Whether they’re reinventing themselves for a role, going for a post-baby or pre-wedding switch-up or just pulling a Kylie Jenner (a.k.a. changing their hair colour the way some people change underwear), celebs from the A-to-Z lists are making some big hair decisions this year, and we can’t get enough of their of-the-minute hair inspo. Here’s the lowdown on every major celeb hair transformation of 2019 so far. Stay tuned (and save this list for your stylist!) as we continue to update with our faves—starting with Millie Bobby Brown’s (several) colour changes.
Millie Bobby Brown
In the quickest hair switch-up we’ve seen, Stranger Things actress Millie Bobby Brown went almost the whole colour spectrum on September 26, when she switched up her hair twice in one day! The actress, who plays Eleven on the Netflix show, first got fans excited when she appeared in photos posted to Miami-based Y.S.V Salon’s instagram account showing her with noticeably blonder and shorter hair. But it appears Brown found out whether or not blondes *do* have more fun and didn’t like the answer. Only a few hours later, Dafne Beauty Lounge shared a series of photos of the actress with long extensions, her hair dyed back to brown with honey highlights. We have whiplash. Brown debuted her final lewk at an event for Boots UK on September 28, debuting long, caramel-coloured locks.
Rihanna
Just when you thought RiRi was done with killing it at fashion week, the singer and mogul switched up her hair in a BIG way. The Bajan beauty was photographed entering Fenty’s Paris Fashion Week after-party with a new addition to her ‘do: blunt bangs. We’re not sure yet if the bangs are legit (or just a fun clip-in sitch)—but they 100% should be.
Dua Lipa
Also using Paris Fashion Week as an opportunity to make a “bangin’” hair statement? British musician Dua Lipa. The “One Kiss” singer, who usually wears her hair in a sleek bob parted down the middle, stepped out in the City of Love rocking some seriously sharp bangs. And we love it!!
Mila Kunis
The girl with the turquoise-tipped hair! In a pretty shocking colour change, Mila Kunis has traded in her signature dark brown locks for a funky new ’do. The actor was caught running errands on September 24 sporting blonde hair with turquoise tips. It’s a look, to say the least. We’re going to bet that this out-of-the-ordinary colour switch-up is for a role, but maybe the mama of two just wanted a big change?
Maisie Williams
She’s officially back, baby! After wrapping Game of Thrones, Maisie Williams rocked bubblegum-pink hair for a hot minute, telling Rolling Stone that it was because she “subconsciously” wanted to take a break from acting and put space between herself and her character, Arya Stark. Now she’s channelling Arya again with the dark-brown blunt bob, this time with a more reddish tint. Her hairstylist, Ryan Richman, said, “We wanted to take Maisie in a more mature direction as she is exploring new roles.” No better time to do it than the Emmys.
Bella Hadid
Well, fashion week is just full of surprises! Only days after her BFF Kendall Jenner debuted new blonde locks, Hadid is sporting a new ’do of her own: The model revealed a sharply angled bob while walking in the Burberry show at London Fashion Week. The chic new look is parted down the middle, and, we have to say, Bells looks *super* badass. We love a power part!
According to Hadid’s Instagram, the blunt cut, which hits just below her chin, was “dreamt up by Riccy” (a.k.a. Burberry chief creative officer Riccardo Tisci) and cut by the show’s lead stylist.
Kendall Jenner
Kendall Jenner tends to be the most tame of the KarJenner sisters when it comes to hair, but the model made a *big* beauty statement at London Fashion Week. Walking the runway for Burberry, Jenner was almost unrecognizable with her newly-light-blonde hair. Haters will say it’s a wig, but we beg to differ. As Allure points out, the model is also sporting natural lowlighted roots, proving the look is 100% real. And we’re 100% here for it.
