Emma

Emma

Miley Cyrus

Whether you like her or not, you have to admit: Miley Cyrus is one of the biggest pop stars out there these days! Now I personally love her TV show, “Hannah Montana.” But one thing about it has always bothered me. Why does Miley have the gorgeous, brunette curls, while her pop star alter ego, Hannah Montana, has straight, blond locks?

It’s almost as if Disney is telling us that straight, blonde hair is the most glamorous ‘do out there, which certainly isn’t true. It wouldn’t be the first time Disney sent that message, if you remember “Princess Diaries.” And unfortunately, this seems to be a trend in everything geared toward girls out there. For instance, Barbie is aimed at very young girls in preschool and kindergarten, and she has practically the same hairstyle as Hannah Montana! Cinderella starts out with blonde curls, but goes under a makeover and suddenly has a perfectly neat bun.

Hannah Montana

American Idol contestants seem to undergo similar makeovers too. Last year’s winner, Jordin Sparks, started out with tight curls, and left the competition with much looser, curling-iron-made locks. On the cover of her new album, her curls are practically nonexistent! This year, Carly Smithson sports very fake-looking, loose curls, but childhood photos show her with tight, Shirley Temple ringlets!

Even older famous curly girls such as Nicole Kidman have lost their curls over the years. When Nicole entered Hollywood, she had beautiful, tight, red curls, but today has a much looser blond coif.

The list of celebrities whose curls lose their curliness never seems to end, and it’s sad that straight hair is often seen as more glamorous than curls. But no matter what style the celebs show, I’ll always show my curls! For me, curls are always “in!”

Emma

Curly hair is wonderful. It’s bouncy, shiny, and completely gorgeous! But if you don’t take care of it properly, it can become something else: poofy.

Now I love big curls, but sometimes us curly girls want to keep our hair a little less poofy and a little more defined. So how do you keep your curls perfectly perky and not too poofy? I have some tips!

The right haircut can always help. I’ve learned that with the wrong haircut, it’s almost impossible to get your curls to keep the shape you want. For most curlies, long layers work well to give your hair a nice shape. However, cutting your hair to one length all over will usually result in the dreaded triangle-head, where hair poofs out too much at the bottom. But everyone’s hair is different, so get the haircut that works the best for you!

Another way to keep your hair from poofing is to not style your hair in the bathroom after taking a shower. Why? Because all of the steam in the air will make your hair poof extra!

If your hair is flat, applying products and rinsing it upside-down will help give it a boost at the top. Otherwise, don’t try this! I’ve learned that hair if I apply my products upside-down, my hair will be too poofy for my liking.

Using a diffuser on your blow dryer can create beautifully defined curls. I think that when I diffuse my hair, it has a bigger shape then by just letting it air-dry. So my hair is less poofy even though it is bigger, but more defined overall. I prefer to diffuse my hair then let it air or towel dry, but it takes about 20 minutes – not something I can do every day before school.

In the Middle

Whether your sport is tennis, skating, or softball, one not-so-fun result of getting into the game is the mess of frizzy curls that often comes soon after. Luckily, there are some ways to avoid this.

I’ve been dancing since I was three, I’ve played soccer, and now take I yoga and pilates. Needless to say, I know what to do when it comes to curls and sports!

A simple ponytail is always a must, no matter what sport you play. If you can, pull your hair back right after you get out of the shower. It will look smoother and you’ll have less frizzies later on. Use lots of extra gel in your hair, but not so much that you get the dreaded “helmet-hair”. This is one of the few times when I find it okay to use a brush or a comb so your hair will have less bumps on the top. Once you have your basic ponytail, use bobby pins or clips to keep back any extra pieces of hair (especially bangs!). This is my favorite, tried-and-true solution for my hair for dance. !

Want other options? Depending on your sport, pigtail-braids can work well, as long as you braid your hair a little tighter than usual so they don’t fall apart during your game. Again, just remember to pin back any bangs so that they don’t flop in your face! If your hair is too short for any of these styles, half-ponytails, clipping back sections, or just using a headband can work well too. !

Although messy buns always look cute, I know from experience that these can get extra tangly when playing a sport. Also, some headbands tend to slide back, so these may not be your best choice, either, unless you have short hair. Test out your headband before wearing it to practice! Leaving your hair down is probably not the best idea, either. All it will do is poof, poof, poof, which is probably not the look you’re going for!

One more thing: gym class. There is no possible way to style your hair before and after gym. My solution is just to smooth my hair down with water after gym, and it goes back to normal.

With a little practice, it is totally possible to have a great game and a great hair day!