The A-list stars who experimented with dramatic hair makeovers

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The A-list stars who experimented with dramatic hair makeovers

By Stylist Team

Updated 6 years ago

Looking to switch things up? Take some inspiration from these celebrity makeovers. 

If you're considering a hair transformation, you've come to the right place.

With access to some of the greatest hairdressers in the world, A-listers are often the ones trying out the latest and greatest hairdos that often require a lot more emotional investment than your average trim. 

In recent hair makeovers, Anne Hathaway - the eternal brunette - has opted for a fresh shade of blonde, Hilary Duff has adopted a pastel hue and Emma Watson bid goodbye to her shoulder length hair for a long bob cut. 

Come see them and other famous folk who have chopped and changed on the great hair highway: 

Taylor Swift

Taylor Swift

Since bursting onto the music scene in 2006, Taylor Swift has been known for her butter-wouldn’t-melt golden blonde locks, and it’s a look she’s mostly maintained over the last 13 years. 


Taylor Swift

So it makes sense, then, that as the pink-hued promo for new album continues to ramp up, she’s taken a little trip to the hairdressers to match her Instagram’s new look and gotten herself a pink dip-dye. A nice nod to her next chapter of music, and not too far away from her signature style. We very much approve. 


Emma Stone

Emma Stone has never been shy in adopting a new style. From red to brown, she’s tried many colours. Even though her natural hair is beautiful, we do enjoy seeing her try something new. 


Emma Stone

Enter: Stone’s dark transformation. Arriving at the 30th Annual Producers Guild Awards, the actress showed off her fresh colouring, and pulled it off with aplomb. 


Chrissy Teigen

The A-lister has opted for a fringe, and proves once again that she can pull off any beauty update. Taking to Instagram, she posted: “I did it! Thank you, Jen Atkin.”


Lena Dunham

Actor and writer, Lena Dunham has never been afraid to experiment with her hairstyles. 

But although she has a track record of playing with length, previously delighting us with this uber-short crop, Dunham tends to stay within a spectrum of blonde when it comes to colour. 


Lena Dunham

That is, until now. Dunham introduced her new look on Instagram, shouting out to her hairdresser for doing such an awesome job of her blue hue.

The Lenny Letter editor captioned her snap, “Thank you @gregoryrussellhair for handling my pompadour and for the hot smurfjob. Love you mean it.”


Emilia Clarke

Actress Emilia Clarke has spent the last eight years covering up her naturally brunette locks with a peroxide blonde wig to get into character as Daenerys Targaryen on Game of Thrones.


Emilia Clarke

And now the actor has decided to make her Mother of the Dragons persona a little more permanent, by hitting the bleach in her most recent trip to the hairdressers.

Taking to her Instagram feed, an excited Clarke shared a snap of her freshly dyed hair alongside the caption, “AAAAHHHHHHH SHHHHIIIII******… I done did it. Mother of dragons meet Emilia. Emilia meet mother of dragons...” 


Sarah Michelle Gellar

Actress Sarah Michelle Gellar has sported long blonde locks almost continuously since she first hit our screens as Buffy the Vampire Slayer back in 1997.


Sarah Michelle Gellar

Now the actress has turned back to brunette to reprise her role as Kathryn Merteuil in the Cruel Intentions TV series, uploading a snap of her new hair to Instagram with the hashtag #brunettehairdontcare


Anne Hathaway

Apart from a brief stint with a blonde pixie cut, Hathaway's hair has always sat firmly in the classically beautiful brunette camp. Until now... 


Anne Hathaway

A pregnant Anne Hathaway snaps a selfie of her new, blonde lob on Instagram, asking the all-important question: "Be honest. Did I unwittingly dress like a fashion scarecrow this morning?"


Hilary Duff

Blonde, brunette, ombre, blue, pink, grey - there isn't a hair trend Hilary Duff hasn't got behind. But after playing it safe for quite some time, the star chopped her mid-length blonde hair, to this refreshing bob cut before Christmas. Now she's already back in the hairdresser's chair to try out a new colourway...


Hilary Duff

Duff is backing the pastel hair trend with a new shade of ombre candy-floss pink. Some are calling it purple, but we definitely think it's pink.

Image: Instagram


Emma Watson

Aside from celebrating the end of the Harry Potter film franchise by chopping off all her hair, 25 year old actress Emma Watson has typically kept her brunette hair in a long, shoulder length style...


