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Not Your Mother's

Kids' Curl Detangler Spray with Tear-Free Formula

Leave-in / Everyday leave-in, medium-weight

  • Leave-in
  • spray
  • Detangler
  • Sulfate-free
  • Silicone-free
  • Protein-free
Size8 fl oz
Price$5.99 Good valueseen at one store · 8 oz
Price / oz$0.75/ozat 8 oz
Where to buy1 store

Scent:

Notes: sweet.

Strength: Strong

Listing used for research: target.com

Personal fit

Is this right for you?

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Lower cost than most leave-ins

$0.75/oz at 8 oz — less than 91% of the 481 leave-ins , which mostly run $1.17–5.55/oz.

Price and stores

Great for

Protein-sensitive hairthat stiffens when protein is added
Maximum slipfor hair that tangles the moment it is wet
Dry, thirsty hairhumectants and emollients both sit up front
Curly-method routinesno sulfates and no water-insoluble silicones
Silicone-free routinesno silicones appear in the list
Stretching wash daysnothing here needs a detergent to remove

Maybe skip if

this product carries a strong scent
Very dry or damaged hairit contains fast-drying alcohol
Hair that needs proteinthere is none in this list
Dry or very humid airwhere heavy humectants work against you
Picking it up locallywe have it recorded in one channel only

Whether this weight sits well on your hair depends on density, porosity, and how much you already layer — that is what the consultation works out.

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 Medium

Middle of the range — noticeable on fine hair, light on coarse hair.

Slip and detangling High

Conditioning agents sit high in the list — this is a detangling formula.

Water-binding (humectants) High

Humectants near the top — water-binding is a headline mechanism here.

Oils and butters Rich

Butters near the top: a heavy, softening formula.

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. These chips name what an ingredient does — they are not safety scores, and no ingredient here is rated good or bad on its own.

IngredientWhat it doesWhy it mattersChip
WaterWater (Aqua) solvent The base everything else is dissolved in Neutral
Propanediol humectant Pulls water into the hair Moisturizes
Hydrogenated Ethylhexyl Olivate light ester Light slip without much weight Softens
Cetearyl Alcohol fatty alcohol Thickens and conditions — not a drying alcohol Softens
Hydrogenated Olive Oil Unsaponifiables emollient Softens and smooths the strand Heavy
Behentrimonium Chloride conditioning agent Conditions and softens — this is what makes it comb through Detangles
Cetrimonium Chloride conditioning agent Conditions and softens — this is what makes it comb through Detangles
Mangifera Indica (Mango) Seed Butter butter Heavy softening — this is what makes it rich Heavy
Isopropyl Alcohol drying alcohol A small amount, for fast drying Drying
Phenoxyethanol preservative Keeps the product from spoiling Stabilizes
Ethylhexylglycerin preservative Keeps the product from spoiling Softens
Fragrance fragrance The scent Fragrance
What the list leaves out, and what it carriesNo sulfates or silicones. Protein-free: this is built for moisture rather than for strengthening. Contains fragrance. Contains heavier butters.
Full ingredient list (14)

US labelling rules put ingredients above 1% in descending order of amount; below 1% they may be listed in any order. Annotations keep three readings separate: the ingredient's general function, its role in this product type, and what its position can support.

  • 1 Water · Water (Aqua)
    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 ingredient

    Listed in the first three ingredients, it is likely a structural part of this formula.

    • solvent
  • 2 Propanediol
    General function

    A corn-derived humectant and solvent, often chosen as a lighter-feeling alternative to propylene glycol.

    Leading ingredient

    Listed in the first three ingredients, it is likely a structural part of this formula.

    May suitFine or easily flattened hair

    Light and water-binding rather than oily, so it hydrates without contributing weight.

    May suitVery dry or highly damaged hair

    A small water-binding solvent. It holds moisture and helps the rest of the formula spread evenly over the strand.

    DependsClimate-sensitive or frizz-prone hair

    A humectant follows the air: it holds water in humid conditions and can give it up in very dry ones. Climate decides what it does more than the label does.

    PubChem
    • humectant
    • solvent
  • 3 Hydrogenated Ethylhexyl Olivate
    General function

    An olive-derived emollient that softens and thickens without a heavy oily feel.

