So many celebrities are defined by their hair. Blake Lively, queen of our hearts and owner of the signature Californian spun-gold set of tresses, knows that. When she changes her hair for a movie, the whole world shifts. No longer are we looking at the same Blake Lively we grew up with on Gossip Girl; we’re looking at a strange woman who sounds remarkably like Blake Lively. Many celebrities have a similar style.
When you’re looking through celebrity magazines, what do you usually look at? We’re willing to bet that you noticed their hair. Cut, color, style, length… It all becomes incredibly interesting when you think about how often celebrities change their hair. If they don’t have a signature style, then they’re usually changing it up every other week. The drama is lost for those folks unless something really surprising happens. Like Katy Perry’s drastic change. Gone is her blonde pixie cut. What did she change up to? You’ll have to read on and see. These are the 20 celebrities who, whether they’re hair chameleons or classic curlers, have made the most dramatic hair transformations this year. 2018 is the year of hair experiments, and that trend is continuing (and succeeding) below.
20 Selena Gomez's Chameleon Hair Has Had A Sneaky Update
This is even more major than that time she went blonde! Remember when she shocked people back in 2017 when she appeared as a brunette one day, but then strutted the red carpet as a blonde the next? Glamour tells us that that shade took 9 hours to achieve, and it’s definitely Selena Gomez’s real hair. The dusty, almost platinum blonde was enough to get every fan (and even non-fans) talking. Nothing could have topped that… Could it?
Guess again.
Selena Gomez has achieved an even higher hair-goddess status, having acquired an undercut that’s the perfect juxtaposition to her long, gorgeous braid.
Bustle reported on it and said “Gomez's new 'do was anything but understated. The shaved section of her head featured a simple triangle-esque design that made her braided look just as edgy as it was feminine.” We have to agree! The look is sleek, subtle, but oh-so-edgy. And kudos to her for surprising us all! We didn’t see it coming, and now we can’t look away. Selena Gomez is loving life and is back on top of her game. While our jaws might have dropped when she went blonde, this undercut is definitely the newest, chicest thing. We can’t wait to see who else follows suit!
19 Julianne Hough Is Finally Feeling Free With This Fresh Color
You might remember when she was looking fresh with this blonde...
But now she's back and redder than ever! It seems like this is the color Julianne Hough loves most, despite have stayed with her blonde for as long as we remember. When posting about it on Instagram, her redheaded photoshoot included this caption: “I have never felt more like ME than I do right now!! I have always felt like a redhead my whole life, even to the point that I've thought that my future daughter would 100% be a redhead! I've seriously talked about doing this for 6 years, ask anyone who knows me...and now that I'm on this new journey, exploring and finding out who I truly am, I said screw it! I feel more feminine and alive and I love it!” And we love that you’re happy, Hough!
This just goes to show that sometimes a small change (like the color) is all that it takes to make you feel more like yourself. While many celebrities want to go blonde in order to add a shock to their styles, this is one woman who’s embracing her quirky side. She’s not afraid to say yes, let’s to trying something new and following her passion… And look how happy she is! This just goes to show that you shouldn’t put off something that your heart is telling you to do.
18 Katy Perry Is Going Back To Her Roots... Literally
Katy Perry has been getting a lot of media attention lately. When she first hit the music scene, she was a force to be reckoned with. Do you remember her original hits? We still hear them play today and we’re still a fan, despite any embarrassing or unsavory claims that come against her. Classic Katy Perry feels a world away from current Katy Perry, especially when you’re looking at her style.
A definitive style is not Perry’s strong suit.
She doesn’t necessarily have a signature style, like Gwen Stefani’s blonde-glamor-girl or Lady Gaga’s push-the-boundaries outfits. Instead, she’s been rocking a pixie cut and total creative freedom over the last couple years. Her outfits have consisted of basketball shorts to straight-up cotton candy (California Gurls, anyone?) and her hair has gone through just as many changes. It was a shock when she first got her short pixie cut, but she’s been rocking it for long enough that it’s kind of a part of her now. However, you might be shocked to know that she’s had a dramatic change recently. InStyle reported that Katy Perry went back to her long, black locks for a red carpet event at the beginning of May. Honestly? We love it. Classic Katy is the best, and we’re happy she’s back.
17 Kate Hudson Buzzed It All (For Art!)
Okay, technically this happened in 2017. However, it’s too wild not to share (and, let’s be honest, we’re still getting used to it). Sometime in late summer, Hudson revealed that she was throwback-Thursday-ing about her hair. Glamour reported that this was awfully strange since someone who’s well known for their golden strands wouldn’t necessarily need to remember them. Unless they had been cut! The pieces started coming together. Kate Hudson must have cut her hair… And she did!
