Smooths the cuticle and moisturizes hair for softness and bounce
Nothing in the list reads as a moisture system.
- Cetyl Alcohol
Stated by brand
Can’t be confirmed from label.
Kinky-Curly
Knot Today Natural Leave-In Detangler
Leave-in / Light leave-in, lightweight
- Leave-in
- cream
- Detangler
- Sulfate-free
- Silicone-free
- Protein-free
- Cruelty-free · PETA-listed
Size8 fl oz
Price$16.99 Good valueseen at one store · 8 oz
Price / oz$2.12/ozat 8 oz
Where to buy1 store
Add it to your products. We’ll tell you if it’s ever recalled.
Scent:
Notes: herbal.
Listing used for research: target.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.
Factor
Your profile
Fit
Best for hair types
All types
Not in your profile
Moisture level
None found
Not in your profile
Oils and butters
None
Not in your profile
Slip / detangling
High
Not in your profile
Weight on hair
Light
Not in your profile
Fragrance
Present
Not in your profile
Protein
None
Not in your profile
Silicone / wax buildup
None
Not in your profile
Clarifying wash needed
Low
Not in your profile
Scent
Mint & herbalStrength not recorded
Not in your profile
Show all 22 factors we check
The rest of what your plan weighs on this product.
Parabens / preservatives
None of these listed
Not in your profile
Essential oils
None listed
Not in your profile
Fast-drying alcohol
None
Not in your profile
Vegan / cruelty-free
Cruelty-free · PETA-listed
Not in your profile
Animal-derived ingredients
Not yet verified
Not in your profile
Heavy humectants
Not heavy
Not in your profile
Hard-water defence
None
Not in your profile
UV filter
None listed
Not in your profile
pH adjusted
Adjusted
Not in your profile
Ingredient list
9 ingredientsA short list
Not in your profile
Price tier
Masstige
Not in your profile
Where to buy it
Amazon · Target +1Widely sold
Not in your profile
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
Priced with its peers
$2.12/oz at 8 oz, less than 56% of the 749 leave-ins , which mostly run $1.31–5.50/oz.
Great for
Protein-sensitive hairthat stiffens when protein is added
Maximum slipfor hair that tangles the moment it is wet
Curly-method routinesno sulfates and no water-insoluble silicones
Fine hairthat flattens under most products
Silicone-free routinesno silicones appear in the list
Stretching wash daysnothing here needs a detergent to remove
Maybe skip if
this product has a scent
Hair that needs proteinthere is none in this list
Very dry hairno humectant appears in the list
Coarse, very dry hairthis is a light formula for its category
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.
Weight on the hair
Light
Water-first and light: unlikely to flatten fine hair.
Slip and detangling
High
Conditioning agents sit high in the list, so this is a detangling formula.
Water-binding (humectants)
None found
No humectants, so nothing here pulls water into the hair.
Oils and butters
None
No oils or butters in the list.
Protein
None
No protein or amino acids in the list.
Needs detergent to remove
No
Nothing here needs a detergent wash to remove.
Fragrance
Present
Fragrance is listed; it sits below the working ingredients.
from the formula
stated by the brand
reported by reviewers
Scale: 1 dot low · 5 dots high, within this product type.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Organic Mango Fruit Extract | botanical extract | A plant extract, there as much for marketing as for function | Neutral |
| Althaea Officinalis (Marshmallow) Root ExtractOrganic Slippery Elm | botanical extract | A plant extract, there as much for marketing as for function | Neutral |
| Althaea Officinalis (Marshmallow) Root ExtractOrganic Marshmallow Root | botanical extract | A plant extract, there as much for marketing as for function | Neutral |
| Organic Lemongrass | fragrance | The scent | Fragrance |
| Cetyl Alcohol | fatty alcohol | Body and a little conditioning | Softens |
| Behentrimonium Methosulfate | conditioning agent | Adds slip, lower in the list | Detangles |
| Citric Acid | pH adjuster | Fine-tunes the pH | pH balancer |
| Phenoxyethanol | preservative | Keeps the product from spoiling | Stabilizes |
| FragranceNatural Fragrance | fragrance | The scent | Fragrance |
What the list leaves out, and what it carriesNo sulfates, silicones, or drying alcohols. Protein-free: this is built for moisture rather than for strengthening. Contains fragrance.
Full ingredient list (9)
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
Organic Mango Fruit Extract
General function
An extract from the fruit of Organic Mango. Plant extracts are used across a wide range of levels, and label order is the best guide to how much is here.
Leading ingredientListed in the first three ingredients, it is likely a structural part of this formula.
- botanical extract
-
2
Althaea Officinalis (Marshmallow) Root Extract
· Organic Slippery Elm
General function
An extract from the root of Marshmallow (Althaea Officinalis). Plant extracts are used across a wide range of levels, and label order is the best guide to how much is here.
Leading ingredientListed in the first three ingredients, it is likely a structural part of this formula.
- botanical extract
-
3
Althaea Officinalis (Marshmallow) Root Extract
· Organic Marshmallow Root
General function
An extract from the root of Marshmallow (Althaea Officinalis). Plant extracts are used across a wide range of levels, and label order is the best guide to how much is here.
Leading ingredientListed in the first three ingredients, it is likely a structural part of this formula.
