15 Best Curl Creams For Natural Hair Of 2024 – Stylecraze
Enhance and gloss up your curls with moisturizing and nourishing ingredients.
Simon ConstantinouHairstylist 
Simon Constantinou is an accomplished hairstylist with over five decades of experience. He is the proprietor of an award-winning hair and beauty salon, renowned for its comfortable ambiance and a team of innovative hairdressers and beautici... more
oyendrila kanjilalMA, Certified Skin Care Coach Experience: 2 yearsOyendrila holds a master's degree in English Literature from the University Of Calcutta, West Bengal, and is a certified skin care coach. As a beauty and lifestyle writer with two years of experience,... more
shiboli chakrabortiMA (English Literature), Certified Skin Care Coach Experience: 4 yearsShiboli has a master’s degree in English literature from The English and Foreign Languages University, Hyderabad, and is a certified skincare coach with four years of experience. As a commerce editor,... more
anjali sayeeBTech Experience: 7 yearsAnjali is an associate editor at StyleCraze. She specializes in hairstyles and hair and skin care and has written over 200 articles in these domains. She has 7 years of experience, and her philosophy ... more
Image: Shutterstock
Give your curls the best curl cream for natural hair to prevent them from the havoc brought by humid and steamy summer days. They need nourishing ingredients and buttery emulsification of oil, and a curl cream you give them just that. They can combat the bothersome dryness and hydrate the curls. Below is a list of the 15 most effective curl creams that cater to the requirements of all hair types. So, what are you waiting for? Without any delay, check it out, pick your right fit and allow it to give you a soft hold. Go on!
In This Article
15 Best Curl Creams For Natural Hair
1. Best Long-Lasting:Shea Moisture Coconut Hibiscus Curl Enhancing Smoothie
The Shea Moisture Coconut Hibiscus Curl Enhancing Smoothie provides long-lasting hydration to replenish and revive natural curls. It is blended with nourishing ingredients like organic shea butter, coconut oil, mango seed butter, avocado oil, aloe leaf extract, neem seed, carrot seed oil, panthenol, hibiscus flower extract, and vitamin E. Coconut oil is a humectant and rich in medium-chain fatty acids that nourish the hair scalp, reduce excess sebum formation, and add shine.
Hibiscus flower extract promotes hair growth, conditions against frizz, dryness, and breakage. Organic shea butter and mango seed butter is rich in fatty acids that offer a protective barrier to lock in hair moisture and improve overall hair condition. Panthenol is a natural humectant, moisturizer, and emollient that spreads evenly throughout the hair strands. It provides a smooth, shiny film around the hair cuticles and imparts a mirror gloss. The antioxidants in this intense curl cream protect hair from environmental and chemical damages. You can also check this detailed review of a tester’s experience on YouTube to know more about the results after using this product.
- Paraben-free
- Sulfate-free
- Phthalate-free
- propylene glycol-free
- Mineral oil-free
- Petroleum-free
- Cruelty-free
- Easy to apply
- Imparts a brilliant shine
- Good smell
- Leaves hair greasy
- Not suitable for 2B hair type
Quick Tip
Why We Think It's Worth Buying
The extensive 3,927 rave reviews on Amazon prove why we are vouching for this product.
2. Best Moisturizing:Cantu Coconut Curling Cream
The Cantu Coconut Curling Cream moisturizes and strengthens curls with pure shea butter without weighing them down This ultra-hydrating curl cream is infused with nourishing ingredients like shea butter, coconut oil, aloe vera extract, jojoba, soybean, sweet almond, olive, argan, macadamia, neem, and carrot seed oil, avocado extract, silk amino acids, sea kelp, seed extract. The cream is a must-add product to your curly hair care routine and is guaranteed to tame those unruly strands and promote soft tresses. The natural emollient oils penetrate deep into the scalp, reconstruct and rebuild damaged hair, improve hair health, shine, and elasticity. For a thorough review of this vegan-friendly product and a tester’s experience of using it, have a look at this YouTuber’s video.
- 100% vegan
- Paraben-free
- Sulfate-free
- Mineral oil-free
- Silicone-free
- Phthalate-free
- Gluten-free
- Petroleum-free
- No paraffin or propylene
- Reduces frizz and breakage
- Moisturizes and strengthens hair strands
- Ultra-hydrating
- Great smell
- Not tested on animals
- Suitable for all types of curls
- May leave hair greasy
- Not suitable for oily hair
Why We Think It's Worth Buying
Almost 25,723 happy users have mentioned the value and quality of this product.
