by Team CurlyNikki
Some shampoos leave thick natural hair feeling like somebody washed it with dish soap and a prayer. The scalp is clean, absolutely. Well, hopefully. Do we ever really know, though? Lol. Usually, we stop when the hair, especially near the roots, starts feeling unnecessarily rough.
Thick hair and coarse hair are not the same thing. Thick usually describes density, how many strands are growing on your head, while coarse describes the diameter of each strand. You can have both, and that combination can require more time, water, and product to cleanse thoroughly. These three shampoos approach that balance differently.
The Best Shampoos Compared
| Shampoo | Best For | Cleansing Feel |
|---|---|---|
| Design Essentials Honey Crème Moisture Retention Shampoo | Coarse hair that tangles during washing | Slippery, conditioning |
| PATTERN Hydration Shampoo | Dense curls and coils needing a thorough cleanse | Creamy, moisturizing |
| Redken All Soft Mega Curls Shampoo | Extremely dry, coarse or color-treated curls | Rich, smoothing |
1. Design Essentials Honey Crème Moisture Retention Shampoo
Best for: Coarse hair that starts tangling before the shampoo is even rinsed out.
If washing your hair creates more knots than it removes, start here.
A longtime textured-hair staple, Design Essentials Honey Crème is a sulfate-free conditioning shampoo formulated to soften strands and improve manageability. Its honey-derived conditioning ingredient and smoothing agents help reduce friction, making finger-detangling during the shampoo step more manageable.
Work it through thoroughly wet sections, massaging the scalp while gently smoothing the lather down the lengths. You may find you can begin separating tangles before reaching for conditioner.
The trade-off: It still contains effective cleansing agents, so don’t treat it like a co-wash. Follow with conditioner.
2. PATTERN Hydration Shampoo
Best for: Dense curls and coils that need a thorough cleanse without a stripped finish.
When you have a whole lot of hair, getting shampoo to the scalp can feel like navigating a forest.
Created by Tracee Ellis Ross, PATTERN Hydration Shampoo has a creamy formula with aloe vera, coconut oil, honey, and a blend of conditioning oils. It produces a soft lather designed to remove dirt and buildup while leaving curls feeling moisturized.
Part your hair into four or more sections and apply directly to the scalp. Massage thoroughly, then allow the lather to travel through your lengths as you rinse.
The trade-off: It’s a richer moisturizing cleanser. If you regularly use heavy grease or multiple layers of styling products, assess whether you need an occasional clarifying wash.
3. Redken All Soft Mega Curls Shampoo
Best for: Very dry, coarse, brittle-feeling or color-treated curls.
This is the salon option for hair that feels rough before wash day even begins.
Redken All Soft Mega Curls is sulfate-free and silicone-free, with a moisturizing complex featuring aloe vera, glycerin, cactus flower extract, and inca inchi oil. It’s designed for curly and coily hair that needs softness and manageability.
Concentrate the lather at your scalp, rinse thoroughly, and follow with a conditioning treatment that provides enough slip for your texture.
The trade-off: It’s the premium-priced option, and its richer approach may be unnecessary if your hair already feels soft and your main concern is scalp buildup.
Should Thick Natural Hair Be Shampooed Twice?
Not automatically.
If you’ve been using heavy oils, butters, grease, or several layers of gel, a second cleanse may help remove remaining residue. Otherwise, one thorough wash may be enough.
Our pick: Choose Design Essentials if detangling is the battle, PATTERN if you want a creamy moisturizing cleanse for dense curls, and Redken if your coarse lengths feel especially dry and difficult to manage.
Your shampoo should start wash day, not create a whole new problem for your conditioner to solve.
CurlyNikki Says:
I LOVE Innersense’s Clarity Hair Bath, but my hair is neither coarse nor thick, it is fine, and sparse lol. But still it walks the line and gets my scalp and hair clean without leaving that weird film some natural and curly shampoos leave behind with the intention of not stripping your natural oils. It’s slippery, suds up good, and rinses easily. Their other one, the Creamy Hair bath does leave me with that residue on my scalp. If no matter what you feel you can’t get to your roots effectively, and that even washing in sections doesn’t help that issue, put your shampoo of choice in a color applicator bottle and target the destination!
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