Best shampoo and conditioner for black natural curly hair

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Having the right shampoo pays off in so many ways. It's the foundation to a healthy scalp and healthy hair. The right shampoo cleanses without stripping all your scalp's oils away or leaving loads of buildup. 

For curly hair, it can be even harder to find the right products and routine because you have to balance finding the right shampoo, conditioner, and bouquet of styling products. On top of everything, you have to figure out your hair's optimal timing for washing and refreshing.

You can learn more about how to take care of your curly hair here, but ultimately, it's best to find the regimen that works for you and stick to it.

Whether your curls are loose or tightly coiled, these are the 17 best shampoos for curly hair. Some shampoos are a bit better than others depending on your curls, which we share.

Here are the best shampoos for curly hair in 2022:

SheaMoisture Coconut & Hibiscus Curl & Shine Shampoo

This classic shampoo from Shea Moisture produces a lather, but that doesn't mean it's drying. It moisturizes with coconut oil and strengthens with silk proteins for an extra dose of shine. 

Tgin Rose Water Sulfate Free Hydrating Shampoo

Tgin's Rose Water Shampoo cleanses the scalp and hair without stripping too much moisture. It utilizes a gentle cleansing agent, known as a surfactant, to remove dirt and oil while leaving behind plenty of hydration. Infused with rose, acai, and ginger extracts, this shampoo leaves your hair smelling heavenly, too. 

Pattern Beauty Hydration Shampoo

Tracee Ellis Ross's haircare line was thoughtfully designed for curly and coily textures — and it has won several awards for doing just that. The Pattern Beauty Shampoo is made without harsh sulfates. Instead, it utilizes a mix of protein and oils to strengthen and moisturize curls. The formula also contains tea tree oil, which is an antifungal that works to treat and prevent dandruff. 

Design Essentials Honey Crème Moisture Retention Shampoo

If most shampoos leave your hair feeling incredibly parched, this Honey Crème Moisture Retention Shampoo is for you. It's infused with honey and humectants, so it infuses moisture into your strands as it cleanses away dirt and oil.

SheaMoisture Jamaican Black Castor Oil Strengthen & Restore Shampoo

One of the brand's most popular hair products, Shea Moisture's Jamaican Black Castor Oil Shampoo targets the scalp specifically. Ingredients like shea butter and Jamaican black castor oil promote healthy hair, while peppermint oil stimulates the scalp, encouraging hair growth.

Carol's Daughter Coco Crème Sulfate Free Shampoo

The Coco Crème shampoo is sulfate-free, and works to soften the strands as it cleanses. The formula does contain silicones although they're water-soluble — meaning they should wash away after shampooing instead of leaving residue over the hair.

Briogeo Curl Charisma Rice Amino + Avocado Hydrating Shampoo

A true multi-tasker, this shampoo from Briogeo cleanses, strengthens, and moisturizes, thanks to a combination of protein and oils. The brand prides itself on producing clean beauty products, so none of its products contain sulfate, silicones, phthalates, parabens, artificial dyes, or diethanolamine.

Mielle Organics Rosemary Mint Strengthening Shampoo

Packed with stimulating and nourishing oils, this shampoo from Mielle Organics helps detangle and moisturize with ingredients like castor oil and peppermint oil. It also contains rosemary oil, which is not only linked to hair growth, but also gives the hair an invigorating fragrance. 

TGIN Miracle RepairRX Shampoo

Thank God It's Natural was created by the late Chris-Tia Donaldson who graduated from Harvard Law School and then transitioned her career from law to beauty. Her natural haircare products are Insider-approved and come in three lines tailored to different needs. The Miracle RepairRX shampoo is specifically formulated to cleanse the hair gently and strengthen it with biotin, castor oil, and honey.

Sienna Naturals H.A.P.I. Shampoo

Issa Rae doesn't just make award-winning TV shows, but she makes incredible hair products as the co-owner of Sienna Naturals with Hannah Diop. This shampoo's superpower is its mix of aloe, baobab, and lavender oil that makes the shampoo smell as good as it cleans. Sienna Naturals products are all vegan and synthetic-fragrance free, which is especially helpful if you have sensitive skin.

The Doux Sucka Free Shampoo

Founder Maya Smith has been a licensed cosmetologist since high school. Now, she has a haircare company dedicated to textured hair with a full line of products and branding that's all an ode to old-school O.G.s. The Sucka Free Shampoo leaves your hair squeaky clean without stripping it thanks to its shea butter.

If you want a more gentle cleanser from this Black- and Veteran-owned brand, try the moisturizing shampoo.

Headquarters Mega-Moisture Shampoo

This curly shampoo by Headquarters is a superstar cleanser and hydration hero best for looser curls in the 3a-c range. Sulfate-free and scented with peony and coconut, Mega-Moisture rolls into a rich, creamy lather. Customers especially appreciate how gentle this product is on their skin sensitivities like dandruff and eczema.

