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Side by side

amika The Protector Color Protect + Strengthen Shampoo vs Sun Bum Curls Shampoo

93% function match · 11 of the 13 functions we compared match Formula overlap 50%. amika The Protector Color Protect + Strengthen Shampoo and Sun Bum Curls Shampoo share 4 ingredients among each other's most prominent.

Based on your consultation

Which of these fits your hair?

We check your pattern, moisture need, scalp, fragrance tolerance, weight sensitivity and more against each formula — and say which one lines up.

Your profile at a glance

  • Your answers appear here
  • Your answers appear here
  • Your answers appear here
  • Your answers appear here

When each one is the right call

What each formula is built for, from its own ingredient list.

  • The Protector Color Protect + Strengthen Shampoo — colour-treated hair
  • Curls Shampoo — colour-treated hair

Side by side

Every trait, aligned

One row per trait, read from each product’s own ingredient list and record. A dash means we have not researched that field for that product — it is not a “no”.

Trait
amika The Protector Color Protect + Strengthen Shampoo — 9.2 oz container amika

The Protector Color Protect + Strengthen Shampoo

  • Shampoo
  • Salon
  • Sulfate-free
Sun Bum Curls Shampoo — 10 oz container Sun Bum

Curls Shampoo

  • Shampoo
  • Drugstore
  • Sulfate-free
  • Protein-free
Price, size & price per ounce
$30 9.2 oz · $3.26/oz
$10–11 10 oz · $1.10/oz
Value / price positioning
Same job for less elsewhere $$$$$ Salon tier · costs more than 78% of the 817 shampoos we’ve priced
Priced with its peers $$$$$ Drugstore tier · costs less than 62% of the 817 shampoos we’ve priced
Best for hair types
All types Nothing in the formula or the claims narrows this to one pattern. Your hair
Wavy–Coily The brand’s own claims name curly or textured hair. Your hair
Moisture level Differs
Moderate Humectants in the working part of the formula. Your hair
Low Humectants appear, but low enough to be a minor part. Your hair
Cleansing strength Same
Strong Removes oil, buildup, and most residue — a reset wash. Your hair
Strong Removes oil, buildup, and most residue — a reset wash. Your hair
Slip / detangling Same
Moderate Conditioning agents are present, lower in the list. Your hair
Moderate Conditioning agents are present, lower in the list. Your hair
Weight on hair
Medium Middle of the range — noticeable on fine hair, light on coarse hair. Your hair
Medium Middle of the range — noticeable on fine hair, light on coarse hair. Your hair
Fragrance
Present Fragrance is listed; it sits below the working ingredients. Your hair
Prominent Fragrance sits in the first eight ingredients — a larger share of the formula. Your hair
Protein Differs
Minor Protein appears, low enough to be a supporting ingredient. Your hair
None No protein or amino acids in the list. Your hair
Silicone / wax buildup Same
High Water-insoluble silicones or waxes: a detergent wash is what removes them. Your hair
High Water-insoluble silicones or waxes: a detergent wash is what removes them. Your hair
Clarifying wash needed
Moderate Your hair
Moderate Your hair
Expected lather Same
High Thick foam that spreads quickly through the hair. Your hair
High Thick foam that spreads quickly through the hair. Your hair
Scalp active Same
None No over-the-counter scalp active. Your hair
None No over-the-counter scalp active. Your hair
Hard-water defence Same
None No chelating agent in the list. Your hair
None No chelating agent in the list. Your hair
Formula completeness
out of 10
Complete for its job
out of 10
Complete for its job
Who should choose this
  • Colour-treated hairthat fades faster in a sulfate wash
  • Fast-oiling scalpsthat need a real reset wash
  • Very dry hairno fast-drying alcohol in the list
  • Cuticle-smoothing pHa pH adjuster brings it to the acidic range hair prefers
  • Colour-treated hairthat fades faster in a sulfate wash
  • Protein-sensitive hairthat stiffens when protein is added
  • Fast-oiling scalpsthat need a real reset wash
  • Very dry hairno fast-drying alcohol in the list
Why you might skip it
  • Scents bother youthis product carries a scent
  • Curly-method routinesthese silicones need a detergent to remove
  • Dry or damaged haira strong detergent system strips as it cleans
  • Scents bother youthis product carries a scent
  • Curly-method routinesthese silicones need a detergent to remove
  • Dry or damaged haira strong detergent system strips as it cleans
from the formula stated by the brand reported by reviewers Scale: 1 dot low · 5 dots high, within this product type.
More facts about each one
Type
Shampoo
Shampoo
Line
The Protector
Curls
Where to buy
Salons · Brand website
Brand website · Grocery / mass · Target
Free of
  • sulfate-free
  • sulfate-free
  • protein-free
Cruelty-free
Cruelty-free · PETA-listed
Cruelty-free · PETA-listed
Scent
Scented, not described
Coconut & tropical · Sweet & vanilla

