Hollywood waves step by step: how to do them at home

We choose Hollywood waves for a wedding, a prom or New Year’s Eve: smooth, glossy S-shaped waves swept to one side. You can do them at home if you stick to three rules: wrap all strands in one direction, let each curl cool while it’s still coiled, and brush out only once your hair is cold.

Most of it comes down to the barrel diameter and to giving the curls a dozen or so minutes to cool, so it’s worth knowing this before you start curling on the day you’re going out.

What are Hollywood waves?

Hollywood waves, also called Old Hollywood waves, are uniform, connected S-shaped waves that settle into a smooth, glossy sheet. Each wave is a similar size and runs in the same rhythm across the whole head.

If you’re after relaxed, slightly tousled waves, you’ll do better with waves made with a straightener.

What to use for Hollywood waves: a 32 or 40 mm curling iron?

For most hair, a curling iron of about 30-32 mm is enough, and for very long, coarse and thick hair about 38 mm or more. The thicker the barrel, the looser the wave, so you match the size to the length and thickness of your hair.

Hair	Barrel diameter	Result
Shoulder length, bob	about 20-25 mm	a smaller wave near the face
Past the shoulders, fine or medium thickness	about 30-32 mm	a classic wave, the easiest to start with
Long, coarse and thick	about 38 mm or more	wider, looser waves and more volume

A classic curling iron curls the strand with a heated barrel and gives a stronger curl on dry hair. You can also make waves with a straightener by turning it half a turn around the strand. I describe this technique in my guide to making curls and waves with a straightener.

How do you prepare your hair for Hollywood waves?

For a classic curling iron, your hair needs to be washed, completely dry and smoothed. Blow-dry it with a brush, from the roots down, because a Hollywood wave shows every bit of frizz.

Before using the curling iron, apply a heat protectant, a spray or cream that protects your hair from heat. According to a review of hair cosmetics in the International Journal of Trichology, a product with silicones spreads heat across the surface of the hair. As a result, the water inside the hair doesn’t boil.

Don’t curl damp hair with a hot curling iron. In a 2004 study by Ruetsch and Kamath, a curling iron on wet hair damaged it more. The escaping steam formed bubbles on the cuticle, the outer layer of the hair.

The second thing is temperature. In a conversation with trichologist Agnieszka Trepka in our podcast (in Polish), it came up that anything above 210°C is too much for hair, unless it’s protected by a heat protectant. In practice: curl fine and bleached hair on a lower setting. You can read how to recognize overheated strands in my article on hair burnt by a straightener.

Hollywood waves step by step

Hollywood waves take seven steps: a side part, sectioning, wrapping away from the face, cooling in clips, brushing out, defining the wave and hairspray.

1. Make a side part

Before you start curling, use a comb to make a deep side part on dry hair, one shifted well to the side. The waves will then fall from it.

2. Section your hair

Clip up the top half of your hair and start with the bottom layer at the nape of your neck. Take thin, even strands, because even portions give even waves.

3. Wrap in one direction, away from the face

Wrap each strand away from your face, meaning so that the curl turns toward the back of your head. Do this on both sides and hold the strand on the barrel for a few to a dozen or so seconds, depending on the thickness of your hair and the temperature. This is very important: a single strand curled the other way will break up the wave later.

4. Cool the curls in clips

Slide the curl off the barrel without stretching it, coil it in your fingers and pin it to your head with a clip for 10-15 minutes. While the strand is warm, it easily loses its shape, so you wait until it cools in the clip.

5. Brush the waves into a smooth sheet

Brush out the cold curls with a soft-bristle brush or a wide-tooth comb, slowly and from the bottom. The first strokes give a fluffy mass; only further brushing joins the curls into one wave, so don’t stop too early.

6. Define the wave with your fingers and clips

Near your face, press in the dip of each wave with a finger and hold it with a flat clip for a few minutes so the S shape is clearly defined.

7. Set with hairspray

Spray the style with hairspray from a distance, in a light mist, so the waves don’t stick together.

