Leonardo DiCaprio might be the most referenced actor in barbershop history. From teenagers pulling up the Titanic curtains to professionals asking for the Wolf of Wall Street slick back, I’ve recreated more DiCaprio styles than any other celebrity.
The thing most people don’t realise is that his best looks are surprisingly achievable—you just need the right length, the right product, and the right instructions for your barber.
Key Takeaways
- DiCaprio’s 20 hairstyles span from the early 90s bowl cut to today’s textured crop—most are achievable at a standard barbershop
- The Titanic curtains and Gatsby slick back remain the two most requested DiCaprio styles in the chair
- His best looks rely on medium-length hair (3–5 inches)—if you’re starting short, expect 2–3 months of growth before attempting most of these
- Straight to wavy hair types get the closest match, but textured hair can adapt several of his shorter styles
- Bring a reference photo from the specific movie era you want—“DiCaprio haircut” is too vague for your barber to work with
Who Is Leonardo DiCaprio?
Leonardo DiCaprio stand
Leonardo DiCaprio’s Hair Evolution Timeline
DiCaprio’s hair journey spans from 1990’s bowl cuts to 2023’s textured sophistication. The 90s featured experimental lengths and colors, the 2000s brought professional cuts, the 2010s showcased period-perfect styles, and the 2020s display refined maturity. Each decade demonstrates his commitment to character authenticity while maintaining off-screen style authority.
How To Ask Your Barber For DiCaprio Styles
Bring multiple reference photos showing specific eras of DiCaprio’s hair. Specify the movie or year, as his styles vary dramatically. Key terms include “textured layers,” “side part with volume,” or “slicked back with natural flow.” Mention your hair type and density, as DiCaprio’s thick, straight hair allows for versatile styling that may need adaptation.
Early 90s Growing Pains Bowl Cut
DiCaprio’s television debut featured the classic 90s bowl cut with blonde highlights. This teenage style required 3-4 inches all around with blunt-cut bangs.
The look epitomized early 90s youth culture, styled with minimal product for natural movement. While dated now, it launched his heartthrob status and showed his natural hair’s versatility.
What’s Eating Gilbert Grape Long Layers
The 1993 role showcased shoulder-length layers with natural texture, grown out for character authenticity. This unkempt style required 8-10 months of growth with minimal trimming.
The deliberately messy look used no product, relying on natural hair texture. This demonstrated DiCaprio’s early commitment to method acting through appearance transformation.
Romeo + Juliet Bleached Tips
Baz Luhrmann’s 1996 adaptation featured DiCaprio with platinum blonde highlights over his natural dirty blonde. The chunky highlights and face-framing layers created the ultimate 90s heartthrob look.
Styled with light gel for piece-y texture, this high-maintenance color required monthly touch-ups. The contrast between roots and tips defined mid-90s style.
Titanic Jack Dawson Curtains
The 1997 blockbuster immortalized DiCaprio’s center-parted curtains, becoming the most copied men’s hairstyle of 1998. The style featured 4-5 inches of length, naturally dried and finger-styled for movement.
This effortless look required regular trims to maintain the perfect curtain shape. The wind-swept romantic style perfectly captured the period setting.
The Beach Backpacker Length
DiCaprio’s 2000 island adventure featured sun-bleached surfer hair reaching past his shoulders. This represented his longest on-screen hair, requiring over a year of growth.
Styled with sea salt spray for beachy texture, the look embodied carefree wanderlust. The natural highlights from filming in Thailand added authentic dimension.
Gangs of New York Period Style
The 2002 Scorsese epic required 1860s-accurate styling with pomade-slicked sides and longer top. DiCaprio grew substantial sideburns and maintained period-appropriate length.
The greased-back style used heavy pomade for authentic shine. This marked his first major period hairstyle transformation, setting precedent for future historical roles.
The Aviator Howard Hughes Slick
Playing Howard Hughes required multiple looks, from 1920s finger waves to 1940s businessman cuts. The signature style featured a deep side part with 3-4 inches slicked back using brilliantine—a look straight out of the greaser haircut playbook.