3. Best Lightweight:Aunt Jackie’s Curl La La Defining Curl Custard
The Aunt Jackie’s Curl La La Defining Curl Custard is a humectant and emollient to tame your unruly locks and reduce breakage and frizz. This ultra-nourishing mousse gives a long-lasting bounce to curls, adds shine, define coils and spirals. The key ingredients in this cream are shea butter and olive oil that nourish the hair strands and exhibit a softening effect. The unique blend of emollient oils penetrates the hair, adds moisture to the curls, reduces dryness, and prevents split ends. The essential fatty acids offer a protective barrier to lock in the hair moisture and improve the overall hair condition. Check out this review on YouTube about the product and a tester’s experience of using it if you require more details.
- Softens and moisturizes hair
- Suitable for natural curls, coils, and waves
- Paraben-free
- Sulfate-free
- Phthalate-free
- Works great on high porosity hair
- Lightweight
- May leave hair feeling heavy
CautionWhy We Think It's Worth Buying
With 48,786 positive reviews on Amazon, this product has become a bestseller.
Shea Moisture Coconut Hibiscus Curl Enhancing Smoothie Best Long-Lasting | Cantu Coconut Curling Cream Best Moisturizing | Aunt Jackie's Curl La La Defining Curl Custard Best Lightweight | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hair Type | Wavy, Curly, Dry, Damaged, Thick, Coily, Kinky | Wavy, Curly | Coily |
| Dimensions | 3.5 x 3.5 x 3.25 inches | 3.69 x 3.69 x 2.75 inches | 3.25 x 3.25 x 4.25 inches |
| Weight | 13 Ounces | 12 Ounces | 15 Ounces |
| Rating | |||
| Reviews | 3,927 | 25,723 | 48,786 |
| Price | $9.99 | $6.48 | $6.99 |
4. Best For All Types Of Curls:Bed Head TIGI Curl Recall Cream
The Bed Head TIGI Cream is created with curl recall technology that instantly tames unruly hair coils, ensuring curls spring to back into natural shape with just one scrunch. The signature ingredient that adds shine and hydration to the curly locks is glycerin. Glycerin acts as a humectant, seals the moisture, and leaves hair soft. The excellent curl retention and new one-scrunch technology hold and define the curls and protect from humidity. Infused silicones provide thermal protection, prevents breakage, frizz imparts a mirror shine. Many reviewers love this product as it holds the curls amazingly well without making them look stiff.
- Provides maximum curl retention
- Protects hair from environmental damage
- Moisturizes ringlets
- Provides heat protection
- Curl recall and rebound technology
- Great smell
- Holds and defines curls
- May leave hair feeling crunchy
- Sticky consistency
5. Best Fragrance:OGX Moroccan Curling Perfection Defining Cream
The OGX Moroccan Curling Perfection Defining Cream is a professional salon-quality curl taming cream that adds life and nourishment to limp locks. It provides body and shiny texture to loose curls, and keeps your hair soft and manageable all day. The ‘liquid gold’ Moroccan oil seals the hair cuticle, prevents dryness, and tames frizzy coils. The antioxidative and anti-inflammatory properties protect curls from chemical and environmental damage.
- Defines curls
- Tames frizz
- Long-lasting curl defined
- Adds volume
- Protects hair from damage
- Smells great
- Greasy
Pro TipWhy We Think It's Worth Buying
More than 1,277 rave reviews on Amazon prove why we are so in awe of this product.
6. Best Organic Ingredients:ORS Curls Unleashed Defining Cream
The ORS Curls Unleashed Defining Rich Cream moisturizes and defines your curls without shrinkage or flakes. It is infused with coconut, sweet almond, and safflower oil to nourish each coil. Sweet almond oil is an excellent emollient that gives a softer texture, strengthens and repairs hair strands, and improves hairresilience. The vitamin E in sweet almond oil protects coils from oxidative damage and environmental. A perfect blend of shea butter and honey helps to define curls and seal moisture. It is ideal for twists, twists out, freestyle, and hair updos.
- 100% organic ingredients
- Moisturizes, defines, and elongates natural curls
- Long-lasting
- Reduces breakage
- Tames frizzes
- Great for 4A hair type
- May leave hair feeling rough
7. Best Humidity-Resistant:Kenra Curl Defining Cream
Kenra Curl Defining Cream refines and separates curls while taming frizz and flyways. This humidity-resistant formula adds shine, nourishment leaving soft, touchable, and manageable locks. It is infused with jojoba and sunflower seed oil that deeply nourishes, soothes, revives, and controls unruly hair coils.
- Manages frizz
- Prevents breakage
- Seals in moisture
- Refines and separates curls
- Anti-humidity formula
- Manages flyways
- Crunchy, gel consistency
- Odd smell
8. Best Cruelty-Free:DevaCurlSuperCream Coconut Curl Styler
The DevaCurlSuperCream Coconut Curl Stylerworks wonders for curly and super curly hair that craves silky moisture, definition, and curl control. The emollient coconut oil provides a protective barrier to lock-in hair moisture and improves overall hair condition. It also strengthens the hair follicles, boosts volume, and adds texture to the lifeless curls.
