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Side by side

IGK Hair Pay Day Shampoo vs Virtue Labs Curl Shampoo

98% function match · 12 of the 13 functions we compared match Formula overlap 53%. IGK Hair Pay Day Shampoo and Virtue Labs Curl 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.

  • Pay Day Shampoo — colour-treated hair
  • Curl 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
IGK Hair Pay Day Shampoo — 8 oz container IGK Hair

Pay Day Shampoo

  • Shampoo
  • Masstige
  • Sulfate-free
  • Silicone-free
Virtue Labs Curl Shampoo — 8 oz container Virtue Labs

Curl Shampoo

  • Shampoo
  • Prestige
  • Sulfate-free
  • Silicone-free
Price, size & price per ounce
$32 8 oz · $4.00/oz
$44–46 8 oz · $5.63/oz
Value / price positioning
Same job for less elsewhere $$$$$ Masstige tier · costs more than 85% of the 805 shampoos we’ve priced
Same job for less elsewhere $$$$$ Prestige tier · costs more than 96% of the 805 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 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 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
Present Fragrance is listed; it sits below the working ingredients. Your hair
Protein Same
Minor Protein appears, low enough to be a supporting ingredient. Your hair
Minor Protein appears, low enough to be a supporting ingredient. Your hair
Silicone / wax buildup Same
None Nothing here needs a detergent wash to remove. Your hair
None Nothing here needs a detergent wash to remove. Your hair
Clarifying wash needed
Low Your hair
Low 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
  • Fast-oiling scalpsthat need a real reset wash
  • Dry, thirsty hairhumectants and emollients both sit up front
  • Curly-method routinesno sulfates and no water-insoluble silicones
  • Colour-treated hairthat fades faster in a sulfate wash
  • Fast-oiling scalpsthat need a real reset wash
  • Curly-method routinesno sulfates and no water-insoluble silicones
  • Hard waterand swimmers dealing with mineral deposit
Why you might skip it
  • Scents bother youthis product carries a scent
  • Dry or damaged haira strong detergent system strips as it cleans
  • Picking it up locallywe have it recorded in one channel only
  • Scents bother youthis product carries a scent
  • Very dry or damaged hairit contains fast-drying alcohol
  • 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
Pay Day
Curl
Where to buy
Brand website
Brand website
Free of
  • sulfate-free
  • silicone-free
  • curly-method compatible
  • sulfate-free
  • silicone-free
  • curly-method compatible
Vegan
Vegan · label states
Not vegan · ingredient list
Scent
Scented, not described
Scented, not described

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

IngredientPay Day ShampooCurl Shampoo
Water
Neutral
#1Leading
#1Leading
Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate
Cleanses
#2Leading
#2Leading
Sodium Lauroyl Methyl Isethionate
Cleanses
#3Leading
#3Leading
Propanediol
Moisturizes
#8Supporting
#52Below the 1% line
Fragrance
Fragrance
#37Below the 1% line
#50Below the 1% line
Lauryl Glucoside
Cleanses
#20Below the 1% line
#4Supporting
Coconut Acid
Stabilizes
#16Secondary
#8Supporting
Ethylhexylglycerin
Softens
#24Below the 1% line
#9Below the 1% line

What only one of them carries

Pay Day Shampoo

Curl Shampoo

Full ingredient list — Pay Day Shampoo (39)
Full ingredient list — Curl Shampoo (71)

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.

VerdictsPay Day ShampooCurl Shampoo
Supported
0
2
Partly supported
1
0
Stated by brand
1
0
Potential conflict
0
0

Pay Day Shampoo

  • treats fragile, damaged, over-processed hair to 360-degree repairPartly supportedSupports the surface, not a treatment.
  • 11x softer strands and healthier-looking hair all aroundStated by brandOnly the brand’s testing shows this.

Curl Shampoo

  • Cleanse curls with Virtue sulfate-free curly hair shampooSupportedGentler on colour and coils.
  • Paraben and silicone-free for soft, bouncy curls with added moisture and definitionSupportedNothing that needs a strong wash.

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.

Pay Day Shampoo

Leaves hair notably softer and smoother, consistent with the bond-repair claim

Reviewers report a perceived reduction in breakage/repair benefit, not just cosmetic softness

damaged/over-processed hair reviewers specifically

Scent called out favorably alongside performance

Preserves volume rather than flattening hair despite the repair-focused formula

Curl Shampoo

Works well paired with the matching Virtue Curl Conditioner as a system

Some reviewers report the product does not dry out curls the way prior shampoos did

reviewers previously using drying/sulfate shampoos

Curls described as softer, more defined, and bouncier after use

reviewers with curly hair

A little product goes a long way, both cleansing and conditioning hair

Reviewers with curly/frizz-prone hair report significantly reduced frizz, even in humidity

reviewers with curly hair

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.

$4.00/oz vs $5.63/oz — Virtue Labs Curl Shampoo costs about 1.4× more per ounce than IGK Hair Pay Day Shampoo.

$0.00/oz median $1.47/oz $17.29/oz $4.00/oz Pay Day Shampoo $5.63/oz Curl Shampoo

Every mark sits on one distribution because these are compared against the same set: 805 shampoos with a computable unit price.

Value readPay Day ShampooCurl Shampoo
Label
Same job for less elsewhereYou are paying above the range for a formula close to several lower-priced options.
Same job for less elsewhereYou are paying above the range for a formula close to several lower-priced options.

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.

Pay Day Shampoo vs Curl Talk Bond Building ShampooNot Your Mother's · 100% function matchCurl Shampoo vs ColorKick De-Brassing ShampooVirtue · 99% function matchPay Day Shampoo vs ColorKick De-Brassing ShampooVirtue · 98% function matchCurl Shampoo vs Curl Talk Bond Building ShampooNot Your Mother's · 98% function matchPay Day Shampoo vs Way to Grow ShampooNot Your Mother's · 96% function matchCurl Shampoo vs Scalp Exfoliating ShampooRahua · 96% function matchPay Day Shampoo vs Miracle Whipped Sulfate-Free ShampooIt's a 10 · 96% function matchCurl Shampoo vs Signature ShampooOribe · 95% function match

Pay Day Shampoo · Curl 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.
  • 10 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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