He changes his look more than most people change their oil. One week he’s got a buzz cut with literal shapes shaved into his scalp, and the next, he’s rocking that iconic, voluminous texture that basically broke the internet during the El Muerto announcement era. We’re talking about Bad Bunny curly hair, a look that has single-handedly convinced thousands of guys to ditch the barber-shop fade and embrace the frizz.
But here’s the thing.
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Most people think Benito just wakes up, shakes his head like a Golden Retriever, and walks onto a red carpet. It doesn't work that way. Achieving that specific level of definition—where the curls look hydrated but not "crunchy"—takes a mix of genetic luck and a very specific product routine. Honestly, if you try to copy this with a cheap 2-in-1 shampoo from the grocery store, you’re just going to end up with a poof ball.
The Evolution of the Benito Mane
If you’ve been following San Benito since the "Soy Peor" days, you know the hair has its own timeline. Early on, it was all about the 360 waves and the high-taper fades. It was clean. It was sharp. It was very "Trap Latino." Then, something shifted. As his music got more experimental, his hair followed suit. He started letting the top grow out.
Suddenly, we were seeing 3B and 3C curl patterns. For the uninitiated, those are hair typing terms used by stylists like Vernon François to describe curl circumference. Benito’s hair sits right in that sweet spot where the coils are tight enough to have structure but loose enough to have serious movement. This isn't just "wavy." It’s a distinct coil that requires moisture to prevent it from turning into a chaotic cloud of frizz.
Why does this matter? Because your hair type dictates your success rate. If you have straight hair, you aren't getting Bad Bunny curly hair without a chemical perm. Period. There’s no "miracle cream" that creates curls where none exist. You’ve got to be real about what you’re working with before you start buying conditioners.
The Secret Isn't the Cut, It's the Hydration
Stop washing your hair every day. Seriously. If you want that Benito-style bounce, the natural oils on your scalp are your best friends, not your enemies. When you see him at the Met Gala or performing on his latest tour, his hair has a certain weight to it. That weight comes from moisture retention.
Most guys make the mistake of over-cleansing.
They use harsh sulfates. Sulfates are basically dish soap for your head. They strip everything away, leaving the hair cuticle open and jagged. When that happens, moisture escapes, and you get "the poof." To get that Bad Bunny curly hair look, you need to switch to a co-wash or a sulfate-free shampoo. You want something with glycerin or shea butter high up on the ingredient list.
How to Style Like a Pro
- Start with soaking wet hair. Don't even think about touching a towel yet.
- Apply a leave-in conditioner. Focus on the ends.
- Use a curl-defining cream or a light-hold mousse.
- This is the big one: The "Scrunch." Cup your hair in your hands and push it toward your scalp.
You’ll hear a squelching sound. That’s good. That’s the product actually penetrating the hair shaft. If you just smear it on top, it’ll dry into a weird film that looks like dandruff by noon. Benito’s look often features a "wet" finish, which usually implies he's using a water-based gel or a high-shine pomade that doesn't harden into a rock.
The "Bad Bunny" Perm Phenomenon
Let’s address the elephant in the room. A huge chunk of the guys you see on TikTok claiming they "naturally" have Bad Bunny curly hair actually went to a salon and sat under a heater for an hour. The "Man Perm" is back. It’s not the 80s poodle perm, though. Modern stylists use larger rods to create a messy, textured look rather than tight ringlets.
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It’s a commitment.
If you go the perm route to mimic Benito, you’re looking at a chemical process that breaks the disulfide bonds in your hair to reshape them. It looks great for about six weeks. Then the roots grow in straight, and you’ve got a weird "hat" effect. It’s high maintenance. Benito himself seems to rotate between his natural texture and shorter crops, which is the smartest way to handle it. He lets it grow, enjoys the curls, then chops it off when the maintenance becomes a nightmare.
Maintenance and the "No-Touch" Rule
One of the biggest mistakes people make when trying to maintain Bad Bunny curly hair is touching it while it dries.
Don't.
Once you put the product in, leave it alone. Every time your fingers run through those curls while they’re damp, you’re breaking the curl clumps. That’s how you get frizz. If you look at high-res photos of Benito, you can see distinct "clumps" of hair working together. That’s achieved by letting the hair air-dry or using a diffuser attachment on a blow dryer.
A diffuser is that weird plastic bowl with spikes that you see at the salon. It spreads the airflow so it doesn't blast your curls apart. Set it to low heat. Use it to gently "lift" the curls. It adds volume at the roots, which is essential because Benito’s hair rarely sits flat against his head. It’s got height. It’s got ego.
Specific Products to Look For
- Sulfate-free cleansers: Look for brands like SheaMoisture or Cantu. They’re affordable and specifically designed for textured hair.
- Microfiber towels: Throw away your cotton bath towel. Use an old T-shirt or a microfiber cloth to pat your hair dry. Regular towels have tiny loops that snag curls and cause breakage.
- Silk pillowcases: It sounds extra, but cotton pillowcases suck the moisture out of your hair while you sleep. If you want to wake up with your Bad Bunny curly hair still looking decent, sleep on silk or satin.
The Cultural Impact of the Curl
It’s not just about aesthetics. For a long time in the Latin urban music scene, "pelo malo" (bad hair) was a derogatory term used for textured or Afro-Latino hair. There was a huge pressure to keep it short or slicked down. By wearing his Bad Bunny curly hair so proudly on global stages, Benito is actually pushing back against some pretty old-school beauty standards.
He’s making it cool to be unpolished.
He’s showing that you can be the biggest artist on the planet and still have messy, salty, curly hair that does its own thing. It fits his "I do whatever I want" (YHLQMDLG) brand perfectly. It’s rebellious because it’s natural.
Actionable Steps for Your Hair Journey
If you’re serious about this, stop guessing. Here is the path forward:
- Audit your shower: Check your shampoo label. If "Sodium Lauryl Sulfate" is the second ingredient, give it to someone you don't like. Get a moisturizing alternative.
- Find a barber who knows curls: Most barbers are great at fades but clueless with scissors on curly hair. Ask for a "dry cut." Curly hair looks different when it’s wet, and cutting it dry ensures you don't end up with a lopsided mess once it bounces back up.
- Hydrate from the inside: This sounds like health-class advice, but dehydrated people have brittle hair. Drink your water.
- Deep condition weekly: Once a week, leave a hair mask on for 20 minutes. It’s a game changer for the shine.
Getting the Bad Bunny curly hair look isn't a one-and-done event. It’s a lifestyle change for your scalp. You’re trading 5-minute mornings for 15-minute routines, but the trade-off is a look that actually has personality. Experiment with the "crunch" level until you find what works for your specific face shape. Most importantly, don't be afraid of a little messiness—that's the whole point of the aesthetic.