How to Get Hollywood Heatless Waves Overnight Using 6 Bun Makers

Tools and materials:

• Bun makers
• Comb
• Brush
• Mousse or styling cream (optional)
• Water spray
• Hairspray

What are Hollywood waves?

Hollywood waves are a glamorous and timeless hairstyle, reminiscent of the Golden Age of Hollywood.

They're sometimes called Marcel waves (named for famous hairdresser Marcel Grateau), Jessica Rabbit waves, or retro waves.

The distinguishing feature is the pattern of the waves, which run in a sleek, continuous line.

What are bun makers?

To achieve this look overnight, we're going to use bun makers. These are typically used to achieve a “sock bun” but we’re going to repurpose it to help get those classy, Hollywood waves.

I got both a large and a small bun maker, as I didn’t know which ones would fit my hair. My hair is rather long and I ended up using the largest one and it worked just fine.

If you’re unsure like I was, I recommend buying a variety pack.

Heatless Hollywood wave hair tutorial 

1. Brush and section hair

Separate your hair into three sections: top, left, and right. Brush through them to get rid of any knots and tangles.

If you have a history with heatless curls not holding, this is when you should use a mousse or styling cream to enhance the longevity of your heatless waves.  

2. Spritz hair with water

Spritz a tiny bit of water onto your hair. Not too much. You don’t want your hair to be wet; you should only be applying a bit of a mist. 

3. Wrap hair around the bun maker 

Starting with one side of your hair, take a bun maker and put it under your hair. Then, wrap it around the bun maker until you run out of hair. Make sure your hair isn’t flat when you wrap it as well. 

After you’ve wrapped all of your hair around it, roll it up against your head until it’s tight against your head. 

4. Secure the bun maker

Now, take the top part of the bun maker and fold it down. 

Do the same with the bottom of the bun maker, but this time fold it up. Make sure you’re bending it over your ends. This way, everything is nice and pinned and it should hold up overnight. 

If your hair is layered and your hair is sticking out, you can use bobby pins to lay your hair down flat. 

Repeat with the other side. 

5. Repeat with the top sections

Now that the bottom sections are done, let down the top section and split it into two new sections on each side.

Split each of those sections into two, so you should now have four sections, two on each side.

With each section, repeat the process until all of your hair is folded in the bun makers.

6. Wear the bun makers overnight

If you move around a lot at night or your hair tends to frizz up overnight, I recommend using a hair cap or scarf over your curls to secure them for the night. That way, they’ll be frizz-free and smooth when you wake. 

7. Unravel the curls the next morning

When you wake in the morning, slowly unravel your hair from the bun makers. 

If everything went well, your curls should look something like this. I was actually surprised how comfortable these were to sleep in, and how amazing they turned out in the end. 

8. Comb the waves to tease them

Once they’re all taken out, use a comb and first comb up in between each wave to tease them a little bit and add a bit of volume. Then, I combed them down. 

9. Apply hairspray to the waves

To finish, distribute hairspray throughout the waves for maximum hold. 

Heatless Hollywood wave hair tutorial

Here’s the final look! Feel free to play around with your heatless Hollywood waves to find the look you like the most.

You can brush them out a bit to loosen the waves, or you can keep them like this so they keep their hold. These heatless, voluminous waves are so beautiful, classy, and very bouncy.

I kept messing around with them to see how well they held shape, and what different styles I could get out of it, and this is what I came up with:

Here I grabbed a bobby pin and pinned all of my hair to one side.

In this look, I brushed the Hollywood waves out and put my hair up in a ponytail. I did a bit of teasing, as well, and thought it looked super cute. 

I thought these heatless waves turned out so beautiful, and they’re something I’m definitely going to try again. Let me know if you decide to do this and how you ended up styling your gorgeous Hollywood waves!