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Curly hair looks best when it's wild and imperfect, but unless you're going for a super undefined style, it can be a pain to make sure your hair is — for the most part — keeping its gorgeous, spiral-y shape. That's especially true when you consider factors like frizz and humidity. Thankfully, there are plenty of curl creams out there that can lend a hand with styling and maintenance.
No matter what your curl pattern, the goal of these oil-enriched, hold-inducing concoctions is to assist your natural texture by adding definition, smoothness, and shine. A pro tip when shopping for curl creams is to look for moisture-boosting ingredients, along with additions like film formers which will help stretched-out or limp curls to recoil. Cosmetic chemist Ginger King previously explained to Allure that film formers are polymers (either synthetic- or starch-based) that help to shape each hair strand.
With moisture as the focus (an essential for curl maintenance), we enlisted the help of several curly hair experts to help us round up the best curl creams, butters, and custards for 3A to 4C hair. These options will allow your coils, kinks, curls, and waves to shine and be their best selves. What's even better? They all fall under $20.
All products featured on Allure are independently selected by our editors. However, when you buy something through our retail links, we may earn an affiliate commission.
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Marc Anthony Strictly Curls Curl Envy Cream
The process of achieving perfectly imperfect curls should require minimal effort. And Marc Anthony's Strictly Curls Curl Envy Cream can help you get there — no matter the thickness or tightness of your curls. Made with shea butter, avocado oil, and vitamin E, this styler delivers long-lasting moisture and a soft hold. The lightweight cream also repels humidity, so no matter what the season, you can expect a frizz-free finish.
To use, hairstylist Cynthia Alvarez, who works in both New York City and Los Angeles, says to "apply [the cream] all over wet or dry hair, concentrating more on the mid-shaft to ends, twirling small sections around your finger as you go."
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Rucker Roots Define and Stretch Curl Custard
Rucker Roots' Define and Stretch Curl Custard is an ideal option for folks with 3C to 4C hair who are looking to fight shrinkage. The moisturizing custard stretches tight curls while boosting shine and reducing frizz. The creamy jelly also layers nicely with other styling products. What's more, it's formulated with nourishing ingredients like strengthening biotin and moisturizing coconut oil. Chicago-based hairstylist Leigh Hardges suggests using the styling cream for twist-outs and rod sets. "I like how easy it is to spread the texture," she says. "It's thick enough to really coat curls but loose enough to be absorbed by the hair."
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Kinky-Curly Original Curling Custard
Kinky-Curly's Original Curling Custard looks and holds like a gel, but hydrates and stretches out shrinkage more like a moisturizing cream — all thanks to the aloe vera gel in the formula. Agave nectar is another star ingredient included in this formula that helps reduce frizz.
After applying your leave-in conditioner, work the custard through soaking wet hair. Hardges advises that you use it carefully because "buildup occurs fast with this product." Then, either air-dry your curls or use a diffuser attachment to help set your style.
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Sun Bum Curls & Waves Styling Cream
Sun Bum's Curls and Waves Styling Cream not only helps smooth frizz and add shine, but it also shields hair from damaging UV rays — which, if you dye or highlight, can lead to dullness and color fading. This is all done with a cocktail of seaweed protein, kukui nut oil, and monoi coconut oil, which also collectively hydrate thirsty curls.
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Curls Cashmere and Caviar Hair Silk
Curls' Cashmere and Caviar Hair Silk makes your hair feel, well, like silk. That's all thanks to cashmere protein, which softens and smooths hair. Silk amino acids in the leave-in conditioner strengthen hair, while aloe adds another layer of moisture. Hardges recommends finger-styling, like coiling and singling, for curl separation with a slight amount of hold. She adds that Hair Silk also works best on 3A to 4A hair types.
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Sky Organics Curl Care Bouncy Curl Cream
Sky Organics' Curl Care Bouncy Curl Cream is another one of Alvarez's go-to products. Made with ingredients like moisturizing shea butter and conditioning castor oil, you can count on this cream to hydrate, define, and sculpt your curls in no time. "I prefer to use the cream on damp hair and coat the roots to ends in a raking motion," says Alvarez, who recommends the cream for thicker, tightly coiled, and coarse curls. "Once [hair] is dry, I apply a bit on the tips of my finger to define and tame any frizzies."
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Tresemmé Flawless Curls Combing Cream
Infused with coconut and avocado oils, the two-in-one Tresemmé Flawless Curls Combing Cream detangles curls as it defines. Ideal for wavy, curly, or coily hair, the cream moisturizes hair without adding weight. There's no heaviness or stickiness, either. All that's left behind are soft, frizz-free curls that look and feel hydrated and shiny.
After showering, apply the product to towel-dried hair and work through with your fingers or a wide-tooth comb. Finish by styling with a diffuser. You can also mix the cream with a bit of gel, and let hair air-dry.
