Written by Perseus Editorial Team
Last Update: August, 2026
Celebrity hair transformations have become a classic trend this year. Many celebrities are embracing hairstyles that hark back to old-school fashion trends. Some are trying out new looks with extensions or wigs, while others are working with their natural texture. Take a look at the before-and-after photos of the stars’ 2026 hair transformations!
Recently married Selena Gomez has been opting for a short black haircut. This style, known as a 1950s trend, isn’t unique to her in 2026–2027, many celebrities are favoring straight black hair or soft waves.
The founder of Rare Beauty worked with Renato Compora for her wedding hair. Embracing an Old Hollywood style look, her hairstyle was inspired by the 1950s. The renowned stylist created a deep side part and an Old Hollywood bob for Selena and Benny Blanco’s wedding. Did you know that she is one of the celebrities who have hair care brands?
Taylor Swift not only got engaged but also took on the role of maid of honor at her best friend Selena Gomez’s wedding. That year, she embraced the old-money blonde trend a timeless shade that perfectly matched her elegant aura. Paired with voluminous bangs, the pop icon’s look gave off major modern-day Barbie vibes, effortlessly mixing classic glamour with her signature softness.
In previous years, she used lighter shades of blonde. However, Taylor Swift is a star who prefers not to change her hairstyle and hair color frequently. Maintaining Taylor’s ‘Old Money Blonde’ or Zendaya’s voluminous waves often involves chemical treatments. To prevent breakage and maintain hair density, support your follicles from within with our Hair Vitamin (Biotin + Ginseng + Zinc).
Zendaya captivated audiences with her ever-changing hairstyles, which blended classic elegance with modern flair. Earlier in the year, during the promotional tour for Challengers, she embraced a rich chestnut hue, styling her hair in voluminous curls that exuded vintage glamour. This look was created with the help of Bellami clip-in extensions in chestnut and chocolate shades, combined with Nexxus mousse and hairspray to enhance the volume and longevity of the style.
As the year progressed, her hairstylist, Coree Moreno, created a retro-inspired wavy bob for the 2025 Golden Globes. Reminiscent of 1950s Hollywood, this chin-length bob featured a deep side part and soft curls, capturing the essence of old-school glamour with a contemporary twist.
Tyla embraced a striking transformation with her cornrow braids, marking a significant shift from her previous hairstyles. Earlier in the year, she sported a chic blonde pixie cut at the Met Gala, channeling vintage Hollywood glamour with sultry, smoky eyes and a Jacquemus gown. This platinum blonde look was a departure from her natural dark tones, showcasing her versatility and willingness to experiment with bold styles.
Months ago, Tyla unveiled a new protective hairstyle that blended Lemonade braids with goddess braids. This hybrid approach featured intricately cornrowed braids cascading over her right shoulder, enhanced with curly extensions for added volume and softness. This style not only offered a chic, low-maintenance option but also highlighted her commitment to celebrating and modernizing traditional African hairstyles.
In the summer of 2026, Tyla prefers to wear her hair long and curly. Check out Tyla’s curly hair.
Teyana Taylor demonstrated her versatility by changing her hairstyle from a platinum blonde bob to a chic, voluminous pixie cut. Later in the year, she returned to her signature pixie cut, complete with voluminous curls and kiss curls at the front. This style complemented her all-black ensemble perfectly when she attended the Bleu de Chanel L’Exclusif party in New York City.
By the end of 2025, Teyana had embraced a striking, sleek, straight, blunt black bob with a sharp edge, marking her boldest hair transformation yet. Throughout the year, her hairstylist Lateafa Alvaranga crafted these memorable looks, including a polished style for the Met Gala in 2025. She started 2026 with a shorter haircut. However, her hair colour is still black.
If there were a contest for celebrities most loyal to their hairstyle, the stunning Hollywood actress Dakota would definitely win first place. There is an expression called “Dakota Johnson’s bangs.” Although the beautiful artist who loves wearing bangs changes her hair color from time to time, her bangs never change.
