Adriana Lima's Hair Secrets: How She Keeps Her Signature Glossy Waves

Adriana Lima's famous hair isn't magic. It comes from simple, patient habits she has shared for years: long conditioning sessions, a Brazilian avocado mask, and a lifestyle that keeps her glowing from the inside out. The best part? Every one of them is something you can start this week.

Why Adriana Lima's Hair Became Iconic

For nearly two decades, Adriana Lima was the face of the Victoria's Secret runway. She became an Angel in 2000 and took her farewell walk in New York in 2018 as the brand's longest-serving Angel. She opened five shows along the way.

Through all those years, one thing stayed constant: that rich, dark, glossy hair falling in soft, bouncy waves. It became a look women everywhere screenshot and bring to their stylists. And while a team of professionals styled her for the runway, the health and shine underneath came from habits she practices at home.

Back on the Runway: Victoria's Secret Fashion Show 2026

Adriana walks again this Sunday, October 18, 2026, when the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show comes to Los Angeles, its first time in the city since 2007 (Marie Claire). Her farewell turned out to be a pause: she returned in October 2024, six years later, and walked again in 2025 for her 20th appearance.

She shares the runway with fellow Angels Gigi Hadid, Candice Swanepoel, Joan Smalls and Liu Wen. Also confirmed are Ashley Graham, Anok Yai, Paloma Elsesser, Imaan Hammam, Alex Consani, Abby Champion and Devyn Garcia (Layers of Beauty).

Her Signature Look: Long, Dark, Glossy Waves

Adriana's look is defined by three things: length, shine and movement. Her hair is long and deep brunette, with big, loose waves that start below the cheekbones and bounce at the ends.

The waves are soft rather than tight. They look brushed-out and touchable, never crunchy. What makes them read as "expensive" is the shine. Dull hair, even perfectly curled, never looks like hers. That's why her own tips focus almost entirely on moisture and gloss.

Adriana's Own Hair Care Secrets

Adriana has shared her routine in interviews, most fully with Into the Gloss. Here is what she actually does.

1. She treats conditioner like a mask

About once a week, she leaves conditioner on under a shower cap. "I leave it on for around 30 minutes under my shower cap, but sometimes I'll do 45 minutes," she told Into the Gloss. Her rule: "I think the longer the better." The shower cap traps warmth, which helps the conditioner sink in.

2. She rotates her conditioners

Adriana doesn't stay loyal to one bottle. "If I use one continuously, my hair will get used to it, so I keep switching it," she said. Keeping two or three favorites on rotation is an easy way to try this yourself.

3. The Brazilian avocado mask

This is her most famous tip, and it comes from home. "In Brazil, we take our conditioner or hair mask and mix it with avocado and put that in our hair for a treatment," she said. "It leaves your hair super shiny." And no need to worry about scent: avocado is mild, so "you won't smell funny."

Her recipe, as she shared with NewBeauty:

Mash one ripe avocado.
Mix it into your favorite conditioner or hair mask.
Apply it through your hair.
Cover with a shower cap for about 15 minutes.
Rinse well. In her words, your hair will be "shiny, shiny, shiny!"

4. Beauty from the inside out

Adriana believes good hair starts with how you live. "I start with what I eat — I eat well but I splurge, of course," she said. She has boxed since she was 19, and she credits it for her hair too: "I sweat so much, which gets the circulation going."

She also calls food "fuel" and makes hydration a priority. With refreshing honesty, she admitted to Marie Claire: "Being hydrated is something that is very important to me, but I'm going to be real with you: I struggle." Her fix is flavored water to make drinking more enjoyable. It's a lovely reminder that even supermodels work at their habits.

How to Recreate the Runway Waves at Home

The Victoria's Secret wave is built in seven steps. This method comes from Sarah Potempa, lead hairstylist at the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show, and celebrity stylist Umberto Savone, as shared with Bustle.

Prep and protect. Gently blot wet hair with a towel to avoid frizz. Mist on a heat protectant, then blow-dry while lifting hair up and away from the roots for volume.
Section. Clip your hair into horizontal sections, working from the bottom of your head to the top. Curl 1 to 1.5 inch pieces at a time.
Curl. Use a large barrel, around 1.25 inches, for big waves. Curl away from your face on both sides.
Smooth. Run a brush through to tame flyaways and blend the curls into waves.
Set. Lightly brush out the curls with a flexible hairspray so hair stays soft and touchable.
Texturize. Warm a little pomade between your hands and separate the ends for a lived-in feel.
Finish. Work a dime-sized amount of finishing cream through the ends for shine and frizz control.

Our tip: Start with smooth, glossy lengths. A sleek, frizz-free base makes waves look polished instead of puffy. An air straightener, like the 2-in-1 air straightener on Silk & Hair, can smooth and dry in one step with gentler airflow.

Protect Your Shine: Gentle Everyday Care

Adriana's routine is all about keeping moisture in. A few gentle habits help you hold on to every bit of shine you build.

Sleep on silk. Silk is smooth and creates less friction than cotton, so hair glides instead of tangling. You wake up with fewer frizzy ends, and your waves last longer.
Swap elastics for silk scrunchies. Tight elastics can crease and snag hair. A silk scrunchie holds a ponytail softly, without leaving a dent in your waves.
Loosely braid or twist before bed. A soft braid tied with a silk scrunchie keeps long hair from knotting overnight and adds gentle bends by morning.
Keep heat low and protected. Always use a heat protectant, and choose the lowest setting that still works for your hair.
Make a weekly mask ritual. Pick one evening, add the avocado mask or a long conditioner session, and treat it as time just for you.

Your Hair, Your Glow

Adriana Lima's secret isn't an expensive salon or a rare product. It's patience, a little kitchen magic from Brazil, and a habit of caring for herself every week. Those are gifts any woman can give herself.

Start small. Try the avocado mask this weekend, sleep on silk tonight, and let your hair rest between styling days. Beautiful hair is built one gentle choice at a time, and yours is already on its way.

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