However, Glamour goes on to report that it wasn’t because she was tired of it, though. Apparently, it was for a role! W Magazine had some insight on it, and according to them, Kate Hudson didn’t even use a real hair team to get it done. Hudson tells W, "My little one and Sia took clippers to it. It's funny because when you're doing it for a role you don't really think about it because you're just ready for it. You're like, 'Let's do this.' But when it was done, it was like: 'Oh, my head's shaved ... oh, my gosh!" While her hair has started to grow out now, we’re loving the spunky look it’s given Kate Hudson. Hopefully, she keeps it short, though we would understand if she decides to never buzz it off again.
16 Sabrina Carpenter Also Sacrificed Her Signature Locks For A Movie
You might be wondering why Sabrina Carpenter decided to get rid of all that luxurious blonde she had going on. It was, after all, part of her signature look. In a similar way to other stars who have an abundance of hair (yeah, we’re talking about Blake Lively again) she was one of the celebrities who was particularly noticeable due to her hair.
Not only was she able to be incredibly versatile with it in her day-to-day looks, like this slightly edgy and totally cool selfie she took, but it was also recognizable on camera.
Her long locks have had to undergo a drastic change for a movie, though, which is why the stylist who did Carpenter’s hair had this to say to Hello Giggles: "I spoke to the director and we both decided upon a shade. The script did not call for a certain brown. But, she just had to look like a girl who hasn't colored her hair ever and has been out in the sun a lot. For this, the ends would be lighter." It looks great, and it certainly hits the mark. No doubt Sabrina Carpenter is thankful that she doesn’t have to do anything like shave her head, which has ended up being more common for actors than you’d think!
15 Keke Palmer Has Gone Long, Red, And Luscious
If you thought this was bold...
This is her latest look! Beautiful red braids, curls, twists, and up-dos are all the rage with Keke Palmer right now. This boss lady is strutting her stuff on Instagram lately, and doing it all with a luscious head of red hair. While this isn’t necessarily new (Palmer has rocked many hairstyles, and we’re sure that she’ll continue to rock many more), it is a drastic departure from the shaved head she was working with last May.
Keke Palmer, after wearing a partially-shaved style for a while, had told Essence “I loved the pixie, but I wanted to go one step further with the freedom I felt from cutting off my hair. Being an entertainer we’re forced to [wear our hair in different ways] I just felt so relieved to make a choice to do something that I wanted to do on my own.” Looks like she’s continuing that trend! Goodbye shaved head and hello braids. No matter what Palmer does with her hair, we support it. She’s gorgeous with and without the locks. Whatever makes her happy and keeps her feeling empowered has our vote, no matter the cut, length, style, color, or lack thereof!
14 Gina Rodriguez Is Bangin' Out Hot Hairstyle Trends
You might recognize Gina Rodriguez from her starring role on Jane the Virgin. This beautiful brunette has had beautiful ringlet curls and some edgy styles prior to this filtered snap that was shared back in April. Brit and Co. can’t seem to figure out if this is a fake fringe or a real cut, but we’re pretty certain that Rodriguez is joining the trend of celebrities with bangs. While we’re a big fan of all of her hairstyles, there’s definitely a level of recognizability when it comes to the brunette she’s rocking. Center parted and wonderfully wavy, this woman has stolen our hearts with her sweet look.
She spiced things up by nearly shaving all of her hair off for a role in Annihilation once, which gave us hair envy all over again. Who knew looking tough was just a haircut away? Brit and Co. goes on to mention how she wrote an inspiring Instagram post when she first showed off her shaved head. They quoted her well, and we’re going to quote the same here. Rodriguez wrote, “There is nothing more freeing [than] realizing your beauty exists from within… I am not my hair.” Kudos to Gina Rodriguez for articulating so clearly what we need to hear! While it’s true that she’s not her hair and beauty does come from within, those bangs are certainly renewing our love of fringes. Her hair looks gorgeous!
13 Emma Stone Went '80s... With A Chic Perm!
Her blonde turned heads...
But this hairstyle is perm-fect. Sorry, sorry, we couldn’t resist. We like to think that Emma Stone would appreciate the joke as well. Emma Stone, while not having a waterfall of luxurious blonde hair, also has a very distinct hair look. Many people know her as a redhead, even though she’s had a few different variations of shades over the years. When you think “Emma Stone” you just tend to picture that fire engine flow.
Her rocking red has disappeared a few times over the years, but even so she always seems to come back to it — except for the time when she went a beautiful blonde.