Emma Watson

...Until now. The star's publicist took to Twitter to reveal her new, shorter do, saying "Amazing woman. Amazing new hair."


Emma Watson

The actress was then spotted out and about in London, where she styled the new cut with statement eyebrows and a bold red lip.


Jessie J

Singer Jessie J has experimented with all kinds of hairstyles over the years, but the look we're most used to seeing her with is a dark bob.


Jessie J

However, the star has decided to embrace the grey trend for winter, debuting this cool lavender grey colour on her Instagram page.


Sienna Miller

Whether it's been long, mid-length or chopped off in a short bob, Sienna Miller's hair has usually remained in her trademark dirty blonde colour...


Sienna Miller

...But the actress has embraced a beautiful new, rusty red colour that she showed off at the launch of her sister Savannah's fashion label, Nine.


Billie Piper

Billie Piper's hair has been styled in a cute, curly lob for as long as we can remember...


Billie Piper

...Until now. The 32-year-old actress took to Twitter to share her delight at her newly pink locks, tweeting "Thanks to @Sibibolan & @hershesons for My pinkness... Favourite ever hair! Xx"


Gigi Hadid

Whether wavy, curly or poker straight, this 20-year-old model has had long blonde hair for as long as we can remember.


Gigi Hadid

Mixing things up in time for the weekend, the model has taken to the pastel hair trend and added some edgy blue tips to her blonde locks.


Chrissy Teigen

The 29-year-old model has experimented with many different hairstyles over the last few years, but this sleek ombre dip dyed look is the one we are most used to seeing her with. Until now...


Chrissy Teigen

The model took to Instagram to debut her new, summer-ready lob (that's a long bob!)


Amanda Seyfried

Amanda Seyfried has had long, tumbling blonde hair for as long as we can remember. However, the former Mean Girls star has recently debuted a new look...


Amanda Seyfried

Amanda took to Instagram to debut her new hairstyle and reveal that she donated her chopped hair to the charity Locks of Love. We love her "lob" (long bob) and slightly darker blonde colouring.


Blake Lively

Long, blonde and luscious. Blake Lively has become known for her Rapunzel-like hair from her early days in The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants to Serena van der Woodsen in Gossip Girl.

Image: Rex Features


Blake Lively

But this summer the star is changing things up by opting for a darker, ombre look.  

@blakelively
 

 


Blake Lively

The actress shared images of her new hair while travelling. "...Brondes have more fun#NoTypos-IKnowIThinkItsCrazyToo," she wrote on Instagram.

@blakelively
 


Kate Hudson

The 36 year old actress has had long blonde hair for so long that we can't imagine her with a different kind of haircut. But stars regularly change their hair for films and Kate took to her Instagram to reveal a rather different look...


Kate Hudson

Kate shared this snap of her brand new look with fans on hr Instagram page. The long bob is so recently cut that she hasn't even had a chance to dry her hair and we can see a glimpse of her hairdresser in the background. Kate revealed her new do was for her new film, saying, "First day on set of new film and they're going to town on my hair! Ah!!!!"


Amy Poehler

The 43-year-old actress has worked blonde locks for as long as we can remember (blonde to Amy is what straight hair is to Jennifer Aniston). So it was a surprise when she turned up at the the '60th Anniversary of Allen Ginsberg's Howl With Music, Words, and Funny People' event with a very different look...


Amy Poehler

The comedian and actress traded her usual colour for a fiery shade of red. It’s unclear if Amy dyed her hair for an upcoming role, but it made a striking statement against her black suit at the event.


Julianne Hough

There's no mistaking American actress and dancer Julianne Hough thanks to her trademark blonde bob. But she's caught the coloured hair bug opting for a unicorn-inspired hue...


Julianne Hough

"Pink is the colour of kindness," she wrote on her lifestyle website. "The world can always be more colorful!"


Lena Dunham

The actress, writer and director is as experimental with her hair as she is in her work. In a matter of eight months she's gone from brunette to platinum blonde and even green. 


Lena Dunham

So it's no surprise that the star has gone for a short pixie crop which she debuted on the Late Night With Seth Meyers show on Wednesday night. It's not the first time she's opted for the cut, working a similar length in January 2013.


Jessica Alba

The actress has experimented with her style over the last few years, but her brunette locks have remained largely unchanged - other than a touch of ombre. 


