Curly hair has always held a reputation for being trickier to manage than straight hair. Research by Bellissima, a specialist in curly hair, has found that it takes on average 22 minutes a day to style curly hair - that’s five and a half days of styling time a year! This maintenance effort has caused 52 per cent of curly-haired women to sadly, fall out of love with their curls.

The research has also found that one in four women feel self-conscious about having curly hair. Only 23 per cent feel confident going on a date with their natural curls on show! And, despite 24 per cent saying curly hair made them feel fun, only a tiny seven per cent say they’ve always loved their curls.

According to the research, 56 per cent of women are unaware of their curl type. Jacqui McIntosh, a specialist in hair texture management, says, “Type 1 hair is straight with no natural curl or wave; however Type 2 curls are wavy and form an "S" shape. They tend to be fine or medium in texture and can be prone to frizz.”

“Type 3 curls are springy and well-defined, forming ringlets or corkscrew shapes and Type 4 curls are tight and densely packed, often forming coils or zig-zag patterns,” she adds.

To suss out your curl type, wash your hair, then let it air-dry without brushing or styling it to see its true curl pattern. “Once you know your curl type, you can pick products and hair care methods that won’t weigh down your waves or leave your spirals parched,” says Jacqui. If you’re blessed with curly hair, you might struggle to tame it.

The research has found that only 13 per cent admit to having never used a tool or had a treatment to lessen their curls. But all this heat can cause damage, so much so that 41 per cent of women who finally embraced their curls said that they realised the damage they were doing to their hair by constantly straightening it or using heat to style it.

Callum Townsend, curl and colour expert, says, “If someone came to me to try and chemically treat their hair to be straight, the first thing we are doing is sitting and working on breaking that stigma around why their natural hair is 'bad'. Natural is beautiful and it's about time we all realised that!”

According to the research, 51 per cent of curly-haired women don’t or are not aware of hair salons that have hairdressers qualified in cutting or styling curly hair in their area.

Jacqui explains, “Curl care should be customised to suit your unique texture. Using products that don’t work for your curl type can cause issues leading to a damaged curl pattern, breakage, frizz and loss of curl due to chemical damage.”

As for how to save time on caring for your curls, Callum says, “Strip it back to basics, focus on simple high-quality shampoo, conditioner and a styler to make your curls pop. It's all about technique, not how many products and times you throw your head forward to make the best curls.”