Here's How to Pull off Robert Pattinson's Hair
Robert Pattinson is a hair god from an ancient civilization. A very angsty and hormonally charged civilization. He came out the gates in the late aughts with quintessential Sensitive Teen hair. He's been rocking that textured, disheveled mop for years. And it's really worked for him. Chalk it up to his swagger, his rock-star indifference. Embedded in his hair-ography is a lesson for lots of us to learn: You can let it all hang out and still look sharp. Meaning, you can be as artfully disheveled and tousled as Pattinson, if you have some good hair products and a trusted stylist behind you.
Here's how to pull off Robert Pattinson's hair. Let’s start by taking a look at his stylistic evolution, primarily through his twenties, as he slowly took control of his messy mane. Note how his style steadily becomes more sophisticated with each passing year, but never abandons his admirable IDGAF attitude.
UNIVERSAL CITY, CA - JUNE 01: Actor Robert Pattinson arrives at the 17th annual MTV Movie Awards held at the Gibson Amphitheatre on June 1, 2008 in Universal City, California. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)Frazer Harrison/Getty Images
2008: This 21-year-old, swooshy-haired, smolder-face Pattinson is the one we got acquainted with after his roles in the Harry Potter and Twilight franchises. This mop was his signature for a few years, and a tenet to his give-few-fucks persona. Paired with the beard, it looks a little like he’s been playing Halo in the dorms for a few years without sunlight or showers. But, it’s an important part of his evolution to grooming greatness.
Nathaniel Goldberg
2009: This look is much stronger. It's all about how to do “messy”, right. Shower, maybe don’t shampoo, and toussle your hair with some mousse (for volume and curl definition) and a couple drops of hair oil (for shine).
NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 19: Actor Robert Pattinson attends the Cinema Society screening of "The Twilight Saga: New Moon" at Landmark's Sunshine Cinema on November 19, 2009 in New York City. (Photo by Charles Eshelman/FilmMagic)Charles Eshelman/Getty Images
2009, part 2: Shortly thereafter, Pattinson’s stylists gave him a more coiffed cut (and chopped off a few inches from the bulk), and he often sported a little stubble on the chin. You can mimic this hairstyle with some cream pomade applied to damp hair and blown dry, combed high into place.
TODAY -- Pictured: Robert Pattinson appears on NBC News' "Today" show -- (Photo by: Peter Kramer/NBC/NBC NewsWire via Getty Images)NBC NewsWire/Getty ImagesMost Popular
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2010: Pattinson went shorter and cleaner yet in 2010, with a blown dry, beachy-wavy scissor cut. I’d encourage you to be a little stricter with the shape of your cuts (A-listers can get away with things we muggles cannot). But draw your attention to Pattinson’s stubble here. If you have sharp facial features, short stubble is a great way to accentuate and define the trait.
Actor Robert Pattinson attends the "Water For Elephants" premiere at the Ziegfeld Theatre on April 17, 2011 in New York City. (Photo by Marcel Thomas/FilmMagic)Marcel Thomas/Getty Images
2011: Pattinson walked the Water for Elephants red carpet with some auburn flow. If you want a “natural” looking red hue like this (it’s not a natural color, of course), then please go to a well-review salon. This isn’t something you can emulate with a $10 drugstore box, nor is it something I’d endorse unless you invested high dollar. Note too that his stubble is drastically shorter, too—just past a fresh shave—so as to not distract from the hair color.
MADRID, SPAIN - NOVEMBER 15: Robert Pattinson attends "Amanecer - Parte 2" (Breaking Dawn - Part 2) at Villa Magna Hotel on November 15, 2012 in Madrid, Spain. (Photo by Juan Naharro Gimenez/WireImage)Juan Naharro Gimenez/Getty ImagesMost Popular
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2012: His stubble is a constant, but Pattinson went for for his cleanest look yet while promoting Twilight: Breaking Dawn Part 2. If you’re cleaning up your mop for a big job interview, let this look be your mold. It’s likely styled with a dime size of fiber applied dry, and slightly tousled.
BEVERLY HILLS, CA - JANUARY 13: 70th ANNUAL GOLDEN GLOBE AWARDS -- Pictured: Actor Robert Pattinson arrives to the 70th Annual Golden Globe Awards held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on January 13, 2013. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/NBC/NBC via Getty Images)Kevork Djansezian/NBC/Getty Images
2013: Pattinson continued his gradual progression into shorter, cleaner styles. He still leaves a five o’clock shadow (I’d posit that he prefers not to risk razor burn on the red carpet.) His hair is barely style-able, but notice that his stylist left some fringe in the front, styled and tousled with a pinch of clay.
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BEVERLY HILLS, CA - NOVEMBER 13: Actor Robert Pattinson attends the 7th Annual GO GO Gala at Montage Beverly Hills on November 13, 2014 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Lilly Lawrence/Getty Images for Go Campaign)Lilly Lawrence/Getty Images
2014: Pattinson's hectic undercut made for good tabloid fodder in 2014. In hindsight, I don’t hate it. It’s slightly too styled here—his signature tousled hair would help make this less polarizing, since the sides are shaved high enough to be an undercut. If you try something like this, go for a fade instead of a hard-stop line at the perimeter.
BEVERLY HILLS, CA - NOVEMBER 13: Robert Pattinson attends the 7th annual GO GO Gala at Montage Beverly Hills on November 13, 2014 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Tibrina Hobson/FilmMagic)Tibrina Hobson/Getty Images
2014, part 2: Don't do this.
BEVERLY HILLS, CA - NOVEMBER 12: Actor Robert Pattinson attends the 8th Annual GO Campaign Gala at Montage Beverly Hills on November 12, 2015 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Paul Archuleta/Getty Images)Paul Archuleta/Getty ImagesMost Popular
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2015: Iconic Pattinson. Not everyone can pull of sideburns like this. But it works for him because his eyebrows are so defined—making those sideburns and eyebrows work in tandem. But I’m mostly applauding the perfectly styled, artfully disheveled coif. (Get it yourself with hair paste styled damp, blown dry, then locked with hair spray).
LOS ANGELES, CA - NOVEMBER 05: Robert Pattinson arrives at the 10th Annual GO Campaign Gala at Manuela on November 5, 2016 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Steve Granitz/WireImage)Steve Granitz/Getty Images
2016: Pattinson went back to his messy roots in 2016, but looked a little more heavy metal than rock ‘n roll since his hair was dyed black. Speaking of roots, note that his hair is combed back, showing no signs of roots. He’s only just colored the hair, but will only have a week or two before the natural color shows through. If you dye your own medium-to-long style, wear it down instead of back, so that you buy more time by not exposing the roots.
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2017: This September 2017 GQ cover makes me so happy: It’s classic Pattinson, with texture and volume and a “what are you looking at” downward stare. But it’s clean, and intentional and… mature. As in, he’s clearly graduated from the boyish styles of his 20s. This is a sophisticated way of saying you don’t care, even if it requires 20 minutes with a strategically aimed blow dryer, hair spray, and some texturizing stylers.
Adam Hurly has been covering men's grooming since 2013 (and for GQ since 2016). He is also a travel writer. In Fall 2024, Adam is launching Blue Print by Adam Hurly, a men's grooming platform. Adam resides in Lisbon (previously Berlin, NYC, and San Francisco). He is a Sioux Falls, SD, native... Read moreWriterInstagramRelated Stories for GQHair