Over the past 16 years, Rihanna has blessed us with her music, fashion sense, and eye for cosmetics. With all of Rih's Bad Gal magic, it's easy to overlook some of her most iconic hairstyles.
The Rihanna hair journey has been a wild one, from pixie cuts and the bright red Loud era to bobs and ponytails. While we're watching her reinvent maternity style, let's take a look back at her incredible hair looks.
Below, see the Rihanna hair evolution unfold.
2006
Fresh off the success of “SOS,” Rihanna paired her debut onto the music scene with sweet brunette wavy locks.
Rihanna switched up the textures later in the year, opting for a sleek straight style that showed off her inches.
2007
Blunt, asymmetrical bangs were a bold choice for the “Shut Up and Drive” singer, as were her pink highlights and jet-black color.
Easily one of her most iconic looks, Pixie Cut Rihanna revealed herself to the world in 2007. This haircut is synonymous with her Good Girl Gone Bad era.
2008
RiRi kept up with the short hairstyles in 2008, going for a pixie cut with sweeping bangs.
Rihanna added a curlier style to her pixie cut at the 2008 Grammy Awards, where she won her first Grammy for “Umbrella.”
2009
Hello, Rated R era! Rihanna underwent a dramatic color change, maintaining the sweeping bangs but adding an undercut and dying her short hair blonde.
Two thousand and nine was truly Rihanna's punk era. The “Rude Boy” singer wore a mohawk to the U.K. Inglourious Basterds premiere.
2010
This pompadour style for the 2010 Grammys was simply groundbreaking.
Mentally, I'm still here. Bright red hair was the look of Rihanna's Loud era. From shoulder-length looks to wavy updos, Rihanna had all kinds of styles for her new cherry red locks.
2011
Red-hair Rihanna continues, this time with a straight shoulder-length bob.
This Katniss Everdeen–style braid proves that whether it's a long or short style, red-hair Rihanna reigns supreme.
2012
Following the release of Talk That Talk, a rebranding was in order. Rihanna went blonde, and this wavy style with fringed bangs is simply stunning.
She capped off the year with Unapologetic, and as “Diamonds” took the world by storm, RiRi returned to her pixie-cut roots.
2013
She couldn't stay away from her blonde hair for long. This sleek medium-length hairstyle was her choice as she executive-produced the competition series Styled to Rock.
Rihanna's hairstyle of choice for the 2013 Grammys was a creamy brunette, complete with peanut-butter-cup-style highlights.
2014
Toned down from some of her more dramatic styles in the late ’00s, long, wavy black hair was Rihanna's style of choice in 2014.
2015
With a straight style, Rihanna kept it simple and sleek for her “FourFiveSeconds” performance at the 2015 Grammys with Kanye West and Paul McCartney.
2016
Returning to her 2007 roots, Rihanna is back with an even jet-black bob.
This high ponytail was perfect for the stage.
2017
This wet-style curly bob was a sophisticated style for Rihanna.
Who could forget Rihanna's iconic 2017 Met Gala ensemble? With an outfit this showstopping, a top bun and some bangs were all she needed.
2018
Celebrating the one-year anniversary of her cosmetics brand, Fenty Beauty, Rihanna wore a simple black wavy style, opting for inches rather than drama.
2019
These zigzag braids were a beautiful departure from Rihanna's typical curly or straight style.
2020
Forever sophisticated, the Fenty founder wore this sleek black hairstyle to the launch of Fenty at Bergdorf Goodman, giving us flashbacks to her 2015 Grammys performance.
2021
Welcome back, bangs! Rihanna wore this straight-out-of-2007 look to the Savage x Fenty Show Vol. 3 premiere.
2022
We're getting 2016 flashbacks from this high ponytail!
