Nicole Siri's
Tips for Styling Curly Hair

Need tips for styling curly hair?

Meet Nicole Siri
Curly Hair Styling Consultant

Curly Hair Styles Magazine is delighted to introduce Nicole Siri, stylist, author and acknowledged curly hair expert. Nicole has kindly agreed to assist our readers with tips and answers to specific questions you may have about styling curly hair. Read more about Nicole Siri. Nicole Siri's Photo by: Damon Moore

Do you have a question about styling curly hair?
Ask Nicole using the form at the end of this page.

Read questions and feedback by other visitors!

Got an issue with curly hair? Ask Nicole about it - and the curly haired community!

Click on the links below to see some great questions - and answers! - about curly hair. They were all written by other visitors to this page.

One side of my hair is curlier than the other! 
One side of my hair is curlier then the other side, which can make it look sort of messy, and also makes one side longer than the other.

Is there anything ...

How can I get loose waves and not tight curls? 
My hair is extremly curly. I get so sick of it so I throw it in a ponytail ALL the time.

I'd really love just waves, not tight curls like goldylocks....

How can I have my hair naturally curly? 
I am 15 years old and I have very curly hair. I used to have it down all the time at school but when I did I had to use a LOT of mousse for it to not go ...

What is the right place to part hair without the triangle shape? 
I've tried to part my hair in the middle, then to the side, but nothing seems to work. My hair always ends up in a triangular shape, or frizzy because ...

Side Sweeping Bangs Plus Tight Curls. 
I have really, really curly hair, like corkscrew curls, and I have had my hair the same style since I was ten. I want a change.

Do you think side sweeping ...

How Can I Get A Good Style Hair Cut? 
I am mixed black and white so I have extremely curly and short hair around the middle of my neck.

I never wear my hair down cause I don't like how it ...

How Can I Do My Hair In The Morning After I Go To Bed And It Is All Crazy? 
In the mornings I seem to always have crazy curls like frizz. It seems like the only time my hair actually looks good is right after I shower and get it ...

Curls? Or stick to rebonded hair? 
I'm 17 yrs old and I'm confused about what type of curls match my face. My mum thinks that curly hair doesn't suit me. Is she right?

In my picture I ...

How do I get the right perm for a natural wavy look 
I have slightly wavy, shoulder length hair but it hangs heavy and drags my face down.

I would love a natural looking wavy/curly perm but am nervous ...

Is there any hair cut besides just longer hair that will work with hair that floats 
I use mousse because the gels are too sticky.

Every time I have tried something that says it's for curly hair, including the Ouidad, it does the opposite ...

Frizz and dryout 
I have extremely tight, tiny coily curls that I ADORE and I'm one of the few (when I say few I mean there is only one other person at my school who keeps ...

The right short hair cut for thick, coarse, wavy & frizzy hair? 
Dear Nicole

I have a head full of coarse, thick, wavy, frizzy hair. I'm never sure what kind of cut to get. I have a squarish face - I would put a photo ...

Styling Curly Hair 
What products can i use to style my hair after shampooing and conditioning?

How can I stop the ends of my hair from being more frizzy than the top? 
When I leave my hair down completely, the ends of my hair dry larger/more frizzy than the rest, making my hair a triangle shape. How do I fix this?

How Can I Make My Tight Curls Appear Sophisticated? 
I would love to leave my tight curls natural instead of blow drying my hair to the point of breakage. But I'm in an upscale office surrounded by straight ...

How Often To Shampoo? 
I happened to see that someone said to keep moisture in your hair you should shampoo less.

I am someone who only uses curly hair products now. I understand ...

Help With My Curly Wavy Frizzy Hair 
I am finally coming to grips with my curly/wavy/ frizzy hair. I love my hair but only when I wear it straight.

Sometimes it looks good curly but most ...

Hair Cut for Extremely Long and Curly Hair 
I have a lot of hair and it reaches to my butt and it is really curly (naturally) but I am afraid to have it cut because as you probably know it's hard ...

How Do I Get My Curls Back? 
Recently my friends and my boyfriend have told me how much they love my hair straight so I straightened it for like 2 weeks in a row.

Yesterday I wanted ...

I Want BIG hair! 
I have naturally curly hair ... really tight curls underneath & looser curls on top (medium length). I have always kept my curls as flat and smooth as ...

What's The Right Hair Style For My Face? 
I've had curly hair down my back, I've had a short curly bob, I've had bangs, I've had layers ... What hair style is most flattering for my face?

Can You Leave Conditioner In Overnight?  
Is it a good idea to go to bed with your conditioner still in your hair and rinse it off the next morning?

Help With Styling Curly Hair 
I am now 37 and still have the same hair cut I've had since high school.

My hair is untamable. The hair care products I get just dry my hair.

I ...

