People with wavy, curly, or coily hair (roughly 2A-4C) who want a gentle, sulfate-free cleanse, including those following the curly girl method. Its silk-protein, silicone-free formula also suits dry, colour-treated, chemically relaxed, or permed hair that needs cleansing without further stripping. Not aimed at straight, fine, low-porosity hair prone to buildup from richer cleansers, and not a heavy-duty clarifying shampoo — it's a gentle daily/regular cleanser.

What sets this shampoo apart from a generic curl shampoo is what it leaves out — no silicones and no harsh SLS/SLES sulfates, which matters because those ingredients are exactly what tends to build up on curly and coily hair or strip the moisture curls need to hold their shape. The silk amino acids fill that gap by smoothing the cuticle during the wash itself, so hair already feels softer before conditioner is even applied, and colour-treated or chemically processed hair gets a cleanse aimed at not roughening it further.

Apply to hair that's fully wet. Massage into the scalp and work through to the ends until a lather builds. Rinse thoroughly. For a deeper cleanse, repeat once. Follow with Curl Keeper Silk Conditioner or Cream Conditioner.

Pros:

• Cleanses thoroughly for a curly-girl-method routine while skipping SLS/SLES sulfates and silicones
• Silk amino acids leave hair feeling smooth right after rinsing, not just after conditioner
• Lightweight enough not to weigh down looser curl patterns

Cons:

• Still contains a sulfonate surfactant (sodium C14-16 olefin sulfonate) — not a true sulfate-of-any-kind-free cleanser
• Contains fragrance with named allergens (limonene, linalool, isoeugenol)
• Very dry/high-porosity curls may need an immediate rich conditioner afterward