I use Kinky-Curly’s products pretty often so I figured I’d review some of them, starting with the brand’s shampoo.

The brand recommends that before you use its styling products, you cleanse your scalp with their shampoo, Kinky-Curly Come Clean Shampoo. The label describes it as a moisturizing shampoo that is gentle enough for everyday use. It has good ingredients–no sulfates, parabens, etc if that’s important to you (I’ve included the ingredient list at the bottom of this post). It leaves your scalp and strands feeling squeaky clean. It has a nice light citrus scent; it does lather. And for an organic shampoo, it’s pretty easy to find if you don’t want to buy it online—Whole Foods and Target carry it. I originally bought this shampoo because the Kinky Curly brand claims that its main styling product, the Curling Custard, won’t work if there is any build-up of other products on your hair. The shampoo does a great job of removing build-up.

How I use it: I actually use Kinky-Curly Come Clean as a clarifying shampoo, even though it’s not labeled as such. I use it every couple of weeks, or sometimes before trying a brand new hair product for the first time. I would not use it every day; I find it way too stripping for that, especially since I don’t shampoo my hair anymore. At around $12 for an 8-ounce bottle, it’s not the cheapest shampoo around, but it’s lasted me about half a year, and I still have a fair amount left, so I don’t have a problem with the price. If you are someone who shampoos your hair daily or very often, it won’t last you as long as it’s lasted me, but I’d still make a safe bet that it will last you longer than other shampoos because a little goes a long way.

My bottom line: This is a mostly all-natural lathering shampoo that effectively removes build-up from the scalp and hair. If you’re curly or kinky, I recommend you use it sparingly (i.e. NOT every day), as it will remove everything from your scalp and strands; an excellent shampoo for making your hair squeaky clean, but it does not moisturize.

**Ingredient list for Kinky-Curly Come Clean Shampoo: purified water, organic mandarin orange fruit, organic marigold flower, organic white willow bark, organic sea kelp, c14-16 olefin, sulfonate and cocamidopropyl betaine (coconut derived), phytic acid, citric acid, sea salt, phenoxyethanol, natural fragrance

To read about my decision to embrace my hair’s natural texture, please click here to read my post “A Curly Girl’s Homecoming.”