Maluma, if you didn't already know, is one of the hottest artists making Latin music right now. (Ever since he's won the Latin Grammy for Best New Artist in 2013, he's been landing singles in the Top 10 for Billboard Hot Latin Singles.) He's a bonafide pop star.
In the short time we’ve known him, Maluma has grown his hair from close-cropped to unruly, making certain to try new and often outlandish things along the way. You’ll notice that one thing rarely changes about his appearance—his facial hair.
His grooming risks are superstar-level. Here are five things you can steal from his playbook.
Watch:
Maluma Shows Off His Body Art1. Try Color Blocking
Hair highlights and even frosted tips have made a comeback in the last year, and Maluma’s latest move fits the same school of thought: He dyed half of his long hair blonde, for a color-blocked style. It looks especially cool pulled back to get an ombré effect (thanks to the fact that the hair is dyed from different lengths), and it transitions from the back of his head and into the bun. It’s a risk that pays off—perhaps in part because he’s got confidence to spare.
2. Slick It Back
At the MTV Video Music Awards, Maluma pulled his hair taut with no strays in sight. This is harder than it looks, since all your hairs grow and fall at different intervals. If you want to get a little shine going, try some medium-hold styling cream combed into towel-dried hair. Or, if less shine matters more, then find a cream that promises a matte finish.
3. Keep One Thing Constant
Maluma tries new things all the time. Case in point: This coif and these cat scratches. (Not everyone can pull off cat scratches.) But you’ll notice that one thing Maluma usually maintains is his trim beard. This is a common trick with some of the most adventurous hair gods out there, like Brad Pitt with his signature goatee: If you’re going to take risks with one (either your hair or facial hair), let the other one be. Otherwise, our eyes won’t know what to focus on, and we’ll assume you’ve lost all sense of aesthetic balance.
4. High Hold + High Shine
There’s a lot of hair being held back here, and it’s really only feasible with a high-hold product like gel. (Or pomade if you hair is a little shorter.) Most gels are water-soluble, so they are lightweight and rinse right out, plus they don’t cement themselves to your dome. The high shine also shows off all the hair you’ve got too, by drawing attention to its fullness.
To execute this Clark Kent-ish look, you should apply the gel to the hair when it’s towel-dried, prior to any combing. Work it through the roots and into the ends, then comb through it straight down to evenly distribute the product. Next, tousle the hair to separate it again, then comb it back into place. I prefer using the finer end of the comb since the separation is so minute that it’s easy to press down and smooth with the hands. Do this gently, or even with a blow dryer on low heat, and then pluck out a few hairs from the top so that you look slightly disheveled and mysterious, or something. (And pick up some thick-rimmed specs to really complete the look.)
5. Define Your Part
Define your part however you want! Just because it grows one direction doesn’t mean you can’t defy it and sweep it all the opposite way. It plays with the geometry and balance of your facial structure too (which is why we often look different from the left and right sides).
