The Biggest Celebrity Hair Transformations of 2021

This might be the biggest year of celebrity hair transformations yet. 

As cities continued to slowly open back up, many took re-emergence as an opportunity to refresh their image and experiment with a new hairstyle. For some, that meant exploring new colors like fiery reds and rich browns or forgoing the dye altogether to embrace their natural gray. Others decided to grab for the shears, trying out a new fringe or the wonderfully shaggy wolf cut that took the internet by storm.

When it comes to color transformations that defined the year, Billie Eilish tops the list. Over the summer, the singer traded in her signature green roots for an all-over icy blonde look, signaling a new chapter as she graced the cover of British Vogue. More recently, she switched things up again, dying her hair a mocha brown that Bella Hadid and Ariana Grande also can't get enough of. Other standouts include Bella Hadid's teasing of a brick red bob that perfectly nailed the nineties grungy chic that made a resounding comeback this year, and the two-toned, black and platinum look both Kehlani and Miley Cyrus were both seen sporting.

For haircuts that caused headlines, Kourtney Kardashian and Willow Smith led the charge. No one saw it coming when the Kardashian said goodbye to her trademark loose waves for a fresh lob that might be her boldest beauty moment yet. Meanwhile, Smith shaved it all off during a live performance of her 2010 hit, “Whip My Hair,” the new buzzcut symbolizing an end of an era while celebrating an age of newfound wisdom and self-empowerment. Other “big chop” highlights include  Florence Pugh and Sarah Hyland, with Pugh favoring a brown “bixie” (a fusion of pixie and bob, hence the portmanteau) and Hyland debuting chic, wispy bangs. 

Below, a look back at the biggest celebrity hair transformations of 2021.