There is a mathematics behind Dakota’s commitment to bangs. Her heart-shaped face, with a wider forehead and narrower jawline, and her large eyes make bangs the most ideal look for her. If you also have a heart-shaped face, you should definitely try bangs at some point in your life!
Elsa Majimbo, who previously embraced a different style with blonde hair and eyebrows, switched to short black hair. The beautiful star, who occasionally updates her style and cleverly chooses what suits her best, looks great with both looks. The Kenyan comedian’s unique style gave rise to the concept of “Majimbo style.”
Before this, she experimented with various braided styles and extensions, and has also worn big afro styles. She has talked openly about wanting to straighten her natural hair as a youngster, but being encouraged by her mother to go with braids instead. Over time she’s embraced her natural texture more.
Jackie Aina is often seen wearing dark-brown & nearly black hair whether her natural hair or styled via wig/extensions that complements her skin tone beautifully. She tends to use protective styles: braids, wigs, perhaps curls or waves depending on events or photos.
In earlier posts, she’s had lighter styles like blondes and highlights but frequently returns to those richer dark tones. Jackie is known in the beauty community also for sharing makeup looks oriented toward her complexion, and often her hair harmonizes with the makeup to keep focus on her face.
Jessica Betts is an American singer-songwriter and musician from Chicago, now based in New York City, known for blending rock, soul, gospel, and R&B in her music. She is married to actress Niecy Nash -since August 2020, has appeared in small acting roles, and has a history of competing in music reality shows.
These days, she wears her hair in a buzz cut style. We’ve seen her with short hair for about 2-3 years now. However, in the past, she used to wear her coily hair a little longer. Both looks suit her amazingly well.
Jisoo continues to embrace her iconic look of long, sleek black hair, which perfectly complements her elegant and timeless aura. Often styled straight with a subtle middle or side parting, her glossy black locks have become one of her most distinctive features. Prior to returning to this classic shade, she briefly explored warmer tones, such as soft brown and auburn highlights, which added a touch of warmth without straying too far from her natural colour. Her ability to maintain such effortless sophistication through subtle changes is part of what makes her style so admired.
This year has also been one of her busiest yet. She released her solo mini-album and embarked on her first fan tour, Lights, Love, Action!. Alongside her musical success, she starred in the fantasy romance series Newtopia, showcasing her versatility even further. Although she occasionally changes her hairstyle for fashion events or campaigns, Jisoo remains loyal to her signature dark hair, which defines her understated, classic beauty.
Lizzo recently ditched her usual platinum blonde and cool tones for a fire-engine red tint, mainly in curls or voluminous texture. The red is bold and saturated, think vibrant scarlet with slightly deeper roots or lowlights, so the shade pops without looking flat. Her hair stylist Shelby Swain is regularly credited with creating this vivid red look, often using a wig for the dramatic color shift.
This red-hair phase seems more than just a colour change it matches a shift in her artistic persona. The move to red came alongside new music projects, more graphic fashion moments, and performances that lean into her bold, expressive side.
Last year, Ming Lee Simmons is recognized for her dark straight black hair, a classic and elegant style that reinforces her sophisticated and timeless image. Her hair is usually sleek and straight, styled with a middle or slight side part, reflecting her minimalist and chic aesthetic.
2025 was a pivotal year in her career. She made a major splash by appearing in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue, posing in a yellow swimsuit during the Jamaica shoot. She also continues her creative work with her mother, Kimora Lee Simmons, at the Baby Phat brand, modernizing her family’s legacy. While she doesn’t frequently change her hair, she occasionally experiments with soft waves or added volume for variety. Her hair color remains predominantly natural black, with subtle warm highlights occasionally added.
Porsha Williams has recently gone for a bold red hair colour, moving away from her long black locks. Her red hair is usually styled in soft waves or sleek straight looks, which give her a glamorous and bold vibe. This shade goes from a rich cherry red to a slightly deeper crimson, and is often paired with a middle or side part that frames her face beautifully.
