Now you, too, can have hair like Norman Reedus

If you’ve ever wondered how Norman Reedus and his alter ego from The Walking Dead get that signature carefree hair, it turns out that it’s a process.

Over the past nine seasons of The Walking Dead Daryl Dixon’s hair has taken on a life of its own. Actor Norman Reedus has become known for his apocalypse chic hair, and as it happens if you’ve ever wanted to copy the look (or if you’ve ever wanted your guy to sport a Daryl ‘do) then Men’s Health has the tips to make it happen.

In an interview with Reedus’s stylist Kristan Serafino, it was revealed that the “organic” look is a process. “A lived-in style should look organic. It’s never going to look the same day to day.” While we know why Daryl’s hair looks the way it does (which absolutely has to do with an allergy to bathing…) Reedus achieves the same look thanks to the application of product, not because he rolled out of bed without washing his hair.

Serafino says that step one is a clean scalp so that the look is based on the style and not the perception that the hair is dirty. Working with 80% dry hair, she says that products designed for your hair type should be worked in through layering. Using spray in addition to the products that create texture will ensure all of the hair is coated. Using pastes and pomades can help achieve a gritty look, with pomade being the choice for maximum apocalypse hair.

The trick to the style is finding the right products and achieving the proper balance during application. It’s best to experiment on a day where you don’t have to rush out of the house, because using too much product can make it look like you’ve been living in the woods with Daryl instead of getting the Norman Reedus chic look you were looking for.