What can I do with my hair?

My hair is naturally inbetween curly and wavey, and quite thick. But, when i let it to dry naturally the curls/ waves don't look right - there's something about it that i don't like, so i end up straightening it almost every day - which is bad for my hair and a hassle! What can i do with my hair? It's about 1 or 2 inches above my chest, and blonde. It's not the thickness that makes it look strange, because a friend of mien has thicker and shorter hair than me, and when hers dries naturally it's about the same as mine, but some how looks a whole lot nicer! Please help!