The meticulous grooming reflected Hughes’ obsessive personality. DiCaprio maintained three distinct periods of Hughes’ life through subtle hair evolution.
The Departed Billy Costigan Cut
The 2006 crime thriller featured DiCaprio with a working-class Boston cut—short, practical, and unpretentious. The style used a #3 guard on sides with textured scissors-cut top—essentially a clean mid fade with length.
Minimal styling with matte paste created authentic street credibility. This understated look proved DiCaprio could carry scenes without relying on distinctive hair.
Blood Diamond Rugged Texture
Playing a Rhodesian mercenary required sun-damaged, roughly-cut hair suggesting field maintenance. The disheveled style featured uneven lengths and natural texture.
Styled with minimal product for authentic roughness, the look conveyed months in African conflict zones. The deliberately imperfect cut enhanced the character’s dangerous edge.
Revolutionary Road 1950s Side Part
The 2008 period drama demanded Madison Avenue perfection with a razor-sharp side part. The style required 2-3 inches on top, tapered sides, and heavy pomade for all-day hold.
This represented 1950s suburban conformity through immaculate grooming. The contrast between perfect exterior and internal turmoil reflected in the rigid styling.
Inception Dom Cobb Professional
Christopher Nolan’s 2010 thriller featured DiCaprio with contemporary businessman hair—neat but not overly styled. The cut maintained 2-3 inches on top with a natural side part and short tapered sides.
Light styling cream provided control without stiffness. This versatile style transitioned seamlessly between action sequences and corporate scenes.
J. Edgar Hoover Vintage Part
Playing the FBI director required aging through three decades of period-accurate styles. The signature look featured a severe side part with brilliantine for 1930s authenticity.
DiCaprio’s hair was darkened and precisely styled to match historical photographs. The rigid style reflected Hoover’s controlling personality and era-specific grooming standards.
Django Unchained Calvin Candie Style
Tarantino’s 2012 antebellum villain sported slicked-back waves with period-accurate length. The style required 4-5 inches combed straight back with pomade for shine.
A distinctive goatee completed the sinister plantation owner aesthetic. This marked DiCaprio’s first major antagonist role, with hair styled to suggest vanity and cruelty.
The Great Gatsby Jay Gatsby Slick Back
The 2013 adaptation featured the quintessential 1920s Italian-inspired slick back with intense shine and perfect waves. The style required 3-4 inches on top, short tapered sides, and heavy pomade application.
Each scene demanded meticulous styling to maintain period perfection. This became DiCaprio’s most requested style at barbershops worldwide.
Not sure what your face shape is? Our Face Shape Detector figures it out in 4 quick questions.
Wolf of Wall Street Gordon Gekko
Playing Jordan Belfort required 1990s Wall Street power hair—slicked back with aggressive hold—a classic comb over taken to extremes. The style featured longer length swept straight back with strong-hold gel for the “greed is good” aesthetic.
The high-shine finish reflected excessive wealth and cocaine-fueled confidence. This look required daily washing to remove heavy product buildup.
The Revenant Hugh Glass Survival Hair
The 2015 survival epic featured DiCaprio with long, matted hair and full beard suggesting months in wilderness. The deliberately unkempt style required growing for 6-8 months before filming.
No styling products were used, allowing natural oils and elements to create authentic texture. This represented DiCaprio’s most physically transformative role.
Once Upon A Time Rick Dalton Sideburns
Tarantino’s 2019 film showcased 1969 Hollywood styling with prominent sideburns and pompadour height. The style required 3-4 inches on top styled with pomade for volume and hold.
The mutton chop sideburns perfectly captured late-60s masculinity. Multiple wig pieces helped achieve different looks throughout the film’s timeline.
Don’t Look Up Randall Mindy Professor
The 2021 satire featured DiCaprio as an anxious astronomer with disheveled academic hair. The style suggested someone too stressed for proper grooming—medium length without defined styling.
The intentionally messy look used texturizing spray for controlled chaos. This reflected the character’s deteriorating mental state throughout Earth’s crisis.
