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Nick Jonas has come a long way since his days on Disney Channel when his floppy mop of curls, smoldering stare, and dreamy voice swept a young Miley Cyrus off her feet. For starters, the "Spaceman" singer is married to one of the most beautiful women in the world—aka Priyanka Chopra Jonas. And just as his love life and music career has matured, so too, has his look—specifically, his stylish mane. Keep scrolling to relive the hair evolution of Nick Jonas over the years and learn expert tips to recreate his signature looks.
Meet the Expert
Stephen Marinaro is an experienced hairstylist and media personality based in New Jersey with more than 20 years in the beauty industry.
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Curly Shag
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In the early days of his popularity, circa 08, Nick wore his curly dark brown locks in long, tousled layers that every Jonas Brother-loving fan fell for (and with good reason, we might add). This shag proves that a casual look doesnt have to sacrifice good style.
To recreate his classic style, Machado recommends working a curl spray into damp hair. Back in Nicks curly days, she would reach for the Phyto Specific Curl Legend Energizing Spray ($24) and blow-dry on low with a Hot Sock diffuser ($7). "You dont want to overpower with the blow dryers, so thats why you keep it on low," she says. To finish, use your fingers to define the coils with a matte paste.
Be specific when requesting this shag to your barber. According to Marinaro, "The key to achieving this haircut is to have the back longer and to have the entire haircut layered."
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Coiled Coif
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Next up, Nick cropped his curls slightly closer to his head, but they were definitely still a huge part of his iconic boy band singer aesthetic. "That one curl was really kind of his signature for quite some time," Machado says. "At that point, he had taken it a little bit shorter up in the back and lost that sort of extra bits and then, you know, a little tighter on the sides, but that curl was definitely a main focus for a while."
Marinaro suggests telling the barber that youre looking to add volume to your hair for the best results. "The haircut is evenly cut, however, the front needs to be the longest length by a half-inch," he says. To style, Machado recommends the same slow blow drying technique youd use to create the shag and follow with a paste, like Kiehls Stylist Series Creative Cream Wax ($18), to pull out and shape each specific piece.
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Bedhead Waves
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While hes clearly got a great head of hair, Nick has never been one to seem cocky about it—nor the type to fuss over it much. Here, he rocks a slightly messy, surfer dude-esque style that were sure won the hearts of many. "This is the perfectly balanced layered cut that works wonders for curly or wavy hair," says Marinaro. "Tidal Wave Sea Salt Spray ($28) mixed with Crafted Blow Dry Cream ($25) is a great combo. That will help achieve the natural-looking texture through air drying or using a diffuser."
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Close Crop
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This specific cut was a game-changer for Nick—not to mention a major celeb makeover moment—as it was his first real foray into the world of short hair. "For this shorter cropped look, the sides are around one inch, which gives the hair a close but not too short style," says Marinaro. "You can always go shorter on the sides, which will extend the haircut, but it also looks more natural and balanced when the hair isn’t too different length-wise." While it was shocking at first, fans quickly came to love Nicks new sophisticated do.
According to Machado, using a product with texture or even a sea salt spray (her pick is Byrd Texturizing Spray, $16) and blow-drying the hair into shape will go a long way in recreating this look. "If you just use your blow dryer, you know, aiming at a direction that you want the hair to go, youre going to get that hair to dry up and stay," she explains. "This looks like youre using your fingers to blow dry it forward and then up in the front. Just making it messy, going to different textures in the top."
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Buzzcut
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Theres no denying buzzing his head was a major move for Nick. Fans wept, record execs panicked—it was the buzzcut that rocked the world. This pivotal moment was undoubtedly a transition for Nick from boy to man. "The buzzcut kind of was the idea of like, solo Nick, you know, it was when he started doing his own album and it was just a different tone than Jonas brothers," explains Machado. "Its something that weve played with on and off for years [...] but the shaved head really, in my mind, would always kind of represent solo Nick."
Just because its a low-maintenance cut, doesnt mean there is no styling involved. "A lot of times with the shaved head, especially if youre on the red carpet or TV, I like to use a light kind of shine product through it," says Machado. Her weapon of choice? Baxter of California Hard Water Pomade ($23).
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Subtle Fade
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Then came the tight fade. The hair at the sides and back is cut short and tapers into the hair on top. Here, the soft contrast between the scalp exposure on the sides and the slightly longer top (though still long enough to let his texture show) made for a clean, mature look. Finding the most flattering hairstyles for your face shape might be a challenge, but it seems as though Nick has figured it out with this one.
Machado says to ask your barber for a gradual fade to recreate this look, "On this fade youre starting at a low 1, and then youre going to fade up into a 2, and then it would be a scissor cut on the top for just a short textured crop."
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Classic Taper
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Another fan-favorite hairstyle Nick has sported is known as the classic taper. Here, his hair is clipped aggressively short on the sides and back and blended into a few inches on top. According to Marinaro, "It screams classic gentleman and can be styled using a pomade."
Machado says they like to do this formal, dapper look for events and occasions where hes wearing a tuxedo or a really nice suit. "Its a really polished look and the way that we create this is to wet down his hair completely," she explains. "Then I put a wet gel through it. And then we do the deep part and go through with the comb to define all of that. Then well go back over and set it with a setting spray. And that kind of leaves it with that wet shine."
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Pompadour
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Who could forget Nicks iconic pompadour days? Not us, thats for sure. With a pomp, the hair is cut short on the sides and left with considerable length on top—which for Nick means welcoming back some of his natural curl and texture. If youre looking to pull off this do, make sure to invest in the right products and tools. Nick generally wore it sleek and slicked-back, which of course, made for many head-turning red carpet moments.
Machado provides the rundown on how to recreate this voluminous pomp, "Id put quite a bit of product through his hair when it was wet. And then I use my fingers and the blow dryer to stretch the hair up and out," she explains, adding that stretching each curl helps them to be not so tight and creates that lift on the top of the head.
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Textured Taper
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Next, it seems Nick went in for a little cleanup and trim on his previous cut. Keeping the sides-to-top proportions similar, he brings back the taper from a short buzzed lower half to gradually longer lengths on top. Marinaro says the texture is created from the haircut, "To achieve this type of look, point cutting is a method used to create a more jagged textured look in the hair which can then be styled into a slightly messy look with a clay or paste," he explains.
For this signature style, Machado sprays V76 by Vaughn Tonic Hair and Scalp ($18) throughout the hair and blow-dries to create her desired shape. "Kind of pulling those pieces up, really use your fingers to stretch that out to get the link there and keep it going in an upward direction," she explains. Next, she goes through the top to create texture. If necessary, Machado says shell pull out specific pieces to flat iron so some are straighter than others to create that unevenness throughout. To finish, she rubs V76 by Vaughn Texture Clay ($19) through her hands, "Its my hero product. I get it all the way into the root and then just start directing the hair in the direction I want it to stay."
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Buzzed Fade
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We love his first go at the classic buzzcut, but his recent revisit brings on whole new energy. Even shorter overall this time around, Nicks buzz also sports an impeccable fade, which transitions seamlessly from his beard. "Rather than an all-around, you know, solid buzz, this is more faded," explains Machado. Using the same fade technique as his subtle fade look, she then also took all the hair from the top for a clean buzz.
According to Marinaro, the fade will extend the life of the cut, making it a great alternative to a traditional buzz. "The fade can be as short as youd like as long as the top isn’t a dramatic difference in length," he says.