Vogue did a whole write up about the shift, and one of the things that we were most impressed by was the fact that Emma Stone took it slow. She didn’t go from red to blonde; she went from red to strawberry blonde to an almost golden glow and then into the platinum. This is a change from all the dramatic brunette-to-platinum changes we’ve been seeing! She’s gone back to that in-between color now, but has done something else decidedly different: she got a perm. It’s the 80s all over again, but this time it’s actually… Fashionable!
12 We Have To Talk About Kylie Jenner's Coachella Looks
Yes, Kylie Jenner is on the list. Kylie Jenner, similar to Bella Thorne, will always and forever be on the list of celebrities who have undergone dramatic hair changes. Kylie, a self-professed fan of wigs, was really getting wild at Coachella this year. Cosmopolitan reported that Kylie had been rocking this amazing pink wig off and on before showing up in the desert dust. Not only does it look amazing, it’s really hard to pull off such a vibrant pink. Kylie continuously manages it though, making us think that she might have some sort of magic powers that she hasn’t shared with the rest of the world yet. Or maybe she’s just embraced the idea of experimentation.
No one is as versatile with their hair-dos as Kylie; not even sister Kim K! This might be why, part of the way through the Coachella experience, Kylie Jenner suddenly had blue hair. How did she manage to do all that color processing out in the desert? Spoiler alert: she didn’t. It’s another wig. A fabulous one though, as you can see. There were a few different style trends popping up at Coachella this year, but these colored wigs are a Kylie classic. We love them, and hope to see her continuing to wear them as time goes on.
11 But Cara Delevigne's 2018 Met Gala Hair Is Seriously Awe-Worthy
It's quite a difference from this look that she rocked for a while: the brave shave. You might remember when Glamour reported that Cara Delevingne had shaved her head. The news had a far-reaching impact, as she was yet another actor who agreed to shave her head for a role. That’s right! Glamour was right when they thought that Delevingne’s big shave was for a role. They first spotted her while she was on set for a movie that she had been filming, called Life in a Year. You’ll have to watch the movie to understand the significance of her shaving everything off.
The months following filming saw Cara Delevingne experimenting with shape, texture, length, and even color.
She’s rocking an edgy pixie cut now, which we absolutely love.
Her biggest news recently was her outfit at the Met Gala. Delevingne revealed a dusting of color in her blonde crown. We couldn’t be there personally, but Bustle reported, “the pale locks were a soft contrast to the strong structure, shape, and shade of her black Dior dress and her bold makeup. Yes, the veil accentuated the drama of her makeup despite hiding it a bit, as well.” Wow! It’s incredible what a light dusting of color can do for a look. Oh, and the other reason why this purple is oh-so-cool? Bustle hints that it’s a sneaky nod to something Delevingne is filming.
10 Whitney Port Jumped On The Bob Train
She lopped off a few inches of locks!
This style was one of the first big changes of the year 2018. Debuting a little before the new year officially was heralded in, her hair had everyone talking. If you don’t recognize her with her cute, short bob, you’d probably know her if we told you she was one of the stars of The Hills. A show that was on its premiere popularity curve, according to Allure, in 2006. Whitney Port has since done a million other things, including starting a fashion line and a family.
Allure told us all about her decision to chop the locks, and it was a way simpler decision than you might have thought.
Not only was she ready to do it, but she told her hair stylist to just get it over and done with. As you can see from the photos, we’re sure that she’s happier with this blunt bob job. Not only has the style become incredibly popular over the last year, but her hair looks healthier now as well. The style is one that has given us major hair envy, and we love the fact that she’s rocking it. It’s much easier to take care of, no doubt, especially in terms of highlight upkeep. Plus, no more long hair struggles when she’s dealing with diaper bags and other strappy shoulder bags that can easily catch long hair. She definitely made the right choice, and we think she looks amazing!
9 Kris Jenner Started 2018 Off With A Bit Of Blonde
Kris Jenner is momager extraordinaire, but not just of the Kardashian-Jenner clan. She seems to be everybody’s standard for fashionable mom advice: not the advice you get when you’re crying on your bed and your Mom comes to help, but the practical advice. Like that time Kris told Kylie she looked like “My Little Pony meets Katy Perry” on "Keeping Up With the Kardashians". What are momagers for if not brutal honesty? Kris Jenner has been rocking basically the same haircut and color for as long as we can remember, because why not! If something looks good, has easy upkeep, and you can change subtle things about it to keep it fresh… Well, it’s hard to say no to such a seemingly flawless ‘do.
