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Side by side

Not Your Mother's Curl Talk Defining Cream vs Not Your Mother's Curl Talk Refreshing Curl Foam

59% function match · 7 of the 13 functions we compared match Formula overlap 22%. Not Your Mother's Curl Talk Defining Cream and Not Your Mother's Curl Talk Refreshing Curl Foam 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 Talk Defining Cream — maximum slip
  • Curl Talk Refreshing Curl Foam — curly-method routines

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
Not Your Mother's Curl Talk Defining Cream — 6 oz container Not Your Mother's

Curl Talk Defining Cream

  • Styler
  • Drugstore
  • Sulfate-free
  • Silicone-free
Not Your Mother's Curl Talk Refreshing Curl Foam — 8 oz container Not Your Mother's

Curl Talk Refreshing Curl Foam

  • Styler
  • Drugstore
  • Sulfate-free
  • Silicone-free
Price, size & price per ounce
$9–11 6 oz · $1.69/oz
$9–11 8 oz · $1.22/oz
Value / price positioning
Priced with its peers $$$$$ Drugstore tier · costs less than 58% of the 105 curl creams we’ve priced
Priced with its peers $$$$$ Drugstore tier · costs less than 67% of the 13 refresh sprays we’ve priced
Best for hair types
Wavy–Coily Co-washes, curl creams, and gels are built around wave and curl. Your hair
Wavy–Coily The brand’s own claims name curly or textured hair. Your hair
Moisture level Differs
None found No humectants found — nothing here pulls water into the hair. Your hair
High Humectants near the top — water-binding is a headline mechanism here. Your hair
Hold system Differs
High Synthetic hold polymers — the firmest of the hold systems. Your hair
Mixed Gums and synthetic polymers together. Your hair
Slip / detangling Differs
High Conditioning agents sit high in the list — this is a detangling formula. Your hair
Little Nothing here is built to reduce combing force. Your hair
Weight on hair Differs
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
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
Hold (as stated)
—
Light A light hold, as stated by the brand. Your hair
Cast risk Differs
Unlikely Softening ingredients sit alongside the film formers, so a hard shell is unlikely. Your hair
Likely Film formers without much softening them — expect a cast to scrunch out. Your hair
Humidity resistance
Claimed The brand claims humidity resistance; the ingredient list cannot confirm it. Your hair
—
Oil absorption Same
None No absorbent powders or starches. Your hair
None No absorbent powders or starches. Your hair
Oils and butters Same
None No oils or butters in the list. Your hair
None No oils or butters in the list. Your hair
Fast-drying alcohol Same
None No fast-drying alcohol in the list. Your hair
None No fast-drying alcohol 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
  • Maximum slipfor hair that tangles the moment it is wet
  • Curly-method routinesno sulfates and no water-insoluble silicones
  • Curl definitionfilm formers hold a clump together
  • Silicone-free routinesno silicones appear in the list
  • Curly-method routinesno sulfates and no water-insoluble silicones
  • Curl definitionfilm formers hold a clump together
  • Fine hairthat flattens under most products
  • Silicone-free routinesno silicones appear in the list
Why you might skip it
  • Scents bother youthis product carries a scent
  • Vegan and cruelty-freeour record does not support both claims here
  • Picking it up locallywe have it recorded in one channel only
  • Scents bother youthis product carries a scent
  • Anyone who dislikes a castthe film formers here can set firm
  • Styles that must holdthe brand states a light hold at most
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
Stylercream
Stylerfoam
Where to buy
Brand website
Brand website
Free of
  • sulfate-free
  • silicone-free
  • curly-method compatible
  • sulfate-free
  • silicone-free
  • curly-method compatible
Vegan
Not vegan · label states
Not vegan · label states
Scent
Scented, not described
Scented, not described
Hold
—
lightFlexible hold
Finish
natural
natural
Humidity claim
Yes
—
How often
every wash
as needed