Killers of the Flower Moon Ernest Burkhart
Scorsese’s 2023 epic required 1920s Oklahoma styling with severe side part and slicked sides. The period-accurate cut featured shorter length than Gatsby, suggesting working-class restraint.
Pomade created authentic shine without Hollywood glamour. The understated style reflected the character’s attempt to blend into Osage society.
Current Red Carpet Textured Style
DiCaprio’s current signature features natural texture with subtle styling—professional yet relaxed. The cut maintains 2-3 inches on top with gradual taper, styled with matte clay for definition.
This age-appropriate style shows natural graying and requires monthly maintenance. The effortless sophistication reflects his evolved status as Hollywood royalty.
Which DiCaprio Style Suits Your Face Shape
DiCaprio has an oval face, which is why almost every style works on him. If your face shape is different, here’s where to focus.
Round face: Go for the Gatsby slick back or Aviator side part—anything that adds height and pulls hair away from the sides slims your face. Avoid the bowl cut or curtains, which add width. Check our guide to men’s haircuts by face shape for more options.
Square face: The Titanic curtains and textured crops work well—they soften strong jawlines with natural movement. The Departed short cut also suits square jaws perfectly.
Oblong/long face: The curtains and Blood Diamond rugged texture add side volume that balances length. Avoid the Gatsby slick back, which makes long faces look even longer.
Heart face: The Once Upon a Time sideburns or any longer style that adds width around the jaw balances a wider forehead. The Inception professional cut works well too.
How To Style Like Leonardo DiCaprio
Start with quality hair care products suited to your hair type. For slicked styles, apply pomade to damp hair and comb into place.
For textured looks, use sea salt spray or texturizing clay on dry hair. Maintain regular trims every 3-4 weeks for shaped styles, longer for period looks. Consider your face shape—DiCaprio’s oval face allows versatility that may need adjustment for other shapes.
🎬 Master Leonardo DiCaprio’s Titanic Look | Haircut Tutorial with Hair Bender
FAQs: Leonardo DiCaprio Hairstyles
What is Leonardo DiCaprio’s most iconic hairstyle?
While DiCaprio has rocked many looks, the Titanic curtains from 1997 remains most iconic. This style defined 90s romance and sparked millions of copycats worldwide.
The combination of center-parting and face-framing layers created a perfect storm of style that still influences modern cuts. Achieving this look requires 4-5 inches of length, natural drying, and minimal product for authentic movement.
How do I get the Gatsby slick back look?
Bring reference photos and specify: “1920s slick back with tapered sides.” Key points to mention: 3-4 inches on top, short back and sides with gradual taper, and defined side part. Start with damp hair, apply high-shine pomade throughout, and comb straight back creating subtle waves. Your hair should be straight to wavy and you’ll need at least 3 inches of length to start.
What products does DiCaprio use for his hair?
While DiCaprio hasn’t publicly endorsed specific products, his styles suggest professional-grade pomades and clays. For slicked looks, water-based pomades provide shine without greasiness.
For textured styles, matte clays and sea salt sprays create natural definition. His colorist likely uses gentle highlighting techniques for dimension. The key is matching product to desired finish—shine for period roles, matte for contemporary looks.
How do I get the Leonardo DiCaprio Titanic hairstyle?
The Titanic curtains need 4–5 inches of straight to wavy hair. Ask your barber for a centre part with face-framing layers, slightly longer at the front. Blow-dry with a round brush directing hair away from the part. Use a light-hold mousse or sea salt spray for natural movement—avoid anything heavy or shiny. The key is letting the hair fall naturally rather than over-styling it. DiCaprio’s version worked because it looked effortless, not stiff.
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Khamis Maiouf is a professional barber who graduated from Hinckley College in England with a Level 3 qualification in hairdressing. With over 20 years of experience, he is an award-winning barber who has mentored numerous students and styled thousands of clients. A recognised expert featured on StyleCraze (20M+ readers).
Credentials: Level 3 Hairdressing (Hinckley College, UK) • 20+ Years Professional Experience • Featured Expert on StyleCraze • Founder of Book of Barbering