Facts as we recorded them. A dash means we have not researched that field for that product — it is not a "no".

The bottom line

The bottom line depends on your hair

Which of these two suits you is a question about your hair, not about them. The consultation answers it — and tells you what your routine needs around it.

Take the consultation

$49.00 once, for your consultation and hair profile. No subscription, no required purchases.

The detail behind the table

Where the readings above come from: the ingredient lists themselves, each brand’s claims checked against them, what owners report, and cost per ounce in context.

Shared and distinct ingredients

Shared and distinct ingredients

Computed from the ingredient lists as printed. "Shared" means both lists carry it; where it sits on each label is stated, because position is what tells you how much.

What both formulas carry

IngredientThe Protector Color Protect + Strengthen ShampooCurls Shampoo
Water
Neutral
#1Leading
#1Leading
Sodium C14-16 Olefin Sulfonate
Cleanses
#2Leading
#2Leading
Cocamidopropyl Hydroxysultaine
Cleanses
#3Leading
#17Below the 1% line
Cocamidopropyl Betaine
Cleanses
#4Supporting
#3Leading
Amodimethicone
Buildup
#12Secondary
#20Below the 1% line
Fragrance
Fragrance
#34Below the 1% line
#6Below the 1% line

What only one of them carries

The Protector Color Protect + Strengthen Shampoo

Curls Shampoo

  • Glycol Distearate
  • Ppg-2 Hydroxyethyl Coco / Isostearamide
  • Aleurites Moluccana (Kukui) Nut Extract
  • Gardenia Tahitensis Flower (Monoi) Extract
  • Dimethicone
Full ingredient list — The Protector Color Protect + Strengthen Shampoo (38)
Full ingredient list — Curls Shampoo (32)

Claims check

What each brand says, against what each formula shows

Claims are quoted from each brand. We only mark one supported, partly supported, or conflicting when that product’s ingredient list actually speaks to it.

VerdictsThe Protector Color Protect + Strengthen ShampooCurls Shampoo
Supported
0
0
Partly supported
0
0
Stated by brand
1
1
Potential conflict
0
0

The Protector Color Protect + Strengthen Shampoo

  • protect your hair color for up to 40 washes with this clinically proven color + strengthening shampooStated by brandOnly the brand’s testing shows this.

Curls Shampoo

  • Our curly haired crew loves this shampoo that uses Kukui Nut Oil and Monoi Coconut Oil to make every bend, wave, and curl feel a little extra loveStated by brandCan’t be confirmed from label.

What owners say

What people report

Recurring themes our researchers wrote in their own words from sourced reviews. We do not store or scrape star ratings, and we never balance one product’s themes against another’s by inventing them.

Both praised for the scent.

