Eternals Star Lauren Ridloff on Her Favorite Curly Hair Tips and What She Wears to Feel Confident

Prose

Lauren Ridloff has learned a lot about her curly hair over the years.

The Eternals star, who was the first deaf actress to play a superhero in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, knows it takes the right products to maintain her natural curls and a whole lot of love to make them shine.

Ridloff turns to haircare brand Prose, which is all about customization to fit exactly what your hair needs. The actress teamed up with the brand for its latest campaign and was happy to share that Prose takes care of her curls.

"I've learned that when I use all these [Prose] products and layer it in the proper way for what I want to achieve, I just need a lot less," she tells PEOPLE. "I used to go through products quickly, because I was using too much as a curly hair person. When they first gave me the Prose containers, I thought, 'Well, these are too small. It's not going to be enough, honey. I need more!' Nope. I didn't need more."

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Michael Simon / StarTracks Photo

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Ridloff uses the Pre-Shampoo Hair Mask before washing her hair, noting that it helps keep her hair hydrated before she goes in with her shampoo. She also uses a Tangle Teezer brush on her strands to prevent breakage. She says it's "perfect for curly hair" because it's gentle on her strands, which are prone to damage because of the curls.

The actress uses Prose's new Styling Gel to slick back any flyaways and hold everything in place. "I have learned from stylists that I work with that with gel specifically, less can be more. It's all about layering and mixing," she tells PEOPLE of how she finishes a look.

She also turns to the gel to slick her hair back when she's headed for a workout, which she does often. Ridloff shares pictures on Instagram in her workout gear, showing off her love of staying healthy. And as much as she loves getting glammed up for a red carpet, she'd much rather be at home in PJs or workout clothes.

"Every day I feel different," she says of what she chooses to wear and what she shares on Instagram. "I wake up some days feeling like, 'Okay, I need to put on makeup today. I need to put on a dress to feel cute,' because that's just what I need for that day."

In what she calls the "generation of social media and influencers," she wants to set an example for people that it's totally okay to be yourself on social media and share the glam days alongside the dressed-down days.

"It's all about self-expression, and some days I just feel like I'm perfect the way that I am," she tells PEOPLE. "Those days I want to feel comfortable wearing soft clothes and no makeup. And that's okay."

It's actually her workout gear that makes her feel the most powerful and confident on any given day, she says. "When I put on my sunscreen, my running clothes and my sneakers and go for a run, that's probably when I feel the most powerful," she shares.

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While promoting Marvel's Eternals last year, though, the actress and her stylist, Jason Rembert, amped up each of her looks to take them to the extreme opposite of her running clothes. Instead, the actress wore everything from Chloé to Versace, Prada to Elie Saab. Getting dolled up to promote the Chloe Zhao-directed film, also starring Angelina Jolie, Salma Hayek and Richard Madden, was both fun and nerve-wracking for the star.

A patchwork Chloé coatdress that she wore was one of her favorite looks from last year, partially because it was so beautiful but also because it reminded her of her mother. "That Chloé coat dress was definitely gorgeous," she says. "The leather was so soft and the color made me think of the '70s. It made me think of my mother — back in the '70s, she was such a queen."

Lauren Ridloff/Instagram

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The glam looks didn't make red carpets any less daunting for her, though. The Walking Dead alum has walked many red carpets, but she admits that they still intimidate her. "I get so much nervous energy before red carpet events," she shares. "It's like I can't wait to get started, but also can't wait for the event to end. Once we actually get on the carpet, though, I find that I enjoy myself. It's the same thing every time. One of these days I'll learn that I do actually enjoy it!"

Her new partnership with Prose makes her the first deaf brand ambassador the company has partnered with, furthering the inclusivity in the beauty industry. When Ridloff joined the MCU as Makkari in Eternals, she also made a big step for inclusivity as the first deaf person cast as a superhero for the franchise. While she's incredibly happy with these steps toward a more inclusive world, she knows that there's a lot of work still to be done in Hollywood and beyond.

"One thing that I've been talking about a lot is how representation needs to happen, not just in front of the camera, but also off screen," she says, adding that she was so pleased with how diverse and inclusive the Prose team was when she came on board. "It's so important. The more people we have behind the camera working together, the more truthful, interesting, diverse stories we can tell."