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"Nothing is as exciting\u2014or as nerve-wracking\u2014as being the new girl. Whether it&amp;#39;s your first day of school or you&amp;#39;re starting a dream job, if there&amp;#39;s one thing that makes a first impression a lot less daunting, it&amp;#39;s a really, really good hair day.\n\nAs a teen, every major moment was preempted by a torturous, hours-long hair-straightening session. Sleek, silky strands made me feel prettier. And the truth is, I was completely clueless about how to deal with my curls! When they weren&amp;#39;t flatironed into submission for special occasions, they were practically glued down with gobs of gel. Thankfully, my crunchy hair days are over.\n\nNow I get to chat up beauty experts and play with products for a living. (I&amp;#39;ve probably tried every curly-hair product on the planet!) But you don&amp;#39;t have to be a beauty editor to crack the code on your curls. According to researchers at naturallycurly.com, a whopping 60 percent of the population has textured hair, and lately more girls are cooling their flatirons, mixing up product cocktails, and surfing blogs for tips on how to rock their wavy, curly, and kinky textures.\n\nGood news: The market is booming with an array of curly-specific products (since 2008, some Target stores have tripled their offerings), and salons that specialize in curly clientele are popping up from NYC to L.A. (My fave? Devachan Salon\u2014it&amp;#39;s like a curl mecca!)\n\nWhen it comes to style, inspiration is everywhere. From the frothy, Led Zeppelin era\u2013inspired curls that floated down the runway at Oscar de la Renta&amp;#39;s spring 2012 show to the bevy of naturally wavy looks Diane von Furstenberg showcased this season to It girl Julia Sarr-Jamois&amp;#39; &amp;#39;fro that&amp;#39;s turning heads on the fashion scene, big hair is back!\n\nI now realize that my natural texture is actually what makes my look special ... and it&amp;#39;s so much fun! My newest curl-spiration, Rachel Crow\u2014the X Factor star known for her &amp;#39;fro-hawk\u2014agrees. &amp;quot;I love my curly hair!&amp;quot; she says. &amp;quot;It&amp;#39;s a part of my personality, and it makes me stand out in a crowd.&amp;quot;\n\nCall me curl-crazed, but there&amp;#39;s just something about a head full of waves that can command any room and make any outfit more interesting. I might have straightened my hair for every event in high school from picture day to prom, but for this dream-job debut, it&amp;#39;s all about the curls. The bigger, the better."^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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