Joe Keery
Uh, guys? What just happened to Joe Keery’s head?? You probably know him as Steve Harrington, the resident hair god of Stranger Things, but it seems like he might be trying to leave that title behind. Gone are the long, voluminous locks; they’ve been replaced by the short, unevenly cut…I want to say bangs?…that lie before you. Can’t blame him for wanting to switch it up, even if this looks like the cut a six-year-old would give themselves with safety scissors. But while the internet is upset about Keery’s chop, Esquire seems to think it’s actually low-key genius, so who knows? History will be the judge.
Charlize Theron
South African actress Charlize Theron announced her return to The Fast and the Furious franchise in a very chic way. She took to Instagram to share a photo of herself on-set for Fast & Furious 9, debuting a new and seriously cool bowl cut. Yep, a bowl cut. “She’s baaaaack #Fast9,” Theron captioned the image, referring to her character, Cipher. The cut and blonde highlights are a big departure from the actress’s recent brown bob. In the wise words of actress January Jones, who commented on Theron’s post: “This hair is next level good. But would only look good on you.” Honestly, very true.
Katherine Heigl
Katherine Heigl is welcoming autumn with a big hair change. The actor, who is usually blonde, debuted dark brunette locks on September 4, sharing the change with Instagram followers in a post and a series of stories. The change is in anticipation of her upcoming role in the Netflix series Firefly Lane. According to Heigl’s Instagram stories, the process took three hours. We’d say the time was well worth it.
FKA Twigs
FKA Twigs is really leaning in to the recent Little Mermaid hype. The British singer debuted bright-red tresses on July 31, taking to Instagram to share the hair change with her followers. The usually brunette singer didn’t caption the image, instead just tagging her hairdresser, but tbh this bright new hue speaks for itself.
Bella Hadid
Ready to see double? Bella Hadid’s Instagram stories were recently lit up by a shot of her new, bright-blonde hair—and for two seconds we were convinced it was her older sister, Gigi. Bella reportedly changed her hair for a V magazine shoot, but whether she’ll stick with her new hair colour remains to be seen. That said, she’s actually a natural blonde, so maybe she’ll use this as an opportunity to get back to her roots.
Angelina Jolie
Maybe she’s channelling HRH Kate Middleton? On July 9, Jolie debuted some uncharacteristically-light-coloured tresses while out and about in Paris, having gone from her well-known darker ’do to a caramel colour. The actress had also shed some length, going for curled-under, blunt-cut ends. Je l’aime!
Céline Dion
Leave it to the Queen of Fashion Week to shock us not only with her haute-couture outfits but with her hairstyle as well. Dion debuted a stylish shoulder-length bob while walking around Paris on July 3. C’est magnifique!
Kim Kardashian West
Okay, this isn’t *quite* what we expected when we saw the words “light frosted brown” in celeb hairstylist Chris Appleton’s Instagram caption. But Kim Kardashian West’s new lighter look is a whole summer mood.
Jamie Lynn Spears
Jamie Lynn Spears is blonde no more! The actress has gone light brunette for her upcoming role in Netflix’s Sweet Magnolias. Netflix tweeted: “Spears will play Noreen Fitzgibbons, a young woman who is determined to build a new life for herself after a series of bad choices.”
Zendaya
The Euphoria actress looked red-hot at a press event for her new film, Spider-Man: Far From Home, channelling Spiderman’s OG love interest MJ with newly dyed locks. Zendaya plays Michelle “MJ” Jones in the film, so it seems only fitting that the 22-year-old would pay homage to her predecessor, a redhead in the Marvel comic books. In response to speculation over whether the new ’do is a permanent change or just a wig, Zendaya replied to a fan on Twitter: “I dyed it, semi-permanent.”
Kaia Gerber
Who doesn’t love a little hair drama? Kaia Gerber, for one, is all for it. The 17-year-old model chopped her long brown hair into a bouncy bob. On IG, she credited stylist Sandy Hullett and Redken global director Guido Palau for her new perfect-for-summer cut, which somehow makes her look even more like her supermodel mom, Cindy Crawford. And, according to Gerber, this is a big change. In her IG caption, she dubbed her new look “the drama cut.”