How to de-frizz my hair? 
I am Asian, and I do have curly hair (I know that's quite uncommon) and due to the humid weather of my country, my hair frizzes up easily. IN fact, it ...

How To Style My Dry Loosely Curly Hair And Make It Grow Faster 
Hi Nicole!

I just clicked on your sight and saw all of this great advice, but I am not totally sure which I should use for my hair!

It is light blonde ...

What Can I do With Curls? 
Dear Nicole,

I've had tight, frizzy curly hair for my whole life but have never thought of really styling it; I always wanted straight hair! I really ...

Flattened Curls 
I have long curly hair and it irks me a great deal when I wake up in the morning, to find my curls have flattened out. How do you keep curls intact while ...

Styles With Bangs For A Round Face And Products For Poofy Curly Hair 
Okay, I have a problem.

My face shape is round, and I have bangs that fall just below my eyebrows. I have loosely curled hair that is out of control....

Products for natural curls 
I live in India. Can you suggest the right shampoo, conditioner and post conditioning product for dry, thick, curly, wavy and dandruffy hair?

What Hairstyle Would Work For Me?  Not rated yet
Dear Nicole,

Hi. I have a really big problem.

I have dark, dry, FRIZZY, curly (kind of loose curls a little tighter than waves) hair down to my back ...

Is there a good way to style SUPER thin but Very curly hair?  Not rated yet
I have a short haircut because of my thin hair. The shorter it is the fuller it looks.

Everything I use seems to weigh down my hair, which may be good ...

Where can I get hold of good products in the UK?  Not rated yet
Most of the good products you mention seem to be online products from overseas. I am wanting to be able to style my hair with good, curly products that ...

Should I keep straightening my hair?  Not rated yet
If I keep straightening my hair will I lose my curls??

I do it about once a month & leave it for a couple of weeks cause my hair doesn't get that dirty ...

Curly Hair Troubles  Not rated yet
My hair has always been wavy. But now it's turned curly and I'm trying to get used to it. It's hard to find good hair styles and it's so frizzy. I'm trying ...

How can I make my hair more interesting?  Not rated yet
I have extremely curly red hair that has very tight curls and it often frizzes.

I've only really had 2 or 3 hairstyles my whole life and I want to have ...

Should I get side bangs?  Not rated yet
I am wondering whether or not I should get side bangs. I have extremely curly hair.

Is there another option than a perm?  Not rated yet
The hair on the very top of my head near my temple is very curly, like corkscrew curls, but the hair on the bottom half of my head is straight and doesn'...

I stopped fighting my naturally curly hair...  Not rated yet
For a very long time, since I was a teenager, I fought my naturally curly hair. I straightened it religiously. I loved straight hair.

Then, at some ...

How can I get tight curls instead of messy really loose wavy curls?  Not rated yet
I have medium length, really thick, wavy/curly hair. How can I make my curls more tight and defined?

PS: the picture is not clear, but is the only one ...

Should I Get Side Bangs?  Not rated yet
I have curly hair but it only gets curly at the bottom. Should I get longer angled side bangs?

I have extremely curly hair and im only 13!?!?!   Not rated yet
I have NO IDEA what to do with my hair and if I leave it down then during the whole day at school it just keeps on getting bigger and bigger, frizzier ...

How can I get curls on top layer not just bottom layer  Not rated yet
My bottom layer is naturally soft curly (with no gel, mousse, only shampoo and conditioner for frizzy curly hair), but very curly on the ends of my bottom ...

How Can I Make My Curly Hair Look Nice And Not Frizzy?  Not rated yet
Hello,

I have short wavy/curly hair. Every time I style it curly I think it looks horrible and frizzy. I think I'm just not styling it correctly. Could ...

Undecided on Going Blonde...  Not rated yet
I have very curly hair but it has a fine texture. It is dark brown with natural lighter brown and some dirty blonde highlights.

I have been considering ...

How can I get soft loose waves instead of tight curls???  Not rated yet
I have tight ringlets which make me look really young.

I have to keep my hair in a half up half down style because it's too big to keep it all up and ...

How Can I Get Soft Loose Waves Instead Of Tight Curls?  Not rated yet
Hi,

my hair is very weird. It's straight/wavy at the top, then it gets really tight curls. sometimes I want to just have loose curls instead of tight ...

Hair Cut Help  Not rated yet
How in the world am I supposed to cut and style my hair?! When layers are put in either I look like I have a mullet or it looks thin and stringy on the ...

How can you change straight hair to curly hair?  Not rated yet
Is it possible to make your hair curly without perming it? My hair is wavy but I straighten it every time I go somewhere. I would like to know if you have ...

How can I get my hair curly all over?  Not rated yet
I have very curly hair. On the top layer, that is. My bottom layer is perfectly straight. How can I fix this problem?