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Uncle Funky's Daughter Curly Magic Curl Stimulator
Uncle Funky's Daughter Curly Magic Curl Stimulator is an aloe-based gel that's all about defining and elongating curls. According to Hardges, the curl activator's ability to add a lot of shine to hair, while having great slip as you work the product in, is what makes this one a fan-favorite. She recommends the styler for 3C to 4C curl types.
Moisturizing glycerin and aloe vera at the base of the formula help plump curls into bouncy, defined formation. Hardges says that the curl cream works best when shingling, coiling, and two-strand twisting hair. Just note: "This one holds in moisture, so more confined styles like flat-twists or bantu knots can take a lot longer to dry," she says. You may want to consider hitting your protective style with a blow-dryer to help speed up the setting process, too.
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Not Your Mother's Curl Talk Cream
This Not Your Mother's Curl Talk Cream lets you put your best curls forward by giving hair a dose of moisture while adding shine and controlling frizz. Made for all curl types, the defining cream comes infused with a rice curl complex made from a blend of rice, keratin amino acids, and enzymes. These ingredients work together to smooth, strengthen, and enhance moisture retention.
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Curls Dynasty Vanilla Cream Custard
Not only does Curls Dynasty's Vanilla Cream Custard add definition, but it also stretches out tighter curls that are prone to shrinkage. It's a medium-hold formula, so it will keep your style in place once it's set — without any added crunchiness.
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SGX NYC Curl Power Nourishing Curl Cream
SGX NYC Curl Power Nourishing Curl Cream earned a 2019 Allure Best of Beauty Award for good reason. It rehydrates dried-out hair without adding extra weight, so as moisture goes in, it's actually plumping up curls to make them more voluminous.
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Cake Beauty The Curl Friend Defining Curl Cream
Another Best of Beauty winner, Cake Beauty's The Curl Friend Defining Curl Cream uses a trio of butters and oils — soybean oil, avocado oil, and shea butter — to give tighter, denser curls definition and moisture without any sticky or thick buildup. Editorial assistant Gabi Thorne, who tried the cream on her low-porosity 3C/4A type hair, says her curls looked defined but didn't lose volume or shrink more than usual. "[It] quenched my thirsty-ass hair, and the moisture it gave me lasted most of the week," she says.
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Marc Anthony Coconut & Shea Nourishing Curl Cream
Marc Anthony's Coconut & Shea Nourishing Curl Cream absorbs into dry strands rather than sits on top of them. It banishes frizz and blocks out humidity without messing with the moisture curls need to thrive.
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Maui Moisture Curl Quench + Coconut Oil Curl Smoothie
Thick, curly hair will drink up this Maui Moisture Curl Quench + Coconut Oil Curl Smoothie. In addition to hydrating coconut oil, there's also papaya butter, plumeria extract, and glycerin for extra softness and moisture. Use it to both detangle and style your crown.
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Rucker Roots GTC Curly Cream
The trio of oils in Rucker Roots GTC Curly Cream — derived from ginger, turnip root, and carrots — each nourishes hair in different ways. Ginger stimulates the scalp and strengthens weak strands, turnip adds shine and elasticity, and carrot helps reduce frizz and protects against heat damage. There's also strengthening biotin and classic hydrators, like shea butter and coconut oil, to moisturize and prevent breakage.
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Aunt Jackie's Curl La La Defining Curl Custard
If you consider your curls hard to smooth and define, give Aunt Jackie's Curl La La Defining Curl Custard a try. Moisture-absorbing glycerin, protein-enriched quinoa, and nourishing shea butter all work together to deeply hydrate hair that has a harder time retaining moisture. The result is more definition, minus any caking or flaking.
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Ogx Curling Perfection Hydrating Cream
Smooth the argan oil-based Ogx Curling Perfection Hydrating Cream onto damp hair and work it through from root to ends. The light cream will slick flyaways and add shine. Let your hair air-dry and enjoy all the bounce and smoothness it leaves behind.
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Curls Crème Brule Whipped Curl Cream
The delicious scent and creamy whipped texture aren't the only things that make Curls' Crème Brule Whipped Curl Cream a treat for your hair. Sweet almond oil and shea butter soften and moisturize, while allantoin helps with elasticity so that curls don't break as easily.
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Dove Amplified Textures Twist In Moisture Shaping Butter Cream
Dove formulated its Amplified Textures Twist In Moisture Shaping Butter Cream to work for your wash-and-go and protective styles. The affordable texture-builder and curl-smoother has what the brand calls a "moisture amplifying blend," which includes ingredients like honey, jojoba, and aloe to do all the things curls love: moisturize, define, and smooth frizz.
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Emerge The Works Buttercream
The goal of the Emerge collection is to offer simple ingredients with straightforward results — and you'll get that with The Works Buttercream. Pequi oil and fair-trade shea butter are the main ingredients that soften, hydrate, and smooth curly hair without any of the usual not-so-good suspects like sulfates, parabens, silicones, mineral oil, or petrolatum.
