Curly hair help

With masses of natural texture and body, curly hair is envied by many. Also viewed as uber-feminine, it's worn by many of the world's most glamorous women, from Julia Roberts to Alicia Keys.

The good

Curly hair continues to grab the fashion headlines, and if you have naturally curly hair, lucky you! However, curls can also be created either at home or in the salon, while curly hair is usually a cinch to dress and put up, and accessories look brilliant in hair that's been blessed with texture.

The bad

Many curly-haired girls complain that their hair is dull, dry, coarse or flat and requires a lot of patience to blow-dry straight and smooth. And that's not to mention the ongoing curly hair bugbear of frizz. Looking after this high-maintenence hair type requires a gentle touch; the use of a diffuser attachment to encourage perfect curl formation, and specially formulated products that give definition and won't weigh the hair down.

Styling and haircare tips

Curly hair is usually coarse and frizzy, so tame it with a hot oil treatment or intensive conditioner like Clinique's Dramatic Moisture Intensive Conditioner (£13.99) every week to add much-needed moisture to the hair.