- Paraben-free
- Sulfate-free
- Silicone-free
- Cruelty-free
- Gluten-free
- Phthalate-free
- Tames frizz
- Adds shine and texture
- Holds curly twists
- Seals in moisture
- Not suitable for fine curls
9. Best Hydrating:Royal Locks Pro Curl Cream Gel
The Royal Locks Pro Curl Cream Gel is a perfect curly hair solution that offers the hold of a gel and conditioning benefits of a cream. The unique blend of this curl cream gel gives your curls and waves a fantastic bouncy all-day hold without crunchiness while fighting frizz. The Moroccan elixir oil revives, hydrates, and detangles stubborn curls.
- Lightweight
- Refines kinky curls
- Promotes tangle-free hair
- Paraben-free
- Sulfate-free
- Cruelty-free
- Adds volume and texture to hair
- Easy-to-use formula
- May weigh down hair
- Sticky consistency
10. Best Paraben-Free:Design Essentials Natural Almond & Avocado Curl Stretching Cream
Design Essentials Curl Stretching Cream helps to nourish, moisturize, elongate pesky dry curly locks. This ultra-nourishing curl cream is infused with botanical blends of shea butter, almond butter, avocado, soy, and jojoba oil that condition frizzy, dry, limp, and lifeless hair. Almond butter nourishes and smoothens hair cuticles, and adds volume, texture, and life to limp curls. Avocado is a great source of biotin that strengthens the hair shaft, prevents hair breakage, and enhances the shine. Jojoba oil, olive oil, and shea butter are natural humectants that seal moisture. Soy protein helps condition the locks.
- Paraben-free
- Sulfate-free
- Paraffin-free
- Silicone-free
- Petroleum-free
- Mineral oil-free
- Natural ingredients
- Detangles coiled curls
- Moisturizes hair strands
- Not suitable for thin hair
11. Arvazallia Ultra Curl Defining Cream
The Arvazallia Ultra Curl Defining Cream is one of the top salon products for treating curly or kinky hair. This unique all-in-one formulations conditions, moisturizes, hydrates, and reinvigorates dry, damaged, and lifeless curls. It restores the hair’s natural moisture levels. This ultra-rich cream infused with Moroccan argan oil locks in moisture, lubricates and nourishes the hair shaft. The vitamin E in the argan oil offers a protective fatty layer to the hair and scalp.
- Paraben-free
- Sulfate-free
- Improves hair elasticity
- Detangles stubborn curls
- Makes hair soft and silky
- Improves hair manageability
- Strengthens hair shafts
- Repairs split ends
- Long-lasting
- Smells odd
12. Best For Medium Hold Curls:EDEN BodyWorksNatural Curl Defining Creme
Eden BodyWorks Coconut Shea Curl Defining Cremeprovides frizz control and optimizes style definition. This medium-hold mousse that revitalizes, nourishes, and protects hair from chemical damage. It is infused with 100% natural botanical extracts of coconut oil, shea butter, aloe vera, avocado oil, rice extract, and jojoba seed oil that boost hair strength and mitigate the pesky dryness. This unique blend of nourishing ingredients acts as a humectant, lock-in moisture, and the protective shield of essential fatty prevents dry, flaky scalp.
- Controls Frizz
- Humidity-resistant
- Promotes natural shine
- Defines curls
- Easy to apply
- 100% natural ingredients
- Moisturizes hair shafts
- Suitable for low-porosity hair
- Not suitable for 4c type of hair
13. Best Curl Moisturizer:ArtNaturals Curl Defining Cream
The ArtNaturals Curl Defining Cream is a rich formula that adds moisture, seals hydration, and refine curls. It is infused with nourishing and repairing ingredients like argan oil, coconut oil, jojoba seed oil, sweet almond oil, avocado oil along with hydrolyzed plant proteins, sea buckthorn extract, vitamin E, panthenol, and nettle extract. The ‘liquid gold’ argan oil is an excellent emollient. It is rich in antioxidants, essential fatty acids, and vitamin E that restore hair shine. The avocado oil contains a plethora of vitamins and minerals that offer restorative care to repair, revitalize hair, and restore hair shine. The hydrolyzed plant proteins retain hair’s moisture, reduces porosity, and imparts a mirror shine to lifeless curly hair. Many reviewers mentioned that a little goes a long way with this product and it offers long-lasting softness and shine.