    Leading ingredient

    Listed in the first three ingredients, it is likely a structural part of this formula.

    May suitFine or easily flattened hair

    A light emollient: it softens the surface with noticeably less weight than an oil or a butter.

    May suitFrizz-prone, damaged, or high-friction hair

    Spreads thin and lowers friction between strands without the heaviness of a fixed oil.

    • light ester
    • emollient
  • 4 Cetearyl Alcohol
    General function

    A waxy fatty alcohol - nothing like drying alcohol. It gives conditioners their body and leaves a soft, smoothing film on the hair.

    Supporting ingredient

    Listed in positions 4–8, it likely makes a meaningful contribution alongside the formula's main ingredients.

    May suitDry, coarse, or high-porosity hair

    The 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 hair

    Deposits with the cationic conditioners and helps them lie flat along the strand, which is where the detangling actually comes from.

    DependsFine or easily flattened hair

    Near the top of a conditioner it is doing most of the conditioning, and most of the weighting, at the same time.

    PubChem
    • fatty alcohol
    • emollient
    • thickener
  • 5 Hydrogenated Olive Oil Unsaponifiables
    General function

    The waxy fraction of olive oil, used to seal and soften without a liquid-oil feel.

    Supporting ingredient

    Listed in positions 4–8, it likely makes a meaningful contribution alongside the formula's main ingredients.

    May suitFrizz-prone, damaged, or high-friction hair

    Emollients fill and smooth the surface of the strand, which lowers the friction that lifts the cuticle and reads as roughness.

    May suitVery dry or highly damaged hair

    Forms a physical barrier on the strand that slows water leaving it. Nothing else in a formula holds moisture in as bluntly.

    May not suitBuild-up-sensitive routines

    It does not disperse in water at all: removing it means a detergent wash, and until then it stays exactly where it landed.

    • emollient
    • sealant
  • 6 Behentrimonium Chloride
    General function

    A positively charged conditioning agent that binds to damaged, negatively charged spots on the hair. It is the main detangling ingredient in most rinse-out conditioners.

    Supporting ingredient

    Listed in positions 4–8, it likely makes a meaningful contribution alongside the formula's main ingredients.

    May suitDry, coarse, or high-porosity hair

    Electrokinetic measurement puts the C22 quat ahead of the C16 ones for deposition: the longer chain adds van der Waals stabilisation on top of the charge binding. That extra deposit is what coarse hair usually needs to comb through.

    May suitFrizz-prone, damaged, or high-friction hair

    A cationic conditioning agent: it binds to the damaged, negatively charged parts of the cuticle and lowers combing friction there.

    DependsBuild-up-sensitive routines

    Substantive by design. A routine with no detergent wash gives it nothing to leave with.

    International Journal of Cosmetic Science
    • conditioning agent
    • cleanser
  • 7 Cetrimonium Chloride
    General function

    A quick-acting conditioning agent that reduces static and combing force. It also helps keep the formula stable.

    Supporting ingredient

    Listed in positions 4–8, it likely makes a meaningful contribution alongside the formula's main ingredients.

    May suitFine or easily flattened hair

    The C16 quat binds mostly by charge rather than by chain, so it deposits measurably less than the C22 ones. Less deposit is less conditioning and also less weight, which is usually the trade fine hair wants.

    May suitFrizz-prone, damaged, or high-friction hair

    A cationic conditioning agent: it binds to the damaged, negatively charged parts of the cuticle and lowers combing friction there.

    DependsBuild-up-sensitive routines

    Substantive by design. A routine with no detergent wash gives it nothing to leave with.

    International Journal of Cosmetic Science
    • conditioning agent
    • cleanser
  • 8 Mangifera Indica (Mango) Seed Butter
    General function

    A plant butter that is slightly lighter than shea, used in curl creams.

    Supporting ingredient

    Listed in positions 4–8, it likely makes a meaningful contribution alongside the formula's main ingredients.

    May suitDry, coarse, or high-porosity hair

    Coarse, porous hair loses water quickly and can carry the weight; a butter slows that loss more than a thin oil does.

