Sizes & containers
12 OZ (355 ML) · $32 at one store · UPC 898496000761
Big Energy - Volumizing Shampoo
Shampoo / Everyday cleanser, balanced
- Shampoo
- Sulfate-free
- Silicone-free
- Curly-method
Add it to your products. We’ll tell you if it’s ever recalled.
Scent:
The ingredient list declares fragrance. What it smells of is not stated, and we do not guess.
Manufacturer page: curlkeeper.com
Personal fit
Is this right for you?
Complete the consultation to see how well this product fits your hair and your goals. With 6,000+ products in our library, we can match you to the right ones.
- About 20 minutes, and your answers save as you go.
- Every product matched against your hair across the 22 factors we check.
- A personalized routine built around your schedule, styling habits, and local weather.
- Find products that do the same job at a lower cost.
- Your goals, scalp, damage history, water, budget, and scent preferences all shape your plan.
$49 with 60 days of follow-up questions and plan updates
$99 with 12 months. Pay once; the year renews only if you choose.
Show all 22 factors we check
The rest of what your plan weighs on this product.
The consultation builds your hair profile, checks every factor in this table against it, and tells you where this product fits or what to use instead.
Start your consultation$49 once, with 60 days of follow-up questions and plan updates. Nothing renews, and you never have to buy a product.
Your avoid-list
Upper-mid price for a shampoo
$2.67/oz at 12 oz, more than 70% of the 1544 shampoos , which mostly run $0.79–3.04/oz. The cost less.
Great for
Maybe skip if
What the formula actually does
Read from the label, not the marketing
Each row says where it comes from: F means we derived it from this product’s own ingredient list, S means it is a claim the brand makes that the formula neither confirms nor contradicts.
Removes oil and product; leaves some conditioning behind.
Thick foam that spreads quickly through the hair.
Nothing here is built to reduce combing force.
Humectants in the working part of the formula.
No over-the-counter scalp active.
No chelating agent in the list.
Nothing here needs a detergent wash to remove.
Protein appears, low enough to be a supporting ingredient.
Fragrance is listed; it sits below the working ingredients.
Ingredients that matter
The ingredients that change a decision
The workhorse ingredients, plus anything lower down that changes a decision. The chips name what an ingredient does. They are not safety scores, and no ingredient here is rated good or bad on its own.
| Ingredient | What it does | Why it matters | Chip |
|---|---|---|---|
| WaterWater (Aqua/Eau) | solvent | The base everything else is dissolved in | Neutral |
| Sodium Chloride | salt | Thickens the formula | Stabilizes |
| Sodium C14-16 Olefin Sulfonate | olefin sulfonate cleanser | — | Cleanses |
| Coco-Glucoside | nonionic cleanser | — | Cleanses |
| Peg-4 Rapeseedamide | emulsifier | Keeps oil and water mixed | Stabilizes |
| Panthenol | humectant | Pulls water into the hair | Detangles |
| Disodium Laureth Sulfosuccinate | mild anionic cleanser | — | Cleanses |
| Silk Amino Acids | protein | Firms up soft, over-stretchy hair | Protein |
| FragranceParfum (Fragrance) | fragrance | The scent | Fragrance |
Full ingredient list (19)
In the US, ingredients above 1% are listed from most to least. Below 1% they can appear in any order. Each note keeps three things apart: what the ingredient generally does, its role in this type of product, and what its position can tell you.
-
1
Water
· Water (Aqua/Eau)
General function
The base of almost every rinse-off and cream hair product. It carries everything else and is normally the first ingredient on the label.
Leading ingredientListed in the first three ingredients, it is likely a structural part of this formula.
- solvent
-
2
Sodium Chloride
General function
Table salt. In shampoo it is used to thicken the liquid, not to treat the hair.
Leading ingredientPubChemListed in the first three ingredients, it is likely a structural part of this formula.
- salt
- thickener
-
3
Sodium C14-16 Olefin Sulfonate
General function
A strong non-sulfate detergent used in "sulfate-free" shampoos. It cleans about as thoroughly as a sulfate despite the label difference.