- botanical extract
- ▾Below about here, the order stops meaning much. These are usually used at 1% or less.
-
4
Organic Lemongrass
General function
Lemongrass, used as a citrus-herbal scent note. Essential oils are a common source of declared allergens.
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.
- fragrance
- botanical extract
-
5
Cetyl Alcohol
General function
A fatty alcohol used to thicken creams and add slip. It softens rather than dries.
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 suitDry, coarse, or high-porosity hairThe waxy solid that gives a conditioner its body. It deposits a soft lubricating layer, which is most of what makes hair feel smooth after rinsing.
May suitFrizz-prone, damaged, or high-friction hairDeposits with the cationic conditioners and helps them lie flat along the strand, which is where the detangling actually comes from.
- fatty alcohol
- emollient
- thickener
-
6
Behentrimonium Methosulfate
General function
A mild cationic conditioner known for heavy detangling with a light rinse-out feel. Common in curly-hair conditioners.
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 Cosmetic ScienceMay suitFrizz-prone, damaged, or high-friction hairA cationic conditioning agent: it binds to the damaged, negatively charged parts of the cuticle and lowers combing friction there.
May suitVery dry or highly damaged hairThe class that does the detangling in a conditioner. It deposits lubrication where the cuticle is worn.
DependsBuild-up-sensitive routinesSubstantive by design. A routine with no detergent wash gives it nothing to leave with.
- conditioning agent
- emulsifier
-
7
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
-
8
Phenoxyethanol
General function
The most common modern preservative; it keeps the product free of bacteria and mould. It sits well below 1% of the formula.
Estimated lower-concentration zonePubChemIt appears around or below the estimated 1% line, where label order no longer indicates relative amount; its role may be minor or technical.
- preservative
-
9
Fragrance
· Natural 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
What the whole list adds up to
- 4 botanical extracts
- 2 fragrances
- 1 fatty alcohol
- 1 emollient
- 1 thickener
- 1 conditioning agent
- 1 emulsifier
- 1 pH adjuster
- 1 hard-water chelator
- 1 preservative
- 1 declared fragrance
Ingredient list captured 2026-08-21. Formulas change, so check the package in your hand when an ingredient matters to you.
Price · 8 oz
Seen at
$16.99
Good value under
$19
Usually a good value. Most stores sell it under the $19 line, and products that do this job typically go for about $27 at this size.
Show the price ladder
Where we’ve seen it1 listing · 1 store
-
Target
$16.998 oz · $2.12/ozAug 21Lowest 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
- 8 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 $16.99 is the price we have observed for the 8 oz. We need three stores before we call a price commonly seen.
- Good value under $19 comes from the 8 products we score as doing the same job as this one. A quarter of them cost less than $2.33/oz; at 8 oz that is $19. Under that line you are paying less than most of them.
- About $27 is what those same products typically cost at this size: the midpoint of their prices per ounce, scaled to 8 oz.
Formula
7
Formula score
7 of 10
Both the formula and the price land mid-range: it covers the core of what a leave-in does and costs about what leave-ins cost per ounce.
How the score is counted
- 1 products we score as doing the same job cost less per ounce
- Costs less per ounce than 56% of the 749 leave-ins we’ve priced
- No humectant in the formula
- Masstige tier, sold at Amazon and Target
- Conditioning agents up frontWhat makes wet hair comb through.2 pts
- A humectantBinds water into the hair.2 pts
- A light baseWater or a volatile carrier first, so it does not weigh hair down.2 pts
- Oils or butters in the working zoneSoftens the strand rather than just coating it.2 pts
- 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.
Not Your Mother'sLowest cost per oz
Kids' Daily Care 3-in-1 Detangler
$0.87/oz $1.25/oz less
- Protein-free
- Curly method
- Lightweight
- 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 suitsBest user
Hair that stiffens on protein who want a protein-free formula and real detangling slip
Biggest tradeoff
Worth skipping for anyone sensitive to fragrance, soft, over-stretchy hair that needs protein, or very dry hair that needs water-binding
Best alternative if not
Not Your Mother's Kids' Daily Care 3-in-1 Detangler for similar results at a lower price
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.
Claims check
What the brand says, and what the formula shows
Claims are quoted from the brand. We mark a claim supported, partly supported or conflicting only when the ingredient list speaks to it. Everything else stays "stated by the brand". That isn’t a criticism: most claims can’t be checked from a label.
1
SupportedBacked by ingredients
0
Partly supportedSome supporting logic
1
Stated by brandNo clear evidence
0
Potential conflictFormula works against claim
Free from parabens and sulfates
No sulfate detergents appear in the ingredient list.
—
Supported
Gentler on colour and coils.
How to read this
We look at the first 10–15 ingredients and what they do in a formula, not at the marketing. If the list doesn't speak to a claim, we don't assume.
Reviewers
What people report
Themes that come up again and again in sourced reviews, written by our researchers in their own words. We don’t store or scrape star ratings.
Effective detangling with lightweight feel and minimal buildup
various curl patternsCan feel sticky when applied in larger amounts
Mixed sentiment on value/price relative to size, with recent price increases noted
More from Kinky-Curly
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.
- 4 sources consulted for this product (3 manufacturer or regulatory, 1 retailer, 0 editorial), last checked 2026-08-25.
- Ingredient references are linked for 3 of 4 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 2026-08-25.
