Side by side
Fairy Tales Curly-Q Hydrating Conditioner vs Not Your Mother's Tahitian Gardenia & Mango Butter Curl Definition Conditioner
93% function match · 8 of the 10 functions we compared match Formula overlap 16%. Fairy Tales Curly-Q Hydrating Conditioner and Not Your Mother's Tahitian Gardenia & Mango Butter Curl Definition Conditioner share 2 ingredients among each other's most prominent.
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
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When each one is the right call
What each formula is built for, from its own ingredient list.
- Curly-Q Hydrating Conditioner — maximum slip
- Tahitian Gardenia & Mango Butter Curl Definition Conditioner — protein-sensitive 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”.
Tahitian Gardenia & Mango Butter Curl Definition Conditioner
- Conditioner
- Drugstore
- Sulfate-free
- Protein-free
- Maximum slipfor hair that tangles the moment it is wet
- Dry, thirsty hairhumectants and emollients both sit up front
- Cuticle-smoothing pHa pH adjuster brings it to the acidic range hair prefers
- A wide range of haira middle-of-the-range weight
- Protein-sensitive hairthat stiffens when protein is added
- Maximum slipfor hair that tangles the moment it is wet
- Dry, thirsty hairhumectants and emollients both sit up front
- Very dry hairno fast-drying alcohol in the list
- Scents bother youthis product carries a scent
- Curly-method routinesthese silicones need a detergent to remove
- Very dry or damaged hairit contains fast-drying alcohol
- Scents bother youthis product carries a scent
- Curly-method routinesthese silicones need a detergent to remove
- Hair that needs proteinthere is none in this list
More facts about each one
- sulfate-free
- sulfate-free
- protein-free
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.
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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
What only one of them carries
Curly-Q Hydrating Conditioner
Tahitian Gardenia & Mango Butter Curl Definition Conditioner
Full ingredient list — Curly-Q Hydrating Conditioner (21)
-
1
Water
- solvent
-
2
Cetyl Alcohol
- fatty alcohol
- emollient
- thickener
-
3
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
- humectant
- botanical extract
- gum
- Below about this point, order stops being meaningful — these are typically used at 1% or less.
-
4
Aminomethyl Propanol
- pH adjuster
-
5
Astrocaryum Murumuru Seed Butter
- butter
- emollient
-
6
Behentrimonium Chloride
- conditioning agent
- cleanser
-
7
Caprylyl Glycol
- preservative
- humectant
-
8
Chenopodium Quinoa Seed
- botanical extract
- protein
-
9
Citric Acid
- pH adjuster
- hard-water chelator
-
10
Cyclopentasiloxane
- silicone
- emollient
-
11
Dicetyldimonium Chloride
- conditioning agent
-
12
Fragrance
- fragrance
- declared fragrance
-
13
Glycerin
- humectant
-
14
Isopropyl Alcohol
- drying alcohol
- solvent
-
15
Panthenol
- humectant
- conditioning agent
- vitamin
-
16
Persea Gratissima (Avocado) Fruit Butter
- butter
- emollient
- sealant
-
17
Phenoxyethanol
- preservative
-
18
Phytantriol
- humectant
- conditioning agent
-
19
Rice Amino Acids
- amino acid
- humectant
- protein
-
20
Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil
- emollient
- light ester
- oil
- wax
-
21
Sorbic Acid
- preservative
Full ingredient list — Tahitian Gardenia & Mango Butter Curl Definition Conditioner (17)
-
1
Water
- solvent
-
2
Cetearyl Alcohol
- fatty alcohol
- emollient
- thickener
-
3
Distearyldimonium Chloride
- conditioning agent
-
4
Behentrimonium Chloride
- conditioning agent
- cleanser
-
5
Glycerin
- humectant
-
6
Quaternium-80
- silicone
- conditioning agent
- film former
-
7
Mangifera Indica (Mango) Seed Butter
- butter
- emollient
-
8
Gardenia Tahitensis Flower Extract
- botanical extract
-
9
Ppg-3 Benzyl Ether Ethylhexanoate
- emulsifier
-
10
Hydroxyethylcellulose
- gum
- thickener
- film former
- Below about this point, order stops being meaningful — these are typically used at 1% or less.
