As a curly girl, it can be difficult to find guidance on how to style, treat, and even cut your curly hair. Since starting college, I have found it extra difficult to take good care of my hair while managing my time and other commitments. In no particular order, these influencers helped me take my curls from dry, stringy, and frizzy to defined, hydrated, and lasting.
#1: Joy Burnett
Joy Burnett is an influencer with 3a-3b curls. While her content is mainly haircare tips and routines, she also posts content about skincare, makeup, and shopping vlogs. She often preaches about brands like Not Your Mother’s, Cake Beauty, and Bounce Curl. Her routine starts with soaking wet hair and a leave-in conditioner spray. She then sections off the top of her hair and rakes curl cream all over her bottom section, styling it with the Bounce Curl Define EdgeLift Brush. She uses a gel to finish her routine, scrunches it all through her hair, then diffuses as the final step. Joy Burnett’s TikTok account helped me find products that don’t weigh my hair down, all while keeping it defined and hydrated. Her contribution to curly hair TikTok is unmatched!
#2: Kyra Thors
As an up-and-coming influencer, Kyra Thors has a 2c-3a hair type. Her hair is looser and finer than other influencers’ hair, so I have found her very helpful to my own routine. She uses a leave-in conditioner and sections her hair into two, similar to Joy Burnett’s routine. Kyra uses a gel and a curl foam, then diffuses her hair to promote more definition and volume. Kyra’s account is one that I followed only a few weeks ago, but her routines and product recommendations have helped my hair become so much healthier. I followed her at-home haircut tutorial, and my hair came out exactly how I wanted it to! Her videos are super helpful for girls with looser, finer hair.
#3: Sofia Zampella
Sofia Zampella is an influencer who prioritizes length with a type 3 pattern. As a college athlete, she often posts tutorials, GRWMs, and hair inspiration for unique curly styles. Unlike other influencers, Sofia styles for definition rather than volume. She swears by brush styling, gel, and an in-depth diffusing routine. Because of her, I stopped rushing my wash days. Sectioning my hair, evenly applying gel, and fully diffusing (instead of air drying) completely changed my results. My curls looked longer, shinier, polished—and they actually lasted past day one. If your goal is to grow your hair out while maintaining defined, elongated curls, Sofia is definitely the influencer to follow. She makes length-focused curly care feel achievable, not overwhelming.
#4: Manes by Mell
Manes by Mell is a curl professional, which means her page is very informative and full of real, effective results. Unlike influencers who focus mainly on aesthetics, Mell breaks down the science behind curly hair in a way that actually makes sense. She talks about protein and moisture balance, porosity, ingredient labels, and why certain techniques work, not just how to do them. Watching her content made me realize that healthy curls start with understanding your hair’s needs, not just using someone else’s routine. By watching her videos, I became more intentional with my hair products and stopped blaming my curls when the real issue was imbalance. She made curly hair care feel less like trial and error and more like something I could actually master.
#5: Hannah Sparks
Hannah Sparks is a great creator to follow if you’re looking to embrace volume without losing softness or shape. Her content focuses on enhancing natural texture through practical, easy-to-follow routines that don’t feel overly complicated. From wash day tutorials to realistic refresh methods, she shows how to maintain full, healthy curls that still look effortless. What sets her apart is how achievable her techniques feel, especially for students balancing classes, work, and a social life. If you’re trying to build volume while keeping your curls looking sharp and defined, Hannah’s approach offers a balanced, confidence-boosting perspective.
Together, creators like Joy Burnett, Kyra Thors, Sofia Zampella, Manes by Mell, and Hannah Sparks have done much more than share routines. They’ve essentially reshaped the conversation around curly hair. Instead of promoting one “perfect” curl type, they show that every kind of curl is beautiful. Through tutorials, education, and everyday styling inspiration on TikTok, they’ve helped normalize frizz, shrinkage, volume, definition, and everything in between. By making curly hair care less intimidating and more accessible, these influencers have empowered women to stop fighting their texture and start understanding it. What once felt confusing or frustrating now feels like community. Curly Hair TikTok isn’t just about products or techniques—it’s about helping women embrace their natural curl and wear it confidently.