Jennifer Lopez's Hair Evolution Is Something You Have To See

Guessing what Jennifer Lopez will look like on the next red carpet is never easy. But the one thing you can count on is great style, always. The singer, actor, producer, and plenty more besides has been turning heads and claiming icon status for decades — but one of Lopez's looks stands above the rest. 

"I am conscious of the way I look when I go out," she shared with Cosmopolitan. "My mom and my grandma taught me that you never leave the house without taking a bath and at least attempting to fix your hair." Lopez even started her own beauty brand, JLo Beauty, encompassing all things skincare.

How she wears her hair has changed repeatedly over the years, too. Lopez transforms her tresses almost as often as she changes her wardrobe. "I like to think [my style] is timeless, authentic, confident, glamorous, cool, [and] playful," she told Coach in an interview (via YouTube). And that goes for her hair, too. 

While she calls herself "Jenny from the Block," and even has a song proclaiming as such, it's hard to imagine someone who looks like Jennifer Lopez ever being the girl next door. But early on in her career, there were times when she actually did look like you could run into her at the local corner store.

With her natural curls enhanced and baby wisps of hair left untamed at the hairline, the superstar looked the part of a neighborhood sweetheart. Her naturally brunette mane was in full force, with only a few sun-kissed highlights. The singer told People she feels most sexy "when my hair is curly and I'm a little bit tan."

As she began appearing on more and more red carpets, Lopez's style evolved into a more glamorous look. Her dark-chocolate tresses were still center-stage, but the spiral curls were softened into smooth, face-framing curves with tons of shine. You'll also notice the absence of those baby hairs at the top of the forehead. By 2022, she'd perfected the look to the extent Cosmopolitan UK argued the curls didn't even look real. 

Do blondes really have more fun? You could ask Jennifer Lopez since she's had experiences as both a brunette and a blonde. The lighter shade was first created by celebrity hair colorist Rita Hazan. "I felt like [the darker color] was too harsh for her skin tone and her personality," she explained to Glamour. "I created a honey-highlighted hair color for her and people went crazy over it."

The iconic superstar has also experimented with her length over the years, too. When she took on the role of NYPD detective Harlee Santos on TV's "Shades of Blue," for which Lopez also served as an executive producer, per The Hollywood Reporter, the actor chose a shorter hairstyle to fit her character.  As Lopez informed Entertainment Weekly, "I thought, 'Growing up in the Bronx, if I became a cop, what would I look like right now? My hair would still be curly, I'd have cut it.'"

While Harlee opted for an easier, everyday style, the woman Hollywood gifted the flashy nickname J-Lo required more versatility. Hairstylist Juan Carlos Maciques was responsible for the snip, and shared with THR: "It's a character she's created to suit a specific need, and the cut reflects that. Now it's a matter of adapting it to her every day and making it glamorous." One way Lopez went red carpet with her shorter look was with a super-straight finish, definitively differentiating the lob from her character's curly version. 

While both Jennifer Lopez's hair color and length may have changed over the years, there's one thing you can always count on the singer to wear perfectly: a ponytail. And that won't change, no matter how famous she gets. "I'm still a ponytail, bun-on-top-of-your-head girl, which is all very Puerto Rican Bronx," Lopez told InStyle (via Life & Style magazine). 

The talented multihyphenate even has favorite ways to wear her go-to hairstyle. On some red carpets, you'll see her with every lock slicked back into a high ponytail, and sometimes in a low-pony version. She's also been known to do the half pony, with only her front tresses gathered at the crown, the tail left to waterfall down her back with the rest.

Lopez is definitely a woman known for her style and ever-evolving transformation. Truly, you never know what to expect from her next. Maybe a silver-haired look? As the singer confessed to People, "I was prematurely gray at 23. I have to have [my roots] touched up every couple of weeks." In fact, Lopez admitted, "I'm kind of tempted to one day just let it go. It'd be kind of exciting!" If anyone can pull it off, it's her.