The change to red reflects Porsha’s dynamic personality and high-profile public appearances, including reality TV events and red carpet moments. She plays around with different hair textures and sometimes changes her cut for special occasions. She works with professional stylists to make sure her looks are on point, with her signature red locks complementing her outfits and makeup.
Storm Reid often has dark brown to black hair, usually styled in natural curls, waves, or sleek straight looks depending on the event. She plays around with different lengths and textures, from waves that skim her shoulders to longer, flowing curls, and often goes for her natural hair texture to get a youthful and elegant look.
Although she’s sometimes tried subtle highlights or warmer brown tones, she mostly sticks with her natural dark shade.
Sadie Sink makes a striking appearance in 2026, embracing a radiant red soft glam ahead of her anticipated return to the big screen in Avengers (2027). The rich auburn-copper shade complements her oval face shape and fair complexion effortlessly.
Comparing her current style to past looks, the exceptional vitality and mirror-like shine of her strands immediately stand out. Her locks boast the smooth, rejuvenated finish often achieved through professional hair botox treatments. Whether credited to a consistent regimen of hair-strengthening vitamins or targeted salon restorative therapies, her hair appears visibly fortified from root to tip. This signature copper tone perfectly elevates her overall style, setting a premier standard for healthy, luminous color.
Leaving behind her signature French-girl blonde, Lily-Rose Depp has transitioned to a much deeper, more sophisticated shade in 2026: Café au Lait Brunette. This color features a neutral-ash light brown base level 6/7 blended with cool brown and creamy golden-beige tones, creating a milky cocoa shade that reflects light like silk.
Her previous classic golden-beige blonde relied on a natural dark blonde root melt paired with delicate micro-babylights and champagne-hued, neutral-golden glosses. To achieve either look, ask your colorist for a dimensional demi-permanent gloss and a seamless root shadow rather than flat, permanent color.
The contrast between Emily Blunt’s classic golden-blonde waves and her modern, dimensional caramel bob is stunning. Elements such as blow-drying techniques, the use of a round brush, styling the waves backward, golden highlights, and the hair’s texture set the two styles apart. Furthermore, there are color transitions applied without disrupting the hair’s natural structure, as well as various highlighting techniques used in both styles that complement all hair colors and textures.
Kristen Bell gradually transitioned from classic bright butter blonde to an old money style ash caramel. It was such a smart transition that, despite the big difference between the two hair colors, it went almost unnoticed thanks to photos taken from different angles and lighting. In the old style, she had shadowed roots and a bright blonde tone towards the ends. Unfortunately, this color gave the beautiful star’s hair a slightly damaged and dry look. The ash caramel, on the other hand, suits her facial features and style perfectly. Subtle babylights and balayage highlights give the hair’s shine a much more natural tone. Her hair length is noticeably longer, with long layers reaching the middle of her back. The hair strands look much fuller, elastic, and smooth. The intense shine and flowing structure show that her hair health and moisture barrier are much better preserved.
Katie Fangs’ previous look featured warm, bleached honey-blonde tones. While it gave an energetic Y2K beach vibe, heavy chemical processing left the strands visibly dry, frizzy, and porous. The hair was styled at medium length with loose waves at the ends.
Her new look features a pastel bubblegum pink over the blonde base, giving her a bold and modern Gen Z aesthetic. The colored gloss treatment sealed the cuticles, making the hair look smoother, healthier, and glossier than before. Styled in a sleek blowout with subtly flicked ends, the hair appears much more polished and dimensional.
