56 curly hairstyles for all the salon inspo you need

Bouclème Curl Cream 300ml

£19

LookFantastic

£17.10

Amazon

Umberto Giannini Crème De Curl Control Cream

£8.25

LookFantastic

£15.68

Amazon

How to take care of curly hair

“Good hair starts with a good scalp,” says hair stylist Jonathan Van Ness, who is no stranger to a good set of curls. “If you have hair, a scalp, or you’re living and breathing, a scalp oil pre-wash is going to be so good for you. Taking care of your scalp is a great way to make sure that the overall health of your hair improves. When the hair follicles are clogged, new hair can’t get through,” they add.

It's important to give those curls all the love and encouragement they deserve, especially given the fact that curly hair can easily become dry and damaged. Luckily, the right curl creams and gels should provide all the essential moisture and nourishment for naturally curly hair to thrive. Multitasking products like JVN's Complete Air Dry Cream, £23, JVN Hair are a good place to start.

No Knot Co Curl Essentials Set

£30

Beauty Bay

Pattern Styling Cream

£25

Asos

£35

Amazon

How to create curly hair (if you don't have it already)?

Waves can be amped up with a simple scrunch and some sea-salt spray. And for those who have naturally straight hair, it's still possible to get in on the action with a curling wand and styling products to encourage bounce and hold.

What are the best curly haircuts?

“Layers are perfect for curly hair. This is how we can achieve all of these beautiful shapes with maximum movement,” says award-winning Afro and textured hair specialist, Michelle Thompson. “Layers are ideal if you want to create volume and dimension. Keeping the hair all one length will give you more of a heavier controlled look, however this is dependent on the type of curl pattern that you naturally have,” she adds.

“A lot of hairdressers are now cutting the hair dry, curl by curl, in its natural state, this is so that they can cut the hair as they see the curl sitting in its natural formation,” says Michelle. “This can create a great shape but unfortunately, if you like to wear your hair smooth and straight from time to time, it’ll result in the hair looking uneven. My preferred way of cutting curls (type 2 and 3) is wet. This requires an understanding of how each curl is going to sit in both its wet and dry state, it’s all about knowing how much tension to apply when cutting or how little tension to apply,” she explains. “This way of cutting will enable you to wear your hair both curly and straight as opposed to just curly,” Michelle says.

What are the best curly hairstyles?

Many celebs have been embracing their naturally or enhanced curly hair, including Yara Shahidi, Tracee Ellis Ross, Zendaya , Kerry Washington and Solange to name a few. We've seen braided accents with the rest of the curls tumbling free, piled-high updos and curly ponytails with statement accessories.

But there are endless ways to style your curls, whether natural, or with a little help from a curling wand.

Browse through these gorgeous curly hairstyles and bring a new bounce back into your life…

This simple curly bun looks extra cute with face-framing curls teased free and a statement scrunchie for added drama.

These half-up bunches are equal parts cool and adorable.

There's drama in the length, with butt-length XXL curls, but there's drama in the height, too, thanks to the half-up ponytail.

Influencer, Larissa kept her curls feeling light and tailored with a little undercut action (if you look close). It's cool, contemporary and cute.

When your curls are this stunning, there's only one thing to do: tease them even bigger.

If you thought you had to choose between letting your curls loose, or braids, think again. This tendril braid for Yara Shahidi by hairstylist, SherriAnn Cole, makes an accent of half-braided tendrils with the curls coiling from the bottom.

This tumbling updo looks sultry and romantic.

Brit hair stylist, Michelle Thompson, is the queen of curly cuts, tapering and tailoring each and every curl perfectly for the prettiest definition. This shoulder length cut and curly fringe is 10 out of 10.

Kiana Alexis has got cute curly hair down with this tumbling top knot.

The Big Chop never looked so good.

This look has everything, braids, embellishments and stunning curls.

This elegant chignon is tucked up at the nape, but with a curly fringe and face-framing pieces adding soft layers.

How cute is this curly ponytail complete with baby braids framing the face?

The subtle tapered layers give gorgeous volume and shape.

They're swinging, they're sexy, they're (also) ‘70s inspired and they're stunning.

The best way to emphasise your pretty curl pattern is to bounce the light off them, spotlight highlights are like a mini ring light, illuminating curls with carefully placed highlights.

Long enough to braid or tie back, short enough to showcase the shape.

Combine gorgeous texture with this season's cool-girl shade.

This is perfectly relaxed but still with just the right amount of polish.

We love these big, bold, teased curls.

The beautiful honey colour of these curls add a golden halo that adds warmth and the half-up style boosts the volume even further.

These pretty mid-length curls have been carefully cut curl by curl to create the most delicious shape.

These bantu knots are left loose so that Yara's natural curly texture has a chance to free itself around the edges for extra detail and character.

Pin the back back and let the front do it's thing.

This delicate curly fringe adds another dimension.

Dress for success with some statement accessories.

This elegant updo creates a crown atop Yara's head, and the little curl detail at the nape is giving a modern regency vibe (hello, Bridgerton).