Embracing the curl...or not.

My hair is crazy. It's the progeny of one silky-straight-haired parent, and one slightly coarser-textured curly-haired parent. It's also fine, which doesn't help. As a child, it was dead straight but as I got older, the kinks appeared! Then I discovered the evil hair lightener of the 90s, as a teen, and abused the heck out of it with Sun-In. Poor form. Plus it was cut into a bob with a fringe; two styles not suited to such texture.

But these were the dark days before straightening irons existed. Then, upon graduating with my Masters degree, my parents bought me my first pair of ghd straightening irons (I'd had a cheap pair of Remingtons, prior, but they did not compare). Control was mine and I've been straightening ever since.  

If I do a good job, it looks tidy like this ( this was me a year ago, looking much slimmer in the face!):  

If I get daring, and the moon is in the right phase, I add a wave (after straightening) and it does this:

Here is is just yesterday after naturally air drying:

I do love my colour. Ok, I admit it doesn't look terrible, but it doesn't stay tidy. It ' floofs' out like an electrocuted sheep and I do not feel groomed or neat! I dealt to this before heading out to Star Wars for a date night, last night! 

Just for fun, here's me a couple of years ago rocking long and brunette:

...and here's me just the other day, sporting my usual summer ponytail ( to beat a hot neck and frizz!).

If you know of any good products that might help me manage the curl ( and actually embrace it a bit), do let me know, but I struggle to feel 'me' when I'm curly. It's funny how identity and hair are so intrinsically linked. 

Cheers!