Having curly hair may seem like something everyone wants, but in reality, it takes a lot of work to make it look good.

1. You can only brush your hair when it's wet.

Unless you want the result to be a giant frizz-ball of a mess, you can’t even try to brush it when it’s dry. Keeping your curls as tight and together as possible is crucial to keeping it tamed.

2. You can't sleep with your hair down.

If you have curly hair, and you want to have even the slightest chance of being able to wear your hair down the next day, you have to figure out a special way to sleep with it. While different methods work for everyone, pigtail braids usually work best for me.

3. ...and even when you take every precaution possible, you never know what your hair will look like when you wake up.

Even if you sleep with it in braids, there’s a good chance you’ll wake up to a bird’s nest on the top of your head. Thanks to friction from your pillow, there’s no way to guarantee your hair’s well-being during a night’s sleep.

4. You have to straighten it for events so it looks like you made an effort.

People with wavy or straight hair can make small alterations to make their ‘do look good for the occasion. However, when you have curly hair, you must spend hours straightening it in order for it to look like you put in effort.

5. People are always asking to touch your hair.

As fun as it may be to sit there while people bounce your curls, you can’t allow everyone to touch your precious ringlets.

6. You go through at least 6 bottles of conditioner before you come close to finishing a bottle of shampoo.

Even though a “dime-size” squirt of conditioner is recommended, you know you must use way more than that to fully nourish your hair. While shampoo is great for cleansing, it doesn’t give your hair the moisture it needs, so you must use copious amounts of conditioner to compensate.

7. You can’t pull off the cute hair styles that everyone else can.

The half- bun, half- down look may seem great on every girl with straight hair, but it just doesn’t work with curls. Sure, your hair looks great down, but sometimes you’d like to be able to experiment with some different styles. However, with curly hair, anything experimental is, well, an experiment...and it may not turn out so great.

8. Gel is your best friend.

The only way to battle frizz is to use lots and lots of gel. People often ask why you can’t let your hair dry naturally, and the answer to that requires one word: frizz.

9. Once you set your hair a certain way, and it dries, there’s no going back.

If you get out of the shower and put your hair in a ponytail, there’s no way you can put it down. Once the gel is in, your hair is set, and that’s that.