How do you handle your curly hair?

What I WISH my hair looked like! (actress Debra Messing)

I've had curly hair all my life, and although my mane was once the bane of my existence (clever, huh?:), I've now made peace with it.

But after reading my friend Ashley's post on curly hair, I thought I'd share a few things I've learned in my years of dealing with curliness and ask if you have any advice to share.

Not long ago, I blogged about the complicated hair routine I had to go through in the 70's.  Thankfully, excellent modern products and styling tools now mean that I can have straight hair, too.

I would have to say I divide my time about 70/30 with 70 being wearing my hair at least somewhat straight, and 30 allowing it to dry naturally, with the help of styling products that make the curls look prettier and less frizzy.

Here are a couple of products I really love:

Dream Curls Curl Perfecting Spray by John Frieda:

Believe me, I've tried all the high-end products for curls, and this works as well or better than most of them and at a fraction of the price!

I spray this on after washing my hair, then either let it dry naturally or partially dry it with a diffuser.  (If your blow-dryer doesn't have a diffuser, you can get a cheap foam one that looks like a microphone shield at Sally's Beauty Supply that fits on most dryers.  They are a boon for curly hair, cutting down on the frizzies considerably.)

Three things I love about this product:

• It gives your curls SOFT definition, not crunchy crispiness!
• The next day (if, like me, you're not one who washes your hair every day), you can spray it on again, scrunch slightly, and the curls are magically back in place.
• It's inexpensive, and you can buy it almost anywhere.

Sleek and Shine Anti-humidity Smoothing Milk by Garnier

My sister actually just introduced me to this product when I was in Texas, and I made sure to get some for myself right away.

This is a terrific product whether you intend to wear it curly or straight.  If you're wearing it curly, work it through your hair BEFORE putting the Dream Curls in.  If you're wearing it straight, work it into your hair AFTER blow-drying and BEFORE using a straightening iron.

Other than these two mainstays, I'll try most products.

Lately I've begun to use Velcro rollers when wearing my hair smooth, but not completely straight.  I will curl each section with a large curling iron before putting a roller in and spraying it.  I totally use the technique demonstrated by Emily Eddington of Beauty Broadcast in this tutorial.

I rarely wear my hair completely straight--I prefer a full, voluminous look with some teasing and body.

Here are some pics of some of my hair looks:




Curls when my hair was a bit shorter



All-out curls



A flippy look (loosely) based on LolaMarie7's "Texas Barbie"



One of my straighter looks

Trying Kate Bryan of The Small Things Blog's "Loose Waves"

By the way, I have both a large curling iron and a straightening iron, and often use them interchangeably.  I'd like to invest in a very small Hot Tools curling iron to add scattered ringlets when I wear my hair curly.

What do YOU do with your curly hair?  Have any products that you can't live without?  Any techniques that have worked well for you?  Let me know in my comments!