-
11
Fragrance
- fragrance
- declared fragrance
-
12
Linalool
- fragrance
- named fragrance allergen
-
13
Hexyl Cinnamal
- fragrance
- named fragrance allergen
-
14
Coumarin
- fragrance
- named fragrance allergen
-
15
Phenoxyethanol
- preservative
-
16
Ethylhexylglycerin
- preservative
- emollient
-
17
Citric Acid
- pH adjuster
- hard-water chelator
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.
Curly-Q Hydrating Conditioner
Defines curl, tames frizz and detangles unruly knots
SupportedEasier detangling, less breakage.Over 97% naturally derived ingredients
Stated by brandOnly the brand’s testing shows this.Free from sulfates, parabens, phthalates, gluten, soy, dairy, and nuts
SupportedGentler on colour and coils.
Tahitian Gardenia & Mango Butter Curl Definition Conditioner
98% naturally derived ingredients
Stated by brandOnly the brand’s testing shows this.Intensely nourishes to define curls
SupportedHelps hair feel hydrated.Superior slip detangles and tames frizz
SupportedEasier detangling, less breakage.Sulfate surfactant free, paraben free, drying alcohols free
SupportedPreserved without parabens.Dermatologist tested
Stated by brandOnly the brand’s testing shows this.
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.
Fairy Tales Curly-Q Hydrating Conditioner draws complaints about tangling; Not Your Mother's Tahitian Gardenia & Mango Butter Curl Definition Conditioner draws complaints about the packaging.
Curly-Q Hydrating Conditioner
The apple/pear scent is one of the most frequently praised traits across reviewers.
general reviewers, mostly parents buying for childrenParents find it gentle enough for young children's hair and scalp, noticeably shaping curls without irritation.
parents of toddlers/young kids with curly or wavy hairOne reviewer with finer, textured hair felt it did not soften and detangle as well as other conditioners she had tried.
parent of a child with fine 2c/3a curlsSeveral buyers say the bottle is small for the price relative to the matching shampoo, though they still consider it worth it.
repeat buyers of the Curly-Q lineTahitian Gardenia & Mango Butter Curl Definition Conditioner
Many reviewers describe it as a years-long 'holy grail' staple, valued for having no silicones, drying alcohols, heavy oils, or excess protein.
curly-girl-method-aware, multi-year usersReviewers describe it as a well-balanced conditioner that defines curls without weighing hair down, including on 3a curl patterns.
3a curly hair, 5+ year usersAt least one reviewer specifically dislikes the pump dispenser on the current brand-site bottle, calling it wasteful compared to the old Target packaging.
single reviewer, packaging-specificRepeated, strongly worded complaints that Target no longer carries it, with reviewers asking the brand to bring it back to retail shelves.
longtime buyersSome longtime users say the brand's newer replacement product lines have disappointing ingredients and results compared to this discontinued-from-retail formula.
longtime users comparing to newer NYM linesPrice 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.
$0.59/oz vs $1.25/oz — Fairy Tales Curly-Q Hydrating Conditioner costs about 2.1× more per ounce than Not Your Mother's Tahitian Gardenia & Mango Butter Curl Definition Conditioner.
Every mark sits on one distribution because these are compared against the same set: 689 conditioners with a computable unit price.
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.
Curly-Q Hydrating Conditioner · Tahitian Gardenia & Mango Butter Curl Definition Conditioner · All conditioners 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.
- 6 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.
- This particular combination is not listed in our sitemap: we only submit pairs of comparable products that our similarity data says people would actually weigh against each other.
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