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Side by side

Herbal Essences Herbal Essences Curl + Define Apricot Sulfate-Free Shampoo vs Not Your Mother's Royal Honey & Kalahari Desert Melon Protect & Nourish Shampoo

94% function match · 11 of the 13 functions we compared match Formula overlap 45%. Herbal Essences Herbal Essences Curl + Define Apricot Sulfate-Free Shampoo and Not Your Mother's Royal Honey & Kalahari Desert Melon Protect & Nourish Shampoo share 3 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.

  • Herbal Essences Curl + Define Apricot Sulfate-Free Shampoo — colour-treated hair
  • Royal Honey & Kalahari Desert Melon Protect & Nourish 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
Herbal Essences Herbal Essences Curl + Define Apricot Sulfate-Free Shampoo — 13.5 oz container Herbal Essences

Herbal Essences Curl + Define Apricot Sulfate-Free Shampoo

  • Shampoo
  • Drugstore
  • Sulfate-free
  • Protein-free
Not Your Mother's Royal Honey & Kalahari Desert Melon Protect & Nourish Shampoo — 15.2 oz container Not Your Mother's

Royal Honey & Kalahari Desert Melon Protect & Nourish Shampoo

  • Shampoo
  • Drugstore
  • Sulfate-free
  • Protein-free
Price, size & price per ounce
$10.59 13.5 oz · $0.84/oz
$8.99 15.2 oz · $0.62/oz
Value / price positioning
Priced with its peers $$$$$ Drugstore tier · costs less than 74% of the 817 shampoos we’ve priced
Lower cost than most shampoos $$$$$ Drugstore tier · costs less than 83% of the 817 shampoos we’ve priced
Best for hair types
Wavy–Coily The brand’s own claims name curly or textured hair. Your hair
All types Nothing in the formula or the claims narrows this to one pattern. Your hair
Moisture level Same
Moderate Humectants in the working part of the formula. Your hair
Moderate Humectants in the working part of the formula. 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 Differs
Moderate Conditioning agents are present, lower in the list. Your hair
High Conditioning agents sit high in the list — this is a detangling formula. 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
Prominent Fragrance sits in the first eight ingredients — a larger share of the formula. Your hair
Present Fragrance is listed; it sits below the working ingredients. Your hair
Protein Same
None No protein or amino acids in the list. 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
Moderate An ordinary shampoo lather. Your hair
Moderate An ordinary shampoo lather. 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
Chelators present Chelators are present — they bind hard-water and pool minerals. Your hair
Chelators present Chelators are present — they bind hard-water and pool minerals. 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
  • Protein-sensitive hairthat stiffens when protein is added
  • Fast-oiling scalpsthat need a real reset wash
  • Dry, thirsty hairhumectants and emollients both sit up front
  • 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
  • Maximum slipfor hair that tangles the moment it is wet
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
Curl + Define Apricot Sulfate Free
Royal Honey & Kalahari Desert Melon Protect & Nourish
Where to buy
Grocery / mass · Drugstore
Brand website
Free of
  • sulfate-free
  • protein-free
  • sulfate-free
  • protein-free
Vegan
—
Not vegan · ingredient list
Cruelty-free
Cruelty-free · PETA-listed
—
Scent
Mint & herbal
Sweet & vanilla · Fresh & airy

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

IngredientHerbal Essences Curl + Define Apricot Sulfate-Free ShampooRoyal Honey & Kalahari Desert Melon Protect & Nourish Shampoo
Water
Neutral
#1Leading
#1Leading
Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate
Cleanses
#2Leading
#3Leading
Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate
Cleanses
#5Supporting
#2Leading
Fragrance
Fragrance
#6Below the 1% line
#13Below the 1% line

What only one of them carries

Herbal Essences Curl + Define Apricot Sulfate-Free Shampoo

Royal Honey & Kalahari Desert Melon Protect & Nourish Shampoo

Full ingredient list — Herbal Essences Curl + Define Apricot Sulfate-Free Shampoo (19)
Full ingredient list — Royal Honey & Kalahari Desert Melon Protect & Nourish Shampoo (16)

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.

VerdictsHerbal Essences Curl + Define Apricot Sulfate-Free ShampooRoyal Honey & Kalahari Desert Melon Protect & Nourish Shampoo
Supported
2
1
Partly supported
0
0
Stated by brand
1
3
Potential conflict
0
0

Herbal Essences Curl + Define Apricot Sulfate-Free Shampoo

  • Instantly defines and hydrates for bouncy curlsSupportedHelps hair feel hydrated.
  • 0% sulfates, parabens, dyes, or phthalatesStated by brandOnly the brand’s testing shows this.
  • Certified PETA cruelty-freeSupportedMatches our researched record.