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 Talk Defining CreamCurl Talk Refreshing Curl Foam
Water
Neutral
#1Leading
#1Leading
Keratin Amino Acids
Protein
#6Supporting
#8Supporting
Oryza Sativa (Rice) Extract
Neutral
#7Supporting
#7Supporting
Acyl Coenzyme A Desaturase
Active
#8Supporting
#9Secondary
Ethylhexylglycerin
Softens
#15Below the 1% line
#13Below the 1% line
Phenoxyethanol
Stabilizes
#16Below the 1% line
#10Below the 1% line
Fragrance
Fragrance
#17Below the 1% line
#11Below the 1% line
Lactobacillus/Tomato Fruit Ferment Extract
Neutral
#9Secondary
#6Supporting

What only one of them carries

Curl Talk Defining Cream

Curl Talk Refreshing Curl Foam

Full ingredient list — Curl Talk Defining Cream (21)
Full ingredient list — Curl Talk Refreshing Curl Foam (14)

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 Talk Defining CreamCurl Talk Refreshing Curl Foam
Supported
6
6
Partly supported
0
0
Stated by brand
1
0
Potential conflict
0
0
Sulfate-free
SupportedGentler on colour and coils.
SupportedGentler on colour and coils.
Silicone-free
SupportedNothing that needs a strong wash.
SupportedNothing that needs a strong wash.
Paraben-free
SupportedPreserved without parabens.
SupportedPreserved without parabens.

Curl Talk Defining Cream

  • Maximizes curl definitionSupportedHolds a clump together.
  • Seals in moistureStated by brandCan’t be confirmed from label.
  • Controls frizzSupportedSmoother strands, less frizz.
  • Drying-alcohol-freeSupportedNothing that flashes off dry.

Curl Talk Refreshing Curl Foam

  • Redefines curls with long-lasting shapeSupportedHolds a clump together.
  • Anti-frizzSupportedSmoother strands, less frizz.
  • Safe for color-treated hairSupportedLess fade per 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.

Curl Talk Defining Cream

Does exactly what it says and smells great

brand-site reviewer, 5-star

Lightweight feel while still controlling frizz

brand-site reviewer, 5-star

Defines curls without leaving hair greasy or weighed down

brand-site reviewer, 5-star

Curl Talk Refreshing Curl Foam

Works well on 3c/4a curl types

brand-site reviewer

Gives beautiful results with weekly use

brand-site reviewer

Refreshes curls without leaving them crunchy

brand-site reviewer

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.

$1.22/oz vs $1.69/oz — Not Your Mother's Curl Talk Defining Cream costs about 1.4× more per ounce than Not Your Mother's Curl Talk Refreshing Curl Foam.

Curl Talk Defining Cream

Against 105 curl creams with a computable unit price.

Curl Talk Refreshing Curl Foam

Against 13 refresh sprays with a computable unit price.

Value readCurl Talk Defining CreamCurl Talk Refreshing Curl Foam
Label
Priced with its peersSits in the middle of the range for curl creams per ounce.
Priced with its peersSits in the middle of the range for refresh sprays 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.

Curl Talk Defining Cream vs Curl Talk To Go Mini Styling KitNot Your Mother's · 100% function matchCurl Talk Refreshing Curl Foam vs Texture Tonic Texturizing SprayAveda · 96% function matchCurl Talk Defining Cream vs Curl Talk Fragrance Free Defining CreamNot Your Mother's · 93% function matchCurl Talk Refreshing Curl Foam vs Root Boost Uplifting SprayCurlsmith · 96% function matchCurl Talk Defining Cream vs Curl Talk Fragrance & Protein Free Defining CreamNot Your Mother's · 93% function matchCurl Talk Refreshing Curl Foam vs Morning After Redefining Foam For Styling And Curl RefreshingMixed Chicks · 96% function matchCurl Talk Defining Cream vs Curl Talk Lasting Definition Flash Freeze GelNot Your Mother's · 89% function matchCurl Talk Refreshing Curl Foam vs Flex Hair Gel for Medium Crunch-Free HoldOdele · 93% function match

Curl Talk Defining Cream · Curl Talk Refreshing Curl Foam · All curl creams 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.
  • 2 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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