Sorry, Jared Leto. Brooklyn Beckham‘s taking over as the guy with the best hairstyles. In fact, he introduced the man braid — on his Instagram on Tuesday, January 27 — which means man buns might be dead.
It was only a matter of time before the man bun — made popular by Leto at the 2014 Golden Globes — fell out of style. But before the long-haired boyfriends of the world start picking up on the fad, there are a few things to learn.
The braid should create an illusion of a mohawk.
Yes, Leto wore a braided ponytail to the 2015 Golden Globes, but this year’s version has a decidedly more punk feel. “Don’t braid around the face like [milkmaid] braids,” celebrity hairstylist Matt Fugate tells Us Weekly. “The back or mohawk area [is what you want].”
Messy is the name of the game.
Man-braids aren’t meant to be dainty. “The sections should be very random,” Fugate, who just did braids on Lena Dunham’s short hair at Sundance, says. “This should not look like it was thought about or like you sat in a salon.”
Don’t follow a tutorial.
“Honestly, for guys, we like simple patterns. Grab some hair, twist it around some other hair, and then do it on the other side,” Fugate explains, nonchalantly. “Or, even better, make your girlfriend do it.”
Own it.
Sporting a man braid is all about “confidence and attitude,” Fugate tells Us. “[Celebs like Harry Styles have] been rocking braids for years because [they’re] comfortable in their skin. As long as you don’t look like a scene out of Steel Magnolias, I say, ‘Hell, yes!’ [to any braided style]. #MensHairDontCare.”