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African Pride Moisture Miracle Shea Butter & Flaxseed Oil Moisture & Define Curling Cream
African Pride Moisture Miracle Shea Butter & Flaxseed Oil Moisture & Define Curling Cream looks to hydrating heavy-hitter shea butter to seal in moisture and prevent what's already inside the hair cuticle from escaping. The flaxseed oil gives hair a natural hold so that you can skip crunchy and sticky gels.
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Design Essentials Almond Avocado Curling Crème
The Design Essentials Almond Avocado Curling Crème formula was made to be quick-drying so that you don't have to spend a ton of time styling or waiting for your twist-out, flexi-rod curls, or wash-and-go to set. But just because it's got a speedy drying time doesn't mean it won't keep your hair hydrated until your next wash — the almond and avocado oils in this cream take care of just that.
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Afro Sheen Crown Defining Curl Cream
With the rebirth of this iconic textured hair brand comes the Afro Sheen Crown Defining Curl Cream, which combines omega-3 fatty acid-enriched flaxseed oil and nourishing coconut oil with lauric acid to penetrate dry hair. Shea butter seals it all in.
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Ouidad Advanced Climate Control Featherlight Styling Cream
Ouidad's Advanced Climate Control Featherlight Styling Cream proves that you don't need a ton of weight to keep frizz and flyaways in place — even on the most humid of days. Curls are left separated and defined using a trio of humectants (meadowfoam seed, olive, and soybean). As a bonus, sericin, a protein derived from silk, seals the cuticle to lock in moisture and block out humidity.
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Mielle Organics Pomegranate & Honey Coil Sculpting Custard
Type 4 hair tends to be the driest of all the textures. Thankfully, Mielle Organics Pomegranate & Honey Coil Sculpting Custard was made especially for this curl type. Coconut and babassu oils, along with moisture-attracting honey, give parched hair the moisture it's missing. For best results, apply the cream in sections to dripping wet hair then diffuse or air-dry.
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Cantu Shea Butter Coconut Curling Cream
Delicious mango-coconut soufflé or curl cream? Cantu Shea Butter Coconut Curling Cream's buttery whip hydrates dry, coarse curls — yet it's surprisingly lightweight. Section off damp hair and rake a dollop through each before air- or blow-drying as usual.
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Kristin Ess Hydrating Curl Defining Crème
Kristin Ess Hydrating Curl Defining Crème is just the thing to bring the spring back to lifeless, fuzzy curls. Apply to damp hair and watch your curls spiral as you slather it on. Once your style is set, a little crème is also good for refreshing those errant curls that frizz up unexpectedly. Wet them a bit with water, smooth some of this on, and watch them coil back into formation.
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Dark and Lovely Au Naturale Anti-Shrinkage Curl Defining Crème Glaze
If you're not about that shrinkage life, meet your new BFF, the Dark and Lovely Au Naturale Anti-Shrinkage Curl Defining Crème Glaze. The mango oil and bamboo milk blend stretch out your curls and coils, have substantial hold, and make your hair feel incredibly soft.
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Sashapure Perfectly Defining Curl Cream
There's plenty of goodness in Sashapure's Perfectly Defining Curl Cream to smooth and hydrate curls. Vitamins A and E keep the scalp moisturized, while amino acids protect hair from stress and damage. As for styling, sacha inchi oil is what assists with curl definition and frizz-blocking. Allure's Jihan Forbes tried the cream on a pretty balmy day and says, "those curls held on for dear life without leaving my hair feeling too dry or too greasy and weighed down with product."
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Briogeo Curl Charisma Rice Amino Leave-In Defining Creme
The rice amino acids in Briogeo's Curl Charisma Rice Amino Leave-In Defining Creme battles frizz, while the avocado oil makes your curls oh-so-soft. Meanwhile, the tomato fruit ferment and mollis leaf extract help your curls tap into their full potential, leaving you with a head full of spiraled glory.
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SheaMoisture Coconut and Hibiscus Curl Enhancing Smoothie
Not only does SheaMoisture's Coconut and Hibiscus Curl Enhancing Smoothie smell like a deliciously fruity, coconut-based cocktail, but it will also get your curls all the way together, giving them definition that holds but doesn't feel stiff or crunchy. It's no wonder this drugstore wonder is a holy-grail product for so many — it won an Allure 2020 Readers' Choice Award to boot.
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Taliah Waajid Curls, Waves, & Naturals Curly Curl Cream
If you've got tighter curls instead of waves, Taliah Waajid's Curls, Waves, & Naturals Curly Curl Cream will not only condition and make your hair shiny, but it will do so without creating a greasy feeling.
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ORS Curls Unleashed Shea Butter & Honey Curly Coil Rich Style Creme
ORS Curls Unleashed Shea Butter & Honey Curly Coil Rich Style Creme has a non-sticky texture that defines and hydrates coarse curls. The sweet-smelling shea butter formula is ideal for tight curl patterns, as it defines and elongates coils instead of making them spring into shorter ringlets.
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