Rose Byrne
The always hilarious Rose Byrne got a seriously stunning new summer look, created by celeb hairstylist Harry Josh. This isn’t the first time the naturally brunette Bridesmaids star has gone blonde, but based on the IG post from makeup artist Hung Vanngo, she has now gone from golden to platinum—and we’re here for it.
Emily Ratajkowski
Seeing model/actor Emily Ratajkowski on the Tonys red carpet was surprising enough, but the model also used her appearance at the awards show to reveal a new, 1960s-style ’do. EmRata chopped her usually long hair into a chic, voluminous bob—giving us all kinds of Jackie Kennedy Onassis vibes in the process.
Reese Witherspoon
She’s going short, y’all! Actor and proud southern belle Reese Witherspoon said “buh bye” to her long hair, debuting a summer-appropriate lob. “Thanks for my new summer cut @lonavigi,” the Big Little Lies actor wrote alongside an adorbs video of her shaking out her new ’do. Not only is Witherspoon’s new look seriously cute, but it makes her look even *more* like her mini-me, daughter Ava Phillipe—which we didn’t think was possible.
January Jones
Another celeb has boarded the blunt-bob train—and in blonde! Actor January Jones debuted a sleek new chop on her Instagram with the caption: “So I changed my mind again. @bridgetbragerhair you’re a dream.” Sharing a photo of Jones to her own account, hairstylist Bridget Brager encouraged other women to go for a short cut too, writing: “There is a bob style haircut for every woman – every hair type and face shape. If you have been teetering to make a big hair move… Fear not. Go for it! Make sure you bring inspiration pictures and thoroughly talk it out with your stylist. Get what you want!” Brager also shared that Jones had been waiting for months to get the chop, sending her inspo photos while she waited for her bangs to grow out. We’re betting at least one of those inspo pics was of fellow blunt bob fan Kim K.
Kim Kardashian West
Kim K just chopped off more than half her hair, and we are so into it for summer. She went for a super-sleek, super-straight blunt bob, and TBH it’s the ultimate hot-weather hair move: short enough that it won’t stick to your neck and long enough to do beach waves when you’re in the mood. It is basically the same cut she and Khloé got last year…but if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
Gina Rodriguez
The Jane the Virgin star has a new, summer-appropriate ’do—and we are *here* for her lighter, shorter hair. Rodriguez debuted a wavy layered cut and warm balayage colour on the ’gram, where she captioned her post “Nuggets and new do’s” (a reference to her cute tee) and credited celeb stylists Grace Zip and Anh Co Tran.
Jessica Chastain
Jessica Chastain is doing it all with her new hair: a shoulder-length bob *and* bangs! We’ve seen the Zero Dark Thirty actor work bangs in the past, but with the addition of the fresh trim, some outlets are calling this look the “hottest haircut of the summer.” Chastain debuted her fresh cut, courtesy of hairstylist Renato Campora, while promoting her new movie, X-Men: Dark Phoenix in Mexico City.
Ariel Winter
The Modern Family star is part of a whole new world—the world of redheads, that is. In a not-so-subtle change, Winter went from black to “Disney red,” debuting her new, brighter look on her Instagram. Btw, the comparison to another famous Ariel is v. intentional. In a post to her social media, Winter struck a pose, captioning the photo “part of yourrrrrr worrrrrld.”
Brie Larson
The Avengers: Endgame actor is proving that she’s not afraid to go for the chop with her newest ’do. The actress debuted a sleek bob at the launch of MLH Sigil Fragrances on April 30. Larson’s fresh look was on full display in a photo she posted on Instagram, in which she posed at the event beside friend Melinda Lee Holm. The star captioned the photo: “Congrats to my sister @melindaleeholm on the launch of her product line #MLHSigil. I love watching you grow and I love supporting all the magic you bring into the world. Check out her stuff – it’s the best ever.”