    May suitFrizz-prone, damaged, or high-friction hair

    Emollients fill and smooth the surface of the strand, which lowers the friction that lifts the cuticle and reads as roughness.

    May suitVery dry or highly damaged hair

    A solid fat melts onto the strand at body temperature and stays there, which is the heaviest surface moisture-holding a formula can offer.

    • butter
    • emollient
  • 9 Ceteareth-20
    • emulsifier
  • 10 Isopropyl Alcohol
    General function

    A fast-evaporating alcohol used as a solvent and to speed drying. Well down the list it is a processing aid; near the top it can leave hair feeling dry.

    Secondary ingredient

    Lower in the ordered portion of the list, it is more likely playing a supporting role than defining the formula.

    May suitFine or easily flattened hair

    Evaporates on contact, which is how a spray sets almost instantly and leaves no weight behind it.

    PubChem
    • drying alcohol
    • solvent
  • Below about this point, order stops being meaningful — these are typically used at 1% or less.
  • 11 Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate
    General function

    A biodegradable hard-water chelator used in place of EDTA.

    Estimated lower-concentration zone

    It appears around or below the estimated 1% line, where label order no longer indicates relative amount; its role may be minor or technical.

    May suitBuild-up-sensitive routines

    Binds 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 hair

    Copper 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.

    PubChem
    • hard-water chelator
  • 12 Phenoxyethanol
    • preservative
  • 13 Ethylhexylglycerin
    General function

    A preservative booster that also adds a little softness. Almost always paired with phenoxyethanol.

    Estimated lower-concentration zone

    It appears around or below the estimated 1% line, where label order no longer indicates relative amount; its role may be minor or technical.

    May suitFrizz-prone, damaged, or high-friction hair

    Emollients fill and smooth the surface of the strand, which lowers the friction that lifts the cuticle and reads as roughness.

    PubChem
    • preservative
    • emollient
  • 14 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 zone

    It 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 routines

    Declared 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

  • 5 emollients
  • 3 solvents
  • 2 conditioning agents
  • 2 cleansers
  • 2 preservatives
  • 1 humectant
  • 1 light ester
  • 1 fatty alcohol
  • 1 thickener
  • 1 sealant
  • 1 butter
  • 1 emulsifier
  • 1 drying alcohol
  • 1 hard-water chelator

Ingredient list captured 2026-08-23. Formulas change — check the package in your hand when an ingredient matters to you.

Price · 8 oz

Seen at $5.99 1 store · checked Aug 23
Good value under $10 Under $1.22/oz it costs less than three-quarters of the 8 products we score as doing the same job

Usually a good value. Most stores sell it under the $10 line, and products that do this job typically go for about $14 at this size.

Show the price ladder
Where we’ve seen it1 listing · 1 store
  • Target
    $5.99
    8 oz · $0.75/oz
    Aug 23Lowest 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
  1. 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.
  2. Seen at $5.99 is the price we have observed for the 8 oz. We need three stores before we call a price commonly seen.
  3. Good value under $10 comes from the 8 products we score as doing the same job as this one. A quarter of them cost less than $1.22/oz; at 8 oz that is $10. Under that line you are paying less than most of them.
  4. About $14 is what those same products typically cost at this size — the midpoint of their prices per ounce, scaled to 8 oz.

Formula

Formula score
10 of 10

This formula covers the systems a leave-in is built around, and it costs less per ounce than most of the leave-ins we have researched.

How the score is counted
  • Costs less per ounce than 91% of the 481 leave-ins we’ve priced
  • Covers 6 of the 6 things a leave-in should do
  • Reviewers mention 5 things they like about how it performs
  • Drugstore tier, sold at 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 is completeness for the job: the share of the systems this product type is normally built around that we can find in this list, weighted. It is not efficacy, not quality, and it never compares across product types.

Does the same job

Same derived functions — what it cleans, conditions, coats or holds — at a lower cost per ounce. Scent, texture and where you buy it can still differ.

