When Zac Efron first appeared on the Disney Channel circa 2006, the heart-throb appearance was given a modern upgrade. The reason? Easy: his grooming regime. It's pretty much impossible to think of the actor without that OG hairstyle springing to mind – there was something about Troy Bolton's perfectly side-swept layers, which went on to be the must-have mop of the decade. But across those years, Efron has had a grooming evolution like no other. Cases in point: an unofficial member of NSync? He's done that. Quiffed Hollywood hair à la James Dean? Been there too. The British footballer buzz cut that welcomed in the new millennium? Sported it a decade later and got away with it.
In a nutshell, Zac Efron is the rare breed of man who (somehow) looks iconic with any type of haircut. So in celebration of the actor turning 3 today, we thought it was about time to have a good old flick through his extensive hair story. Ready for some grooming throwbacks? Over to his mane's most iconic moments...
Before there was One Direction and the side-swept haircuts of Liam Payne and Louis Tomlinson, there was Zac Efron: purveyor of the layer. Enter the OG slick mop – heavily framed through its straightened layers and elongated across the forehead to create that swift style. Little bit noughties for us now, sure, but where would Efron be without it?
Ah, remember the latter years of high school where every other classmate donned an ombré-dipped hairstyle? It was an important (albeit tragic) time, but the popularity of it rose after seeing cases that just. Got. It. Right. One of the latter ones? That's right, Efron, who rocked a backcombed set of blond locks over a side brunette buzz cut.
It's pretty obvious that Zac Efron loves a good layer, but in 2010 he loved a good layer with a unlikely height scenario going on too. Quiffed is a semi-apt word, but it only really applies to the middle point of his mop's peak-fold. Still, we're into it. He's offering a much more tame and stylish take on the iced-gem grooming period.
What is it about buzz cuts that just, well, work? The easiness of it, for one. The confidence it shows, for another. Thirdly, Zac Efron's take on it. It's a look. Following on from the decade that, most notoriously, saw David Beckham embracing the cut, Efron chopped off his layered locks in exchange for a clipped but nicely textured grooming move. Straight up and easy to maintain, he proved that he wasn't just about the side sweep.
Buuuut – the side sweep is renowned. Though we can look back at his original Troy Bolton cut and see it as a golden grooming move of its time, there's something about Efron's lengthy style in 2009 that still holds appeal. There's a bit more nonchalance to the angular ends of his hair, a fuller style that succeeded through its texture. Ten years later, we're starting a petition for him to grow this style again.
In our opinion, the most rogue grooming move of the year. Gone are the days of playing Troy Bolton; this year Efron starred as Ted Bundy in the chronicle crime drama Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil And Vile. His grooming switch-up to attend the Sundance premiere? A bleached-blond stance. And it worked wonders, most likely because he wasn't afraid to move away from the brunette styles that have defined him for as long as we can remember. In short, confidence is key.
An equally confident hair colour to embrace? Auburn. Seems like Efron's more recent episodes in the grooming saga have revolved around a switch-up in shade – and we're big fans of this one. Arriving to the Golden Globes last year, his mane was rich in hue and sophisticated in volume. Get yourself a good sea-salt spay to re-create the style (Murdock London is a GQ favourite).
Looking to keep your hair short but still well layered? That was certainly Efron's motto back in 2014 and he's showing us how to do it well. Opting for a straight finish to his messy, jagged cut, he decided to keep the sides a little longer, but not too much as to distract from that top-texture statement.
As Efron is proving here, it's a winning combination. If you're going to be bold and show off a big sweep of hair, facial hair in the form of a moustache and short beard is a good way to tone down the statement to a level of sophistication. Blended with a stellar scissor cut, he was showing off serious levels of star treatment.
How to get your grooming regime right: take a tip from Zac Efron's 2012 book. It was probably the most formal moment for his hair, but we're hoping this is the style he next revisits when his roots grow out. Why? The result of the perfect amount of hair gel: slicked back behind the ears and swept into a well-proportioned quiff. In other words, suave. Thanks for the elegance, Efron.
Now read:
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