Taylor Swift
Although Swift has been rocking pink hair since the iHeartRadio Awards, we finally got a good look at it yesterday as she bypassed paps on her way into her NYC apartment. It also looks like she’s added more pink since the awards show, which is a fitting change since she’s been filling her Insta feed with pastel hues for a few months now. Fans are speculating that it has something to do with a new album, and this countdown from her stories last night def supports that theory:
Jason Momoa
Since his turn as Khal Drogo on Game of Thrones, Momoa has been the true moon of our lives. And his newest facial-hair change-up doesn’t change that. Permanently saying goodbye to both Drogo and Aquaman, Momoa shocked fans by shaving off his trademark beard to draw awareness to his collaboration with Ball Corporation, an earth-friendly packaging company. He documented the whole process on his YouTube page and called on his fans to make a switch to “infinitely recyclable aluminum.” Posting the video on Instagram, Momoa wrote: “I’m SHAVING this beast off, It’s time to make a change. A change for the better…for my kids, your kids, the world. Let’s make a positive change for the health of our planet.”
Camila Mendes
Well, Veronica Lodge has officially left the building (for now). Mendes, who plays Lodge on Riverdale, turned in her darker ’do for a return to her lighter brown roots. Which is no easy feat. In an Instagram post, hair colourist Matt Rez said the process of removing Veronica’s trademark blue-black colour took six hours (!) in order to keep “the integrity of her hair.” In addition to the new colour, the actress also traded in her sleek TV hair for a shaggier cut by Buddy Porter.
Cole Sprouse
RIP black hair and my soul. Cole Sprouse is back with blonde hair and i’M NOT READY. pic.twitter.com/gyeNUX7FFQ
— Riri (@bakmispecialgm) April 15, 2019
Another #Riverbabe with a hair change! The actor, who plays Riverdale‘s resident “weirdo,” Jughead, got rid of the raven hair in favour of his natural sandy blonde. We have to say, this change-up is pretty Suite (LOL).
Demi Lovato
Just in time for spring, the “Cool for the Summer” singer debuted her new chop, rocking a stylish lob on the ’gram. Sharing her new look to her Instagram followers, Lovato captioned the photo: “New hair wassupppp.”
Rachel Brosnahan
Brosnahan, who plays Midge in (our fave show) The Marvellous Mrs. Maisel, just took her signature dark hair to a fresh shade of dirty blonde. Colourist Kitty Greller is responsible for the new colour, which actually isn’t all that new—Brosnahan’s natural hair colour is blonde. We’re hoping this means another badass story arc for Midge where she rebels against the comedy patriarchy, but we won’t know for sure until season three premieres later this year.
Bella Hadid
Apparently for a shoot with photographer Mert Alas, the younger Hadid sister dyed her signature brown hair a lighter shade of honey blonde. And if you thought she was copying Gigi, think again: Bella’s natural hair colour is also blonde. She’s known for changing up her length, but this colour change is brand new for the model. We’ll see if it sticks.
Miley Cyrus
Hannah is punk now! ☠️ pic.twitter.com/I4nUdajchD
— Miley Ray Cyrus (@MileyCyrus) March 29, 2019
Never one to shy away from a big hair change, the singer went for the ultimate #TBT. Cyrus’s long beachy hair and bangs pay homage to Hannah Montana, the iconic character she played from 2006 to 2011, and give us all kinds of nostalgia. She debuted her new chop on her Insta stories and in a series of posts to Twitter. Could she be hinting at an upcoming revival of this Disney-channel character? Tbh, would watch.
Mandy Moore
Looks like the This Is Us star got a fresh springtime chop, courtesy of longtime hairstylist and friend Ashley Streicher. Moore is also a Garnier ambassador, so she made a change to her colour too, getting rid of her blonde highlights and going back to a rich brunette.
Charlize Theron
According to the Insta post above, stylist Adir Abergel changed Theron’s hair colour earlier this year with the help of Tracey Cunningham but went in for the chop just hours before the actress was due on the Oscars red carpet. That’s some serious stylist-client trust right there, and the tone and cut paired perfectly with Theron’s ice-blue Dior gown.