| Celebrity | Hairstyle | Best Face Shape | Ideal Hair Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Selena Gomez | 1950s Short Bob | Oval, Heart, Diamond | Straight, Fine |
| Taylor Swift | Vintage Curls & Bangs | Round, Oval, Long | Wavy, Thick |
| Zendaya | Retro Wavy Bob | Square, Oval | Curly, Wavy |
| Tyla | Cornrow Braids | All Face Shapes | Coily, Textured (4C) |
| Dakota Johnson | Classical Bangs | Heart, High Forehead | Straight, Medium |
| Teyana Taylor | Iconic Blunt Bob | Oval, Angular | Thick, Straight |
| Jisoo | Sleek Long Black | Round, Heart, Oval | Straight, Silky |
| Jessica Betts | Modern Buzzcut | Oval, Square | All (Coily Friendly) |
| Lizzo | Voluminous Red Curls | Round, Oval | Coily, Voluminous |
Some of the celebrities we talked about do go to professional hairstylists. Teyana Taylor, for example, often works with Lateafa Alvaranga, who’s styled her for big events like the Met Gala and Paris Haute Couture Week. Lateafa is the one to thank for Teyana’s stunning looks. She’s the one who created that platinum bob and voluminous pixie cut, making sure the hairstyle goes well with the outfit and the event’s overall vibe.
Lizzo is another example; she often works with Shelby Swain, who helps her achieve striking hair colors and textures, including the vibrant red curls she recently debuted. Lizzo often tries out wigs, extensions, and bold colours, and her team make sure her hair is always in good condition so she can get the looks she wants for performances, magazine shoots, and public appearances.
For other celebrities like Jisoo, Ming Lee Simmons, and Jackie Aina, working with a hairstylist is usually just for one event. Jisoo works with stylists for red carpet events, photoshoots and performances, but no single full-time stylist is publicly credited. Jackie Aina also works with stylists for special events, but she usually manages her own everyday looks or gets help from local salon professionals.
Hair stylists use natural and nourishing hair care products that don’t cause hair loss and aren’t full of chemicals that can damage the skin, like parabens and sulfates, to keep celebrities’ hair healthy. There are all sorts of products out there, like anti-hair loss shampoos, vitamin-enriched conditioners, mesotherapy serums, hair oils and aloe vera gels.
If you’re going for a look like the celebs do, the first thing to think about is what’s going to suit your face shape and hair type. Take a look at photos of their hairstyles and make a note of the cut, length and texture.
Then, you need the right tools and products to recreate those styles. Curling irons, straighteners, volumising sprays, heat protectants and quality hair oils will help you get that pro-style. Lots of stars also use wigs or extensions to change their hair colour dramatically without damaging their natural hair.
Finally, consider getting some professional help. Celebrity hairstylists are pros at creating polished, long-lasting looks, so getting a stylist consultation for a cut, colour or blowdry can make your hair look red-carpet ready.
Red is going to be huge in 2026, from bright cherry to deep auburn and velvety burgundy. Other popular colours include Toasted Beige and Ginger Spice, which offer a multidimensional, warm and bold look. These colours are all the rage right now, whether it’s for fall, celebrity styles, or just making a bold statement with your hair.
The Gen Z hairstyle trend of 2026 is usually called the “blunt bob” or “retro straight bob”, and sometimes it’s got curtains bangs or soft, face-framing layers. It’s all about sleek, straight cuts, natural shine, and minimal layering, giving it a polished yet youthful vibe that celebrities and influencers are all over on social media.
Other popular Gen Z hairstyles include buzz cuts, bangs, and shag cuts, all of which are all about individuality and bold, Insta-ready looks.
Teen Vogue. “Blackpink’s Jisoo Debuts Sleek Hairstyles at Dior Spring/Summer 2025 Show.” Teen Vogue, 2025.
People. “Who Is Jessica Betts, Niecy Nash’s Wife?” People, 2025.
Page Six. (August 2026). Lizzo unveiled her new hair transformation on Friday [Instagram Post].
Vogue. “Elsa Majimbo on Embracing Natural Texture and Protective Styles.” Vogue, 2025.
Marie Claire. “Tyla’s Lemonade Braids: Protective Hairstyles That Shine on Stage.” Marie Claire, 2025.
HelloBeautiful. “Teyana Taylor’s Platinum Blonde Bob at Paris Haute Couture Week.” HelloBeautiful, 2025.
Fashion Bomb Daily. “Teyana Taylor’s Met Gala Hair Styled with Shea Moisture Products.” Fashion Bomb Daily, 2025.
Allure. “Jackie Aina Discusses Her Signature Hair and Makeup Looks.” Allure, 2025.
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