However, Kris shocked everyone back in early January when she posted a picture that showed her as a remarkable, stylish, incredible blonde. People Magazine reports that when approached by Kim Kardashian about this all-of-a-sudden change, Kris Jenner reassured her that it wasn’t the real deal. “I’ve really wanted to go blonde for so long, but the process is really grueling on your hair that I thought I would try a wig first,” Kris says, clarifying the fact that she really does love the blonde. Kris Jenner, if you want to go blonde, you should. Like daughter, like momager, right?
8 Like Mother, Like Daughter: Kim Kardashian Took It A Step Further With Silvery Toning
Kim K, what do we say? Kim is all about shaking things up, and she’s really outdone herself this time. You’ve probably seen the photos that feature Kim Kardashian rocking blonde hair, but this is something totally new. The silvery toning and the length are definitely the most dramatic we’ve seen Kim do, and that’s really saying something. While Khloe’s blonde-lob was one of the most dramatic of last season’s looks, Kim Kardashian has maybe outdone her.
Not only is Kim the biggest trendsetter of the Kardashian clan, but she’s also got the business savvy skills to pull it all off.
She’s got all her fingers ready and picking up the pulse of different trends, and we love how willing she is to jump right in. This silvery toning is hugely popular right now, as it usually comes back every other year. However, Kim has also been seen rocking a few other looks. Her icy-blue happened in December of last year, which might have set the stage for this dramatic change. Kim’s never been shy about following her impulses, which we totally respect. Her blonde went over so well as well that she just had to do something to up the shock factor. Going from a brunette lob to a long, silver fox style is definitely that shock that we all have grown to expect from the Kardashian-Jenner clan.
7 Bella Thorne Will Be On Every Hairstyle List
Bella Thorne is one of those people who will never be included in the sleek and chic camp but is definitely one of those people who’s going to be in the trendsetter-forever club. Her looks are everything from happy hippy to New York hipster. Not to mention how she’s always so willing to change up her hair color! We don’t remember the last time we’ve seen a “natural” hair color on her, as even her red had some chunky streaks of primary-colors, rather than an all-over natural shade. That’s not a bad thing!
We really do respect Bella Thorne’s ability to change her hair on a whim. Her lack of fear regarding colors, streaks, change, and style is one of the most inspiring things out there right now. She’s never scared to shake it up, and we’ve seen everything from hot pink to red and… Green? Yellow? Highlighter colored? Whatever she called it, it was certainly unique (though she was certainly happy). Her penchant for pizzazz is part of the reason this shift is so dramatic. Bella Thorne has gone… Brown! Yes, in an update pulled straight from Instagram, Bella Thorne has gone “peanut butter brown” for a role. In the photo, you can still see a little bit of the red underneath that dye, which makes us think this isn’t a permanent change.
6 Olivia Holt Had A Temporary Fling
Cara Delevingne isn’t the only star who’s had a brush with a pink-hued paintbrush lately. Olivia Holt found herself rocking some pink waves, but for a very good cause. Hollywood Life reports that Holt decided to take on the pink color when she attended We Day. Whether that was a nod to campaigns that utilize the color pink or not doesn’t matter, though it would be awesome if she was supporting several good causes at once.
We’ve found that Olivia Holt’s pink has joined the ranks of super-star females who have also taken on the color this year.
Olivia Holt is representing, in this list at least, all of those brilliant women who have decided to dabble in temporary hair dyes. Many women this year are choosing to use their blonde to their advantage, and are enlisting the help of temporary dye to get all the color with none of the commitment. Olivia Holt did make a more permanent change, however, when she chopped off her luscious blonde curls. While this isn’t exactly now, it makes for a pretty dramatic “after” photo when we’re faced with that before shot! We hope that the soft pink trend continues into late 2018, as we’re liking what we’re seeing so far.
5 Brittany Snow Is Basically Able To Pull Off Anything
Okay, the change is pretty obvious here. Many stars are choosing to lose their natural color in order to gain a lovely blonde. We’ve found that they’re like Emma Stone and are rocking a soft, buttery blonde/strawberry color, or they’re like Emilia Clarke (whom we’ll get to later). Blonde is tempting for a lot of reasons, the least of which is probably “blondes have more fun”. Allison Williams has some strong words to say on that phrase, which you can find in the paragraph below.
Brittany Snow, however, pulled a Julianne Hough… But in reverse! While Brittany Snow had a gorgeous head of red hair, she decided to change it up and opted to go blonde. Is this due to the recent increase of redheads in the acting world? Who knows. What we do know is that she looks amazing! The blonde gives her an innocence and an edge all at once. While both colors work especially well with blue eyes, that blue and blonde combo is really working for us. We love the tone of her hair too, which is a sandy, dirty blonde. Talk about fresh! This is even better than Julianne Hough’s natural color (but don’t tell her we said that). We hope she’s able to keep up with this color, as it’s amazing.