Leading ingredientListed in the first three ingredients, it is likely a structural part of this formula.
PubChemMay suitBuild-up-sensitive routinesA strong detergent with no sulfate on the label. It removes deposited films about as completely as a sulfate does.
May not suitVery dry or highly damaged hairSulfate-free on the label is a naming fact, not a mildness one: this is an efficient detergent, and hair short of moisture can feel it.
- olefin sulfonate cleanser
- cleanser
-
4
Coco-Glucoside
General function
A sugar-derived, low-foaming cleanser used in gentle and curly-method shampoos.
Supporting ingredientListed in positions 4–8, it likely makes a meaningful contribution alongside the formula's main ingredients.
PubChemMay suitDry, coarse, or high-porosity hairMild cleansing leaves more surface lubrication in place on hair that dries out quickly.
May suitVery dry or highly damaged hairA sugar-derived non-ionic detergent, among the gentlest in use. It cleanses with little foam of its own and little sebum removal.
May not suitBuild-up-sensitive routinesGentle cleansing leaves water-insoluble deposits largely in place; they come off with a stronger wash, not this one.
- nonionic cleanser
- cleanser
-
5
Peg-4 Rapeseedamide
General function
An ethoxylated or propoxylated formulation aid. Ingredients of this family keep oils, silicones and fragrance evenly dispersed in a water-based product.
Supporting ingredientListed in positions 4–8, it likely makes a meaningful contribution alongside the formula's main ingredients.
- emulsifier
-
6
Panthenol
General function
Provitamin B5. It draws in water and penetrates the strand a little, which is why it is the standard ingredient for softness and shine claims.
Supporting ingredientListed in positions 4–8, it likely makes a meaningful contribution alongside the formula's main ingredients.
PubChemMay suitFine or easily flattened hairIt hydrates without adding oil or a film, which is the combination fine hair usually needs.
May suitFrizz-prone, damaged, or high-friction hairDeposits a lubricating layer that makes combing easier, which is most of what stops mechanical damage adding to frizz.
May suitVery dry or highly damaged hairA humectant that also penetrates the cuticle, so it holds water inside the strand rather than only on the surface.
- humectant
- conditioning agent
- vitamin
-
7
Disodium Laureth Sulfosuccinate
General function
A mild cleanser used to soften a formula built on stronger detergents.
Supporting ingredientListed in positions 4–8, it likely makes a meaningful contribution alongside the formula's main ingredients.
May suitCurls or waves needing flexible holdThe detergent class most curl routines are built around: it lathers and cleanses without stripping the strand back to bare.
May suitDry, coarse, or high-porosity hairA gentler detergent leaves more of the surface oil that slows water loss from coarse or porous hair.
May suitVery dry or highly damaged hairCleanses with less sebum removal than a sulfate detergent, so hair that is short of moisture keeps more of it through the wash.
- mild anionic cleanser
- cleanser
-
8
Silk Amino Acids
General function
Silk protein broken into amino acids, used for slip and shine rather than strength.
Supporting ingredientListed in positions 4–8, it likely makes a meaningful contribution alongside the formula's main ingredients.
May suitVery dry or highly damaged hairAmino acids are the smallest protein fraction and bind water as well, so they add far less stiffness than a hydrolysed protein does.
DependsProtein-sensitive hairThe lightest option in the protein family, but still protein — worth watching if protein reliably stiffens your hair.
- protein
- amino acid
-
9
Polysorbate 80
- emulsifier
- solubilizer
- ▾Below about here, the order stops meaning much. These are usually used at 1% or less.
-
10
Fragrance
· Parfum (Fragrance)
General function
An undisclosed blend of scent ingredients. Regulations let it stay unlisted, so a fragrance-free product is the only way to be certain what is not in it.
Estimated lower-concentration zoneIt appears around or below the estimated 1% line, where label order no longer indicates relative amount; its role may be minor or technical.
