I <3 My Curls

I have a confession to make: I hate talking about my hair. Well, I take that back: I hate it when people comment about how much better my hair would look straight.

That very conversation happens every time I go to the salon.

"Oh wow, you have a lot of curly, curly hair," the stylist says.

"Yeah, everyone in my family has really curly hair," I reply.

"You know, we offer this super awesome hair straightening treatment…"

And then I nicely stop her—not interested.

I've spent the majority of my life fighting with my hair: I spent 60 minutes straightening it every morning during junior high and high school. I was told that my big mess of hair wasn't okay—that my "ramen noodle and poodle" curls weren't attractive and no guy would ever love them. A ridiculous argument, because what's hotter than big, sexy curls? Nothing, that's what.

But, then something weird happened during college: I learned to accept my curls. There's something very freeing about having an untamed head of curls, even if humidity and rain can take a good hair day to a bad one in an instant.

And I'm not alone in feeling that way: More and more salons—like the popular Devachan Salon in NYC—cater specifically to curly hair.

So, no: I don't want you to straighten my hair now… or ever. The majority of people—65 percent, according to NaturallyCurly.com—have naturally wavy or curly hair.

Why are we fighting against nature?

Just stop. I promise you'll learn to love your curl, girl. (And heck, you'll save a lot of time not blowing it out, too.)

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From Cosmopolitan.com. Visit Amazon Beauty Center here

Steal Ashley Greene's Sexy Curls

We're huge fans of Ashley Greene here at Cosmopolitan: Her style, makeup, hair, confidence—we admire it all. So naturally when we saw this pic of her at the premiere of her new movie Butter, we just had to find out how to recreate her hair.

Ted Gibson, stylist and owner of the Ted Gibson Salon in NYC, gave us the rundown on how to get Ashley's look at home.

- Start off by using [Ted Gibson] Fix It Gel, $19.95, beauty.com, mixed with [Ted Gibson] Tame It Shine Lotion, $16.27, amazon.com—about a quarter size of each—and run it through your hair, roots to ends, while it's damp.

- Then, blow it dry, raking your fingers through your hair first. When it's 3/4 dry, use a paddle brush to smooth your strands until it's completely dry.

- If your hair isn't long enough to copy this goddess-glam look, pick up some clip-in hair extensions to add length. After clipping them in, use a medium-sized curling iron to curl and set your entire head.

- Let the curls cool, and then gently brush your hair out with your paddle brush to give it that soft, retro 70s vibe.

- Finally, sweep your strands over your left shoulder and finish by misting them with a medium hold aerosol hairspray to keep your style in place. Try Mark Locks in Place Buildable Hold Hairspray, $14, meetmark.com.

Will you be trying out Ashley's killer red-carpet hairstyle this weekend?

Photo: Getty Images

From Cosmopolitan.com. Visit Amazon Beauty Center here