- Natural ingredients
- Seals in moisture
- Ultra-hydrating cream
- Fights hair loss
- Repairs damaged curls
- Defines curls
- Refreshing fragrance
- feels heavy and greasy feel
14. Best Lightweight Curl Cream:Xtava Curl Definer Cream
The Xtava Curl Definer Cream is a lightweight fresh-smelling formula to tame unruly curls. This curl cream contains an invigorating blend of coconut oil, pique oil, and natural keratin that deeply nourishes hair and controls frizz. The pique oil is an emollient rich in essential fatty acids and vitamin A that form a protective barrier around the hair cuticle, seal moisture, and alleviate symptoms of dryness, dullness, and damage. Coconut oil extracted from lush pique fruit in the BrazillianCerrado, packed with vitamin A, fatty acids to reduce frizz and retain curl shape. The keratin protein smoothes down the cells of hair cuticles, strengthens the hair follicles, and leaveshair shiny and glossy.
- Lightweight consistency
- Sulfate-free
- Paraben-free
- Not tested on animals
- Suitable for all types of curly hair
- Strengthens hair follicles
- Adds shine and texture to hair
- Non-greasy formula
- Reduces frizz
- Improves hair elasticity
- Repairs hair cuticle
- Not for sensitive scalp
- Odd smell
15. Pantene Curl Defining Pudding, Gold Series
The Pantene Curl Defining Pudding nourishes and defines your curls. This powerful pro-vitamin formula creates beautifully soft, defined, frizz-free curls. Argan oil rich in vitamin E provides a protective shield to lock-in moisture, adds bounce, and protects each hair strands from environmental aggressors and chemical damage.
- Reduces frizz
- Gentle formula
- Tames dry, curly hair
- Lightweight
- Paraben-free
- Sulfate-free
- Dye-free
- Provides moisturization
- Strengthens hair follicles
- Has a crunchy consistency
These are the 15 top-pick curl creams to nourish, redefine, hydrate, and hold curls with no hassle. Before you buy the best one, let’s know the tips and tricks of using curl creams for natural hair.
How To Use A Curl Cream On Natural Hair
- Curl creams work best and glide smoothly if the rich mousse is racked through the wet hair.
- Divide your hair into small sections and apply the cream to each strand and glide through the entire length by finger-combs.
- Comb your hair with a wide-tooth comb designed specially for curly hair to detangle coils without any breakage.
- Allow your hair to dry naturally.
- Now your hair is ready to hold the natural shape with just one scrunch.
Now check out the essential criteria to consider while picking the best one.
Tips To Choose The Right Curl Cream For Natural Hair
- Use a light moisturizing curl enhancer as a leave-in cream when your curls are thirsty.
- Choose natural ingredients like argan oil, coconut oil, jojoba seed oil, olive oil to give ultra-nourishment while taming the unruly frizz.
- Pick a curl cream that adds bounce, refines texture, and redefines curls in just one scrunch.
The Bottom Line
Anyone with curly hair knows that they can achieve their curly hair goals with the right hairstyling products. To enhance the look of your curls, you need to try the best curl-defining creams that will give you soft and bouncy ringlets. The Shea Moisture Coconut Hibiscus Curl Enhancing Smoothie offers long-lasting hydration and adds shine to the hair. The Cantu Coconut Curling Cream improves elasticity, and the Aunt Jackie’s Curl La La Defining Curl Custard helps reduce dryness and prevents split ends. The reviewed options in the curated list are free from all synthetic chemicals, and suitable for all types of curls. Some are even free from animal testing, making them ideal for conscious consumers. While using these creams, always divide your hair into small sections and always comb your hair with a wide-toothed comb to avoid tangles.
Why Trust StyleCraze?
Oyendrila Kanjilal, the author, is a certified skin care coach with substantial experience in hair care. Curly hair can be prone to frizz in high humidity climates, and she has found a remedy that works well for her readers. She compiled this list of curl creams after conducting extensive research and reviewing numerous online reviews. These creams can nourish your hair, make it soft and supple, and hydrate your curls.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is a curl cream terrible for your hair?
No, a curl cream is best for nourishing, hydrating, and taming frizzy curls and coils.
How to keep my natural hair curly when it dries?
Dampen your hair, divide it into small sections, apply a curl definer cream, and in just a few minutes, get your natural soft curls with just a single scrunch.
Is there any way you can naturally make your hair curly without any products?
Blow-dry with a long finger diffuser. Use a cool blow-dry to prevent damage to hair strands. You can also use ringlets or hair rollers to get curls.
How often should you use curl cream?
Use a curl cream three to four times in a week after washing your hair.
Why does curl cream make my hair frizzy?
You may get frizz if you apply curl creams to the hair with buildup. Use a good clarifying shampoo once a week to clear product build up. Otherwise, the conditioning ingredients make the hair soft without developing frizz.
Do you use curl cream on wet or dry hair?
Always apply a curl cream to towel-dried hair for the best results. It best absorbs the nourishing oils from a good curl cream.
Can I sleep with curl cream in my hair?
Yes. You may sleep with curl cream to moisturize and condition the strands overnight.