May not suitFragrance-sensitive routinesDeclared fragrance. On a fragrance-sensitive routine this is the line that decides it, wherever it sits on the label.
- fragrance
- declared fragrance
-
11
Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose
General function
A cellulose thickener used for slip and light hold in gels and creams.
Estimated lower-concentration zoneIt appears around or below the estimated 1% line, where label order no longer indicates relative amount; its role may be minor or technical.
May suitCurls or waves needing flexible holdA polysaccharide film stays softer than a synthetic one as it dries, which is what leaves a curl defined but still able to move.
May suitFrizz-prone, damaged, or high-friction hairA soft film binds neighbouring strands together, which is most of what helps flyaways lie down.
May not suitMaximum-hold stylingGum films stay soft. A style that needs firm fixation usually wants a synthetic polymer doing the holding.
- gum
- thickener
- film former
-
12
Sodium Sulfate
- salt
- 13 Glyoxal
-
14
DMDM Hydantoin
- formaldehyde releaser
- preservative
-
15
Citric Acid
General function
Used to bring the product to a slightly acidic pH, which helps the cuticle lie flat. It is almost always near the end of the list.
Estimated lower-concentration zoneIt appears around or below the estimated 1% line, where label order no longer indicates relative amount; its role may be minor or technical.
International Journal of TrichologyMay suitBuild-up-sensitive routinesHolds hard-water minerals in solution so they rinse away instead of depositing on the hair.
May suitFrizz-prone, damaged, or high-friction hairThe acid side of pH adjustment, and the reason it matters is measured: alkaline formulas raise the fibre's surface negative charge, increase friction between strands and lift the scales, while lower-pH ones do the reverse.
May suitGray, silver, or brass-prone hairWhere a warm cast comes from water minerals rather than from the hair itself, holding those metals in solution is what removes it.
- pH adjuster
- hard-water chelator
-
16
Phenoxyethanol
- preservative
-
17
Sodium Citrate
General function
Used with citric acid to hold the formula at a steady, slightly acidic pH. It also binds a little hard-water mineral.
Estimated lower-concentration zoneIt appears around or below the estimated 1% line, where label order no longer indicates relative amount; its role may be minor or technical.
PubChemMay suitBuild-up-sensitive routinesBinds the calcium and magnesium in hard water, which is what stops mineral deposits accumulating on the strand wash after wash.
May suitGray, silver, or brass-prone hairCopper and iron carried in tap water deposit on the strand and read as a dull, warm cast on gray or light hair. A chelator holds those metals in solution so the wash carries them off.
DependsFrizz-prone, damaged, or high-friction hairpH adjusters are how a formula is brought to a chosen acidity, and an acidic formula keeps the cuticle lying flatter than an alkaline one. Which way this one moves the pH depends on the formula, and the finished pH is not on the label.
- pH adjuster
- hard-water chelator
-
18
Sodium Benzoate
- preservative
-
19
Sodium Hydroxide
General function
A strong base used in trace amounts to raise pH; fully neutralised in the finished product.
Estimated lower-concentration zoneIt appears around or below the estimated 1% line, where label order no longer indicates relative amount; its role may be minor or technical.
International Journal of TrichologyDependsFrizz-prone, damaged, or high-friction hairThe alkali half of a pH-adjusting pair, used in small amounts to bring a formula up to its target rather than to make it alkaline. Alkaline conditions raise the fibre's surface charge and lift the scales — but the finished pH is not on the label.
- pH adjuster
What the whole list adds up to
- 3 cleansers
- 3 preservatives
- 3 pH adjusters
- 2 salts
- 2 thickeners
- 2 emulsifiers
- 2 hard-water chelators
- 1 solvent
- 1 olefin sulfonate cleanser
- 1 nonionic cleanser
- 1 humectant
- 1 conditioning agent
- 1 vitamin
- 1 mild anionic cleanser
Ingredient list captured 2026-10-07. Formulas change, so check the package in your hand when an ingredient matters to you.