Juices and Botanics Detox Shampoo

Instead of focusing on hair typing, the products from Juices and Botanics are usually made lightweight to better penetrate the hair shaft, including the tightest coils. The Detox shampoo is a great cleanser that also deposits hydrating ingredients into the hair. If you want something less intense, the co-wash is a better option. 

Juices & Botanics founder Whitney Eaddy calls herself the Growth Guru, dedicated to empowering Black women by helping them nourish and grow their natural hair. Her overall philosophy is rooted in paying attention to the differences in moisturizing and hydrating hair. 

Kinky-Curly Come Clean Shampoo

The smell of Kinky-Curly products never misses, and that stays true for its clarifying shampoo that has hints of floral, citrus, and coconut. The Come Clean Shampoo is especially good for a thorough clean that removes product and buildup without harsh chemicals, like sulfates. This lightweight product tends to work best on looser curls.

Sky Organics Wash Day Shampoo

All about organic and vegan formulas, Sky Organics prides itself on its clean and cruelty-free curly shampoo. Customers like how versatile the earthy scent is that comes from its mix of castor oil and aloe.

Imbue Curl Liberating Shampoo

Imbue identifies as a vegan, curl-worshipping haircare brand, and it's apparent in its foolproof system of curl-care. Powered by cupuaçu, shea, and coconut water, this shampoo hydrates as much as it rubs into a nice, cleansing lather. Because it's free from sulfates, silicones, and mineral oils, this shampoo is especially good for folks with skin sensitivities.

CurlMix Curly Hair Shampoo

CurlMix's clarifying shampoo is perfect for removing buildup and deeply cleansing your scalp. The handmade formula is made without sulfates, parabens, or formaldehydes – which can be damaging to hair follicles or cause irritation. Fans of this shampoo love how it cleans but even more how it leaves their hair smelling fresh and fruity.

The Chicago-based founders made headlines when they declined a $400k Shark Tank offer and then went on to raise millions.

Types of curly hair

There are two main hair types of curly hair. Type 3 includes loose to medium tight curls, and type 4 includes tight to super tight curls and coils. 

Alyssa Powell/Insider

A lot of folks will stress hair typing when you're looking for the right product for you. The difference between curly (3A, 3B, and 3C type patterns) and coily hair (4A, 4B, and 4C type patterns) is how tight and defined your ringlets are. While the hair typing system can be helpful, it also misses the mark since it doesn't capture all the other important aspects of your hair like texture, density, and elasticity.

Curly hair shampoo FAQ

Why does curly hair need special shampoo?

Curly hair needs different things than straight hair from shampoo. Here's why: sebum is the natural oil our scalps produce. Curls slow down how fast that oil travels down our hair. Because of this, curly hair thrives from a shampoo that cleanses the scalp without stripping the hair of its needed moisture. 

This is why most curly shampoos have moisturizing ingredients as well as cleansing ones. On top of that, it's helpful to avoid harsh chemicals that may cause scalp irritation like synthetic fragrances, especially when there are a lot at a time.

How often should curly hair be washed?

How often you wash your curly hair depends on how quickly your hair gets oily. Curly hair takes longer than straight hair, for example, to get oily. 

For some, it's better to wait a few weeks in between washing. This is all to say, develop your wash schedule based on your hair. If you want to refresh in between washes, you can co-wash or rinse with plain water.

Is it better to wash curly hair at night or in the morning? 

There's no right or wrong answer for this because it depends on the drying time. Ideally, after doing your wash routine and styling, there's time for your hair to dry. Since wash routines can take a few hours, it's probably best to start earlier than later since you don't want to sleep with a head full of cold, wet hair. There's also a bonus with washing in the morning: You get a whole day to flaunt your fresh, day one curls.

Ingredients to look for

As far as ingredients go, you want to look out for parabens, isopropyl alcohol, mineral oil, silicones, and artificial dyes, as they can dry out and damage your delicate hair. And although you may have heard negative things about sulfates — a detergent found in cleaning products, body wash, and haircare — certified trichologist Dr. Kari Williams doesn't think they're all bad. 

"[Sulfates] are designed to strip things of oil and dirt and to break it down, so they are effective in shampoos for that reason," Dr. Williams explains. In her opinion, sulfates aren't damaging when they're used occasionally versus daily. "If your hair is filthy, and you don't wash your hair that frequently, then you actually need sulfates."

Read more about how to care for curly hair here.

Andrea Bossi is a freelance writer at Insider Reviews who primarily covers beauty and style. She is also a published poet and Forbes contributor who covers music, especially, hip-hop and r&b. If she's not writing, you can probably find her exploring on her bike, trying new vegan recipes, or dancing with friends (virtually, for now). Although born and raised in Chicago, she went east to study Cognitive Neuroscience and a minor in African American Studies at Harvard. Between what she studies and what she writes about, it's clear Bossi remains fascinated by the ways in which so many things are unexpectedly connected. Follow her on Instagram at @BossiBB or Twitter at @Bossi147

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