4 Allison Williams Couldn't Handle Blonde And Moved Back To Brunette
Allison Williams had a major hair change just before 2018. You’d probably recognize her from the film Get Out, or the TV show Girls. One day she decided that now was the time to go blonde. Everyone gets that “what if” blonde itch at least once in their lives. They want to feel like they can have that effortless blonde coolness that seems inherent to the hair color. Guess what, though? The color isn’t all it’s worked up as.
Not only is blonde a handful to take care of (between the damage bleaching can cause and the toning that’s required to get that icy blonde), blonde is actually just another color.
Williams even told People about how wasn’t all it was cracked up to be.
“I finally realized that when people [ask if blondes have more fun], they are hoping that I am more fun than I used to be, especially my friends and family, who are now like, ‘So are you a [personality] type B? Are you more chill and relaxed than you used to be? ...You definitely get more attention,” People writes in a tell-all about Allison Williams’ hair shenanigans. Honestly? We’re fans to brunette Williams. Blonde is nice, but not exactly her tone. The brunette is versatile, classy, and real, and we think that that’s a pretty good match for Allison Williams.
3 Zooey Deschanel Cut Her Signature Tresses
The queen of quirk has struck again, by bringing the bob to a whole new level. This looks and feels so classic-chic, but contemporary-quirky, that we can’t stop looking at it! When a person has had long hair most of their life, it can be shocking and be freeing to let it all go. Especially when that person is an actor who has seasons of TV shows, hundreds of minutes of movies, and a million different publicity promos out there that all feature their long hair. Wanting to chop it all off is normal, we’ve grown to realize. Sometimes you get an undeniable urge to do it, and you just go. You cut and hack and finally… It’s complete. The transformation.
Zooey Deschanel has kept some of her signature style with her adorable bangs. Why the bangs?
told Glamour, “It all started at age two, when, at my very first haircut, the stylist lopped off the front of my waves into girly, face-framing fringe. I've had bangs for most of my life since… I've tried growing out my bangs a few times, but it's never stuck. They've been styled into all sorts of shapes and lengths. Now I'm very specific about how they look and feel." We’d be specific too if we had the same style for that long!
2 Emilia Clarke Went Khaleesi-Platinum For Real
Winter (or maybe a plot twist?!) is coming… Or, maybe Emilia Clarke just decided that it was time to embrace her inner Khaleesi. When someone has played a character with such distinct hair for so long, it’s not hard to imagine the fact that they want to keep that character around. Clarke decided that the time had come for her to embrace her mother of dragons side in her real life, and we’re all about it. When she premiered it on Instagram (and later, a red carpet) back in 2017 we absolutely loved it. It’s hard to recognize Clarke without her signature Game of Thrones blonde, but now that she wears it day to day… We’ll never forget her amazing ruling. Allure tells us that on her Instagram announcement photo she wrote, "I done did it… Mother of dragons meet Emilia. Emilia meet mother of dragons. If you squint just so you might never know.” She’s not wrong. How can we see her as anything but an incredible queen now, right? This change might have come a little before 2018, but it’s so unique. Oftentimes we see actors changing their hair for a role: not so they can continue to embrace the role in real life! It’s unique, and it’s totally Emilia.
1 Solange Knowles Rocked A Beautiful Blonde
Solange has had a few different hairstyles over the years, but she always looks amazing. Many photos feature her with her natural hair, either big and brushed out or bouncy and beautiful. Solange is a style queen, and it’s no surprise that she’s willing to play and experiment with her hair. Not only does the woman have a natural talent for music and art, she’s also not afraid to extend that curiosity and creativity onto her head.
While we’re not sure if the blonde was a dye job, a wig, or clever extension work, we can tell you that it made for an outstanding outfit.
According to Uncova.com, Knowles made the shift from dark hair to platinum for a New York Fashion Week party. No wonder she went for an artsy pair of earrings to match! The rest of her outfit was chic, structured, and contrasted well with her crown of gold. While we were poking around the internet, we saw some more photos on her Instagram. She might be continuing the blonde in the form of braids! However, we can’t confirm that. Looks like we’ll just have to keep watching and waiting for what this style queen is going to do next.
References: allure.com, people.com, usmagazine.com, glamour.com, teenvogue.com, bustle.com, hellomagazine.com, hollywoodlife.com, buzzfeed.com, allure.com, glamour.com, bustle.com, cosmopolitan.com, glamour.com, vogue.com, brit.co, essence.com, hellogiggles.com, glamour.com, wmagazine.com, uncova.com, instyle.com, glamour.com