Price · 12 oz
Priced above the products that do the same job. Stores sell it above the $14 line; products that do this job typically go for about $25 at this size.
Show the price ladder
Where we’ve seen it1 listing · 1 store
-
Curl Keeper (brand site)
$32.0012 oz · $2.67/ozOct 7Lowest per oz
Sorted by price per ounce. Dated observations from our research, not live prices. Direct store pages, no affiliate links. We don’t sell this product.
How we work this out
- 12 oz is the size stores list most often; every comparison on this page is made at it. Other sizes are shown in the Sizes row and the store list.
- Seen at $32 is the price we have observed for the 12 oz. We need three stores before we call a price commonly seen.
- Good value under $14 comes from the 8 products we score as doing the same job as this one. A quarter of them cost less than $1.15/oz; at 12 oz that is $14. Under that line you are paying less than most of them.
- About $25 is what those same products typically cost at this size: the midpoint of their prices per ounce, scaled to 12 oz.
Formula
The formula carries the systems a shampoo is built around, and it sits in the middle of the range for shampoos per ounce.
How the score is counted
- 4 products we score as doing the same job cost less per ounce
- Costs more per ounce than 70% of the 1544 shampoos we’ve priced
- Covers 6 of the 7 things a shampoo should do
- Salon tier, sold at Brand website
- A working detergent systemWhat actually removes oil and product.3 pts
- Slip for detanglingReduces the force it takes to comb wet hair.2 pts
- A humectantBinds water into the hair.1 pt
- A hard-water chelatorBinds the minerals that dull hair in hard water.1 pt
- A pH adjusterBrings the formula to the acidic pH hair prefers.1 pt
- No detergent-dependent filmNothing that needs a clarifying wash to remove.1 pt
- Fragrance kept out of the top eightScent as a finishing touch, not a major share.1 pt
The formula score measures completeness for the job: a weighted share of the systems this product type is usually built around that we find in this list. It does not rate how well the product works or its quality, and it never compares across product types.
Does the same job, for less
Formulas that do the same things (cleanse, condition, coat or hold) for less per ounce. Scent, texture and where you buy them can still differ.
- Sulfate-free
- Protein-free
- Curly method
- Function
- Also
- Sulfate-free
- Protein-free
- Deep clean
- Function
- Also
- Sulfate-free
- Deep clean
- Curly method
- Function
- Also
See more alternatives in the product library
These products do a similar job. We haven’t matched them to you. Find the one that fits your hair, routine and budget
Final decision
Should you buy it?
A solid pick for the hair it suitsColour-treated hair, looking for washing without sulfates and a curly-method-compatible formula
Not ideal for anyone sensitive to fragrance, hard water without a chelating wash, or people shopping on a budget
We do not sell products or take placement fees. This page states what the formula and the prices show; the consultation is what matches it to a person.
More from Curl Keeper
How this page was made
- Everything above comes from our researched product record: identity, the ingredient list as printed, the brand's own claims, dated prices and review themes our researchers wrote in their own words. No part of this page is written by hand for one product.
- 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.
- Both scores out of ten are defined on this page. The formula score is completeness for the job, computed from a fixed per-format checklist shown beneath the gauge; the price score is cost per ounce against every product of this type we have priced.
- 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 consulted for this product (0 manufacturer or regulatory, 0 retailer, 2 editorial), last checked 2026-10-08.
- Ingredient references are linked for 6 of 10 product-aware annotations on this page. Fit notes are general formulation guidance. They aren’t a verdict on the finished product or on you.
- We haven’t tested this product in a lab, and we don’t physically test your hair. Formula readings come from the ingredient list. Claims about how it behaves are labelled as the brand's.
- Ingredient order tells you relative amount only above roughly 1%. Prices are what we saw on the dates shown and can change.
- Ingredient names link to our ingredient library, where each entry shows what it does, which product types use it, and where it usually sits on a label across everything we have researched.
- This is cosmetic information, not medical advice, and nothing here diagnoses or treats a health condition.
- Formula readings: derivation v23. Record last updated 2026-10-08.
