If you’ve watched Off Campus, chances are Belmont Cameli’s curls, among other features, have made a lasting impression. So when TRESemmé was looking for a partner for “Hot Curl Summer,” they knew there was no one better to ask. We got the chance to chat with the breakout star, and he told us all about his curl routine, go-to beauty treatment and how the success of the show has felt for him.
You must be sick of answering questions about your curls, but we have to ask: how do you maintain them, and was your hair always curly, or did you have to adjust to the routine of maintaining it?
“I love talking about my curls. I have not always had them. My hair was straight when I was a kid, like poker straight, and then I don’t know, I shaved my head in high school, and I started growing my hair out more; it started getting wavy, and then it started getting curly, and now it’s still getting curlier, I feel like every day.
I don’t do a whole lot. I don’t have a super long routine. I just go in with these three TRESemmé products. It makes it really easy. The defining cream ($8) is the best if you get it going and start having those curls sit nicely, and then the mousse ($8) gives you this great lift in volume that I need because sometimes your curls can lay flat, and then the mousse will pull them up. Then the air dry foam ($8) is the perfect last step. So all of that takes no time at all, and then I’m out the door.”
Do you ever use a diffuser?
“Yes, the diffuser is good. I’m an air-dry guy mostly, but when I want to dial it in, a diffuser is a great way to do that.”
Any curl mistakes you made over the years before you figured out what worked?
“Yeah, of course. I had no idea what I was doing. I mean, if I don’t do anything to my hair, it’s enormous, and it can get really frizzy. So in the beginning, when it started getting curly, I was still using more hold products and gels and things because my hair had been straight, and those did not translate well. I needed something more lightweight, and so once I sorted that out, it started to look a lot better.”
Is there any hair or beauty-related ask that you’d draw the line at for a role? Buzzing your head, piercing your ear, shaving your whole body?
“Shaving my whole body is interesting because I’m a hairy guy. I would love to shave my head for a role. Yeah, I can’t wait for that day. I don’t know if or when it will come, but if it is right for a character, I would definitely do a buzz cut.”
Did you learn any beauty or wellness hacks on the set of Off Campus either from the experts or fellow cast members?
“Yeah, I mean everybody’s got their own little things, and our makeup and hair team on the show are exceptional people and professionals, so I’m learning stuff all the time. But on the show, what’s really important that we capture, especially for the hockey guys, is that we want to look as natural as possible, so we’re not going in with any crazy tricks. We try to keep it pretty standard athlete. You know, we’re not wearing a ton of makeup on the show, and really it’s just about like an iced coffee in the morning goes a long way.”
It sounds like you keep it pretty lowkey, but are there any self-care treatments you like getting?
“I like a facial once in a while. That’s kind of my hack. I’ll go every few weeks and get a facial, and they’ll get me right.”
What does your morning or evening routine look like?
“In the morning, I sprint out of bed and get in the van. There’s really no routine involved there, except that I gotta pee and brush my teeth and get out the door. Then at night, it’s like light a candle, listen to some music or just sit in silence, that’s big for me, and just decompress. Then go to sleep and go back to work in the morning. It’s not really that involved.”
So you’re doing the raw dog trend and just sitting in silence at night?
“I really am.”
Have you had a pinch me moment since blowing up with the success of Off Campus?
“Yeah, I mean the whole thing is kind of a big pinch me moment. You know, it’s interesting, as an actor, you spend years facing rejection and working really hard, and this show popping the way that it has has been really special. And I’m really glad to have the team that we have on Off Campus to share this experience with. That’s kind of the nice thing is that every pinch me moment, like going on Jimmy Fallon or doing some of the cool press opportunities, is really special, but I’m not doing them alone, and I get to commiserate with my friends about it who are going through the same thing.”
Did you think it was going to be this big of a deal when you got the scripts?
“I knew the script was special, and when we were making the show, we knew we had something significant to say, and that it was probably going to be meaningful. And I think we were like, yeah, this will resonate with audiences, but not the way that it has. I mean, this has been a pretty special experience.”
