Tina Kissavos

For all of you naturally curlies out there, lucky you! Do you know how many people use curling products every day to achieve the same curls? Curling irons, hair perms, curling spritzers, curlers and anything and everything to get that wave. Fortunately, you’ve just got it!

Make the most of it by starting 2009 off the right way by keeping your curls as gorgeous as they can possibly be.

Curly hairstyles promise to be free of one very nasty F-word in 2009. Frizz! The fuzz ball look is most definitely out, not that it’s ever been in. Curly has now come to encompass wavy, curly and kinky.

Whether short, medium or long, the condition of the curl is more important than the length of the hair itself. Frizz, split ends, and lighter colored dry patches are all factors that will make a curly do ‘out’ regardless of style or length. In 2009, healthy curls are in!

Perhaps better referred to as ‘wavelets’ than ringlets, curls in 2009 are both wavy and curly at the same time. Long or short, the majority of 2009 curly hairstyles are not as tightly coiled as in previous years. They resemble a more finger-twisted curl than a curling-iron look and have adopted a more relaxed look that isn’t as “curl contrived” but still says “look at me.”

Borrowed from their hair texture counterpart, a hint of straightness will be seen on the heads of many curlies. Because the fringe look is all the rage, many curly hairstyles will be straighter at the top, sides and bangs and curls will fall into stretched-out twists. A style like this is casual yet sexy and can be fancied up or played down.

To really get the most out of your curls this year, here’s a word of advice: put away your basket of hair grease, wax, pomade and any other weighty product, because the wet look is out and heavy hair is most definitely out!

This year boasts of more gorgeous natural styles that use deep conditioner instead and products that hold the curl, tame the frizz and moisturize the roots to the tip. Anything that keeps hair looking wet for longer than 15 minutes out of the shower is out.

If you have to use several products to tame your curls and frizz, remember that lighter, freeer, fresher curls are the way to go. While softer, well-defined curls are all the rage this year, it doesn’t mean that tiny baby corkscrews and wild afros aren’t still a hot look. Quite the contrary. If there were ever a time for curls to shine, the time is now and since curly girls have grown more daring with their tresses over the past few years, 2009 will be reflective of this.

Tina Kissavos is a writer for Hairstylesdesign.com.

And the award for the best curly hairstyle goes to . . .

Susan Sarandon

Although the majority of attention is paid to “who they’re wearing” one can’t deny the supporting role hairstyles play on the red carpet. Fortunately this year at the Golden Globes and the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards, there were a lot more hits than misses when it came to hairstyles and several of those “hits” were curly! This bodes well for a curly awards season!

When thinking of curly hair, one often conjures up thoughts of tightly coiled corkscrews, S curls or ringlets, but curly hair doesn’t always have to be completely curly for it to fall into the curly hair category, as we saw at the most recent awards shows. Loose curls were the theme of the evening and many curly haired celebrities opted for the more relaxed look sporting alluring “wave-lets” and curly updos rather than ringlets.

If there were an award for the sexiest curls, Demi Moore might have to take the crown for her Boticelli ringlets at the Golden Globes. Her hairstyle is a perfect example of how curls don’t have to shout; they can whisper. Parted down the middle, Demi’s long hair demands attention as it falls onto her shoulders in romantic spirals. This look doesn’t seem too contrived by a curling iron but rather a more naturally finger-twisted curl on damp hair set to air dry.

A close second would be Laura Dern at the SAG Awards, who opted for full sexy waves rather than the straight looks she’s worn in the past.

Laura Dern

Other stars who stole the red carpet with similar loose curls include Evangeline Lilly and Miley Cyrus at the Golden Globes and Tina Fey and Jenna Fischer at the SAG Awards. All wore loose waves, letting their hair fall freely down their back with sophisticated twists. This type of curl is lower maintenance than a tighter ringlet and is a perfect romantic formal hairstyle for any red carpet event.

Curly updos ruled the SAG Awards, with such stars as Eva Longoria Parker, Lisa Edelstein and Jennifer Carpenter rocking textured updos. This was a refreshing change from the tightly pulled-back updos that once dominated.

Pulled back in a high ponytail, Debra Messing allows her big wavy curls to cascade down her back in a bundle at the Golden Globes Exposing her entire face, Debra’s hair is swept back, falling into a set of curls almost as curvy as her figure in that stunning blue dress.

The style doesn’t need to be elaborate to make a statement. At the SAG Awards, Susan Sarandon showed how face-framing curls can look glamorous and sexy.

The award for the prettiest tighter curls goes to Mad Men’s Christina Hendricks, who wore beautiful ‘dos at both the Golden Globes and the SAG Awards. For the Golden Globes, red cascading curls reach shoulder length and her curly fringe falls into her face just above her eyebrows. Extra volume is created with fuller curls added at the top of her head and placed onto her forehead. At the SAG Awards, she swirled her curls into a sexy updo.

And let’s not forget the men. From Diego Luna to Mickey Rourke, long waves were a hot look for this year’s actors at both the SAG Awards and at the Golden Globes.

So forget whatever ideas you had about what a “real” curl is, be it tightly coiled corkscrews or twisted ringlets, by using these celebrities as an example with looser spirals. Overall, the girls with the curls have dominated so far on this year’s red carpets.