Beauty and Grooming

Christmas Party Hair | Best Celebrity Hair Styles

Party season is here again and while we’ve been thinking about our outfits for months, some thought must be given to your Christmas party hair look. With a wishlist full of black silky dresses and sleek tailoring, party hair can feel like a whole other battle with so much inspiration out there. You might not have the same team of experts that surround Alexa Chung, Lucy Boynton and co at every occasion, but you can get the look with a little time, care and the right hair care regime.

To bring you the best celebrity inspiration for your Christmas party hair and step-by-step guides on how to achieve the look, we’ve teamed up with Grow Gorgeous to help your hair feel and look amazing this festive season.

@growgorgeoushaircare

#1 How to get Alexa Chung’s sleek side sweep

A red carpet go-to, Alexa regularly swaps her signature messy waves for a sleek side part for formal occasions. As a slightly more androgynous look, this style is perfect for off-setting super feminine dresses or adding a bold finish to a softer outfit. For extra drama, go for a wet look effect by simply styling wet hair or doubling down on gel.

@georgenorthwood

The key to this look is starting with silky smooth hair, so begin with hair care that is soothing and balancing. You want your Christmas party hair to look like one glorious curtain of shine, so split ends are the enemy. Before styling, treat your hair with a fibre sealing treatment to reduce the appearance of breakages and help strengthen the hair.

Start by giving your hair a good brush so it is all smooth.
Using a comb, part your hair to the side. As a guide, your parting should be in line with the highest point of your brow arch, giving you that dramatic old Hollywood side sweep. If your hair needs a little help settling into this new parting, gentle blast it with a hairdryer as the heat will help it settle in the new position.
Using a curling wand, loosely curl your hair, focusing mainly on the section below your ears. This adds a little texture and movement to stop your hair looking flat.
Once this is done, spray hairspray onto a brush and brush your hair from root to tip, brushing the curls out to a really gentle wave.
Tightly tuck each side behind your ears and continue to brush through with hairspray until it is all smooth. To tame flyaways and baby hairs, the best tool is a toothbrush! Spray with plenty of hairspray and firmly brush their hair around your face down, keeping it pristine and tidy around your face and ears.

@kahhspence

For a little extra sparkle add a decorative hair slide to match your accessories, like Keke Palmer.

#2 How to get Rosie Huntington-Whiteley’s Hollywood Glamour curls

As a nod to the late, great Veronica Lake, many stars opt for classic Hollywood curls at any chance they can. But no one does it quite like Rosie HW. Almost unbelievably shiny and bouncy, this truly is the Christmas party hair of dreams. And we’re here to tell you how to achieve it.

@rosiehw

Hair like this begins long before styling. You want the happiest, healthiest hair possible to get this shine, so in the run-up to party season, we’re using the Grow Gorgeous Hair Growth Serum, Shine-Enhancing Overnight Mask and their Intense Thickening Shampoo to really give our hair some love. For naturally curly hair, use their curl range to keep your hair soft but defined.

For straight hair-

When your hair is wet, part it in a deep side parting, again following the highest point of your eyebrow. Tuck the lower side behind your ear to help it dry smooth and fall in the right shape.
Start by giving your hair a thorough blow dry, focussing on getting volume and bounce by keeping the hair elevated and using a barrel brush to begin to shape it so it curves around your face.
Once it’s all dried, get your curling wand. Ideally, you want quite a wide barrel to create big waves rather than tight curls. Begin at the front of your hair, curling a section at a time and pinning the curl to your hair rather than letting it fall. To create a uniformed wave like Veronica Lake, curl the hair on each side toward the back of your head, working in the same direction on either side.
Once your whole head is done, allow the curls to cool on your hair for a little while. This will help the curls keep their shape and avoid frizz.
Unpin the curls and use a brush with some hair spray on to gently brush the curls out and unlock the bounce.

@loveveronicalake

For curly hair-

Create a deep side parting as above and run a little bit of the Grow Gorgeous Curl Defining Butter through the lengths.
Using a barrel brush, start to blow-dry the hair using tension to shape the hair. Use the brush to curl the hair around then hold and pin. Thicker curly hair is shaped far easier, so you may find you don’t even need to use a curler.
Once the whole head is done, unpin the curls and brush gently. If you want more definition, use a curler to reinforce the girls along your hairline to shape your face.

For both hair types, finish off by slicking down the hair on one side, using a brush and hairspray to tuck it behind your ear, keeping all the bounce and volume on one side. Top the look off with some amazing earrings and you’re good to go.

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#3 How to create Lucy Boynton’s 60s subtle beehive

If like us you’ve been crushing on Lucy Boynton’s modern 60s style, a subtle beehive will be front and centre on your Christmas party hair mood board. A perfectly quirky look and super on-trend as this season’s vintage revival shows no sign of slowing down. Surprisingly easy to execute, this is a perfect last-minute-invite option.

@jennychohair

The trick for this look is the complete opposite of the others. Instead of sleek, smooth hair, you want a bit of texture so start off with the Grow Gorgeous Volume Root Stimulator followed by their Bodifying Shampoo to get volume before you even begin.

Curl your hair if you wish, and then spray some hairspray or a sea salt spray onto your roots and use your hands to create texture.
Started at the crown of your head begin back-combing. Lift sections of the hair up at a 90-degree angle, then use a comb to compact the hair down. For the best results with no damage to the hair, put your comb in straight and simple brush down, avoid brushing up and down as this can cause breakage.
Continue this till the top back area of your hair is all backcombed, creating a v-shaped parting as the front part of your hair is left neat.
Gather up the area you want to be pulled back and gentle comb over the top section to smooth over the top of your baby bouffant.
Tie this section back with a ribbon, or scrunchie or accessory of your choice in either a pony hair or bun. Then using your hands, mess it up a little by pulling strands of hair forward to frame your face. You don’t want it to be too neat.

@lucyboynton1

Pair the look with a cat-eye and lots of mascara for full 60s magic.

#4 How to create Millie Bobby Brown’s plaited bun

Saving the trickiest till last, this look will definitely take some practice but will be 100% worth it. Super-sleek with a little party in the back, this is the perfect hairstyle to put all the attention on your makeup or paired with a backless dress. If you’re struggling, call on your friends to help you create this beautiful bun.

@blakeerik

Plaits can be harsh on the hair, so make sure to use a protecting shampoo like the Grow Gorgeous Rescue Repair range, helping to prevent against any tearing. To create the shine that Millie has, start your prep the night before with a shine mask.

Section your hair off into 4 parts; the main front part, and then 3 smaller sections in the back to make up the plaits. Use clips or hair bobbles to keep these separate while you work on each one.
For the plaits, start at the nape of your neck using a classic french braid, gradually picking up more and more hair to keep it tight to your head. Once you reach the top, tie with a bobble to make sure the tight plait doesn’t go anywhere.
Repeat this for all 3 of the sections then tie them together at the top.
Using a brush with plenty of hairspray on, brush the front section of your hair up to meet the plaits. Keep this section sleek with no bumps, using the brush to keep it smooth. Tie the front section and plaits together into one ponytail on top of your head.
To create the bun, twist this ponytail round into a tight spiral, then twist around itself into a doughnut shape like a classic ballerina bun. Secure with plenty of bobby pins and finish with some hairspray.
If you need to slick down baby hairs or flyaways, use the toothbrush trick from before.