Few things have the power to change your look as dramatically as a dye job. We’re not just talking about the major celebrity hair transformations like the ever-changing crowns of the Kardashian-Jenner clan. Even seemingly subtle shifts can make a major difference, like Serena Williams’s foray into the world of blonde balayage or Emma Stone’s mastery of a wide spectrum of reds. If these celebrity hair-color transformations prove anything, it’s that you actually don’t have to pick just one hue. Thanks to advances in color techniques and semipermanent dyes, switching from blonde to brunette or even to cotton candy pinkfeels less major than making a chop. Man, isn't science great? With the right colorist, you can change your hue as often as you change your go-to highlighter. Look no further than these 15 celebrities who prove the power of a color change — and might just inspire your next one.
Constance Wu, star of Fresh off the Boat and Crazy Rich Asians, is a hair chameleon between filming. This March, Wu rocked a totally unexpected shade of sunset pink before transitioning back to a warm, rosy auburn to promote Crazy Rich Asians this summer.
In early October, Wu went back to black and showed off a fresh shoulder-skimming chop at the American Music Awards. Here, she styled it in gorgeous loose waves. We'll definitely be filing this hair transformation under our fall hair goals.
Last fall when Solange went blonde, fans understandably freaked out. The transformation was so drastic and so damn good, it was impossible not to lose it. When she had the color, the artist rocked everything from waist-length braids to a sunny-hued afro.
After experimenting with life as a blonde for almost a year, Solange was spotted over the summer rocking a more natural hue. Nothing like stunting on everyone with healthy-looking curls after a super bright bleach job. Just call it #BlackGirlMagic.
Forget keeping up with the Kardashian-Jenner clan, we can barely keep up with Kylie's ever-evolving hair. The mogul is often spotted with a blunt bob or Kris Jenner-esque pixie one day and waist-length strands the next, but at the Met Gala this May, the youngest Jenner went au naturale, tucking her dark strands back in a simple bun.
Kylie has experimented with color before, rocking wigs in some seriously sick hues, but for her 21st birthday in August, Chris Appleton (the man behind Kim Kardashian's platinum transformation) took things to the next level with an amazing champagne blonde dye job.
In an unexpected twist, Jonah Hill may just be the master of neon dye jobs. This June, he dyed his normally tawny hair a bright shade of pink — we're talking day-glo, neon, Manic Panic pink. The best part about the hair-color move? He kept his beard its natural shade. Kudos, Mr. Hill.
Hill's hot pink strands didn't last long. As summer ended and it was time for the actor and director to get back to business, the neon strands (like so many wild summer hair-color trends) quite literally got the chop.
Zoë Kravitz (Allure's June 2017 cover star,) went platinum blonde back in 2016 and proceeded to have a year of "oh hell yes" hair moments. After rocking ultra long braids, she chopped her ice-blonde strands into a chic-as-hell pixie, which she shared was due in part to the damage from bleaching her hair. #Relatable.
After a year of playing with platinum, Kravitz ditched the bleach and tapped into the darkness. She went as far away from blonde as she could with a glossy black hue. She looks amazing either way, but we are so glad she held onto the pixie.
Reese Witherspoon is the consummate golden girl but back in 2004, she went brunette to play June Carter in 2005's Walk the Line. The cool brown shade looks quite amazing with her pale complexion and really brings out her eyes.
Since her walk on the dark side, Reese has primarily stuck with blonde for the past 15 years. Save for one brief return to brunette in 2013, Witherspoon has oscillated ever so slightly between lighter and darker shades of blonde but this light spun gold look is one of her best.
Serena Williams is a bit of an under-the radar color chameleon. She's experimented with Beyoncé blonde (circa Destiny's Child chunky highlights), a glossy black bob, apple-spiced caramel hues — just about everything. In 2016, she shone in this happy medium shade of deep brown.
