Girls with curly hair are always portrayed as sexy sirens with wanderlust for adventure. Bold, springy curls are eye-catching and stunning – the envy of straight-haired girls everywhere.

But, curls can also be seemingly impossible to manage with their unruly personality and tendency towards dryness. Read on for some tips on how to deal with your curly locks.

The best way to keep your curly locks in check is to start with the haircut. When choosing a new hairstyle, try not to go against your natural curls. Instead, choose the way you’ll cut your hair around your ringlets. After you’ve decided on the cut, make sure to choose the appropriate products too. As mentioned, curls tend to dry out quite easily so a good conditioner is essential.

Curls usually sit better with a layered haircut. By layering your hair, it will help to take the weight off the ends and also prevent your hair from going flat. There are plenty of products that specialize in the maintenance and styling of curly hair and they will help you keep you hair from getting frizzy. You can try a curl defining crème or serum.

If you’d rather keep your hair long, you have plenty of options for curly hair. Long layers will help distribute the hair’s weight evenly, and will also look great when straightened. But, if you want to go short, don’t think that you can’t because you have curly hair. (Halle Berry, Keri Russell…) You can do anything from a super short crop to a bob haircut.

Yup, bob haircuts work great with curls too. Here’s what to ask your stylist for:

A layered bob. If you’re ready to go bob, make sure to ask your hair stylists for choppy layers to help distribute the hair’s weight. Different lengths throughout the cut will let you wear your curls naturally without compromising style.

A little bit more length. If you have curly hair, make sure to ask for a longer bob. The bob haircut traditionally had its longest pieces around the cheekbones. Girls with curls should ask for a chin-length style; the length will help keep your hair from getting puffy.

Styling crème, and lots of it! You can wear your bob naturally curly or pin straight, but if you’re going with the curls, be sure to use enough styling products to lend definition and shine to your hair. A lightweight crème or water-based pomade will work well.

In general, a single-length haircut is not recommended for especially curly hair. It just ends up looking too heavy.