Is my hair actually curly?

[Mylobsterteapot]

As a child, I have very curly hair, proper ringlets until I was about 6 years old. It was the crazy wavy then a kink, then straight. Now as an adult it’s dry at the end and frizzy, with a slight wave. Hair is currently shoulder blade length.

In an emergency, I used umberto giani curly shampoo and conditioner. My hair was very wavy/slightly curly when I went to bed when it was slightly damp but it’s fallen out now it dry. It was also way less dry, and less frizzy. Am I secretly curly? How do I make the curl hold when fully dry if so?

Easiest way to see without spending a fortune on curly products, is when you
wash your hair, scrunch it in your hands whilst wet and see if it goes curly/wavy.

mine does, however as I have fine hair, it’ll only stay curly if I use mousse/gel.

Try using mousse after a wash when damp still. Scrunch a lot in them let dry either naturally or use a hair dryer. You’ll soon find out…

It's not just products but also haircut. If you have a full head of (fine) hair it may simply get too heavy to hold the curls well. With mine, what makes all the difference is keeping the top layer intact but getting them significantly lightened from underneath. Hairdressers tend to be very cautious about this so keep at them.

Well, I got a couple of inches chopped off yesterday, then washed it and used a tiny bit of curl cream and gel. Result…

Actual waves! And they don’t look greasy or crunchy, and have stayed in all day.

That sounds lovely, OP! Good luck!

When I have long hair it is quite straight, but when it's shorter I have a bit of a wave (not really wavy, but a wave in the front).

You could look into Curly Girl Method.

I always wonder this, my hair is very "Hermione First Year at Hogwarts" if left to dry naturally but really not a nice curly more dragged through a hedge backwards therefore my GHDs have been my friend for the last 20 years.

My hairdresser cuts in layers and bangs. I tend to wash then use a pompadour comb. Result curly. I will try scrunching though

This was me until I figured out that I needed certain products (always sls free, more conditioner than you can imagine, curl cream, absolutely no brushing ever and good microfibre towels). And the curly girl method.

The Umberto Giannini curl jelly is brilliant. Look up a video of how to use it.