How do I get this look?

I have 3B hair, that was about 6 months tipped blonde. I hated it! It was dry - I lost definition in my curls, and no matter how many times I conditioned - it was like straw and I was close to tears! In the end I put a semi back through it, and the curls, with some moisture and TLC came back within a week.

It was about shoulder length - and about shoulder blade length when wet or straightened. I have been growing it for at least two years and dont straighten it, nor has it had any bleach.

As I was growing it - I only got little mm ends snipped - as a result - its grown (slowly), but its also very dry and the curl was starting to be raggedy and the ends would get knotty and were breaking off and it just "hung there". No shape, no life, but I didnt want to part with the hair!

My new hairdresser just came out and said one day, "It needs a good inch taken off, and needs shaping as its in bad condition". So i let her do her thing (does anyone else get nervous with new hairdressers?) and I have ended up with a Keri Russell - Season 3 Felicity do. which I actually really like.

Something like this:

http://www.keri-russell.info/images/..._russell08.jpg

As my curl appears a bit tighter than Keri's here - does anyone have any advice as to what to use to get the curl looser? The cut is quite flattering and now I look a lot more "polished", but just some help with some products and ways to do it would be great.

BTW - I dont comb my hair as it ends up getting fuzzy.

And - I was just a "leave in conditioner" and walk out the door and dry naturally girl - but I dont mind having to spend more time on achieving a look!

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