Royal Honey & Kalahari Desert Melon Protect & Nourish Shampoo

  • Performance meets purity for zero compromisesStated by brandCan’t be confirmed from label.
  • 98% naturally derived ingredientsStated by brandOnly the brand’s testing shows this.
  • Locks in moisture while cleansingSupportedHelps hair feel hydrated.
  • Help protect from future breakage, and deliver an instant shineStated 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 moisture. Herbal Essences Herbal Essences Curl + Define Apricot Sulfate-Free Shampoo draws complaints about how it cleanses.

Herbal Essences Curl + Define Apricot Sulfate-Free Shampoo

Sulfate-free, paraben-free, cruelty-free certifications resonate with ingredient-conscious buyers.

ingredient-conscious buyers

Curly-haired users report a lightweight hydration balance without buildup or heaviness.

curly hair

Confirmed safe and color-compatible on dyed/treated hair by multiple reviewers.

color-treated hair

Noticeable curl definition and bounce reported with regular use, especially by naturally curly-haired reviewers.

naturally curly hair

Some silicone-avoidant customers were disappointed to learn the formula contains silicones (dimethiconol) despite other clean-label claims.

silicone-avoidant users

Royal Honey & Kalahari Desert Melon Protect & Nourish Shampoo

Many long-time users say it is highly moisturizing, with some reporting they can skip a separate conditioner on some washes

wavy/straight hair, thick hair

Repeated, emphatic requests not to discontinue the product, with several reviewers noting years of continued use

long-term repeat buyers

Reviewers describe the scent and overall feel as gentle/natural compared to other mass-market shampoos they have tried

general

A complaint about the brand's follow-up review-request emails/notifications, unrelated to product performance

general

Some confusion/frustration over a past name or packaging change that led buyers to think the product had been discontinued

general

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.

$0.62/oz vs $0.84/oz — Herbal Essences Herbal Essences Curl + Define Apricot Sulfate-Free Shampoo costs about 1.4× more per ounce than Not Your Mother's Royal Honey & Kalahari Desert Melon Protect & Nourish Shampoo.

$0.00/oz median $1.48/oz $17.29/oz $0.84/oz Herbal Essences Curl + Def $0.62/oz Royal Honey & Kalahari Des

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

Value readHerbal Essences Curl + Define Apricot Sulfate-Free ShampooRoyal Honey & Kalahari Desert Melon Protect & Nourish Shampoo
Label
Priced with its peersSits in the middle of the range for shampoos per ounce.
Lower cost than most shampoosCosts less per ounce than most shampoos we have researched.

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.

Herbal Essences Curl + Define Apricot Sulfate-Free Shampoo vs Strength + Restore Avocado Sulfate-Free ShampooHerbal Essences · 100% function matchRoyal Honey & Kalahari Desert Melon Protect & Nourish Shampoo vs Tahitian Gardenia & Mango Butter Curl Definition ShampooNot Your Mother's · 96% function matchHerbal Essences Curl + Define Apricot Sulfate-Free Shampoo vs Color + Protect Grapeseed Sulfate Free ShampooHerbal Essences · 100% function matchRoyal Honey & Kalahari Desert Melon Protect & Nourish Shampoo vs Color + Protect Grapeseed Sulfate Free ShampooHerbal Essences · 94% function matchHerbal Essences Curl + Define Apricot Sulfate-Free Shampoo vs Smooth + Shine Hemp Sulfate Free ShampooHerbal Essences · 100% function matchRoyal Honey & Kalahari Desert Melon Protect & Nourish Shampoo vs Pro-V Miracles Extreme Damage ShampooPantene · 94% function matchHerbal Essences Curl + Define Apricot Sulfate-Free Shampoo vs Pro-V Miracles Extreme Damage ShampooPantene · 100% function matchRoyal Honey & Kalahari Desert Melon Protect & Nourish Shampoo vs Strength + Restore Avocado Sulfate-Free ShampooHerbal Essences · 94% function match

Herbal Essences Curl + Define Apricot Sulfate-Free Shampoo · Royal Honey & Kalahari Desert Melon Protect & Nourish 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.
  • 9 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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