Emilia Clarke
There was a ton of buzz surrounding this colour change after rumours circulated that Clarke achieved it herself with (gasp) a box-dye kit. But her hairstylist Jenny Cho cleared things up with this Insta post, shouting out Nicola Clarke for the colour. Tbh, we initially didn’t have that much trouble believing this was a box dye because it did look a little flat on the red carpet. But we understand the inclination to go brunette, especially if Clarke is trying to separate herself from her role as the platinum-haired Mother of Dragons on Game of Thrones.
Kerry Washington
When hairstylist Takisha Sturdivant-Drew saw Washington’s Schiaparelli dress for the Vanity Fair Oscars after-party, she immediately thought of Audrey Hepburn. And that, of course, meant a pixie cut. Just hours before the party, she posted this mysterious Insta of the back of an unknown person’s head, and we now know it was Washington getting a fresh, Audrey-inspired chop.
Karlie Kloss
Right before New York Fashion Week and just months after her wedding, the model lost a whopping seven inches off her hair courtesy of stylist Harry Josh. It looks fresh and pretty, and the texture and layers make it stand out among all the blunt chops celebs seem to be favouring.
Kendall Jenner
Just about every woman has at some point at least flirted with the idea of bangs, and Kendall Jenner decided to take the face-framing plunge. Trimmed by her good pal, celebrity hairstylist Jen Atkin, the model’s new wispy, eyebrow-skimming fringe was debuted on Insta with a photo and two videos. Her caption was “yes, no, maybe so?”—and we’re definitely feeling a major “yes.”
Hailey Bieber
Taking inspo from the Pink Ladies’ Frenchy, Baldwin debuted a pink ’do to kick off the new year, having dyed her usually blonde hair a bubblegum pink. This isn’t the newlywed’s first foray into pastels. She first rocked pink hair at last year’s Met Gala (with then BF Shawn Mendes on her arm), giving off major couple goals *and* major hair goals.
It may be a different year, and she may have a different beau (and last name—at least on IG), but some things remain the same: Baldwin is definitely still pretty in pink.
Zac Efron
In a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it change, Efron debuted his ice-blonde look in a series of (thankfully shirtless) posts to Instagram. The actor is no novice when it comes to quirky hair changes. If anything, 2018 was the year of hair-raising styles for the Baywatch star, with the actor trying out multiple looks, including a very interesting striped-beard/frosted tips combo (thanks to his upcoming role in The Beach Bum).
Efron has recently finished filming and promo-ing his new movie, Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile, about American serial killer Ted Bundy (a brunette), so can you blame the guy for wanting to add a little light to his life (and hair)?
Chris Messina
Actor Chris Messina (of The Mindy Project and Sharp Objects fame) surprised fans at the 2019 Golden Globes when he stepped out with platinum hair. With his new look, the normally brunette actor joins a growing list of celebs, including Kylie Jenner, Hilary Duff and Pete Davidson, who are testing out the theory that blondes have more fun.
The moment Messina walked out on the carpet, the internet was shook and hella thirsty.
Chris Messina looks like he broke my heart in junior high, high school, and one last time during my sophomore year in college https://t.co/zcE979kTr3
— Britt Stephens (@brittsteps) January 6, 2019
The actor has always been hunky, but has he *officially* joined Steve Carrell as a full-on #zaddy? Some people in the FLARE office were in full support of Messina’s golden locks, saying that dear sexy Danny can pull off anything. Others were convinced that this is the result of a Zayn Malik-inspired mid-life crisis.
According to a tweet by Good Morning America producer Tony Morrison, Messina’s switch-up is most likely work-related. The actor is set to star in the upcoming DC film Birds of Prey (And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) as villain Victor Zsasz. If that’s the case, let’s just say that he makes being bad look real good.
Lady Gaga
We’re gaga over this look! The A Star Is Born actor opted for a bold new ’do for her first walk on the Golden Globes red carpet, taking her normally blonde mane from frosted to frosty blue. Never one to shy away from a bold fashion statement, the singer matched her new blue locks to her periwinkle gown, which gave everyone major Judy Garland vibes and completed a head-to-toe look worthy of a star.
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