The Surprising Secret Behind Camila Cabello’s Curls

Camila Cabello says she feels most like herself when her hair mimics her bold, confident personality. Lately, that means fringe bangs and long, air-dried curls. But the "Havana" singer's enviable texture — which we thought was natural, considering her curls flutter as if she has her own personal fan attachment — is actually the result of an old-school hair treatment: the perm.

"I got a perm and I've never felt more confident," Cabello told me during an interview for her new partnership with L'Oréal Paris. "I actually have straight hair, but I've always wanted curls."

Cabello's permed texture is beautiful, this we know, but it gets even better: She says the treatment made her hair routine totally effortless. "I shampoo, condition, use a Curl Balm, then I just let my hair air-dry," she added. "I never use irons or anything. My trick is to tuck my bangs behind my ears so they get a soft shape and do that whole curtain thing. Like the curls, I feel like myself with my bangs — they just frame my face so well."

It's easy to digress into hair talk with Cabello, but our interview is actually about something more pressing: her runway debut at Paris Fashion Week this weekend alongside icons like Helen Mirren and Eva Longoria. She was tapped to model in the third annual L’Oréal Paris’ Le Défilé Fashion Show, just one more exciting first for the 22 year old.

"I'm more excited than nervous to be a part of this event — and I'm super honored to meet all of these amazing women," says Cabello, her voice animated, but steady, just moments before the fashion show. "It's definitely a different experience for me, but it's an incredible opportunity — and I love that L'Oréal is appreciating that beauty comes in all different shapes, sizes, colors, ages, and ethnicities."

Of course, it's not the first time Cabello has worked with L'Oréal. Her brand partnership started last year with her Havana makeup collection, which pays homage to her Cuban-American roots. Cabello often draws creative inspiration from her family and the Latinx population in Miami, where she grew up after her family relocated from Havana, Cuba, when she was 5 years old. "I've always looked up to my mom as a strong Cuban-American woman," Cabello says. "And growing up in Miami was a big influence for me because I grew up around so many Latin people, and Latin heritage is prominent in the culture."

True to her brand, Cabello tells me that more than a year after her makeup line launched, the Havana lip gloss is still one of her must-have beauty products. "In my own day-to-day routine, I don't like to wear a lot of makeup — I don't even like lipstick — but there are three products I aways use," Cabello tells us. "I love L'Oréal Voluminous Mascara, a tinted moisturizer for my skin, and my Havana lip gloss, of course."