How do you make Hollywood waves last all evening?

For Hollywood waves to last all evening, each curl has to cool while coiled, the strands can’t be too thick, and the style needs to be set with hairspray. Humidity, such as steam in the bathroom, rain or a stuffy room, makes the waves loosen faster.

Before drying, apply mousse instead of oil, which weighs hair down. Curl very straight, slippery hair in thinner strands and let it cool longer. When the wave near your face weakens after a few hours, curl a few strands again and pin them with a clip. During the evening, don’t brush through the whole style.

Hollywood waves on short hair

You can also do Hollywood waves on shoulder-length hair and on a bob, just with a smaller curling iron, about 20-25 mm, and thinner strands. The style then comes out more retro.

The curling barrels of our Nuvia need hair past the shoulders, because the strand has to wrap around the barrel at least twice. So for a bob, it’s a classic small-diameter curling iron or a straightener. With Nuvia’s Round Brush, you’ll give short hair volume and curled ends, but not a Hollywood wave.

Hollywood waves with a hot air styler

With a hot air styler, you can do a soft version of Hollywood waves. Nuvia curls hair with a stream of air of up to 90°C, and a classic curling iron with a metal barrel that has its own heating element.

I explain how a hot air styler works in my guide to hot air stylers. You’ll find the models in our hot air stylers collection.

In our Nuvia AirPlasma hot air styler, we included two curling barrels: 32 mm for a more defined wave and 40 mm for a looser one, for longer and thicker hair. Both have a rotating tip: you turn it and the airflow changes direction. In practice: on both sides of your head, the strands curl away from the face, and you don’t have to change the attachment halfway through the style.

Wrap the strand around the barrel at least twice and wait 8-12 seconds. Then hold the temperature button: until you let go, cold air flows and sets the curl. After that, it’s the same as with a curling iron: clips, brushing out and hairspray.

Nuvia works well if your hair is past your shoulders and you want to dry and curl with one device. On very straight, fine hair, it gives a softer wave than a classic curling iron, so that’s where mousse and longer cooling help most.

The short video shows how Nuvia dries, smooths and creates waves.

The video is in Polish. After you click, YouTube (Google) plays the video.

Frequently asked questions about Hollywood waves

How do you do Hollywood waves at home?

Make a side part on dry hair with a heat protectant. Wrap the strands away from your face with a curling iron of about 30-32 mm and let the curls cool in clips. Then brush them out into one wave with a soft-bristle brush and set with hairspray.

How long do Hollywood waves last?

On well-prepared hair, with mousse, cooling in clips and hairspray, the waves last for many hours. They drop fastest on very straight, slippery and fine hair, and in humid air.

How do you do Hollywood waves for a wedding?

Do a trial run a few days before to see how long your hair holds a wave. On the day itself, let the curls cool longer than usual and take clips with you for touch-ups. If you’re curling for the first time, it’s worth booking this style with a hairdresser.

Curling iron or straightener for Hollywood waves?

A curling iron gives more even, classic waves. With a straightener, waves come out faster and looser, but it takes practice to make every curl the same, so it’s easier to start with a curling iron.

How are Hollywood waves different from regular waves?

Hollywood waves are even, smooth and joined into one sheet, because all strands are curled in one direction and brushed out only after cooling. Loosely wavy hair comes from curling strands alternately, in both directions, and separating them with your fingers instead of a brush.

Do Hollywood waves damage hair?

They can, if you curl wet strands with a classic curling iron, use too high a temperature or touch up the same spots every day. In a 2011 study by Zhou and colleagues, a straightener above 200°C changed the structure of keratin, the protein hair is made of. Protective products applied before styling, on the other hand, clearly reduced hair breakage.

The first time, the whole thing takes longest, because you’re only just finding out how many minutes in clips your hair needs. Write down that time and the barrel diameter, and next time you go out, you’ll plan your style without rushing.

Anna Nowak-Ibisz, co-founder of SkinVibe