The Protector Color Protect + Strengthen Shampoo

Most reviews are unqualified five-star praise with little critical or mixed feedback surfaced in the sample retrieved

general reviewer population

Several reviewers describe the scent as a standout, calling it amazing or delicious

general users across hair types

Reviewers with color-treated hair, including bold/fashion colors (purple, ruby red, highlights), report noticeably reduced color fading with repeated use

color-treated hair, including vivid/fashion-color users

Reviewers report the shampoo cleanses without stripping or drying hair, leaving it feeling clean, soft, and smooth

wavy and curly hair types (2a-3b) per reviewer-attribute tags

Curls Shampoo

Curly-haired reviewers report the shampoo helps define and control curls as part of a regular routine

reviewers with curly hair

Reviewers like the tropical kukui nut and monoi coconut scent

general reviewer base

Reviewers following curly-girl-method-style silicone avoidance flag the dimethicone/amodimethicone content as unwanted in an otherwise-liked product

silicone-avoidant curly-hair reviewers

A couple of reviewers with wavy (non-curly) hair reported the shampoo left their hair feeling flat, dry, or not clean, suggesting it suits curl patterns better than looser waves

reviewers with wavy hair

A reviewer perceived the formula as too protein-heavy, leaving hair frizzy and dried out, though the printed ingredient list has no hydrolyzed protein — likely a perception based on feel rather than formulation

individual reviewer, formulation mismatch noted

Price check

Cost per ounce, in context

Cost per ounce against every product of this type we have priced, each at the size it is most often sold in. Value labels are computed from that percentile and from how many products that do the same job cost less; they are comparisons, not judgements about a brand.

$1.10/oz vs $3.26/oz — amika The Protector Color Protect + Strengthen Shampoo costs about 3× more per ounce than Sun Bum Curls Shampoo.

$0.00/oz median $1.48/oz $17.29/oz $3.26/oz The Protector Color Protec $1.10/oz Curls Shampoo

Every mark sits on one distribution because these are compared against the same set: 817 shampoos with a computable unit price.

Value readThe Protector Color Protect + Strengthen ShampooCurls Shampoo
Label
Same job for less elsewhereYou are paying above the range for a formula close to several lower-priced options.
Priced with its peersSits in the middle of the range for shampoos per ounce.

Computed from cost per ounce against every product of this type we have priced, and from how many products that do the same job cost less. It is a comparison, not a judgement about the brand.

Compare with something else

Close formulas to each of these, as their own comparison pages.

The Protector Color Protect + Strengthen Shampoo vs YouthLock Shampoo Formulated With CollagenJoico · 96% function matchCurls Shampoo vs Forming Pre-Styling ShampooAmerican Crew · 92% function matchThe Protector Color Protect + Strengthen Shampoo vs Defy Damage Protective ShampooJoico · 96% function matchCurls Shampoo vs Acidic Color Gloss Sulfate-Free ShampooRedken · 91% function matchThe Protector Color Protect + Strengthen Shampoo vs Medium Hair ShampooOuai · 95% function matchCurls Shampoo vs Miracle Moisture Daily ShampooIt's a 10 · 91% function matchThe Protector Color Protect + Strengthen Shampoo vs Fine Hair ShampooOuai · 94% function matchCurls Shampoo vs High Gloss ShampooKristin Ess · 91% function match

The Protector Color Protect + Strengthen Shampoo · Curls Shampoo · All shampoos in the library

How this page was made

  • This page is assembled from the same researched records the individual product pages render: identity, each ingredient list as printed, each brand's own claims, dated price observations, and review themes written in our researchers' own words. Nothing on it is written per comparison.
  • We do not rank these against each other. Which of them suits you depends on your hair, and that is what the consultation works out.
  • The formula similarity percentage is a stored, precomputed number: position-weighted overlap of the two ingredient lists blended with agreement on the attributes we derive. It measures how alike two formulas are, not how well either works.
  • The value band is a fixed label over two stored numbers: this product’s cost per ounce as a percentile of every product of this type we have priced, each at the size it is most often sold in, and how many products we score as doing the same job cost at least a quarter less per ounce.
  • The "Is this right for you?" panel reads only your own consultation answers, and it applies exactly the filters our recommendation engine applies. It is computed when you load the page and is never stored on it.
  • 8 sources were consulted across the products on this page.
  • Ingredient order tells you relative amount only above roughly 1%. Prices are observations on the dates shown and change without notice. We do not sell these products and take no placement fees.
  • This is cosmetic information, not medical advice, and nothing here diagnoses or treats a health condition.

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