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Side by side

Living Proof Curl Shampoo vs Living Proof Full Shampoo

87% function match · 10 of the 13 functions we compared match Formula overlap 52%. Living Proof Curl Shampoo and Living Proof Full 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.

  • Curl Shampoo — colour-treated hair
  • Full 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
Living Proof Curl Shampoo, a coral pink cylindrical bottle with a white flip cap, standing on a dark green background Living Proof

Curl Shampoo

  • Shampoo
  • Prestige
  • Sulfate-free
  • Silicone-free
Living Proof Full Shampoo — 2 oz container Living Proof

Full Shampoo

  • Shampoo
  • Prestige
  • Sulfate-free
  • Silicone-free
Price, size & price per ounce
$36 8 oz · $4.50/oz
$7.75 2 oz · $3.82/oz

Compared at different sizes — 8 oz against 2 oz. Per-ounce prices favour the larger bottle.

Value / price positioning
Same job for less elsewhere $$$$$ Prestige tier · costs more than 92% of the 817 shampoos we’ve priced
Same job for less elsewhere $$$$$ Prestige tier · costs more 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 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
Light Water-first and light: unlikely to flatten fine 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
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 Differs
High Water-insoluble silicones or waxes: a detergent wash is what removes them. Your hair
None Nothing here needs a detergent wash to remove. Your hair
Clarifying wash needed
Moderate 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
  • 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
  • Curly-method routinesno sulfates and no water-insoluble silicones
Why you might skip it
  • Scents bother youthis product carries a scent
  • Dry or damaged haira strong detergent system strips as it cleans
  • Stretching wash dayswaxes stay until a detergent wash removes them
  • Scents bother youthis product carries a light scent
  • Dry or damaged haira strong detergent system strips as it cleans
  • Hair that needs proteinthere is none in this list
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
Full
Where to buy
Brand website
Brand website · Ulta
Free of
  • sulfate-free
  • silicone-free
  • protein-free
  • curly-method compatible
  • sulfate-free
  • silicone-free
  • protein-free
  • curly-method compatible
Cruelty-free
Cruelty-free · PETA-listed
Cruelty-free · PETA-listed
Scent
Scented, not described
CitrusLight

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

IngredientCurl ShampooFull Shampoo
Water
Neutral
#1Leading
#1Leading
Sodium Lauroyl Methyl Isethionate
Cleanses
#2Leading
#2Leading
Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate
Cleanses
#4Supporting
#4Supporting
Sunfloweroyl Methylglucamide
Cleanses
#8Supporting
#7Supporting
Fragrance
Fragrance
#36Below the 1% line
#18Below the 1% line
Limonene
Fragrance
#43Below the 1% line
#22Below the 1% line
Maltooligosyl Glucoside
Moisturizes
#11Secondary
#8Supporting
Hexyl Cinnamal
Fragrance
#44Below the 1% line
#23Below the 1% line
Linalool
Fragrance
#45Below the 1% line
#24Below the 1% line

What only one of them carries

Full ingredient list — Curl Shampoo (46)
Full ingredient list — Full Shampoo (25)

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.

VerdictsCurl ShampooFull Shampoo
Supported
2
0
Partly supported
0
0
Stated by brand
2
2
Potential conflict
0
0

Curl Shampoo

  • Makes curls 3x stronger in 1 useStated by brandOnly the brand’s testing shows this.
  • Hydrates + improves curl definitionSupportedHelps hair feel hydrated.
  • Silicone-free, luxe formula defines curls right out of shower with low latherSupportedNothing that needs a strong wash.
  • The Curl System provides 90% frizz controlStated by brandOnly the brand’s testing shows this.

Full Shampoo

  • Delivers 2x the volume with every washStated by brandOnly the brand’s testing shows this.
  • Scientifically proven to improve hair texture and qualityStated 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.

Both praised for the scent, hold, and volume. Living Proof Full Shampoo draws complaints about the price.

Curl Shampoo

Reviewers report noticeably reduced frizz and better curl hold as one of the most-mentioned topics (about a fifth of review coverage)

Reviewers with wavy/curly hair describe it as a staple/holy-grail product for enhancing curl definition and volume

wavy/curly hair reviewers

Reviewers frequently report visibly improved curl appearance -- curls looking healthier and shinier

Reviewers consistently praise the scent, describing it as pleasant/amazing

Reviewers are split on whether the shampoo leaves hair feeling truly clean vs. still coated, a recurring point of disagreement

Full Shampoo

Reviewers describe hair feeling softer and smoother after washing.

Reviewers report the shampoo leaves hair feeling thoroughly clean without stripping.

The light citrus/green-tea fragrance is repeatedly called out as a pleasant, lasting scent.

Reviewers with fine, thin, or flat hair report noticeably improved volume and body.

fine/thin/flat hair

A minority of reviewers question whether results justify the premium price point.

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.

$3.82/oz vs $4.50/oz — Living Proof Curl Shampoo costs about 1.2× more per ounce than Living Proof Full Shampoo.

$0.00/oz median $1.48/oz $17.29/oz $4.50/oz Curl Shampoo $3.82/oz Full Shampoo

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

Value readCurl ShampooFull 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.

Curl Shampoo · Full 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.
  • 7 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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