Jessica Alba

But this weekend Jessica revealed a blunt, layered bob - and looked rather delighted with the results. 


Vanessa Hudgens

She's experimented with shades of brown, blonde, blue and red. But until this week, 26-year-old Vanessa has kept her free-wheelin' locks relatively long... 


Vanessa Hudgens

Not anymore. The High School Musical actress has traded her whimsical tresses for a short, sharp bob.

Ms Hudgens posted her new 'do on Instagram, with the caption: "Who needs a lob when you can have a bb (blunt bob)!!" 

Who indeed...


Kim Kardashian

As if chopping off her long locks wasn't enough of a change, Kim has also decided to switch up her colour...


Kim Kardashian

... by going platinum blonde. The reality TV star debuted the look at Paris Fashion Week during the Balmain show.


Kim Kardashian

Another close-up look at the incredible new look. 

[via]


Cheryl Fernandez-Versini

Cheryl has always been known for her long locks but that's all changed...


Cheryl Fernandez-Versini

The singer showed off her new shorter do, with her hair cropped into a Seventies-style bob.


Cheryl Fernandez-Versini

Instagram followers also got to see her new hair colour too, which is a berry red hue.


Cheryl Fernandez-Versini

Today, her Instagram followers got a look at her once-again transformed hair, which is now a much deeper red colour


April 2014

She's flirted with a fringe and a long bob in the past, but this long, blonde style is the look we most closely associate with Sienna...


July 2014

But now she's rocking an edgy 'bad bob' we might have to rethink our view of the Alfie star.


March 2014

Scarlett Johansson has given brunette and titian locks a go over the years but this kind of super-feminine 'do has always been her go-to style.


July 2014

Until now. The 29-year-old actress recently underwent a dramatic change with this short, sharp bob.


October 2012

Pamela Anderson's long blonde bouffant is almost as iconic as her bright red Baywatch costume...


January 2014

But the 47-year-old actress began 2014 with a fresh new cropped style.


November 2010

Anne Hathaway's glossy chestnut locks undoubtedly helped her shoot to fame in The Princess Diaries but when she landed the part of Fantine in Les Miserables it was time to show the world she was a serious, grown-up actress...


January 2014

Then came the Audrey Hepburn-esque crop.


January 2014

Wolf of Wall Street star Margot Robbie was the quintessential Hollywood blonde bombshell...


March 2014

Until she turned up at the Oscars debuting a sultry new brunette 'do.


September 2011

It can't have been easy for Jennifer Hudson to part with these shiny locks...


June 2014

But her pixie crop is definitely a hit.


December 2012

Kristen Stewart was always a bit of a brunette hair idol...


July 2014

Then she went and shopped it off and dyed it orange. The rebel.


November 2013

Nicole Richie has gone from classic blonde/brown to a much more dramatic hue...


July 2014

Yes, that is one bright shade of blue.


July 2014

Beyonce's hair has long been a source of awe and wonderment.


August 2014

But she briefly flirted with a shorn look last year.


July 2014

Just last month Emma Roberts looked like this.


August 2014

Now she's sporting a long, blonde, grungey 'do.


July 2014

These are the kind of tresses we expect from Emma Watson...


November 2010

But four years ago she was all about the super-short pixie crop.


June 2014

Classic and elegant - this is the hair vibe we associate with Natalie Portman.


May 2005

But nine years ago she stunned us by looking just as classic and elegant with a buzz cut for her role in V for Vendetta.


February 2013

It's not so long since Jennifer Lawrence had masses of BIG hair.


July 2014

These days she's successfully growing out a pixie crop.


July 2014

Kim Kardashian may be the ultimate brunette bombshell...


January 2014

But even she has given blonde a go.


September 2009

Charlize Theron was once a slave to the curling tongs...


May 2014

Then she went for a short, tousled chop - and has never looked back.


July 2014

Emma Stone is Hollywood's favourite redhead.


May 2013

Which is why we never quite got used to her blonde phase last year.


January 2014

Back in January, Julia Roberts had pretty much the same shade of brunette she sported in Pretty Woman.


May 2014

Now she's a very natural-looking honey-blonde.


May 2008

Kristen Wiig burst onto the scene with a very classic, brunette hair style.


April 2014

Now she's got an edgy blonde bob.


December 2012

Taylor Swift must have really wrestled over chopping off her trademark tresses.


July 2014

But it proved to be a good decision for the country star.


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