What should be my haircut as I have normal curly hair and have a round face?  Not rated yet
What should I do with my hair style?

I have natural curly hair, but my problem is that my face is round and most hair cuts don't suit me. When I go ...

Straightening My Hair  Not rated yet
This is my hair ready to straighten, in the picture!
It takes so long! I use GHD's. Can you help me with techniques on how to straighten my hair more ...

Awww, I don't want curls, I want waves  Not rated yet
How can I get soft loose waves instead of curls?

How do I eliminate the problem of thick curly hair?  Not rated yet
Hello,

I am a 17 year old guy with extremely thick short curly hair. The problem is that since I have short hair, the curls are not completely curly ...

How Do I Minimize Frizz?  Not rated yet
My natural hair is very tight and frizzy curls. I don't mind the curls, but how do I get rid of the frizz?

What hair cut should I opt for with rough long curly hair?  Not rated yet
My hair is a combination of soft straight hair and rough curly hair. It's straight on the top and then curly below!

What would be the ideal hair cut ...

What haircut will let me keep my hair length but help the shape of my hair?  Not rated yet
I have curly hair that dries to rest a few inches below my shoulders, with looser curls on top and tighter ringlets underneath. The top tends to sit flatter ...

Homemade products to prevent frizz  Not rated yet
Hi Nicole.

I have naturally curly slightly below shoulder length black hair. I'm trying to get my hair to grow longer.

My problem is that though ...

What can I do to avoid tangles besides brushing?  Not rated yet
I have wavy hair, and everyone says not to use a brush, but my hair gets very tangled and I don't want to wash it every day. If I brush it, it becomes ...

What Can I Do To Put My Hair Up For My Brother's Wedding?  Not rated yet
My brother's wedding is on Saturday and I am trying to figure out the quickest and easiest way to do my hair for it that will look cute but still appropiate ...

What do you suggest for straightening curly hair?  Not rated yet
Ok, well I have really, really curly hair and I always wear it up cause I don't know what to do with it. But I really like my hair when I straighten it....

Help!  Not rated yet
I have really curly hair which, when straightened, just about reaches my shoulder blades.

I don't want it like this. I want loose curls, so how do I ...

How can I get soft bouncy loose waves instead of tight curls?  Not rated yet
How can I get soft bouncy loose waves instead of tight curls?

Curly Bangs  Not rated yet
I have kinda curly hair and I have bangs. Should I straighten my bangs and have it curly???

How do I make tight curls more wavy?  Not rated yet
I have serious problems with styling my hair.

It doesn't happen in the morning when I've showered and washed my hair with shampoo and when it's wet....

TooCurly!!!!!!!!  Not rated yet
How can I get loose waves instead of tight curls?

Depressed Curly Hair in the UK  Not rated yet
Hi,

I have always had very dry, frizzy interracial curls.

Over the years I have tried this and that but I stopped looking when I found Sunsilk's ...

My Curly Hair  Not rated yet
I used to hate my hair being curly and I still tie it up all the time. I only leave it down when it is a special occasion.

I used to use Sunsilk curly ...

What do I tell the hairdresser to do to achieve the right perm?  Not rated yet
I have wavy hair and have decided to do a perm after being on vacation in Mexico and seeing how cute my hair is with the humidity (my hubby really liked ...

What is the right hair style for me?  Not rated yet
Dear Nicole,

I'm a teenage girl who was born with less hair. I would like to know the right hair style for me to look nicer - curly hair or straight ...

Frizzy Hair  Not rated yet
I wanted to know how I can get my hair to have natural curls.

My hair is very thick, straight and frizzy. I have tried gel to get my hair curly but ...

I have really thick, curly hair that gets poofy and frizzy. How can I stop it from getting poofy?  Not rated yet
I have really, really thick, curly hair. A stylist once told me it was "ridiculously thick" when I was getting my hair done.

It looks good and stays ...

Moo Much Volume  Not rated yet
Hi! My hair is extremely curly and I have too much volume. It's medium-long. I try to keep it straight, but I know it ruins the hair and I have to keep ...

Does a perm make you look older?  Not rated yet
I am 22 years old and I love curly hair but I'm afraid that once I get a perm it will make me look 10 years older.

Is there a secret to this? Will tighter ...

Different Types of Curl  Not rated yet
Hi,

my hair is long, layered, and has two different curl types to it.

The top layer and the bottom layer have a slight wave to them and the middle ...

How Can I Get Soft Loose Waves Instead Of Tight Curls?  Not rated yet
I am sick of my curly hair and I really want to have those soft waves ... you know - the beach hair.

I want no frizz, no crunch, not too much product ...

Loose Curls  Not rated yet
Dear Nicole,

How do you have loose but beautiful curls?