Recently, the powerhouse athlete seems to have found her signature look: a curly texture with a truly next-level case of deep caramel balayage. We love how the volume of this hair puts the ombré on full display. We can't think of a color combo more fit for the queen.
Scarlett Johansson has done some wild things to her hair. She's rocked a mullet (and pulled it off), pioneered rose quartz hair, and buzzed her strands into an undercut. By comparison, the perfectly-tousled brunette long, layered pixie she wore at the 2018 Met Gala was a little meh.
Earlier this year at the Emmy Awards, Johansson debuted what might be her best dye job yet. The perfect warm, golden hue looked even better with a textured, swept back bob. Besides the color, we think we've just found our new favorite short haircut.
When Amandla Stenberg shaved off their hair into a bold buzz cut back in 2017, it was clear they were destined for hair icon greatness. Since then, Stenberg has been experimenting with color. This amazing shade of rust and close-cropped curls shaped into an angular high-top are giving us major retro vibes.
Stenberg's latest approach to color proves you don't have to dye your entire head to try the trend. The deep maroon and royal purple strands woven into their braids is so subtle you almost don't notice it at first but when you do, damn it's good.
Emma Stone's red hair is so amazing it's easy to forget she's a natural blonde. The sleek strawberry blonde bob she debuted at the 2018 Oscars was the perfect happy medium between the two hues. The touches of blonde coupled with the reds remind us of strawberries and champagne. Cheers.
Even though you could technically call both of Stone's recent shades "red," they couldn't be more different. If the strawberry blonde shade she wore this spring was milk and honey, the updated hue she debuted this fall is hot and spicy. There's your proof folks — Stone is a full calendar year of hair inspiration.
Kim Kardashian West has come dangerously close to giving us whiplash in recent years. She's played with golden blonde, platinum bobs, and Cher hair — she's even gone pink. But the silvery shade of Danerys Targaryen blonde she debuted with colorist Chris Appleton in the fall of 2017 was truly otherworldly.
Most recently, Kardashian West has gone back to her roots with what can only rightly be described as "Kardashian Black" strands — the glossy, shimmering hue of onyx the Kardashian-Jenners have collectively made a signature no matter how often they experiment.
Jennifer Lawrence has done a lot of dyeing in her day. The actress has run through auburns, chestnuts, and just about every single shade of blonde. But this honey blonde shade became a signature for J.Law at the peak of her Hunger Games fame in 2012.
J.Law seems to have landed on blonde as her perfect hue (we agree), taking a page from Reese's book and ping-ponging between blonds from platinum to honey. The subtle changes have made a huge difference — her loosely tousled icy blonde waves at the 2018 Oscars are incredibly sophisticated.
Jordyn Woods, budding designer and Kylie collaborator, traded her naturally dark hair for a shade of Calabasas-approved Barbie Blonde — and it was perfect. The key to this shade? The caramel undertones that make the icy blonde shade really shimmer.
After a brief experiment with auburn, Jordyn went back to an almost blue-black shade earlier this year. In September, she revealed a major chop while showing off her natural curls on Instagram. But less than 24 hours later, her cute curls had transformed into long, glossy waves with the help of some extensions and heat styling.
Zayn Malik is known for experimenting with his hair — he's gone bald, rocked pink frosted tips, you name it — but his most enduring style is the perfectly tousled jet-black pompadour. And, yeah, we'd have to say he is working it here.
Malik's hair restlessness is so relatable. Right before going hot pink in June, he stepped out with ice-blue tips that looked less like the result of a good dye job and more like the side effect of some undiscovered superpower.
Since her days as the pioneering Peggy Olsen, Elisabeth Moss has been getting bolder and bolder with her hair color. This summer, she went with an orangey shade of strawberry blonde — a perfect complement to her peachy complexion.
The strawberry blonde is definitely a cute look, but this warm platinum shade might just be Moss's perfect hue. The brightness of the blonde here truly makes her look angelic, fresh, and impossibly glowy. We think we have a winner.
Comments