Marc AnthonySame function Strictly Curls Curl Envy Leave-In Conditioner (Avocado Oil + Shea Butter) $1.67/oz $0.92/oz more
  • Protein-free
  • Curly method
  • Silicone-free
Differs
  • Cruelty-free
  • 8.4 oz bottle
Compare
Not Your Mother'sLowest cost per oz Kids Moisturizing Fragrance-Free Detangler $0.87/oz $0.12/oz more
  • Fragrance-free
  • Unscented
  • Protein-free
· Close function
Function
  • Oils and butters
Also
  • Unscented
  • Sold online
Compare
Original SproutClose function Worry Free Leave-In Treatment $4.04/oz $3.29/oz more
  • Protein-free
  • Curly method
  • Silicone-free
Function
  • Water-binding (humectants)
  • Oils and butters
  • Fast-drying alcohol
Also
  • Cruelty-free
  • Vegan
  • Prestige tier
Compare

See more alternatives in the product library

These are functional neighbours, not personal recommendations — they are close on formula, not chosen for anyone. Get the one that fits your hair, routine, and budget

Built for wavy to coily hair

Final decision

Should you buy it?

A solid pick for the hair it suits
Best user

Hair that stiffens on protein who want a protein-free formula and real detangling slip

Biggest tradeoff

Less suited to anyone sensitive to fragrance, very dry or high-damage hair, or soft, over-stretchy hair that needs protein

Best alternative if not

Nothing in our library matches it closely 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, against what the formula shows

Claims are quoted from the brand. We only mark one supported, partly supported, or conflicting when the ingredient list actually speaks to it; everything else stays "stated by the brand", which is not a criticism — most claims simply cannot be read off a label.

3
SupportedBacked by ingredients
0
Partly supportedSome supporting logic
1
Stated by brandNo clear evidence
0
Potential conflictFormula works against claim
Kids' hair detangler spray hydrates curls and keeps hair frizz at bay

Humectants or rich emollients sit in the first eight ingredients.

  • Propanediol
  • Hydrogenated Ethylhexyl Olivate
  • Cetearyl Alcohol
Supported

Helps hair feel hydrated.

Formulated to detangle hair and maintain curls

Conditioning agents that reduce combing force sit high in the list.

  • Cetearyl Alcohol
  • Behentrimonium Chloride
  • Cetrimonium Chloride
Supported

Easier detangling, less breakage.

Ideal for hair curls, waves, and coils

This is a marketing claim; an ingredient list cannot speak to it.

Stated by brand

Can’t be confirmed from label.

Tear-free formula, paraben-free

No parabens appear in the ingredient list.

Supported

Preserved without parabens.

How to read this

We look at the first 10–15 ingredients and what they do in a formula — not marketing. If the list doesn't speak to a claim, we don't assume.

Reviewers

What people report

Recurring themes our researchers wrote in their own words from sourced reviews. We do not store or scrape star ratings.

Only product that works on curly hair, non-overwhelming scent: "This is the only product that works on detangling my daughter's curly hair.. and doesn't suffocate you when spraying it!"

Effective for adult 2B/2C curls too: "I am a grown woman and I still use this. It smells lovely and is very effective at detangling my 2B/C curls after a few days battling with the Oklahoma wind."

Combines well with styling cream: "Love this combined with the defining cream! Works great!"

Even spray, easy brushing: "Smells so good and works great. Sprays evenly and easy to brush through"

Eases brushing fine/tangle-prone hair, good price: "This is a great product to help me combat that. It makes it so much easier to brush her hair out AND the price is right."

More from Not Your Mother's

How this page was made

  • Everything above is generated from our researched product record — identity, the ingredient list as printed, the brand's own claims, dated price observations, and review themes written in our researchers' own words. No part of this page is written per 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.
  • 3 sources consulted for this product (0 manufacturer or regulatory, 3 retailer, 0 editorial), last checked 2026-08-25.
  • Ingredient references are linked for 7 of 11 product-aware annotations on this page. Fit notes are conditional formulation guidance, not a conclusion about the finished product or about you.
  • We have not tested this product in a lab and we do not physically test your hair. Formula readings come from the ingredient list; behaviour claims are labelled as the brand's.
  • Ingredient order tells you relative amount only above roughly 1%. Prices are observations on the dates shown and change without notice.
  • 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 v22. Record last updated 2026-08-25.