My hair is naturally curly, has been all my life. My hair has always been shoulder length,...

How can i make my hair not poofy?  Not rated yet
I have majorly tight curly hair. It's about to my shoulders and really I do like curly hair.

My only problem is that my hair is so thick and poofy when ...

Thin curly jaw length hair  Not rated yet
I recently had a body perm done to my hair. I love the perm but don't care much for the style.

I have always had short hair, even shorter than jaw length....

Curly Bob for a Square Face  Not rated yet
I've got a strong jaw line and would like a haircut above my shoulders.

Do you have any tips as to how to cut my hair without making my jaw appear more ...

How can I repair my curly hair?  Not rated yet
I was really sick of my curly hair and I started flat ironing it for about 3 years.

Now it's having a lot of trouble curling. Only the under parts of ...

Help! I Need A Curly Hair Updo For Prom.  Not rated yet
I am looking for a big updo that makes my curls look absolutely jaw dropping faboulous .

I have long curly hair which, when straight, reaches my butt,...

How can I get my hair to curl more?  Not rated yet
Heyy,

Well I have curly hair, but I've been straightening it for a long time - for about 2 months.

I've decided to let it go curly and now it curls,...

Kinky on top, wavy on the bottom  Not rated yet
My hair isn't uniformly curly and tends to go 'straight' on the sides while the top looks like a poodle!

I've been wearing it fairly long (shoulder ...

How can I get less tight curls?  Not rated yet
I have very curly natural hair. I really just want it to get flat, but all the products for curly hair are to make the curls tighter.

Are there any ...

I have tight wet curls in the morning and dry, ugly curly hair at the end of the day.  Not rated yet
HELP!!!!!

In the morning I have pretty, soft, healthy looking curly hair, and then later in the day it's dry, short and ugly. I need something that ...

Nicole how do you style your hair?  Not rated yet
Hello Nicole,

Your hairstyle in the picture on this website is beautiful. How do you style it? Your top looks straight but the rest is very wavy, loose ...

Tough Hair  Not rated yet
What should I do if my curly hair is so puffy it puffs from the bottom and is flat on the top?

New to Curly Hair  Not rated yet
I lost my hair which was poker straight and very fine.

Now I have curly hair, except on top where it's wavy to straight.

After doing my hair one ...

How Can I Get Soft Loose Waves Instead Of Tight Curls?  Not rated yet
How can I get soft loose waves instead of tight curls?

I want more natural non frizzy locks  Not rated yet
My hair is so thick but when I had it thinned all these little pieces started growing and it made a mess.

My hair gets poofy as it dries and has frizz ...

Can I let my hair free on my front?  Not rated yet
I have naturally curly hair and I want something new.

I'm thinking to cut the hair at the front in a straight line and straighten it with a straightener....

How to hydrate extremely dry brittle curly hair  Not rated yet
I have tried everything! I have cabinets filled with products.

I can't seem to hydrate my hair, especially at the crown of my head. It seems fried and ...

Will lightening my hair make it frizzy?  Not rated yet
Hello Nicole!

My question does not concern styling my hair, yet I dearly hope you can lend a hand.

I have curly hair which is very soft, and the ...

I need help on styles  Not rated yet
Hiya. My name is Sophie. I'm 15 and I love having my hair curly, but the way I do it is getting boring. Do you have any ideas of a new style I can have?...

New Curls  Not rated yet
Can you show me different ways to style when your hair is curly?

Frizz  Not rated yet
Some of my hair has been damaged due to straighteners (I don't straighten my hair but friends always insist on doing it now and then and it's quite hard ...

What should I do?!  Not rated yet
I have fairly tight curls at the front, kind of straight/wavy at the side, and have no idea what's going on in the back.

I cut my hair into a bob some ...

How should I change my boring hair style?  Not rated yet
Dear Nicole,

I have had the same long curly hair for as long as I can remember and I really want a change. I've been thinking about cutting it short ...

How do I get more curl out of my med length curly hair?  Not rated yet
I have naturally curly hair, I have been coloring it for gray for about 1 year. The sides seem to be more straight now and my sides grow faster than the ...

Bangs...?  Not rated yet
I have an oval-shaped face and very curly hair. Can I pull off bangs? I've tried a few, like side bangs, but it has not really worked out.

Nicole Siri is passionate about curly hair. A professional hair stylist whose work has appeared in fashion shows, photo shoots and magazines, Nicole has taught classes on styling hair and has worked with leading curly hair stylists in New York and Virginia.

Knowing that curly-haired women often find it hard to achieve a hair style that suits them, and in frustration resort to wearing a ponytail most of the time, Nicole wrote Strictly Curls. Her book is a simple guide to achieving your own fun and glamorous curly hair styles.

Nicole now caters to her own curly clientele in Reston, Virginia.