Beauty
Rihanna’s 20 Best Hair Moments
From short bobs to undercuts, Rihanna’s hair choices are always unpredictable.
Rihanna has cemented herself as a fashion and beauty icon with both trendsetting looks and her professional ventures, Fenty x PUMA and Fenty Beauty. Now, she’s entering the celebrity hair care chat with Fenty Hair, her latest venture, releasing on June 13. She promises to deliver on hair care that, according to her Instagram, will be “a flexible line of products for not only every hair want, but every single product is designed to strengthen and repair all types of hair, which is what we truly need!” Of course, she switched up her hair for the teaser video, rocking a shaggy blonde bob.
She switches her hairstyles over the years as often as the weather changes, oscillating from short pixie cuts to long, bouncy waves in a matter of days. She’s been a blonde, a redhead (my personal favorite) and often returns to her tried-and-true jet black locks. Just like her fashion sense, her hairstyles often precede and defy trends, and she’s a true hair chameleon. No style or color is off limits and she rarely doesn’t pull off a look. Click through to see our personal highlights from almost two decades of excellent hair, from some of her best Grammy red carpet coiffures to more relaxed yet equally impactful everyday looks.
2006, MTV Video Music Awards
Forever the queen of a loose curl and side part.
2007, Cipriani Wall Street Concert Series
This sleek black bob during her Good Girl Gone Bad was pared back, yet so effective.
2009, Christian Dior SS10 Show
The Rated R era hairstyle, frosted tips and all, was very underrated.
2009, American Music Awards
Her undercut always delivered high drama, and this sweeping blonde bang is no exception.
2011, Grammys
This flouncy red hair was the perfect antidote to this Jean-Paul Gaultier stunner of a dress.
2012, Grammys
Rihanna dialed the sex factor up to 11 with this sleek black dress and textured blonde cut, with the roots giving it that lived-in look.
2012, MTV Video Music Awards
Her black pixie cut gave her beautiful eyes room to shine, and this style is not talked about enough.
2012, Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show
This shiny finger wave and undercut was gothic, sexy, and helped her channel all the bad bitch energy into her now-legendary runway walk.
2013, Grammys
This loose waved ombré at the Grammys inspired a summer ombré revolution.
2013, New York
This mullet came after her Unapologetic album dropped, and she made a statement with this unapologetic haircut.
2014, iHeartRadio Music Awards
These Bantu knots were a knockout paired with her shiny emerald pout.
2015, Miu Miu FW14 Show
This was a memorable fashion week, partly because Rihanna was around the town going to several shows, but mostly because of this Edna Mode-approved blunt black bob.
2015, Met Gala
Not only was the one of the best Met Gala looks of all time (and the generator of thousands of memes), but this flipped-up auburn bob is one of the best Met beauty looks of all time.
2016, New York
Rihanna wore jumbo locs while she filmed Ocean’s 8, but two years prior she embraced the natural hairstyle while strutting in SoHo.
2017, Met Gala
This simple swoopy bang and topknot let the star of her look shine: her face-covering blush.
2017, New York
Who’s got bouncier waves than her? I’ll wait.
2019, New York
The Fenty creator wore a Fenty dress and red box braids to a New York event, and the wind was definitely a supporting character.
2022, Fenty Skin Event
This pin-straight, jet black hair felt like vintage Rihanna.
2023, Golden Globes
This sculptural space bun moment wonderfully complemented her Schiaparelli dress.
2024, Fenty x PUMA Launch Party
This big boss suit and this blunt blonde bang were a match made in heaven.
