removes buildup after one wash.

Best sulfate free hydration: Kérastase Curl Manifesto Sulfate-Free Shampoo. Manuka honey and ceramides, made to hydrate without weighing curls down.

Best for buildup: Pattern Cleansing Shampoo. A clarifier with matcha green tea, aloe and panthenol that removes buildup without stripping natural oils.

The best shampoo for curly hair is one that cleans the scalp without leaving the curl pattern rough or thirsty. The best shampoo for curly hair should also make the next wash day easier, with enough slip and softness that detangling does not become a tug of war. Curly hair rarely needs a squeaky finish. It needs a clean base that leaves room for conditioner, cream, or gel to do its job. Look for language around hydration, curl support, nourishment, or gentle cleansing, then match that promise to your roots. Fine curls can lose volume under rich formulas, while dense coils may need more cushion and a slower, section-by-section rinse. Keep the shampoo on the scalp, let the lather travel through the lengths, and resist piling the hair on top of your head. That small habit reduces tangles before styling begins. The first grid is moisturizing shampoos, the second is shampoos made for curl definition, and the third is washes for a fresher scalp.

Here is how my picks line up on what each one does, hair type, what is in them and how shoppers rate them. Star ratings are what Sephora and Ulta showed on October 18, 2026, and every other detail comes from the brand, Sephora or Ulta product page.

Bumble and bumble Curl Moisturizing Shampoo. Moisturizing · wavy, curly and coily, fine to thick · avocado, coconut and jojoba oils, shea and cocoa butters · no SLS or SLES sulfates, vegan · 8.5 oz · 4.6 stars from 148 Sephora reviews

Oribe Eternal Curls Moisturizing Shampoo. Moisturizing · wavy to coily, medium and thick · microemulsion smoothing system, amino acid blend · no SLS or SLES sulfates · 8.5 oz · 4.8 stars from 171 Sephora reviews

Ouidad Curl Quencher Moisturizing Shampoo. Moisturizing · tight and corkscrew curls · chamomile flower extract, corn oil · no greasiness or buildup · 4.2 stars from 442 Ulta reviews

OLAPLEX N°4CURL Bond Shaper Hydrating Curl Shampoo. Definition · coily, curly and wavy · 3D Bond Shaper technology · cuts frizz in half, even in high humidity · 4.7 stars from 322 Ulta reviews

Bounce Curl Weightless Hydrating Shampoo. Deep cleansing · wavy, curly and coily, fine to thick · rosemary oil, Volunix bio-actives · removes buildup, no SLS or SLES sulfates, silicone free · 10 fl oz · 4.7 stars from 115 Sephora reviews

Kérastase Curl Manifesto Sulfate-Free Shampoo. Gentle hydrating · wavy, curly and coily, fine to thick · manuka honey, ceramides · removes product buildup, no SLS or SLES sulfates · 8.5 oz · 4.3 stars from 280 Sephora reviews

Pattern Cleansing Shampoo. Clarifying · matcha green tea, aloe, panthenol · removes buildup without stripping natural oils · 7.8 fl oz

Curls show what a shampoo did on day three, not in the shower, so this is the slow test I would run.

The setup. Four washes per shampoo, with the same conditioner, the same leave-in in the same amount, and air drying only. I would note the humidity from a weather app each wash day, since a damp week will flatter or wreck any result.

What I would measure. Frizz four hours after drying, scored 0 to 3 (0 is smooth, 3 is a halo). Comb strokes to detangle in the shower with a wide-tooth comb, counted. Air-dry time in minutes. And curl definition on day one against day three, photographed in the same window light.

How I would read it. I would expect a moisturizing wash like Oribe Eternal Curls or Bumble and bumble Curl to lower the comb count. A clarifying one like Pattern Cleansing Shampoo is there to reset buildup, so I would test it once a week inside the routine, not four washes in a row.

What I would skip. Switching conditioners mid-test. If the conditioner changes, you are testing the conditioner.

Some curl shampoos go after shape as much as moisture. OLAPLEX's N°4CURL uses the brand's patented 3D Bond Shaper technology and says it cuts frizz in half, even in high humidity. Living Proof's Curl Shampoo claims curls 3x stronger in one use and better definition, and Verb's Curl Shampoo for waves, curls and coils uses a sunflower oil blend and castor oil to define curls and increase elasticity. Aveda's be curly advanced is silicone free and replenishes with a peptide derived from plant proteins.

How to use it: focus the lather on the scalp and let it run through the lengths, then follow with the matching conditioner while hair is soaking wet.

What I would skip: a definition shampoo on fine, loose waves if it leaves them flat.

Curls collect product, and every so often the scalp needs a wash that clears it. Bounce Curl's Weightless Hydrating Shampoo is a deep cleansing shampoo for buildup and oil control, with rosemary oil, and Pattern's Cleansing Shampoo is a clarifier with matcha green tea, aloe and panthenol. Kérastase's Curl Manifesto is the gentler, sulfate-free one, with manuka honey and ceramides, and Color Wow's Curl Wow HOOKED is a sulfate- and residue-free cleanser made for all curl types.

How to use it: reach for one of these when styling products stop working the way they used to.

What I would skip: piling more gel and cream on top of buildup, hoping more product fixes it.

I chose for curls that need a clean scalp and soft lengths that are easy to detangle: moisture first, then definition, then a fresher-scalp wash for buildup. Every product detail here comes from the brand, Sephora or Ulta product page.

For the next step on wash day, see curl cream for wavy hair and the clarifying wash for curly hair edit. Oribe and Bumble and bumble have their own brand pages, and the haircare shop has the rest.

A formula that leaves the scalp tight, the lengths tangled, or the roots flat is a poor match, whatever the label promises. The same goes for buying a full shelf of curl products before identifying what the hair actually lacks. Start with a cleanser that feels comfortable at the roots, then add one conditioner or leave-in that solves a clear problem. If the hair is fine, skip heavy layering. If it is dense or very dry, do not expect a mist alone to carry the routine. This edit is not for anyone chasing a dramatic transformation from one wash. It is for building repeatable wash days. The formula to keep is the one that leaves your curls clean, soft, and ready for the next step. If you want to keep browsing, I also put together The Best Conditioner for Curly Hair, From Rinse Outs to Co Washes and Curly Hair Products, Sorted by Step.